Weed Eater Adventure

I have always shied away from the Weed Eater Machine. It is noisy, it flings grass bits everywhere, and it just is plain intimidating! Plus it uses gas, is smelly, and works with this string thingy that hits weeds and flings them everywhere.

That is...

Until I watched my son Ed use one last year. I was amazed at how quickly he cleared areas under the electric fence. 

Grass and weeds flew. And he made it look easy. 
[Oh yes, he did sweat profusely and get green bits of 'stuff' all over himself.]
Here is a shot of him working last year when he helped me replace and re-fence an area.

However I decided then and there that I would conquer the fear of the WEED Eater!

Well, I would figure out how to get my hands on one and use it anyway. Certainly it was easier at cutting weeds than using the corn knife as I'd done for so many years. 

I could get weeds blasted into oblivion in minutes versus hours, right?

Modern technology is good right?

Normally we don't have many weeds or grass impeding the fence, except when that pasture is out of rotation for a while. This summer we've had an abundant weed/grass issue. June, July, and August have been rainy months.

Normally we have a very dry July or August, but not this year. We can mow the yard and it seems we have to do it again only a few days later or suffer the shaggy yard syndrome.

[Well, we have suffered that, seems this year it has been especially hard to keep up with the yard work while all of the remodeling has been going on.]

I asked my husband this spring for a Weed Eater for my birthday. He was surprised and picked out a Weed Eating thing that he liked. He said he could use it if I didn't. 
I also got a face shield and ear protection. I cannot stand the thought of weed and grass bits hitting my face.

I've used the Machine a few times, but tonight I got after a rather large area that is impossible to mow. And dang it all, it just looked shabby near our nice new looking house.
I'm really not that great at using the weed whacker, but practice makes perfect. 

Hubby stopped me and took the machine away then proceeded to demonstrate the proper method of weed whacking. 

The perfect angle, the perfect pitch, how to angle the head and slowly sweep back and forth while watching the grass and stuff...get chopped up.

I tapped my boot and put my hands on my hips.

I flipped my mesh face shield down and made a 'Gimme' sign with my gloved hands. 

I explained that I needed to practice. I needed to use it to get comfortable with it. 

He demonstrated a bit more and when I started jumping up and down and flapping my arms...he finally got the idea.

...and let me loose with the grass/weed munching machine.
I didn't do a perfect job but I annihilated the weeds near the big shed and around Lil' Richard's Winter paddock. I was happy for the face shield as I even found smeared slimy slug parts on it.

I finished up after about 45 minutes. My arms are not used to holding a weed monster.
And then I looked down at myself.

I was covered head to toe with grass/weed parts. I even had green stuff in my hair. My neck and shirt were plastered with it.

Note to self. Keep the same old crummy pants and shirt for weed eating. Also swap the newer glasses for the older glasses.

I am less concerned about the flying bug smeary parts that get through the mesh with my old glasses.

I looked over the job I had done after putting the Wonderful Birthday Gift away in the shed. 

Hubby looked at the job. He didn't say anything negative so I take that as evidence that I did 'okay'.

He mentioned that he'd have to get out his commercial weed eater to get the really tough stuff. He could put a blade on it and it would cut through small woody weeds.

He did mention at the time we were getting this machine for me that he would not get me a blade. I was simply too dangerous. The string trimming would have to suit me.

Tomorrow? That pasture fence line that has been annoying me with a growth spurt of weeds.