The limbs are still a bit shaky, so I apologize in advance for any typos. Today I tackled THE BACKYARD.
Picture if you will...an acre left to grow wild. Neglected and abandonded. My backyard. Several varieties of grass have reached waist-high, and the thistles are taller yet. 2000 mosquitoes per square foot. Snakes and toads lie hidden in the weeds, along with a lot of downed branches from the last big storm. Most of the landscaping rock has breached the edging, creating millions of blade-destroying obstacles. Don't forget the steep incline to the east.
And the riding mower is too big to fit through the gate.
So it's you and the push mower versus a landscape that would make horror movie set designers weep with envy.
About ten minutes into mowing I realized that we had let THE BACKYARD go unattended for too long. I couldn't make a four foot pass without clogging the chute and stalling the motor. Something had to be done. Time to fire up the gas weed trimmer.
Yep, that's right. I tackled THE BACKYARD with a weed trimmer. How miserable was it? I think clear-cutting the Brazilian rain forest with a butter knife might be easier.
And the entire time I'm hacking away at weeds the size of small saplings and praying that I don't see any more snakes bigger than that last one, I couldn't help but think that 20 yards away, my solution to this mess was staring me in the face. Literally. Four perpetually hungry cows could level everything in THE BACKYARD to putting green status in a couple of days. Alas, I had no way to herd them across the front yard and into the back. At least not with any reasonable confidence of success. And if I let the cows escape again, I don't think my father-in-law would be too pleased.
So I worked away with the weed trimmer until it ran out of gas and the entire right side of my body was vibrating like a hummingbird. I am hoping that by tomorrow I can drink out of a cup and get more of the liquid in my mouth than down the front of my shirt.
Want to know the worst part? I'm only a quarter of the way done with THE BACKYARD. It's either time to start drinking or start sobbing.
Where's the bottle opener?
Posted by Cathy at June 14, 2004 07:58 PMWe also had a battle with the back yard. Two weeks ago you could no longer see the backs of the cocker spaniels while they were out. When we started last night the labrador was starting to disappear. Three hours and 40 bags of clippings later it was dark and there was still a good quarter of the fenced dog yard left. The joys of spring in Minnesota.
Posted by: DaveP at June 15, 2004 08:01 AMCathy, Cathy, Cathy. I guess it's time to share some wisdom with you. There shouldn't be any areas you can't get into with a tractor(not lawnmower) and a cutter/mower/shredder/etc.
Good luck with your self-imposed limitations.
I did that once. I don't think it was a full acre, but I leveled my entire yard with a gas powered weedeater. Like you, I got more liquids down the front of my shirt than in my mouth. It took me a day or 2 to recouperate so I can't imagine you going at it again today. You're a brave soul. I'd give those cows another look . . .
Posted by: yayaempress at June 15, 2004 10:50 AMIf, for some reason, you persist in mechanical methods of mowing, you might want to consider renting a device called a 'brush-hog'.
Posted by: aelfheld at June 15, 2004 12:23 PMAelfheld, is that anything like a "DR Mower" I've seen advertised on TV? It claims to take down 1 inch saplings.
Yaya - those cows ARE looking better and better all the time! If I could even get just one in the back yard...
Posted by: Cathy at June 15, 2004 12:56 PMSheriff,
It took my father-in-law 5 years to let me back on the riding lawn mower. You think he's going to trust me on the tractor? However, if you want to come up some weekend...I'd bet he'd let you borrow it! You've got nothing much going on now, right?
(Let us know when you do have a free weekend; we'd love to have you come up for a visit!)
Posted by: Cathy at June 15, 2004 12:58 PMI think the 'DR Mower' counts as a small brush hog. You might want to check with your local equipment rental places and see what they have available. Assuming you don't just slip a rope halter on one of the beeves and guide it to your back yard.
Posted by: aelfheld at June 16, 2004 11:40 AM