From: ron@mlfarm.com (Ronald Florence)
Subject: rural rabbits & Weedeaters
Organization: Maple Lawn Farm, Stonington, CT
Distribution: misc
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:28:18 GMT

   I've been asked to post the following by Jim Baranski
   <baranski@VEAMF1.NUSC.NAVY.MIL>.  Please direct any
   replies to him.

RE: Weedeater recommendations

I have a Echo Weedeater that is probably five years old.  My spice
bought it when she ran a vineyard.  I've had very few problems with
it, and I have to tell you I abuse the hell out of it.  I usually run
it with an old metal blade, that's like a light gauge 60 tooth
circular saw blade, chopping down 'tree-of-heaven' saplings, and misc
weeds, vines, briars, bounce off rocks, etc.  It can chop down nearly
a 3" sapling if you rev it up and take a swing with it. I had to get
the ignition replaced when I got it, and rewind the starter cord a
couple of times, but that's literally *all* I've done to it except put
50:1 in it.  I don't tune it, change old gas, or sharpen it, and it
starts up after a couple of pulls now matter what season or how long
it's been sitting there.

On the flip side, I also have a Stihl chainsaw, and it's a
tempermental thing.  I don't abuse it much, and I've had to have the
thing fixed twice a year, chain, bar, oiler, electrical, carb, and it
always runs me close to 100$.  The same guy fixes the weedwhip, and
when he sees me coming, he goes, 'ah yes, Stihl, the Cadillac of
chainsaws', and I say, 'It costs like it too'...  But this year I had
a tree groomer friend borrow it several times, and he tunes it up and
sharpens it for me, and it's been a pleasure to use.

RE: rabbitts

There's a place near me where we saw a sign by the road that said
rabbits for sale, and we like rabbits (but don't eat them), so we
stopped to take a look.  We drove down this two track, past a half a
dozen houses at intervals, each one looking more run down and seedier
then the rest.

At the end of the road was a house, and a garage in the process of
being built.  A radio as playing next to the garage, but there was no
sign of humans.  there were about a dozen cars in various states of
dismemberment scattered around, with a half a dozen dogs chained up
various places.  There were *huge* rasberry bushed growing around the
house and the rest of the place weighed down with thick ripe
raspberries.

Still no sign of humans.  Start walking over the the garage and
practically trip over a couple of rabbits flopped in the grass, just
out of reach of one of the chained up dogs.  Take a good look around,
and notice that there are easily a couple dozen rabbits sitting in
various places around.  Walk over the the other side of the garage,
and there are literally ***hundreds*** of rabbits running around, in
and out a of fence with gaping holes in it, in and out of cages, etc.
All white/grey & brown/grey dutch rabbits with the cute little
jackets, lying around, hopping in and out of the fence.

At this point, we're getting kind of worried, because it looks like
we've walked onto the set for Animal Farm, and Norman Bates could walk
around the corner any second with a sycthe in his hand...  We called,
and tiptoed around looking for any humans for a while, marvelling at
the place, knocked on the house door, etc, and then got out of there.

It was too weird...  I would have liked to offer to help pick some of
their raspberries, but I prefer natural brown, or grey flop rabbits,
but the places was too weird, I haven't gone back there since...

Jim.

Jim Baranski, Vax Systems | It's Not Easy Keeping Vaxen Working ...  Underwater!
Analyst, Naval Underwater | BARANSKI@VEAMF1.NUSC.NAVY.MIL 203-440-6510, 889-4968
Systems Ctr, New London CT| Be: Thoughtfull, Honest, Yourself, Happy

-- 

				Ronald Florence
				ron@mlfarm.com