#@%&!

Got bounced off the horse last week, landing hard on my lower back and whacking my head (yes, I was wearing a helmet). The bruising pattern is interesting to say the least. Worse is the muscle stiffness which makes bending over, sitting down, and standing up a little uncomfortable.

Not a good time to have this happen right before Labor Day weekend. I had a long list of things I wanted to do around the property. But the show must go on, or rather the to-do list.

I figured pruning up the fence lines would be something doable. After all, almost everything needing to be trimmed back is between waist- and shoulder- height. If I couldn't reach it with the lopping shears it didn't need to be trimmed. One afternoon should be enough, right?

Except I got overly ambitious. And there were some thicker branches that needed a bigger tool. So on the second day I broke out the step ladder. And the pruning blade on the cordless reciprocating saw. And another 3 hours later I have not only trimmed back along the fences I've also removed all low-hanging limbs that get in the way when I'm mowing, riding, etc.

Both days I've rewarded my labors with a nap on the sofa with a heating pad on the aching muscles of my lower back. Lots of stretching, and occasionally bending over to retrieve the shears or saw when I set it on the ground. Enough to tell me that I shouldn't be the one to pick up and haul off all of the brush.

So now the holiday weekend is over. I have at least a half-dozen truck loads of brush lying along the fences and under the trees in the pasture. The lawn is overgrown. The manure piles are not picked up. The garden did not get fertilized. Pasture and fence line weeds did not get sprayed. I did manage to fix the mailbox post but ran into trouble with the front gate hinge. But my pasture fence lines look lovely. :)

The little victories.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the sofa is calling again.