SWANSEA, Mass. (WJAR) — A Massachusetts woman who recently celebrated a big birthday bought herself a gift that keeps on giving.
Ninety-seven-year-old Marie Erickson of Swansea said for as long as she can remember, she’s always had a love for landscaping.
Her home sits on 2.5 acres of land.
“The yard keeps me busy. I don’t like to do house work” said Erickson. “I’ve always mowed my lawn. I had the push mower, but I was a younger girl and I could push that. But now, forget it.”
Over her decades-long house chore, Erickson has accumulated quite a few lawnmowers.
“I’ve always owned a John Deere. I like the John Deeres,” she said.
Erickson, who is 4 feet 8 inches tall, said typically when it came to her ride on mowers, she had to tie bricks to the pedals so she could operate them.
However, a few years ago she fell in love with a John Deere tractor that not only would cut the grass, but it also came equipped with power steering.
Her feet fit on the pedals just right.
“I said, ‘I want that.’ So, I saved my money until I had what I needed to pay for that tractor,” said Erickson. “You get what you pay for, right?”
Erickson, who lives on a fixed monthly income, said each month she would save a little.
“I kept counting it every month, every month I finally got to $5,000. I said,’ Oh great,'” said Erickson.
May 22 marked her 97th birthday.
As a gift to herself, she took a trip to a John Deere dealership to purchase the prized tractor … [video]
