The "Good, Ole Lawn Boy" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was headed to work at Fairview Ave. Rentals. The last two years that I went to Millersville State Teacher's College, as well as the summer after my senior year of college, I worked part-time at Fairview. My boss and the owner of the place was Merle Peachey. The only other employee was a woman named Dottie. She handled the office transactions when Peachey wasn't working. I would work most every day during the summer and after classes and Saturdays during the school year. I gave up on the Acme Supermarket because of too few hours and having to pay such high union fees. My job at the rental place was to sharpen and clean the mowers when they were returned, sharpen the blades on the hedge trimmers as well as fix the cords that people would constantly cut in half as they trimmed their bushes, sharpen the blades on the chain saws and deliver party goods. We had a large selection of punch fountains, place settings, table cloths and naturally tables and chairs. We had an enclosed panel truck that I would load for the deliveries. We also rented trucks much like the U-Haul trucks, and had trailers for rent. It was unbelievable the tools that Peachey had to rent. Table saws, floor sanders, cement machines.....you needed it, he had it.....or would go buy it for you so he could rent it again. More than once the tools or machines were returned with blood on them and I would wonder what the person did to themselves or to someone else with it. My job was to clean the blood off and not ask questions. After my first summer with him ended, I noticed that Peachey sold all the lawn movers for a really good price. I did keep them in good shape throughout the summer. They had been used pretty hard, but he only purchased Lawn Boys, so they still had life in them. People would start to inquire about them in late August and he would sell them as soon as the first frost came. Gave the customers a really good deal. Gave me an idea for the following summer. The following April, Peachey purchased 15 new Lawn boys. Top of the line. I was to rotate them throughout the summer so they all got the same amount of use. OK, I can do that. Fall came around and people started to inquire about the price for the used mowers. $15. Not bad for a mower he paid close to $90 for a few months before. But, they were used every day, a few times a day, by people that didn't care what they did to them. I told Peachey I wanted to buy one, since I had gotten married during the summer and was going to eventually need one. "Sure, when I sell them you can have your pick," he assured me. Sale day came and I gave him my $15. After work I pushed my mower to the car for loading. He was standing in the doorway of the office and yelled "Where'd you get that mower?" I replied, "It's the one I'm buying from you." He walked over and takes a look at it. "Well, it looks brand new!" he says. "It does, doesn't it, but it was rented a few times during the summer," I said. "About how many times do you thing you sent that one out?" he askedme. I smiled at him and said, "At least.....5 or 6 times." He's is now laughing as he says, "You knew you were going to buy that, didn't you? And you kept it back in the shop." I said, "Yea, but it never cost you a rental." "He responded, "Then you really got a good buy on that one. I guess you deserve it." And......I still use it today, 43 years after I bought it. I wrote a letter to Lawn Boy asking if they wanted to feature me in an ad or commercial and they wrote me a letter saying NO. But, they did send me a hat and a T-shirt! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.