Homestead mailing list

["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On 9/14/06, SISU! <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Just today, I pulled out an old fence that was
> overgrown and entangled with weeds, along with a few 'stuck' fenceposts.
> I also loaded, moved, and unloaded a small pile of lumber that I could have
> actually scooped up with a front end loader if I had had one.


We do the same kinds of things with our '89 Jeep, drive it into the woods
where we can and haul logs back down to the house to chainsaw and cut into
firewood.

...and basically I have been trying to maintain the property with a push
> mower, my truck, and a weedeater.  As you can imagine, it's very labor
> intensive and it would be nice to have a little more muscle.


This is exactly what we've been doing.  Our oldest son has been begging for
a riding lawn mower.  We tell him since he quit playing soccer, mowing the
lawn the 'old-fashioned' way with a push mower is darn good exercise.  When
he leaves home, or if he leaves home, that leaves son #2 who will be about
the right age for his turn.  Eventually, when it comes down to my husband
and I again, maybe by then we'll have invested or upgraded to something that
doesn't take all day, a sore back and sore wrists to work.

My Grandpa Van Meter had an old John Deere that worked great.  But my aunt,
who has very little need for a tractor, took it back to her house in coastal
flat-land NC after the farm was sold.  It occupies space in their garage.  I
think they've used it twice in six years.

Lisa