This weekend, I mowed my lawn for the first time since we moved here.  It needed it pretty bad, but I have been putting it off.  I just need to get used to cutting the grass when it's wet.  Mowing in the northwest is quite a bit different than mowing in central Texas. You can boil the differences down into the following:

• Temperature
• Central Texas - Pretty much sweltering at any time you need to mow.
• Seattle - I had a light jacket on.  I've never mowed when it was so cool out.
• Moisture
• Central Texas - You can usually wait until the lawn is dry to mow
• Seattle - No such guarantee that your free time will line up with a time where the grass is dry
• Grass Type
• Central Texas - All the lawn I've ever mowed have had st. augustine grass.  Wide, stiff blades.
• Seattle - Most grass around here is very fine, soft blades. (which makes for quite a mess when it's wet)  In addition, there is alot of moss in the grass, especially after the rainy season.
• Natural Variable Obstacles - Things that can move that you have to worry about running over.
• Central Texas - Fire ant mounds could get big enough to cause issues, as well as some pain if you weren't careful.
• Seattle - Pinecones can be big enough to cause problems.  Mole hills are also a new threat, especially since they often contain rocks large enough to be problematic.
• Cutting height
• Central Texas - You pretty much want to keep the grass as tall as possible so that it can retain moisture and keep from dying in the sun.  I usually cut on the highest setting
• Seattle - Most people I have observed cut it very low.  I started pretty low, and then raised it so I could get it through the tall spots without stalling the mower due to wet clumps of clippings bogging down the blade.  I think I need a sharpening, or a more powerful mower.

Right now, it kind of looks like a bad haircut. We'll see how it looks after the blades stand up again, and all the clippings die and turn brown.  It'll probably need another once-over soon to even things out. I was just happy that the mower fired up without difficulty after having been drained of it's vital fluids for the move.