What was I thinking? I hate it when my I-can-do-that attitude comes back to bite me in the butt. Said butt is now parked in a chair–soon to be a couch. This is me whining. Stop reading now and come back in a couple of days if you don't want to hear it.
I rented a brush hog for the weekend so that I might mow the tall grass and weeds under the fence line. I have an electric fence, you see, and this is my cross to bear in those years when we get lots and lots of rain that produces grass on steroids. The fence is supposed to carry a charge through wet brush, according to the manufacturer, but I'm not one to take chances. And I figure if I do this chore every couple of years, it won't get out of hand. (I LOVE my electric fence, by the way, and will blog all about it on another Ranch Tour stop later in the week.)
This is the brush hog.
I did not take this picture. The pictures I took of my rented brush hog are still in the camera, which is in the garage, which seems like 3 miles away at this point and much too heavy to pick up, even if I could get out of this chair.
Let me tell you, this brush hog kicks butt. It devoured every blade of knee-high grass and every weed and shrub in its path. It started easily, didn't use much gas, wasn't as loud as the weed whacker I used last time, and all in all, couldn't have performed better.
So what could I possibly have to whine about? Let's see...two miles of fence line that has to be gone around twice to do the job right- once on the inside and again on the outside; 800 t-posts to get in the way, 90 degree weather, hot sun, blowing dust, sweat, and nobody nearby to bring me water or listen to me whine.
I called it quits about an hour ago, saving the last 1.25 miles for tomorrow. I hope a hard-working ranch hand sees my ad by then.
Oh man! I get that way sometimes, too when I finish mucking or redoing fence or riding a bucking bronco....hehe
ReplyDeleteYa know, if I were there I'd be happy to carry out some fresh ice cold water for you. I really would. And I might even walk beside you carrying an umbrella to shade your sweaty face, too.
But I really do draw the line at hand-feeding you grapes.
Now go make yourself a delicious 7MSN margarita and jump in the tub to soak away your aches and pains. :D
Well that sounds like a miserable job under less than perfect conditions. Hope you have a nice margarita to soothe the whine. Good Luck with the rest of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you in spirit - does that count?
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Harmony,
Janet
Yehaw, that looks like one mean machine! Good luck with tomorrow! I'll be here in Australia freezing my behind off...just keep that in mind and it'll cool you off, maybe .1 of a degree?
ReplyDeleteAnd I was complaining about mowing the back lawn! Good grief, girl! 4 miles to do? Yikes! No wonder you are tired! Have some wine with your whine!
ReplyDeleteWeird, we must be psychically linked. I was in the same state of mind yesterday over painting a logistically complicated wall in my kitchen. After 3 paint jobs in that room, I'm sick of it. Sick! Do you hear me?! Sick!
ReplyDeleteAnyway....I finally got it done and am enjoying standing back and admiring it.
However, I am totally with Twinville. Take the day off, have a glass of wine, relax, read a book, enjoy your critters. The grass will still be there tomorrow. And, look on the bright side. You've only a little ways left to go.
Get more goats! They are easier to put up with than ranch hands. You could run them on a line next to the fence and they would keep it cleaned up. They also make great mountain lion distracters so you may be able to get some chickens to survive. (saw your comment about chickens on Heathers blog. Having lost 50 birds in two nights to a young mountain lion I know the challenge you face.)
ReplyDeleteI'd like to apply for the ranch hand job..........you wouldn't even have to pay me, I'd take out my wages in some love from all those cute critters :)
ReplyDeleteBut, I don't do snakes....so you still have to be the brave one and get rid of them :)
My sister and I were just talking about how we cannot wait for my son to be a little bit older, so he can buck 120# bales of hay, carry 60# sacks of grain, and do pretty much anything that requires a lot of muscle.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I could loan him out to you...he mows our lawn now...lol!!!
Aw, quit whining. You knew this comes with the territory and the benefits of the beautiful place where you live.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding of course. I can feel your pain.
Sorry, but I'm busy at 8 AM tomorrow.
Dan
Oh darn it! I suppose I'm way to late to come help now. I've been over at the pool. Maybe next time.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I think they make RIDING brush hogs. Now, that way you could take your water, set your umbrella and weed whack to your hearts content without suffering the effects of manual labor. Not to mention having to deal with some surly hand. We bought a little tractor for our place a couple of years ago....makes a huge difference!
ReplyDeletePaul in Colorado
that's a bummer :-( we've got this thing for our fence lines and it works great. hook it up to the back of your atv or other small utility vehicle and it goes under the fence and wraps around each post - it has a spring so it snaps back into place... it saves a lot of time for us and you don't have to walk behind it :-)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_757532_757532
Swisher ATV Postmaster Trimmer
Glad to hear it works well though because we were thinking about buying one to mow the fence lines. But I hear you on the exhaustion. I don't know that I would have gone as long as you in one day.
ReplyDelete