Weed Eater

Our dinky, cordless weed eater finally kicked the bucket beyond anything we could repair with wire or duct tape ("Murder is easy as long as no one thinks it's murder!"). So, Alice and I took a trip to the hardware store for a new model.

I wanted something electric, but not cordless, because I hate the hassle surrounding recharge times and dying batteries and such. Alice was very patient while I carefully selected the one that would fit our needs, then we went to play on the riding lawn mowers and "tractors." She sat in every one. She prefers the yellow seat of a John Deere, but REALLY loves the zero-turn version with handles instead of a steering wheel.

When we got home, I realized I had picked up the wrong box from the shelf. I thought a 5HP motor would be PLENTY, but I had purchased and brought home the 7HP motor instead. I decided that our yard will not be this small, nor this tame, for the rest of our lives, and the extra horsepower may come in handy down the line. I put it together in no time and took it for a test drive.

Whoa!! It was pulling me around! I played with the trimming feature and the adjustable arm a bit. Then I admired the self-extending carriage that would no longer require me to bump the machine on the ground every time I needed more line. I took it around to a few "problem spots" in the yard that I've quietly resented for some time: that monster of an herb bush in the front yard, those creeping ground covers that gush over all my sidewalk, and that weedy patch of spider homes behind the garbage can. Dreamy! They were all gone! Alice cowered in the car.

Then I took it to the overgrown grass and weeds surrounding my garden beds. In a matter of minutes, the weeds were pureed into a green pesto that smelled a little like bananas. Victory!

Of course, I made a number of mistakes as well...

I'll need new shoes, for one :(

Some parts of the lawn were whacked down to the dirt as I learned to control all 7 horses.

I sucked the extension cord into the rotating whacker a couple times. Oops.

Soooo, there's a bit of a learning curve. I'm pretty happy with the purchase overall, though I am most excited for the opportunity to hack down a few more of the "problem areas" around here. Sweet, sweet revenge. Mwah ha ha haaaaa!