Into the Drink and Out Again

April 4, 2025

On Tuesday (April 1), I was using the loppers to cut down small trees and bushes in the cross fence.

Bruce came out of the house and called out to me, “Hey, I’ve got a situation and need your help.”

I called back as I started walking towards Bruce, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine.” Was his answer as I reached him. He was soaked from his thighs down. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened. I found out soon enough.

“The mower is in the ditch and I need help to get it out.”

Bruce changed clothes and I lent him my KURU hiking boots. He didn’t have any other appropriate shoes or boots he could wear. We have the same size feet, except his are much wider than mine. The hiking boots are wide on my feet, so they fit Bruce well.

We talked while he was changing. I wanted to know what happened. Bruce was extremely embarrassed at putting the mower in the ditch. (Our ditch contains a creek in front of our house.)

Bruce wanted to cut the grass close to the ditch. The grass and dirt were wet and slippery. The mower tires couldn’t get traction when Bruce tried to back up. The mower would only go forward. He thought he could steer it out of danger, but it started slipping into the ditch (creek). Bruce realized he was in trouble and jumped off the mower into the ditch, thus getting completely soaked from his thighs down.

I processed this story and was relieved he wasn’t hurt. (I found out later his back was sore from getting twisted as he jumped off. He is fine now.)

I suggested we use the come along hooked to the truck to pull out the mower. Bruce said that what he was thinking as well.

I went off to find the come along. After looking around in the garage, I spotted it.

Bruce came out to the garage and I had the come along. Bruce backed the truck out of the garage and drove it down the driveway. He drove the truck across the grass to get to the mower. He had to put the truck in 4 wheel drive once on the grass since the ground was so slippery.

The front of the mower was in the water, the front wheels and part of the deck were under water.

Bruce backed the truck up to about ten feet from the ditch where the mower was in the ditch, with me watching and telling him when to stop.

Bruce hooked the come along to the mower hitch and to the truck and tightened it up. He asked me to watch the mower and make sure there wasn’t any problems when he pulled out the mower.

He started up the truck and slowly pulled forward, pulling the mower out of the ditch, while I watched to see if there were any problems. Once the mower was out of the ditch for about ten feet, Bruce unhooked the come along and tossed it into the truck bed.

Bruce climbed on the mower, started it up, and tried it out to make sure it was running properly.

In the picture here, the mower has been moved from its position of being pulled out of the drink. Bruce had tried out the mower to make sure it was still working properly.

I drove the truck up to the house and Bruce continued mowing.

In the evening, Bruce and I were talking about the mower in the ditch. Bruce said, “That was an adventure I could’ve done without.”