Last year, I had to mow our property THREE times!
Told myself and convince my wife, I ain't gonna do that again this year! Let the stuff grow and then cut it ONCE!
"Good" in some respects where the tall grass is dry.
"Bad" when the tall grass is still green from any runoff.
This rainy season was sort of unexpected. Periods of rain. Periods of dry spells. When the rains returned after the dry spells, it resulted in new growth from the seeds of the old growth.
What I wound up doing was the green stuff "halfway down" to dry out the growth, hopefuly. What I didn't cut, gets whacked next week. I am hoping that the warm weather this week will do the trick for my next "honey do" next weekend.
It's no easy task when you have hilly terrain. One hundred feet doesn't seem much, but when you have to mark it out, you say, "Damn! I gotta cut that much?"
So, put up and shut up. Crank up the Stihl FS-55 RC with the PolyCut thermoplastic blades and let it do its thing. I also fitted the cutting head with some nylon line to give me extra cutting power. Nice!
I had to strap on my ice crampons in order to dig my feet into the slope to get a solid base while operating the weedeater. Even so, the crampons offer little "digging in" since dirt is dirt and ice are different "compositions." Then I got to thinking that I didn't want to destroy the slope, because when the rains return, I am going to have a serious problem with erosion and I don't want that. Don't want the pool winding up at the bottom of the ravine.
I went back to the garage and pulled out my climbing gear. I hooked up some quickdraws, daisy chains, slings, static rope for use with my harness and our metal fence. Now, I am cooking with gas! Clip, "clip," unclip, clip, "clip." I had to use extreme caution not to get near my ropes if you know what I mean.
Why is it that when you plan for a major project (i.e. moving, mowing, etc.) the temperature goes above and beyond 95°? Earlier in the week, the temperatures were in the low to mid 80s. Sucks!
Anyhow, back to the rest of the story...
My hiking gear really came in handy doing this chore. My Camelbak FlashFlo hip pack was great! I was able to sip while I zipped. My wicking long-sleeved shirt blocked out the UV and kept me cool during my breaks. My wide-brimmed hat protected my face and head and kept me cool.
Now, as for the divots I left behind, I found some oak saplings and transplanted them on the slope. I ran some drip irrigation hose from the main line of the rain collection reservoir down to the saplings. My hope is the oaks take root in the exposed areas.
Oh, yeah...
The temperatures are forecasted to reach the 100s this weekend May 16 and 17!
$(weat)h!+
"Honey, what is that buzzing noise at this ungodly morning hour?"
Good thing my neighbors are few and very far between.
Progress is slow, but every swath of the weedeather gets the desired results...it ain't easy. The long brush at the bottom will not need to be trimmed. That is where the steep slope begins. I may strap on my climbing harness and use climbing rope to maneuver my way around. It is the only way.
