Another hour behind the hog

i spent another hour behind the brush hog this afternoon trying to open up some old pasture/apple orchard territory. There's still a lot more to go but progress is being made. The hog is doing it's thing and only seems to get hung up when there are lots of 1 to 1-1/2 inch diameter saplings in a clump. Then it seems to get them wrapped around the blade and the blade stops spinning. If I wrestle with the machine to either lift the blade or pull it back a foot or so, it comes free and starts spinning again chopping those small saplings into so many chips.

Unlike the lawn mower that has to be pushed constantly, the brush hog is self propelled and I need only squeeze the chain mechanism to make it go forward. It's the backing up and turning in tight radii that makes for a workout. (That and trying to keep up with the machine when it's in full throttle!) So far I'm quite happy with the money spent to get it tuned-up and sharpened.

Came across some nice blueberry patches I was vaguely aware of while clearing the brush away. I tried to go around them as best I could. The berries are small and they may ripen after I leave on Sunday/Monday but at least they are there for the birds and bears.

Notice I didn't mention squirrels. I haven't seen one red squirrel so far. Of course I haven't walked very far into the woods, but the ones that were all around the cabin last year and that forced me to take out the .22 rifle almost every day are just not present. Mice seem to have vanished too. There's no sign of them in the cabin at all. The fact that we have at least one family of fisher in the woods nearby and a couple of weasels as well might have a little something to do with the disappearance of squirrels and mice.

Well, I see the Mets have jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Giants tonight so I might just shower and go to bed early. Of course, they were up 10-1 over Philly when I went to sleep last night and this morning I learned they had to hang on for dear life to win 10-9.

Such is the angst of a Mets fan.

Una cerveza fría, por favor.

Vaya con Dios, amigos.