Here on the homestead we have had some drama with the neighbors resulting in the absence of the horses that used to roam the land. (I think I will save that story for a personal blog coming in the next few days). Suffice to say that we were not expecting to be horse-less and a really missing the absence of the mare Tila who we had come to rely on.
For a couple of years now she has been there, day and night, to munch on grass and control some of the weeds on this 10 acre parcel. Now, we must think of a creative solution. This isn't just for aesthetics. If it were up to me this land would return to a full-on forest with clearings for gardens and paths to get from one place to the next. It is the owner of this land who insists that there be acres of lawn. We have a work-trade agreement with her; we take care of the landscaping and she doesn't charge us rent.
And, to be honest, this land has re-forested a great deal since my partner and I took over the management. We have let hedgerows grow tall & dense with vegetation and the native trees that the owner so despises are re-colonizing the land that is meant to be theirs. So, really, a bit of lawn-mowing isn't such a big deal in exchange for the opportunity to live rent-free in such a lush landscape. The only problem is that our lawnmower and weedwhacker are busted after 5 years of trying to keep up with the 2 acre lawn and we just do not have the funds to repair them.
First though, I want to make the most of the great contribution that the three horses left before they were taken away; heaps & heaps of manure! With the rainy season well underway I don't want this valuable fertilizer to soak into the grass. Most days I head out into the lawn area & fields in search of a wheelbarrow or two of manure and head back to the garden. Fresh manure is left in a pile to compost while dry manure is mixed with fallen leaves and used as mulch in the different garden beds around the yard/garden.
My man and I are both really sad that things turned out this way, that our neighbor outright lied to us and took a horse that doesn't belong to him. Like I said before, I will be dishing the full details in a future blog ;) But, there is one main benefit to a horse-free front yard: I get to bring back the pots of zinnia plants that I had tucked away from their curious noses.
Hopefully we can find a way to repair the weedwhacker, or maybe some neighboring cows will find their way in like last winter to keep the grass down in the trails and the driveway. If not, it means that I will be doing a lot of chopping and weed pulling myself in the most important of areas. Or maybe this area will go full-on forest again. Only time will tell!