Exactly what factored into the recent slight reduction in the price of gasoline at many outlets serving drivers on the path around the Falls is not clear. Possible factors might have been an encouragement for travel to celebrate Mother’s Day and an oversupply due to the late start to the lawn mowing season.
Traffic seemed to be a little heavier than usual on Sunday morning. Perhaps that had to do with the fact that many restaurants were offering Mother’s Day buffets. In many families, tradition has it that the best way to show Mom a little appreciation is to give her a day off from meal preparation and washing the dishes from that meal. Having a slightly lower fuel cost to make the trip to that buffet would be a bonus.
Media reports often suggest that the price of fuel inches upward close to Memorial Day and Labor Day since those are heavy travel days. Even though Mother’s Day might include travel, apparently in the past it has not been enough to cause spot shortages and the need to raise prices due to higher demand. Maybe not enough people were hitting the roads to see Mom. Could the lower prices be a reflection that society needs to place a higher value on celebrating by visiting Mom?
The other factor, the late start of the lawn mowing season, has had an effect on overall gasoline supply. When there is no grass to mow, there is no need to fill the gas cans.
That mowing season got under way late last week. The warmer weather going into the weekend encouraged the lawns to come back to life, and both Saturday and Sunday were great days for lawn work.
For this observer, Saturday was raking, with Sunday to be the year’s inaugural run for the zero-turn Cub Cadet. A quick check of the gas tank showed some fuel, but it was on the low side. A check of the inventory of three cans of straight gas determined that one was empty, one was close to empty, and one was about half full.
The mowing process began, and at one break in the action, the balance of the inventory was put in the mower. Sunday was an outstanding day to be outside doing lawn work if not tied up with a Mother’s Day buffet. About two hours into the process, the mower was running on fumes and then stopped. That meant it was time to get to the Kelly Lake Kwik Stop for some of that Mother’s Day special fuel before the job could be finished.
Eventually the task was completed and looked pretty good, except for the low spot out back where the last remnants of a temporary pond created by snow melt prevented any mowing.
Lawn care for a school district is an interesting business. Some districts do their own lawn care using their own employees and their own equipment. Unfortunately, the lawn care season over the summer is one of the busiest times of the year for maintenance and custodial work inside the buildings. Good equipment is expensive and sits idle for a lot of the time.
As a result, contracting for that service has been the way to go. Over the years the district has used a number of lawn care providers selected through a bid process. The bidders need to be prequalified so there can be confidence they can provide quality service.
Due to the fact that there are so many variables, the specifications for the bidding call for an annual bid for lawn care for the months of April through October. This simplifies the process.
Some years it rains all summer and the grass grows like crazy. Some summers the weather turns dry and there is less need to mow. Some years the season starts late, and it can mean that, overall, the lawn care service comes out smelling like a rose or something like that. Usually, by this time of year there has been more than one mowing, but so far nothing was needed.
Snow plowing, on the other hand, is bid by the depth of the snow and the number of times it snows. This would have been a good year to bid by the season, but no provider would be willing to take a chance like that.
The power to foretell the future would help a lot with school budgeting. Unfortunately, not too many Mother’s Day gift packages include a working crystal ball.
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