Edouard and everyone,
I won't sharpen the blade for . . . oh . . . at least two more years . . . Gotta to allow the existing blade to . . . . season!!
I'm so glad I stumbled across this lawnmower forum because I've always thought that if I ever caught one of my neighbors on my lawn with a magnifying glass, looking for torn grass blades, then and only then would I take the time to sharpen my blades and ruin that nice patina that we're looking for. Also, with little rain these days, thinner grass makes sharper blades less and less necessary.
On another note, I really did email a Dallas TV meteorologist about the title theme of this thread. He said:
"
Never heard that? or noticed it on radar.
Cities do produce a rain-shadow. Because of the additional particle matter (condensation nuclei) and heat they can wring out a little more rain out of a system. Sometimes the only place it?s raining is downwind from a major city."
I'll never watch that channel again.
And besides, there's something wrong with that channel anyway; year after year they keep showing the Cowboys playing lousy football.
Not to mention the fact that I thought "rain-shadow" meant the blocking of rain, not inducing rain.
Or maybe "rain-shadow" is radar terminology.
Keith