When we first moved into our new Tennessee home, the lawn was in much need of a cut. Being that we didn’t have a lawn mower, one had to be ordered. When it came in, the rain had started which delayed the cutting of grass even longer. Finally the day of mowing arrived!
Since the bagger unit was still out for delivery, I would mow and have to just let it fly. It seems that around here everyone lets it fly, so at least I’m not being abnormal. Since the grass was tall, it made more sense to mow sans bag anyway. Otherwise I’d mow 2 feet and then have to empty the catcher which would be a drag.
So I fired up the bad boy, hit the lawn runnin’ and let it fly!
About halfway through the front yard, I realized that I wasn’t smelling that fresh cut grass smell. Rather than the sweet fragrance that usually wafts while mowing, something herbal, almost savory was drifting through the air. It was a familiar aroma, but I couldn’t place it.
I wrote it off as the grass in Tennessee must smell funny.
When the next time to mow arrived, I got the same herbal aroma that doesn’t quite fit with cut grass. It’s one of those things where you recognize it, but since it’s out of context your brain fails to identify it. Like the time when I was driving for a metal building and roofing company, and somebody tossed a urinal cake behind the seat of my truck. When I got into the truck, I smelled it, recognized it as being familiar, but since I wasn’t in the men’s room it took awhile to figure out what it was.
Our yard isn’t a perfect lawn. It has a couple of different types of grass, ground cover and weeds growing in it. This is why I didn’t notice it before. Upon closer inspection, I found some strange looking “grass” leaves. They are green, but grow in clumps and are almost round rather than blades. That’s when I realized what it was:
Garlic.
We have garlic growing all over in the yard. I’ve never had garlic in my lawn before so this is quite a new experience. This explains the familiar yet out of context aroma permeating the air while I mow. I expect a sweet, fresh cut grass smell when I mow but what I get is chopped salad.
