The new bush blade has arrived after a bit of a hiccup on the
delivery.  This is a shorter thicker blade with more weight that
is specifically designed to cut through heavier brush and woody
stalks.  

http://tinyurl.com/y89p96x6


Supposedly it is able to slice through saplings up to
3/4" thick although I have no intention of pushing it to that
extent.  The new blade did slice right through the heavy brush
although I was starting to venture into areas where the ground
was still quite saturated.  Probably the best approach would be
to leave the marshy stuff alone until it dries out some more.  As
I had mentioned before, if the water table here is close to the
surface, then there is really no point in trying to mow this area
as it would require frequent maintenance.  The whole purpose of the
mowing is to reduce the fire risk.  If the vegetation is green
and thriving, then the fire risk is going to be minimal at least
in this patch of the property.

One of the main goals of this project has been accomplished and
that was to cut a path to the well house for easier access.  The
next goal will be to cut a path to the area where there are some
long neglected fruit trees.  Between the ditch blade and the
recently acquired bush blade, it should be doable.

While scything yesterday, I did disturb a good sized black cat
that was probably drawing a bead on some prey in the marshy area.
He/she ran off a distance and then paused with a return glance as
I was scything away.  She/he was probably wondering when I was
going to move on.  Beyond some deer and now this feline, I have
not seen very many critters although I suspect there are some
dwelling deeper in the marshy area.  Perhaps another reason to
leave this particular patch undisturbed as it has developed into
kind of a habitat. 


Mowing

By Robert Frost

There was never a sound beside the wood but one,
And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground.
What was it it whispered? I knew not well myself;
Perhaps it was something about the heat of the sun,
Something, perhaps, about the lack of sound—
And that was why it whispered and did not speak.
It was no dream of the gift of idle hours,
Or easy gold at the hand of fay or elf:
Anything more than the truth would have seemed too weak
To the earnest love that laid the swale in rows,
Not without feeble-pointed spikes of flowers
(Pale orchises), and scared a bright green snake.
The fact is the sweetest dream that labor knows.
My long scythe whispered and left the hay to make.

-----

The scythe does "whisper" so to speak as it slices through the
grass and weeds as it rides along the ground during the stroke,
so I think Robert Frost's poem (depending on how you read it) is
pretty accurate.  There seems to be a wealth of poetry associated
with the scythe which is not surprising.  In the mornings, I find
myself eager to get out of the house (and away from the computer)
and do some scything.  Troubles and worldly cares seem to vanish
as I set into a rhythm all the while focusing on the task at
hand.  The morning air is fresh and clear and the silence is
soothing.

When I find my arms getting tired, that is usually a warning sign
that I either need to correct my form or check the hafting angle
of the blade.  I have put in several hours scything and am
slowly getting the hang of it, but I believe it is a constant
learning process which is okay.  Sometimes children can be the
best teachers:

http://tinyurl.com/y9ydg7zv

Although the area I mow is not flat pasture land, but there is
something to be learned from this young girl's form.

I think the path forward (literally and figuratively) is to keep
a path open to the well house and cut a new path to the long
neglected orchard and clear that area.