Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

hi guys...

this is kinda out there so if necessary remove it .

im in the process of cleaning up my property now that its spring here.

i have next to no landscaping as yet.

my driveway is pretty good but thats it,basically i have 4 acres of trees.lots of hardwood and softwood.

i have been removing as much of the dead and hard looking trees and thinning out the rest.

its starting to look kinda park like.

i have lend of a huge wood chipper that i have been putting all the brush and tops into.ill post pics of it in action later

i save the big stuff for firewood.

anyway i have been wondering that once i get done should i plant grass between the trees or just let it grow up into ferns and other woodsy stuff.i plan to try to average 10 or so feet between the trees,this will encourage them to grow tall and allow me room to work around them.

when i started you could hardley walk between them

i should mention that i dont like mowing lawns but i do have a good variety of riders and tractors at work i could use.

and i really hate pushing a mower. 

thanks for any input ...

later chris

Hey Chris, it kind of depends what you want out the area as far as use. If you let it grow up, you'll have to clear it from time to time and it won't be as friendly for walking around or stuff along those lines. It might be better for wildlife that way though, if you're in an area that has any? Although, green grass is loved by wildlife.

I like grass. A lawn I mean. Cutting around trees can be a PITA. A ZTR or big walkbehind w/ sulky is nice. My advise, sight un-seen would be to plant grass and mow what you feel like in any given year. The big trees if healthy and provide a nice canopy will keep a lot of the junk down in the woods. I like to keep some areas sort of clear with a Gravely or blade trimmer with some paths between. Maybe a bench or nice tree stump seat so you can have a little spot in the woods, to hang out.

With that much land Chris you could have it both ways, say near the house a hundred feet grass and as you get farther out let it go natural.  I can picture that in my mind and I think it could be really something to see.

C

Half and half would be nice. It's always good to have some woods just in case you have to stash a body or two.

As for mowing, I'm sure you can always ask Ms Snowshoveler to take a spin on one of your OPE.

I'm gonna vote no grass, unless it plants itself.  There might be a time in the next 20 years that grass would be nice, but with the time it would take to plant - need lots of soil, it would probably be in 20 years time.  The computer that has the pics in it is on dial up, so maybe I'll figure out how to get a few from puter A to puter B and then to here.

Sherri

PS - lotsa flowers and bushes would be nice

That'll give Chris more time to do the dishes, vacuum, do laundry, etc.      

Hi...

"PS - lotsa flowers and bushes would be nice"

Sounds good !  Maybe a wildflower mix... some grasses that grow tall and don't get mowed... shrubs... fruit trees... berry bushes...

Can start a little at a time...

Dave...

Hey  shovler  those rocks aint  just  jump  out of the ground  lots of rakeing been there done that pavement . just sweep.

millwright

ya ya ya ...i hear you Mill.

around here if you arent standing on a rock you feet are going to be wet.

and add to that i have a fair number of stumps that i have to remove or cut off much shorter.

on a good note i do have my monster tractor home and have been using it and a homemade trailer to haul away brush and rocks from my future lawn or garden or wharever it ends up being.

later chris

Blacktop....... basketball court!

I vote for ferns and moss if it is really shady, minimal maintenance. If enough sun gets in to support grass, then grass is a good option.

Hockey rink!..........

Well a hockey rink would be great in the winter - but how about this time of year???  I'm thinking seriously about putting everything wintery away and pulling out the gear to make everything muddy.

Sherri

Here's a little of what the yard looks like. (boy I love high speed internet!)

This is from the back looking out.  There's always water running through there.

This is looking off to the side of the driveway.  There's about 4 acres of that.

And this is the rock work that he does.  He plans to have rock borders everywhere.

So as you can see there's a lot of work to make a lawn that would look nice, but not so much work to have a yard without grass.  You can plant flowers and shrubs here and there and not have to worry about mowing around or over them and they will pretty much look after themselves.  In the back where the water is always running we plan to have a pond on the lower side of the road (top pic to the right).  So that will be nice.

Sherri

Not sure about where you live, but when a friend of mine in NH had this situatuin the county agricultural agent came by and marked the trees he should take out.

We're in Nova Scotia.  He's thinning the dead and softwood out to allow the hardwood to 'thicken' up.  There are a lot of forestry rules and regulations around here, but they never really bother the home owner too much yet.  As long as there are spots for the wild life to live and you don't go too close to the water - everything should be fine.  We have some of the toughest laws for woodsmen/women that's going.  Safety rules are crazy strict and for those that are in the business - well I pity them.  But the home owner has general reign over his own land, so he'll thin out what he wants and hopefully the hardwood will grow to their full potential, not stay spindly little trees.

Sherri

If that was my area I would mulch it and plant some nice plants and put some nice large rocks. less work for you and it will look nice.  MissSnowshoveler wrote:

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that he has the use of a chipper that will chip wood the size of telephone poles?  The chips aren't prime mulch material, but they do make the place smell nice.

They will be great for filling in holes and making walking trails.

Sherri

Sherri

The land is gorgeous.  I like the rock borders.  Is he using all lannon stone or a variety of rock?   I would think because of the amount of shade, no matter what kind of grass you put in there, its going to look thin and scraggly.  I would think the shrubs and flowers (are you going to put in more of the wildflowers?) you put in would look so much nicer and more natural to the land.  Just my $.02 for what its worth. 

Are those pines Jack pines on the land?  We had a couple of Jack pine trees in the old house and I didn't realize how rare they were for our area until the WI Electric guy clued me in. 

What kinds of peppers do you plant?  I had hot banana peppers (hot Hungarian wax, I believe), sweet banana peppers, sweet bell peppers, serranos, jalapenos and finger chili (long, red chili peppers).  What kind of tomatos do you plant?  I had good luck with the Beefsteak and the Romano (though the romanos weren't as hardy). 

Paula

Paula,

For the rock borders, he's using whatever rock he finds on the land.  There's a lot of slate and that splits easily so a big piece goes along way.  I plan to sprinkle wild flower seeds everywhere I can, I'm just waiting for the go ahead from Chris.  Not much sense to plant flowers if he's going to travel over it with the monster tractor.

I really haven't looked at what peppers he picked out.  All I know is that there are 30 of the plants sitting in the computer room in the window.  They are patiently waiting for fine weather to be moved outdoors.  By the sounds of the weather around here - they may be waiting for awhile yet.

As for the pine trees - they are white pines.  Chris says they are going to be dead pines when he gets the power saw to them.  He refers to them as paint peelers.  Me I like the pine, but am more fond of the oaks, maples and birches.  The leaves are not nice to rake up in the fall or anytime (they've never been rakes before) and there is at least an inch or more of heavy, soggy, rotten leaves that need to be moved.

Sherri

MissSnowshoveler wrote:

Sherri

I think the slate looks nice for the color and makes it easy for stacking.   Will it hold up over time?  Would just hate to see him go to the effort of doing it and have it not last.  As kids we picked rocks and hauled in the wheelbarrow (sp?) to build a stone border around the front of the property.  My mom is still in the house and rock border is still there.  To me it really gives the place charm. 

For the tomatoes, I don't know if you do canning but it goes a lot quicker to freeze them...just throw them in ziplocks and then when you want to use them, run them under warm water and the skins peel right off.  

I like pines....I love the smell of them.  Its nice to have a variety of trees....looks pretty in the fall.  Those rotten leaves would make great compost if you get them piled up for your garden.  Just a thought.

Sounds like some fun projects ahead for you two .  Enjoy! 

The first set of walls held up real well over this past winter.  He's using gravel in between the layers to aid in drainage.  Hopefully they hold up for a long time.

I'm not quite sure what we'll be doing with the tomatos.  I'm still trying to figure out what we'll do with all the peppers.

We have been filling in some holes here and there with the multitude of leaves, and then covering them over with soil.  The holes will come back over time, but for now let the leaves fertilize.

I'm so looking forward to the finished product.  I can't wait.  He says he's going to try to get the rock wall around the flower garden this week, so I can get it ready for the flowers.  I know I want snowball bushes, lilacs, and holly bushes.  But that will all come in time.  I have to stop looking in the seed catalogues.  Too many ideas.

Sherri

MissSnowshoveler wrote:

Sherri

You chose two of my favorites...lilacs and snowball bushes...they both smell wonderful and are so lush and pretty.  I've seen lilacs when I've been driving that are a really deep purple that I think are so gorgeous, especially if they are planted next to the white lilac bushes.  I don't know anything about the holly. 

I love looking in the seed and plant catalogs.....there are so many pretty bushes and flowers....and tasty looking veggies and fruit trees,...and, and...LOL

Paula wrote:

My problem exactly...

When I hit the back cover of the catalogue my list usually ranges in the $500 (Canadian) range.  Makes Chris cringe and walk away shaking his head.

Sherri

Sherri

That $500 is a sound investment in the land (remind him of his toys when you are telilng him this...) and tell him that it could be much worse....like $500 in shoes, $500 in jewelry, $500 in clothes,  $500 in lingerie...(oh ..umm....never mind that one...he'd probably say yes to that )...but this is will only increase the value of the land...and how could he possibly argue with that....

Paula

hey Paula...

i think you and Sherri should maybe do a bit of that lingerie shopping together...

maybe you could give her a few pointers in that department.

after all Highwind says all the time what a BABE you are and in my opinion Sherri is quite a treat to so see if yo can shop together.

just dont be shopping for any OPE together

later chris 

Sherri

Will you kick his butt for me?!

Shoveler

Somehow I very much doubt Sherri needs any help in any department that she would need pointers from me...except maybe regarding some wall decorations....and I'd be happy to lend her a hand there....

Paula

P.S. Don't believe those babe rumors.....Highwind is pushing 90 at least I believe and has 200/400 vision. 

Paula wrote:
Paula, is the 90 years old or 90 MPH? 

MPH of course....I would NEVER suggest that Highwind was OOOOOLD...

That stone wall looks great.  I've never done anything like that.  Termy have you done stone walls, I'd think it would be something you should take up. It would make you more money. 

Snowshoveler,

I have for the last year been trying to get Paula to post her picture so we can all see if she is a babe or not. I've not been within a 1000 miles of her, and that is because of a strong self-preservation instinct and not wanting to end up with some of my parts preserved on the wall where she keeps her collection of fuzzy round dice.

She might be a shy little/average/oversized thing. I think she and Sherri should go lingerie shopping together to help her overcome her shyness, and then they could pose draped over your tractor in various poses which should do wonders for boosting membership in the forum. And we could vote for our favourite OPE gal. (sorry Buttlint, you won't be allowed to compete)

Paula,

Depending on how much you overflow your lingerie, having 200/400 vision might be a blessing.   And 90 mph is how fast my foot will be moving when it contacts your small/average/wide load backside for the past year of insults.

I think Shoveler will be gone for a while, traction takes a while to get released from.

After all that where can I go?  Snowshoveler is back under his soap box.  Although I did provide him a new one as the old one was getting kinda tattered from the rain.  (I do care - really I do)

The rock wall is one of Chris' prides so far.  He did all of it by hand in the dead heat of summer, I thought he was crazy as he had to dig most of that hole out by hand.  The doors that were there before were more like shutters.  They were at least 3 feet off the basement floor.  Not productive to getting anything in or out of the basement.  But the finished product was worth it.

As for lingerie - well I really don't think I'll need any if he's out under his soap box.

Sherri

Sorry Sherri

Didn't mean to get off on a tangent....

As for YOU Highwind

Lint was already kind enough to post my picture...in a red bikini, no less....what else could a guy ask for?? Sheesh!   

Paula

Paula wrote:

That was just  you in the red thong ?  Ohhhh, I thought you were sitting there with your two sisters, and a friend or two.  Sorry.

Must be my fading eyesight. Happens when you are the other side of 90.

I'm always on a tangent. Holding a single thought for than a few minutes in your advancing years is difficult.

So I guess it is up to MissSnowshoveler to grace the forum with some native costumes from Victoria Secrets, and maybe a little artistic cultural dancing around the tractor.

Highwind wrote:

Windy

Keep your fantasies about you and multiple women to yourself, wouldja please?!     Sheesh....theres a perv around every corner. 

I'm beginning to think you lost a few miles somewhere and outta roll that odometer ....

Miss Snowshoveler...it is with great happiness ...err..umm...I mean great sadness......that I pass the 'forum babe torch'....a moment of silence please (Windy, I know that will be difficult for you...). 

Paula

Been battling a headache all day.  It goes with the season I guess.

Grass is growing, trees are turning green, and I always have headaches that bring to my knees.  It's great to read the posts and be able to smile.  (Even though it hurts.)

It is hard however to try and plan anything outdoors with a blinding headache.  So I'll have to let the ole boy out from under his soap box.  Someone has to be able to get something done.  I guess I'll have to go visit the lingerie store after all.

Don't know if that all makes any sense to anybody else but me, but I think I'll go lay down and see if the pounding will lessen just a little.

Keep up the good work, I need to be able to have something to smile about.

Sherri

"Keep your fantasies about you and multiple women to yourself, wouldja please?!     Sheesh....theres a perv around every corner.  "

That's make you a pervert?  

Marshall wrote:

I hope you feel better Sherri.

Laying down usully can't hurt.

As my neighbor Ed used to say, " I felt like getting some work done today, so I went in and laid down until the feeling passed.."

Ed and Miss Sandy were great neighbors. Always had time for you, quick with a joke, always something going over their house. Friends family, everyone was welcome. I miss them very much. Miss Sandy would know a headache cure. It might involve a pitcher of ice, a bit of Stoli, a shot glass, and a good laugh or two. They live on in the hearts of most of the people that knew them, including mine.

Please get well soon Sherri!

Sherri

Are you taking anything for it?  I get wicked migraines and I wind up having to take prescription stuff because the over the counter stuff doesn't touch them anymore.  Imitrex and Relpax are two that work well without knocking me out, and I have a fairly low tolerance for drugs (Windy and Lint...leave it alone...).  If they are seasonal, have you gone to an allergist to see if they are sinus/allergy related? 

I'm sorry Sherri....I can tolerate just about any kind of pain (except certain pains in the arses...) and except for head pain.  Cool washclothes sometimes help as well. 

Paula

Paula wrote:

Paula, Paula, Paula,

You totally misunderstood.

When there are so many deserving, wonderful women out there and so few men who appreciate them, it is up to the few caring, sensitive, considerate, gentle, kind men to make sure they know they are appreciated. Sometimes the only way to fit them all in a busy day is to batch process.

That isn't perverted. Its being sensitive to the needs of as many women as you can. <sigh> someone has to make sure they are taken care of. 

Hey Windy

Can I see you try that line on a group of women?  I'd like to watch them 'batch your process'.....

Paula

Hey Paula,

They are seasonal and I have been tested for allergies.  Funny thing is that the tests showed nothing.  My doctor the ding dong that he is says it's all in my head.  Well duhhhhhhhhh where else would a headache be in a female?  I've tried different meds and they won't do a thing, I've tried cold and that doesn't work either.  So I figure that I have to live through the blinding pain and do some work.  The hardest thing is to get sleep.  The marching band doesn't stop for anything.  But I get to look on the bright side - winter is coming.

No headaches in winter!!!!!!  That's some of last years snow.  It doesn't show the true amount, but only if it was winter now.

I'm gonna try and take it easy today, not work too hard.  Hopefully the band will keep to a mild session.

Sherri

Sherri, believe it or not but a good massage that works on the knots in your back and lots of water afterwards followed by heat applied to the area where the knots were works wonders on the headache. I am a nurse and can't still figure out why.

Hope you feel better.

Try to keep hydrated Sherri.  Headaches usually start with not much water is present in the body.  

mrmom wrote:
Yea, I need a good massage, thanks mrmom! Paula baby, make it so.

Paula baby???

You'll notice the phrase "Magic Fingers" doesn't appear ANYWHERE in my name......if that gives you a hint on your chances for a massage...

Sherri

Do you know what allergies they tested you for?  Unfortuantely, the allergy tests are not 100 percent reliable....a person can have an allergy and not have it show up on testing.  Have you tried decongestants or antihistamines?  What about a sinus evaluation to see if you have polyps or anything else going on with your sinuses?  Sorry, don't mean to be nosy but the fact that your migraines are seasonal makes me think there has to be SOMETHING that you can take to combat whatever it is about the change of seasons that brings this on. 

Paula

Maybe I'll just call you PB from now on? PB....PB...has a ring to it.

Hmm....the name I tried typing kept getting deleted....guess the censors didn't like it....

Paula wrote:
Hey, I would never shush you, not in public anyway.

First off Sherri I am sorry you are not feeling well.

You are describing what is called a "Cluster Headache".  Unfortunately they can be seasonal and they can be stimulated by seasonal allergens despite you having had a negative allergy test.  There are actually many medicines at your disposal that can be tried, some even over the counter, some very inexpensive and relatively safe prescriptions, some, expensive prescriptions when we are talking about the newer ones.  Unfortunately it will be tough to find THE one without some patience on your part (easy for me to say I am not in pain I know, sorry) and co-operation on your Providers part in being willing to work with you to try different medications to find one that works.

Send me an IM if you would like and I will send you a really nice medical reference for you to read that gives you some good info and medication choices at your disposal.  It can be technical in spots so any questions you may have let me know and I will help you out with what it means.  I deal with folks with headaches all the time at work and many of the meds I am extremely familiar with already.

I do want to say that there is no need to suffer if there are treatment regimens that you have not tried and it sounds like there are many.  Once all are tried and you have exhausted say even a neurology consult there is still no need to suffer without some help if you need it.

Finally sleep is important, I know again easy for me to say but do try to get some.  Some over the counter help is already at your disposal, don't be afraid to use it.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.  You try to get yourself feeling better in the meantime.

C

ps.  Your Doctor is correct in that it IS in your head, it is however completely physiological not psychological.  At this point I agree with your "ding dong" assesment of him/her.

c

Thanks guys for all the advice and the get well wishes.

Got lots of sleep last night.  So much so that even though I wanted to sleep more - I had to get up and do something.

I have tried many over the counter drugs to rid myself of this pain in my a** (oops my head), but none of them seem to help.  The ding dong doctor, well he likes all the expensive meds and well, without a health plan to cover them, I can't afford to try them and not have them work.  He doesn't like to suggest any cheaper meds.  Might cut into his profits some how I guess.  It's beyond me.

When I was younger it was feathers I was allergic to, my father had a feather pillow and when he was at sea, I'd lay on my parents bed so I could be close to him.  But I grew out of that and they have tested me on every kind of tree and grass and flower that I would come into some kind of contact with and god knows what else.  Sometimes I think it's just me and that it is all self inflicted.  But I'd have to be a pretty sick person to inflict this kind of pain on myself.  Don't even feel like moving.  It's like a horrible hang over without the alcohol.  Every little noise - well noises seem magnified 100 fold.  Imagine a whole trio of chainsaws or lawnmowers magnified.  Not pleasant at all.

But I really want to get outside in the garden.  It doesn't look much like a garden yet, but it's been raining a lot.  Yesterday was the only fine day it looks like we are going to have this week.  Although the sun is peeking out from behind a couple of clouds.  Here in Nova Scotia the weather changes in less then a heartbeat.  So hopefully I'll get some gardening in before long.  I have to keep going or I'll just be living room decoration. 

Well I've rambled enough for this morning.

Sherri

Grrrrr...

OK, there are in many cases samples of the expensive meds so that you can at least try them to see if they work.  In these cases most of the time they either work or they don't so you don't need a lot of them to find out.  Also there are ones that have been around for YEARS that can be tried both prophylactically and for break through pain that are dirt cheap.

Again if you want that reference it lists all of the potential meds also and I can tell you which are the cheap ones and which ones aren't.

I am glad you are feeling better.

C

MissSnowshoveler wrote:

Sherri,

You mention the changing weather, and I know that when the atmospheric pressure changes rapidly, I experience sudden headaches. Is it possible that at this time of the year the pressure is varying a lot with the unsettled weather?

I was told that the pressure changes may trigger migraines, since migraines are caused by constricted blood flow. Can't vouch for this as I'm not a medical expert, even though I've had many years of migraine, sinus, and tension headaches. {and you thought all I was good for was causing headaches}

.......................YOUR HEADACHE IS ME.