'I didn't expect her to react so negatively': Husband's HOA-compliant yard work idea infuriates wife

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 14, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

This guy absolutely despises cutting his lawn, writing, "The sound of the lawn mower makes me wish I could take my ears off like Mr. Potato Head and lock them in a box." But, as this person wrote to r/AmItheA**hole, he must mow the lawn frequently due to his HOA breathing down his neck!

U/Goat-rentor wrote that his wife also can't mow their lawn, due to a bizarre accident that happened in the past. Now, the OP found himself needing to cut the grass as the warm season began. Instead of pulling out the lawn mower that bothered him so much, the OP found a pretty great workaround. He contacted a person who owned a goat named MayMay, and "hired" this little herbivore for the day. At just $20 for an entire day of letting MayMay graze on his grassy lawn, this seems like quite the steal! But once the OP's wife found out, she was completely livid. 

Up next, this renter got "the greatest revenge I could have ever imagined" on his landlord!

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  • 01
    Font - r/AmItheA hole Posted by u/Goat-rentor 14 hours ago 2 AITA for renting a goat? So I (30M) hate cutting grass. Hate it, hate it, hate it. The sound of the lawn mower makes me wish I could take my ears off like Mr. Potato head and lock them in a box. It hurts my shoulder (I got injured in HS and it never healed right) and I might be the only person in the world who doesn't like the smell of cut gras and gasoline.
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 02
    Font - This week was the very first week this year that I would need to cut the grass. We live in a fairly warm state, and the HOA is very strict about it. We even have little flags at the front of the yard that the grass isn't allowed to get taller then.
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 03
    Font - So the point is. The lawn needs to be mowed. I don't want to do it. My wife can't because the last time she mowed a lawn she tipped into a lake. Just so happens I know a guy who owns a goat, and I offer him $20 to bring it over to eat the grass for me.
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 04
    Font - The goat eats the grass, we keep her away from the neighbors yards, goat goes home. It was great! Way better than mowing.
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 05
    Except now my wife is mad because some of the neighbors saw the goat and think it's hysterical that we had a goat doing yard work for us. She's pied that I made us look like 'weird hicks' in front of all of her friends. I don't care if they think we're a little weird, I'm happy to be laughed at if it means saving myself from the headache inducing sound of a lawn mower. But now she's making weird comments around the house about getting a horse to carry groceries, or a chicken to clean the windows
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 06
    Font - Edit: the goat does not violate HOAs (bs) policies! They have strict rules against raising farm animals, but if, say, the HOA presidents daughter wants a pony at her birthday party for a few hours, that's a-okay
    via u/Goat-Rentor
  • 07

    This is the employee in question, her name is MayMay!

    Goat
    via u/Goat-rentor
  • 08

    Commenters agreed pretty unanimously with the OP, saying his wife needs to stop thinking about the neighbors and worry about her own household.

    Font - Pirate_Queen_of_DC 13 hr. ago Parta ipant [1] NTA. You picked the more environmentally friendly (and adorable) option. Your wife needs to stop caring what the neighbors think. And maybe be less extra, too.
    via u/Pirate_Queen_of_DC
  • 09
    Font - DO DrWhoey 12 hr. ago My wife would be THRILLED at the prospect of having a goat to mow the lawn once a week that she could go pet. I'd also bet his neighbors would probably be more interested in it when they find out how little he's paying to have it done.
    via u/DrWhoey
  • 10

    Not every commenter agrees that the OP made the right choice

    Font - ihatehighfives 11 hr. ago Lots a goats are mean. Not always pettable
    via u/ihatehighfives
  • 11
    Font - Any Quality4534 11 hr. ago . Our town uses a herd of goats and sheep to clean the overgrown in the drainages canals. They come in the summer and you can track where they are currently on our town app. I think this is a great idea for lawns. NTA
    via u/Any_Quality4534
  • 12
    Font - The GardenNymph. 10 hr. ago There's actually companies that rent out goats because they're more environmentally friendly and really good at things like ivy removal
    via u/TheGardenNymph
  • 13
    Font - GodspeedandGoodnight 8 hr. ago I literally cannot imagine anyone I like making fun of me for getting a goat to cut my grass. They'd either be excited and want to come over and watch, or bring the kids.
    via u/GodspeedandGoodnight
  • 14
    Font - Bella-1999 6 hr. ago To me, this is a literal work smarter, not harder. Bonus points for goats to look at and environmentally friendly lawn maintenance.
    via u/Bella-1999
  • 15
    Font - G-Darling 11 hr. ago The part where they need other farm animals to do housework because there's no "man". EXCUSE ME MA'AM but what exactly does she do around the house since her husband is expected to do it all?
    via u/G-Darling:
  • 16
    evelbug. 12 hr. ago rintendant [55] As long as you don't have a lake on your yard, this shouldn't be a problem
    via u/evelbug
  • 17
    Font - etds39 hr. ago Colo-rectal Surgeon [35] Right??? It takes a special kind of stupid to tip a lawn mower into a lake. I don't think she gets a say in how the lawn gets mowed.
    via u/etds3
  • 18

    The OP dropped that funny story of his wife falling in a lake, too

    Font - Goat-rentor OP. 13 hr. ago Okay so that story is; her dad lives on a lake in Minnesota. On a hill. He broke his leg a few years ago and she went up to help him own for a few weeks. While she was up there she had to mow his big lawn. He told her not to go along the side of the hill, but go up and down. I guess he knew she was going to ignore him because he pulled out a video camera and watched her go sideways on the hill and ended up tipping the mower straight into the lake, and following
    via u/Goat-rentor

    "Okay so that story is; her dad lives on a lake in Minnesota. On a hill. He broke his leg a few years ago and she went up to help him own for a few weeks. While she was up there she had to mow his big lawn. He told her not to go along the side of the hill, but go up and down. I guess he knew she was going to ignore him because he pulled out a video camera and watched her go sideways on the hill and ended up tipping the mower straight into the lake, and following it in. 

    She got a minnow stuck under her clothes, and now she won't go near lakes or lawn mowers."

  • 19
    Font - coolturtle0410 11 hr. ago Yeah I laughed a little too hard at that part. It was certainly glossed over and seemed like a natural part of the story. Meanwhile, I'm like..." Wait. She tipped over into a lake?!?!?"
    via u/coolturtle0410
  • 20
    Font - limbosplaything. 11 hr. ago I'm in Wisconsin and there are places here where goats are contracted to eat the brush. My coworker was going to throw a goat hangout party for the goats working on the lot next to her but they were too efficient and finished their contract early.
    via u/limbosplaything
  • 21
    Font - Megmelons55. 12 hr. ago Your wife tipped your mower into a lake so you rented a goat to chew your grass..... holy f I love you both Nta. Tell me there's video of the goat hard at work hahahaha
    via u/Megmelons55

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rural aita wife goats husband yard work lawnmower
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