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| Golden Snow |
I hesitate to mention the hedge work, but it plays a part in
my reaction to last week’s statement that: “ . . . as good Oregonians, we don’t
let it (rain) bother us.
We just
move ahead.”
Maybe I’m not such a
“good Oregonian”.
I did let it
bother me, or at least it became the “last straw” in a series of frustrating
events.
The four hundred feet of hedge around the four-plex is to be
trimmed twice each year, April and October. Four weeks ago I started the job thinking I could do it in
three or four days. The two
electric hedge trimmers I own and have used for four or five years, died on me
the first day.
My neighbor across the street said I could use his fathers
gas fired hedge trimmer. He would
need to have his father bring it in from the farm and would do that within the
next two weeks. I chose to borrow
my son-in-law’s gas fired hedge trimmer instead, thinking I could get it the
same day. It; however, wasn’t
available until the next day. Oh
well.
Everybody told me I would enjoy the gas-fired trimmer more
than the electric trimmer because it would cut the larger sticks better. I must admit that it did trim
faster. The extra ten-pound weight
on the end of my arms and the stopping to fill the gas tank, the climbing down
the ladder to restart it whenever it stopped and the trying to keep it from
flooding out-weighed the faster trimming to say nothing about it seriously
breaking down twice. I patched it
a couple of times, but the last time required parts, which would take two weeks
to get. There is much more I could
write about my decision to go and buy a new electric trimmer but I’m trying to
keep this short. Suffice it to say
I was almost at my wits end. This
happened on the only dry morning we have had in a couple of weeks.
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After arriving home with my new trimmer and setting up the
electric cords, the tarp and the ladder, I climbed up and started to cut the
hedge. It was working
beautifully. Five minutes later I
felt a drop of rain. I kept
trimming. Then I felt several
drops of rain. I decided I needed
to get my gear in the basement before everything got wet. It was too late; we were having a
downpour. Good Oregonian or not, I
did let it bother me.
The forecast for tomorrow is cloudy but dry. I’ll start early.
Our Stake Conference today was broadcast from Salt Lake and
dealt with new procedures for helping the youth be prepared for serving
missions at age eighteen.
Three weeks of solid rain has put a definite stop to our
beautiful fall colors. I have kept
a record of the beauty of our Oregon Fall leaves. Hope you enjoy them.
Bye for now.
Norma and Gary
