Thursday Night Mowing League 2024: Week 2 -- The Dogs Love Stripes
New graphics, new dogs and TNML Facebook is getting active
As promised in my Week 1 report, the Thursday Night Mowing League social media push is going to be unlike anything this league has seen before (as long as I can get the Instagram account loaded on my phone).
New this week is our TNML national rankings leaderboard that you should be striving to appear this summer. After two weeks, Fink in Illinois and defending national champion Timmy2Cuts Bollmer find themselves in a familiar spot, while perennial good-guy retiree Mike Freshwater is right where you'd expect him at this point in the season.
Then there are the newcomers: Buffs and Shannon Blackburn who are picking up the steam. Buffs has all the TNML gear. He understands camera angles. He gets that TNML league members have a soft spot for kids and Buffs just happens to have a little guy who pops up from time to time in his content.
And then there's Blackburn out of Liberty, Missouri who is laying down some of the most mesmerizing stripes the league has seen over the years. This week, we get to see a little bit of the hardscaping on the Blackburn property and we meet his dog.
(The Thursday Night Mowing League national rankings as of Friday, April 26, 2024. In no particular order: Fink in Illinois, Mike Freshwater out of Dayton, OH, TJ Bollmer from Cincinnati, Buffs and newcomer Shannon B. )
Speaking of dogs, if you're looking to pull at the commissioner's heartstrings, include photos of dogs in your reports. I don't care if they're your dogs, the neighbor's dogs, your in-laws dogs.
Our research tells us that dogs showing off stripes lowers blood pressure, women will go nuts over the pups and social media algorithms can't get enough of the pooches.
Speaking of social media, if you aren't dabbling with the TNML Facebook page, I want you to know the page is active and growing. Get in there and socialize with other league members.
Here come the No Mow May weirdos, but we're winning this war
Once again, I'm going to remind you of what the experts at the Oregon State Master Gardener Program have to say about this insane idea.
"In May, there are many other plants in bloom and the flowers in the lawn will not provide any additional food resources for pollinators. Clover and dandelion flower even with a consistently mowed lawn," Weston Miller wrote for the department in 2022.
"If you want to help pollinators, plant native shrubs like Oregon grape and ground covers like kinnickinnick. Plant flowers like cosmos and rosemary."
In the Midwest, you know those pink trees you see everywhere? Those are Eastern redbuds. Bees love them. Drive a No Mow maniac crazy, plant one. They're beautiful.
I know you didn't trust the blue-haired lesbians and the kooks, but sometimes you need to see this stuff to prevent you from becoming weak to their attacks.
Possible addition to the 2024 TNML Collection®?
- Chris in Milford, CT writes:
Joe, I know your heading off to Detroit now, but I have a question that might be interesting to you.
Have you thought about adding a TNML pullover hoodie to the ever expanding apparel collection? I would be first in line for a purchase.
Also thanks for the sticker. My 60-year-old ass appreciates it.
BUY! BUY! BUY!
Reminder: If you want the 2024 TNML polo, you need to order NOW because they're going to start shipping more of these on May 15.
Or…BUY the MLGA (Make Lawns Great Again) shirt. It'll be the most comfortable shirt in your dresser.
Mowing Reports From Across The United States:
- Indy Daryl, the captain of our Ragnar Relay team, reports in:
Cool temps? Check. Sunshine? Check. The sweet purr of a mower? Check. Couldn’t have asked for better conditions for week two. Got an afternoon mow in before evening soccer practice. You can see this weekend’s project in the background: fixing up the raised beds before we get to planting the wife’s flowers. Hope everyone had a great league night!
- Sean C. in Granger, IN reports:
Well, I’m a week late to getting in my season debut, but I’ll take it. This is usually a hectic time of year with travel. Combine that with uncooperative weather, and I tend to be one of those slow starters. So getting in rhythm by week 2 isn’t bad for me.
This is year 4 of the TNML, right? I can’t believe how fast it’s gone.
I’m a little behind on this, but I did get in my annual spring training trip to Lakeland in March. It’s always great to get away from the Midwest winters and enjoy the kind of weather people take for granted in the south. My brother and I have met so many people over our years going, we’ve turned it into an annual reunion of sorts. And we spend every evening at Hooters in North Lakeland. You can’t beat it.
We do get access to season tickets from some of the people we’ve met. And with that come special perks, like exclusive giveaways or private meet and greets. Sometimes it’s meeting a Tiger legend like Willie Horton, having shots of Fireball with Brad Ausmus or sharing a smoke with Jim Leyland. The days we were there, it was a meet and greet with Tiger prospects Keider Montero and Eddys Leonard. I got them to sign my TNML hat. They’re currently in your hometown playing for the Mud Hens. I’m not sure if you make it there much, but they are TNML adjacent now, like it or not. Lol
– Garrett B. was worried that his photo didn't go through on Twitter:
- Tim G. in the 419 writes:
Had another Baseball game rescheduled for Thursday, so had to do a Friday morning mow. Good 4.5" mow. The ground is still very soft - there are parts that I have now been on yet. Common early season issues - nothing we can’t overcome!
- Cander in Duluth, GA writes:
Joe- I missed league night last night, but it was for a good cause. The Wolves boys and girls varsity track teams were busy winning region championships! They earned themselves the day off from practice today, so I’ll be getting in a Friday afternoon mow. It’s not ideal, but it definitely beats Saturday.
