Zen and the art of domestication

It finally happened.

I bought a new lawn mower last week and could barely contain my excitement when I mowed my lawn with it. How did this happen? I thought I’d be the last person to genuinely look forward to yard chores, yet here I am. I used to be cool -- OK, not really. But, there used to be a fine line between the feeling I would get when I’d purchase a household appliance and something legitimately fun. I find that line to blur and fade these days.

The previous lawn mower was purchased for $50 through a garage sale and for three years, was very faithful. However, small problems quickly ad...