Last month we realized the back third of our 1/2 acre yard was getting a bit out of control. Upon the encouragement of local scythe master Brian Kerkvliet of Inspiration Farm, we decided to host a “Sunday Scythe Social” to get it cleaned up. Angela and I give a hearty thanks to Brian, Kevin, and Josh!
The team is assembled: myself, Josh, Kevin, and Brian, and Angela (taking the photo, not pictured)
Brian provides a brief demo on proper technique
We didn’t get photos of all of us working…we were too busy getting the job done. The discussion continues during the “Social,” as Brian shows “the finer points of this sharp tool.”
Brian demonstrates how to properly peen a scythe blade
Here is Angela, the photographer of the other photos. This was taken later, where you can see the piles of cut grass
Another photo of Angela scything…just because
In the weeks that have followed, I’ve continued to scythe as a Sunday morning practice. It’s very nice to be outside on a quiet Sunday morning. No sound of power tools, just the quiet “swish” of the scythe blade doing its work.
This is the back corner I worked on this morning.
I even scythed the front yard today.
It’s been pretty dry, so the grass is staying low, but there were some tall weeds to bring down.
Your reward for reading this post is this photo by Angela of a majestic deer that recently visited the neighborhood. Fortunately our fences are keeping the deer out of our garden.
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