Old School Yard Tools

In the continuing spirit of 1908 I decided to add another wrinkle to my old school mind set where it applies to the house. I have been using a flat blade manual lawn edger for several years now.  Truth be told, I like it much better than the gas powered and electric line edgers that I had used for many years prior. It leaves a much cleaner cut than the frayed edges of the spinning nylon line. It also takes roughly the same amount of time to edge our tough St. Augustine lawn. The best part is, it doesn't cost me any money in gas, oil, or edger line. How great is that?  This started me thinking. Why should I keep storing lawn equipment that seldom gets used? California has been in an extended drought for several years now. Although it rained this week, during that time our lawn mower has been in the way more often than it has been useful. The reality is that since there isn't a lot of storage in our old garage, wasted space becomes just that... wasted! Believe it or not, a few months ago I donated our lawnmower to Goodwill and decided to move forward with a push mower (in the event that I need one in the future).  I still have not needed one, or missed it! For now, this other piece of 1908 era appropriate equipment seems to be working just fine.  Enter the serrated blade grass cutter / weed whip. Taylor Ingebretsen gave it to me years ago when they moved. I watched him use it on many occasions. It is simple, requires virtually no maintenance or gas, and provides a pretty good workout! In my book that is a win, win, win, win! I realize that some of you are thinking that this is crazy. This may be so.  However, I think it is fun as Jenn and I continue to find ways to honor our heritage as we simplify our lives.

"Free Ranging" Time

As we approach the end of October, we have been allowing the girls a little more "free ranging" time. They love to wander the yard in search of tasty treats. We absolutely love our girls. With the cooling temperatures, we will once again find ourselves with an afternoon cocktail in the backyard while the girls, and Biscuit, run free. However, it is time to thoroughly clean the coop. I guess we will get to that this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy a few snapshots of Holly (Buff Orpington) and Sabrina (Copper Maran).

Holly is sneaking into the garden.

Sabrina is looking beautiful as always.

Do you own chickens? Do you want to own chickens? Leave us a comment here. We'd love to hear from you.

Hugs,
Jenni