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I have a chainsaw, but I hate them. Not that they are too dangerous. But that they are too hard to start. If I have to pull a start cord more than three times I am done.
Ratcheting loppers are the best
Most of my gardening is perennials, plant once and enjoy for years. I do not bother with cutting grass.
I do not worry about the expense of gardening tools it is all a write-off anyway.
Get a chainsaw you can start with a cordless drill.
You're right about the cost of equipment. Some of which has to be replaced on a somewhat regular basis. BTW - one tool we'll never use is a chainsaw. Too darn dangerous (at least for us - we are not handy people). If we need work done that requires a chainsaw - it's a job for our landscaping or tree service. OTOH - this is one of my favorite tools (got it as a housewarming present):
Means I can do a lot of things without needing a chainsaw.
We have about 3/4 acre - which is quite a bit larger than the 6000 sf Newbie has. And - unlike properties in more rural areas - we kind of maintain our yard to look like a park. So there's a lot of tree work - shrub work and the like. Water for irrigation costs a fair amount. Also - we have more "hired help" now than when we were younger. Overall - I wouldn't buy such a labor intensive property like this at our current age. But I'm glad we've owned it for all these years. Am also glad we can afford to hire people to do work we can no longer do ourselves. Robyn
That is a big yard. I have no grass. But when I had grass on almost 1/3 acre in the SF Bay Area, my husband used to enjoy mowing the lawn.
But for my small yard, I use chainsaw to trim the shrubs. But the trick is I have a plug in cord that if it gets tugged too hard, it's off, and no power to the chainsaw. Useful feature.
I have a chainsaw, but I hate them. Not that they are too dangerous. But that they are too hard to start. If I have to pull a start cord more than three times I am done.
Ratcheting loppers are the best
Most of my gardening is perennials, plant once and enjoy for years. I do not bother with cutting grass.
I do not worry about the expense of gardening tools it is all a write-off anyway.
I have a chainsaw that you just push a button to start. No pulling is necessary.
[quote=mathjak107;43976101]not enough choices can lead to misery and disaster . i learned that first hand as a teen . it stayed with me for life as a motivating event to at least become successful enough as to always have choices in life . my mantra is money may not buy happiness but it sure buys choices in life
I remember those ramen noodle dinners in my 20's. I lived alone and had a cat and dog that would eat before me. I remember having about $20 dollars in my checking account at the end of the week. Life was hard and there were uncertain times, yet I was still happy. Living like that was far better then living with alcoholic, abusive parents.
I remember the euphoria of the first night in my own place. I was dead broke but I managed to have a lot of fun. Heck we were all dead broke in our 20's and some of my friends had kids. Sometimes I miss those care free days.
Having money is fun, but the security means more then anything. The choice to be able to walk away from my job years before I was eligible for my social security may have given me the opportunity to live longer. Had I kept doing what I was doing I think I would have wound up in an early grave just from the stress alone.
I've had two friends in my occupation and one younger that have had mini strokes. Another friend is on home IV's because of a super bug. I have another health care worker friend battling HepC from a needle stick. I'm still fighting something I picked up in 2006.
Money is not the route to happiness, but the security it brings enhances happiness..... A lot. especially if your wants are minimal.
We love cordless sawzalls. I have a herd of pigs in 5 acres of woodlot, when I walk their fence-line I commonly come across downed trees across the fence. I carry ratcheting loppers and a cordless sawzall with me. I can easily clear the debris with these tools and get on my way.
My wife loves butchering pigs. [really, she is good at it] She has her own meat blades for the sawzall. It makes a huge difference in processing the carcass of a 400 pound sow.
We have a small fruit / nut orchard where the sawzall is good for pruning. I like to keep all of the branches low enough for harvesting without needing ladders.
The sawzall is among the tools that allow us to continue doing stuff, as we age.
That and a small diesel tractor with front loader, pallet forks, backhoe, disc harrow, snow-blower. Without certain tools rural life would become very laborious.
I hear ya. Hubby practically cried when he sold his Kabota tractor when we downsized to the suburbs. He loved that thing for mowing and plowing and grading.
I'd love to meet a woman who "loves butchering pigs". I like to think I could do that if I had no choice, but I don't think I'd ever LOVE it. I would need to administer Propofol to the pig before I could kill it.
I hear ya. Hubby practically cried when he sold his Kabota tractor when we downsized to the suburbs. He loved that thing for mowing and plowing and grading.
I'd love to meet a woman who "loves butchering pigs". I like to think I could do that if I had no choice, but I don't think I'd ever LOVE it. I would need to administer Propofol to the pig before I could kill it.
My Dw took a course that is offered every year locally called 'nose to tail pork processing'.
It has a two year waiting list to take this course. She enjoyed it so much that they offered her a job working for the meat processing plant. But she was already working f/t in a grocery store. She got her store to rotate her into their meat department for a year, so she could become proficient at her new skills.
We mostly breed pigs and sell piglets to local people who like to raise their own pork. I do not sell pork. We only butcher a pig is when one of ours need to visit freezer camp, or when a neighbor hires my Dw to teach how to do it.
Every woman should find what it is that makes her happy. Since my Dw has discovered that she enjoys cutting up carcasses, it is my goal to see that she can be happy. A happy woman makes for a peaceful home.
Someone in another thread commented that one can never have too much money, and that is true up to a point. But one can, in fact, have too much money. Consider the late Michael Jackson. He had so much money that he needed accountants and various managers to keep track and manage things, xo he lost control of his own life. Also, in his situation he never knew if people wanted to be his friend because they liked him or because of his fame and wealth. That would be a hell of a way to live, always wondering if people were sincere in the way they were reacting to you. He was absolutely miserable by all accounts. Now I am not claiming he was miserable only because of his fabulous wealth, as there were other factors involved, not the least of which was his childhood...........
That's not only an aspect of money.
One of the "tricks" I learned in my intelligence days was to ask myself the question of "Why is he/she coming on to me? Are they truly interested in me or is there another reason?". As things are, that is probably a useful trait for anyone to have, to ask themselves why someone is interested in them.......especially with that segment of the population that may be targeted for scams....ie, the retired.
I don't think you're listening to Escort Rider. He *is* familiar with his personal finances - and has made lifestyle choices that are commensurate with his income. He just doesn't obsess about them. What would be the point of doing that at his age/stage in life (about 70 and retired)? It's not like he's 40 years old - still working - and can make (drastic) changes. My husband and I are pretty much in his situation in terms of our stage in life. And we think pretty much the same way.
FWIW - last time I looked Escort Rider was with a Kaiser Permanente Medicare HMO (which seems to be a popular lower cost Medicare option in California). Which he's been pretty happy with. Since I'm a long time Florida resident - I'm not personally familiar with Kaiser - but I know there is nothing similar to it where I live. Robyn
Of course, I don't know him personally and would be wrong to ascribe to him weaknesses that I find in other people. It just happens to be my experience that people who say "I don't care about money" are woefully unprepared for any event in life that costs money and, if they do know me personally, want to spend mine when the time comes. Larry
Once basic needs are met, wealth adds little to overall happiness. True wealth is in health, family, friends. Happiness comes from having a quest or some meaningful activity we consider greater than ourselves. Materialism might provide a temporary rush and diversion. Wealth, and the acquired baggage, can also complicate life. Without baggage, commitments, there's freedom - free to pursue what one wants. That freedom will carry a person a ways down that road toward fulfillment.
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I remember those ramen noodle dinners in my 20's. I lived alone and had a cat and dog that would eat before me. I remember having about $20 dollars in my checking account at the end of the week. Life was hard and there were uncertain times, yet I was still happy. Living like that was far better then living with alcoholic, abusive parents.
Absolutely nothing contradictory about it
