COMING SOON TO A STORAGE SHED NEAR YOU...

...LAWNMOWERS WITH CATALYTIC CONVERTERS!

Those of you that visit this blog regularly know that The Mrs. cuts a lot of grass! I mean a lot! She does not charge for her services, being the goodhearted soul that she is. If she did, I would be married to an extremely wealthy woman.

Even though her favored lawnmower and weed-eater are only a season and a half old, the self-pulling drive on her mower has failed, and the weed-eater is getting really ornery. It just really pains me to watch her struggle getting the trimmer to finally crank, and push that "supposedly self-propelled" mower around.

So, being the "good husband" that I am, I went this morning and bought her a brand new mower and weed-whacker. (She was taking The Mrs. In-Law to get knee surgery this morning, and I figured I'd surprise her while she was doing her good deed for the day!)

Don't they purty???

While I was uncrating my "big surprise" for her, I began to pull off all the cardboard junk, and the "warning" tags...you know like, "DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE INTO MULCHING BLADE WHILE ENGINE IS RUNNING," and "DO NOT OPERATE THIS MACHINE IF CHILDREN OR PETS ARE WITHIN 1500 km," and "ALWAYS USE PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR WHILE OPERATING" etc. I came across this...

Now, this one puzzled me...but not for long. My first thought was, "I'll bet that California has tougher 'emission standards' for lawnmowers just like they do for cars." I astound myself sometimes at how right I can be.

A quick Gooble search landed me this. It seems that the EPA (during the Bush administration) allowed California to restrict sales of lawnmowers to only those with catalytic converters installed. My first thought was "Jeepers, it must be tough for a thinking person to live in California...what morons...what alarmist reactionaries...what maroons!"

But as I read further: California, home to some of the nation's most polluted air in the Los Angeles basin and San Joaquin Valley, is under constant pressure to meet federal air quality standards or risk sanctions including losing money for highway projects.

So, it makes more sense. With the sword of losing Federal Highway Funds hanging over your head...'ya gotta' do what ya' gotta do.

The good news for the rest of the nation is that we will all have "green mowers" on our store shelves by 2011! Aren't you excited?

A little more Gooble-searching landed me another article from The Washington Post which 'splains that we will all have to buy "green mowers" by 2011. The article is dated Sept. 5, 2008 (my birthday btw...do not forget to send me a gift), and there is some fairly interesting junk in there. Of course, the WAPO must note that lawnmowers contribute to "global warming." It would not be an acceptable article if it did not continue to prop up the farce...but that's another subject for another time.

Lawnmowers, trimmers, blowers, snow-blowers, power washers, etc. are going to cost more.

From the first article about why Californians can't buy the one I did today: The California Air Resources Board has estimated that walk-behind mowers will cost between $37 and $52 more under the new regulation, while the price of commercial turf care mowers will go up between $71 and $179.

As always, every time the gubmit makes a decision you get poorer. Do I mind paying an extra $50 for a mower for The Mrs.? Not really. But the one I bought for her was on sale today at WalMart for about $50 Off on "End of Season Clearance." I might just go back up there and buy two or three to store in the shop...she really goes through them things.