MARIETTA, Ohio -- Lean back in the cushy, black leather seat, reach for a soda in the cup holder, let the warm sun flood over you, and feel raw, naked power under the hood.
A riding lawn mower is what every man really wants.
"Maybe it's a macho thing to ride instead of push a mower," Rob McPeek, of Newport, said. "I do know that it's just a lot easier to knock out a lawn on a rider than with a push mower." 
With Father's Day only two weeks away and the grass getting thicker and greener by the minute, now may be the time to think "riding."
"Last year was a record year for us and this year, so far, is going much better than last," Doug Lang, owner of Lang Outdoor Power & Equipment, Ohio 7, said.
Boom is the word.
Three acres of land in rural Washington County is no longer required to own a riding lawn mower. Anybody can have a rider, and they do.
In 2004, riding lawn mowers rule.
It is unlike any other power tool or garage toy.
You are the "pilot" of your rider, the master of your domain, the king of the roost. There's no pushing or pulling, no grunting or sweating.
"I use the riding mower when I'm allowed to," Barb Chandler, 33, of Beverly, said. "It's my husband's new toy. Mainly, I do the weeding."
Kevin Chandler, 44, enjoys his riding mower so much that he finally started a local lawn care service in Beverly. Today he owns a new Husqvarna, considered a premium mower.
"He enjoys the time he spends mowing," Chandler said. "A riding mower just makes the job a whole lot easier."
Warren Cardiff, operations manager at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse in Marietta, said the trend is to an increase in the sale of riding mowers compared to push mowers.
"This year is big," Cardiff said. "It has definitely been a different year."
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute reported in 2004 there has been a 5.4 percent growth in the sales of all riding lawn mowers in the nation compared to the previous year. The institute reported by August of 2003, 1.8 million mowers were sold up that point in the year. By August of this year, it is expected that 1.9 million will be sold.
In addition, consumers are snagging more upscale, expensive lawn mowers than ever before.
And guess what? More women are buying riding mowers - for themselves.
"Women are a major market share for us," Lang said. "More women are mowing these days."
Lang joins other retailers, large and small, in general accord that this is undeniably a "boom" year.
He thinks he knows the reason.
"Rain," Lang said. "We've had two years of rain and people are having to mow twice a week just to keep up."
April, May and June are the peak months for mower sales. There may be a slight blip in September, but 65 percent of Lang's business is those first three months of spring, he said.
"We're showing an increase in all areas, not just riding mowers, but mower sales are significant," Cardiff said. "My own opinion is that after 9-11, people held back, were afraid to spend. They didn't know what was coming. Now that some time is passed, they are more comfortable spending."
A riding lawn mower can cost from $800 on the low end to as high as $5,000 to $6,000. The average for a quality product (for a homeowner) is about $2,200. Quality covers the gamut, but in general, you get what you pay for.
"People are going for quality this year," Cardiff said. "It's an investment for them, and they want their mower to last. They are getting all the bells and whistles, the top of the line, in most cases."
In the past, lower priced riding mowers, lawn tractors and garden tractors were sought after.
Cardiff also said a well-trained sales staff is an excellent resource for customers and increases sales, as well. For independent retailers, like Lang, service, maintenance and advice for customers is a major selling point.
"We've seen a big change over the years, I hope to shout," Lang said. "They've got bigger gas tanks now, so you don't have to fill them as often (three gallons on many), and mowers are easier to get on and off."
"Step through" mowers are new, lighter weight mowers, and more "user friendly" machines, the norm. Part of the reason the industry is going this direction is that more women are buying and mowing.
The reasons people give for buying a riding mower, as opposed to a less expensive push power mower, are as diverse and colorful as the mowers themselves, Lang says.
"We mow an acre - my wife and I both work and don't have time. It makes life easier and faster - just don't have time. I hear them all," Lang said.
Rob McPeek says it's all about time.
When McPeek, 40, who is maintenance coordinator for Frontier School District, got his personal "rider" more than 12 years ago, it was for convenience.
"Time is the big thing," he said. "I have about three quarters of an acre, and it's just easier in a rider than with a push mower. I never much enjoyed mowing the lawn anyway, so the faster I can get it done, the better."
Doug Lang's father, Delbert, started the family equipment business 52 years ago, when Doug was 2 years old. Times were different then. A simple reel mower did the trick for most town yards. Power mowers were just coming into play in rural areas.
Today the riding mower has even invaded downtown "postage stamp" back yards.
The plus to a reel mower was that it used no gasoline, created no noise, was easy to store and was good exercise, especially if you had a teen-ager. You'll find a few at antique stores nowadays.
"From the time I was a kid I've been around mowers," Lang said. "People used to just mow a patch around their houses, especially people who lived in town. They didn't do much with their grass."
Today, grass is more than an irritation.
"People today spend lots of money on their landscaping, even with a small yard," Lang said. "They want a quality cut and want a machine that is reliable and does the job fast."