Scything along

I have been going out to cut the back fields with the scythe for a couple of hours each morning, give or take, and have decided that as long as the grasses hold out, I will do so. This is a great way to get the day started, to get me going and warmed up.

Of course, the ol' body doth protest a bit... but by only doing SOME each day, my arms have not decided they must truly fall off. No, it is not the cutting that makes me hurt, just the work of learning the motions, to be most efficient and how to cut green grasses vs dead ones, longer vs shorter, more woody stem weeds vs grasses (this is why I got a "ditch" blade not just a pure grass blade) and of course cutting over and down the ups and downs in the field.

I have revealed a pile of rubble (broken cement blocks) previously hidden by the weeds and a strange stick with what I thought was a blue rag tied to it but K says is an old surgical glove... I will have to email the former owner once I get a bit more cut to take a picture...

On the mechanical side, the riding mower that came with the place -- which we knew had been "rode hard and put away wet" (literally) seems to have been even more abused. When K and I removed the mowing part yesterday -- expecting to need a new belt and/or blades which could be bought locally, to get the thing up and running again -- we found that instead all those parts were good, but something had caused the mower cover (deck) to get pushed down into the blades -- or the blades up into the cover -- and they have whacked a hole in it. Not a real biggie, but it would prolong the life of that part if we could find someone to weld the hole shut. But the real kicker was that we needed a "mandril" -- the part the the blade attaches to, which bolts on to the machine and contains the bearing on which the blade turns. Somehow, it had gotten totally worn so that instead of spinning securely in the bearing, it could rock and roll back and forth. New part, mail order only, $85. I just hope it arrives soon, as I do not want to be like most of the folks up here last year (or so it seemed as the snow melted in the spring) who were caught unawares and had everything buried under the first, early, deep snowfall. I'd like to get the grasses and weeds cut and the cuttings into the compost pile. which will be HUGE but that is good... so are the gardens!

Today I will try to make contact with the rabbit lady, who has said I can get manure from them, to at least take the contractor bags that I have -- and maybe the old plastic trash can without a lid -- and see the best way to work at her farm. She has said "bag it" but since we don't have feed sacks... well, we DO have cat food bags... they are durable, so maybe I'll carry some of them along as well. That will go a long way to helping out the compost as I build it.

Trying to get a housecleaning done as well, and paint on the hex signs that are on order. Always much to do...