Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Blowing in the Wind.....

Excy is exceptional in all ways. But he does not do yard work. In his defense, where would he have time? So that leaves (leafs?) little 'ole moi scrambling to try to manage 5 acres around the house from not looking too shabby, which is difficult with limited mobility and energy. Five woody acres, one disabled body, and one husband who doesn't 'do' yard work equals one very trashy yard....

I think last year between the surgeries and recoveries and not feeling up to snuff, the leaves didn't get raked up until spring, and only then b/c the poor perennials were poking up...I have tried to hire people, but out in the country it's hard to find reliable help, and I guess my frugal nature finds it hard to pay for something so mundane...when my close friends and nephew and niece ask on occasion what they can do, or what I want for Christmas, I reply I would love help with yard work (i.e. raking), but it's never happened.

So it was exciting last week when Excy came home from a hardware run (yes, he's still working on the damn therapy pool conversion - I swan) immensely proud of himself for buying a leaf blower. Ahhhhh....the obnoxious noisy device I hear around my parent's neighborhood....thankfully living 'out,' I will disturb only the horses and wild life, and they can just get over it in my quest for a better yard...

Yee-ha! I spent two hours wrestling the damn thing and a 150 ft. extension cord around the back terrace, the front porch, and one slice of the immediate front yard. It weighs 6 lbs but felt more like 30 lbs, and my neck hasn't been the same. Actually, it's feeling a bit like it did before I had the surgery in March...maybe I will try it again when it's feeling better and I will put the old neck brace on for greater stability....if it still hurts, well, back to the old rake and wheelbarrow...


The small tractor will mulch pretty good but I need to rake up at least a layer of the dense leaves...Sigh...just one of the many many ways not being up to snuff sucks.....Anybody wanna trade leaf raking for home baked desserts or a needlepoint pillow of one of your animals?? A lawyer friend on our Sanctuary board says her sons will come out with her on Saturday and we can put them to work...we'll see...I am trying not to get my hopes up, and praying it won't rain...

4 comments:

strokeofliving said...

Come on A. don't be defeated by a leaf blower. You've encountered bigger challenges.

Your friends are great to volunteer I'm sure they'll show up on Saturday with items to make smores for when every leaf is gathered to burn! Or will the smoke not be good for the horses? Do people still burn leaves?

And I'm kinda crushing on Excy.

Jazz said...

I would rake for cookies. Unfortunately plane fare would probably make it not too cost effective.

Tam and John said...

Oh I wish I lived close by! I would trade leaf raking and any other yardwork for baked goods in a heartbeat! Hopefully the leaf blower will be a help without hurting you! Good luck...

e said...

Sorry that you can't find good help for this, that is an issue I deal with inside the flat as I can't vacuum or mop. The outside is handled by our owners association and property management.

Good luck with the leaf blower.