There’s an area along the driveway that’s bugged me since the beginning of our project three years ago. It’s old fencing, rusted and falling down.
I told Steve I’ve driven by it a hundred times, and it irks me because even though you can see through it (it’s just barbed wire and poles), the whole feng shui feels off. It’s like an energetic barrier, and it should be open land.
He said we’ve driven by it way more than a hundred times. I told him, probably, and every single time, I’ve hated it.
Honestly, it’s probably not that big of a deal. I’ve wanted it gone for a long time, along with the dead, dry, fire-hazard grasses. If I start thinking about the overgrowth of those grasses across 36 acres, I get overwhelmed. There’s no way we can tackle it all ourselves. But, we can play like we’re making a difference.
So today, Super Bowl Sunday, since we aren’t big sports fans, I suggested we go up and try to tackle that little stretch of driveway. Or at least get it started. I mean, how hard could it be?
Hahahahahahaha. As always, joke’s on me.
Of course, we didn’t have the best tools with us. Just a little rescue shovel, some small bolt cutters, and a pair of pliers.
I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the previous inhabitants. They did a thorough job with everything. Those poles were in there good, and I’m guessing the ground had been compacted around the barbs for decades.
Steve did the hard part of pulling out the stakes while I cut the fencing and helped him dig around the poles to help loosen them.
I’m sure there was an easier way, but we wanted to get out of the house and be outside, so why not? It was either that, or clean the garage.
The exercise didn’t hurt us any—but ask me in a couple of days.
One of the things I love about kicking around out there is what is unearthed. We found a patch of astro turf about six inches down. I have no idea what that might have been for. Inhibiting weeds? If so, that didn’t hold up well.
And this pitchfork head, which made the whole endeavor worth it for my rust-loving soul.
I’m sure all my far-more-handy friends would laugh at me out there, trying to figure out things that are probably obvious to them.
I didn’t get any photos of Steve humoring my idea of using the winch on the truck to pull out the poles. That was funny. And a fail. Or me dragging a weighted piece of chain link to try to break down the grass. That was funny too.
Maybe we’ll go back at some point and tackle the rest of the poles with a bigger shovel. Or maybe we’ll just hire someone who knows what they’re doing. We’ll see. All I know is, that grass has got to go!
