Friday, May 21, 2010

Yard work and a wee bit of bragging!

So I haven't done too much lately except for yard work.

With my best bud Jeffrey

He told me to write that.

There wasn't too much "we" in that equation except that we were both outside at the same time. So anyways, it has been nice here for the last 2 days and I thought that I should do some yard work. Now this is no small task. The White Farmhouse sits on 1.5 acres which amounts to alot of yard work.

And the grass was 3 feet tall.

Why? Cause when I attempted to mow the grass last week I broke my Husky Vera. That's what I call my Husqvarna lawn tractor thingy. You know, one of those rider things that even has a cup holder for a beer, errr, I mean pop. After much crying and whining, my husband fixed Husky Vera. She needed to be welded. I guess that teaches me to run over every thing in the grass!

So back to the last 2 days, I had to mow the 3 acres of grass that was 5 feet tall which was no small task. Besides the usual toys, tools and personal articles of clothing (don't ask) that I usually run over I disturbed quite a few families. Bunnies were running everywhere with their children right on their heels, if bunnies have heels. I even found a band of pygmies planning world domination in the very back backyard. Do you know how much grass that 5 acres is when it is 8 feet tall?! Holy crap batman! I even had to mow it twice! So in reality that is like 12 acres of grass.

I swear if I ever find out which parent I inherited my OCD gene from I will slap them silly. I am secretly hoping that it was my dad cause I'd really like to slap him silly. Anyways, I raked all the grass into 4 foot tall piles after cutting it. I kinda felt like King Arthur riding on his white steed with his big pokey thing that knights carried. Except that I was on an orange lawn tractor with a rake.

You really aren't bothered by a little extra weight until you are whipping around 15 acres at warp speed. Yes, I have been known to turn corners on two wheels. Another reason why there is a rule that no children are to be anywhere in the vicinity of me. Our lawn is quite hilly too. I am sure that I was not the epitome of grace as I was attempting to stay on a tractor that felt like it was going to flip at any moment.

You know what I don't understand though? Why is it that people whipping down the road at 60 mph feel the need to honk at the 180 King Arthur dressed in hot pink? I am sure that I probably look like an all clear flag for landing aircraft bent over picking up 5 foot piles of grass.

Thank goodness it was raining today cause when I got up this morning every fiber of my being was sore. Parts that I didn't even know that I had ached. You would of thought that I would of atleast jiggled off some weight, but nope I gained 2 lbs. Must of been all that "pop" wink wink.

I still have yet to start the weed whacking and getting the flower beds in order. That should be about another 3 days at the rate I am going. I noticed that I have some venus fly trap kind of weeds growing in the front beds. They scare me. They have these daggers on them that you need a pair of welding gloves to pull out. If I survive, I will post pics.

Are you still wondering where you put 17 acres of grass? In the firepit of course. The pile in it was 11 feet tall last night. Thankfully along with the rain we also got alot of wind. So that back half of the 22 acres now has to be reraked.

By the time I am done I figure I will have done about 83 acres of lawn. You can probably understand why my kid's math teachers request that I do not under any circumstance help them with their homework.

Anyways, I do have one picture for you!


Isn't it beautiful? This is a deck that my husband just built for a customer.

I want a deck like that!

Well.... maybe after the fence is finished.

14 comments:

Lynn said...

Hey now, I have one of those "beverage" holders on my mower too! Of course mine is the push kind and the neighbors really look hard at me!!! "Just muddlin' through", that's my saying-have fun!

Lori said...

Every good tractor needs a "beverage" holder!! I know why the kid's teachers do not want you to help them with homework ~ but alas you ARE very entertaining. I want a deck like that too ~ next time he comes to Canada to hunt ~ send him East would ya?? He can hunt pheasants down on the marsh and I will not tell a soul! Have a great week-end Maggie.

Grandma Yellow Hair said...

OMG this is a funny post. So happy I stopped by here to thank you for your get well wishes.
Your description of mowing the yard is to funny. and the part about slapping your dad silly...haha I had to read that out loud to my daughter.
Hope your doing well. I found out today that broke two verbraes in my back. Long way to go before I can mow again.
Love
Maggie

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

This is like a fish story... only mowing!
Maggie you are my hero! I don't mow. Bobby does all the hard labor outside, I just plant and weed ( well, sometimes) and decorate.

He just built me raised beds for my veggies, and loaded 9 yards of dirt into the beds. I stayed inside reading, and cooking and basically staying out of his way, except for getting him a beer.

So you still have your wonderul sense of humor and 83 acres of grass mowed! Can you see why I have put you on a pedestal, er, grass pile?
xo Yvonne

Pam said...

Love your story. We are lucky that my uncle mows our 2 acre lawn in Kentucky. He is retired and loves to ride around on the mower. Funny that mention a firepit. My husband built one in our yard as a birthday present last month. We love it. Unfortunately, we are now in Arizona and not at our vacation home.
So glad rain gave you some time to relax! But it does make the grass grow.

Holly Lefevre said...

My Dad is obsessed with mowing his lawn. My son wants a rid eon mower for our house...we live in coastal California on a mere 10,000 sq ft. total. He doesn't understand why that is a ridiculous request.

The deck is gorgeous. Our deck is my favorite place in the house.
Holly
504 Main

Chez Zizi said...

So funny, I love how the grass and your land kept "growing" but when doing lots of work it sure feels like that.
I can only imagine how sore you were, it's tough work.
Good for you and I can't wait to see when it's fixed up.
Zizette
Oh yeah, that deck is so nice.

Anonymous said...

oh Maggie you are sooo funny! I am happy that hubby fixed "Husky" other than it means the lawn can be mowed now...and the deck he constructed is gorgeous! :) We are busy trying to dig up the "Cousin It" bushes that came with the house...got one up yesterday...and had to rest the entire day. Yardwork is for the birds! :) Have a great weekend...maybe it will quit raining here soon!

the old white house said...

OMG You are toooooo funny! I loved that story and am hoping that all of your childrens math teachers have a good sense of humor! Your hubby builds a mean deck! Last nights downpour kept us all indoors, I'm hoping for a little sunshine today but so far it's not looking that way. I still have more flowers to plant! Good grief Charlie Brown what was I thinking when I bought all of those? Oh yeah, that I have a graduation party to get ready for and it's gotta look goooooood. Have a great weekend! Theresa

Lisa@Pickles and Cheese said...

You have a husband who knows how to weld and build decks???!!! Lucky you! Mine cannot hang a picture straight on the wall. I'm not kidding..every picture that he has had his hands on in this house is crooked! Anyway, funny post. That's a lot of yard you have there! And when I say the word "pop" down here people look at me like I'm from Mars!

Angel's Thrifty Haven said...

OHHHHH MYYYYY! You are just too funny. But, I felt your pain just the same. Love your posts, read them all the time. Therapy chuckles they are.

deb said...

Love your post! Gave me the giggles!
Hey, you do garden math like I do ;)
Lawn..what's that? I ripped all ours out a few years back...couldn't get anyone to mow that postage stamp size of land.....sure if I had a 'husky' everyone would be fighting over it...one pass and they'd be finished. Then probably off to the neighbors!

Relax with a cold one, you deserve it!
*hugs*deb

Proper Prim said...

Maggie, you crack me up... I love your stories. You make the most mundane thing sound like fun... I love that deck, hubby did a great job... I really like how he did the steps.

Have a great weekend...

Hugs, Deb

Verdigris Vie said...

Maggie - this post is hilarious ! Why do people feel the need to honk at King Arthur dressed in Hot pink ?? Too funny - as if you have to ask...

glad i stopped by..
Vie