Tumbling tractors, insomnolent Swallows and Faeries.

For those of you who have lawns of perfection- or at least ones less than 10" tall, and for those of you who are disinclined to mow areas higher than 10", I salute you. And don't share your managerial skills.
We had mower problems starting at the end of June. This is not new. We have had mowing issues since we moved here. When we purchased Cowfeathers, we also purchased the old tractor and brush hog that went with it. A workhorse built in 1940, the Ford-Ferguson model was one of the most popular tractor models of all time, and they are still prevalent in tractor sheds and unkempt backyards out here in the country. Hard to find another piece of machinery that has been used for hard work for over 70 years, and still functions the same way. Try that with your microwave, or your SUV. In any case, the tractor was perfect except for one slight problem. I couldn't make it stop. I could stand on the brakes, jump up and down, and nothing. This made me reluctant to drive the tractor. Huz, on the other hand was more successful, and mastered the little quirks of the PTO and the bits and pieces of magic needed to spark it up and get 'er going...and stopping. All worked well until one day when he was mowing the barn pasture. The barn pasture has a significant slope, from the top at the barn, to the bottom, in the creek. Where pasture and creek intersect, there is a deep gully and much vegetation. Well, he got going up and down the hill instead of side to side, and the tractor began rolling backward, picking up speed and the brakes were acting like I was on the seat. As the brush hog and tractor went careening into the creek ditch, Huz leapt off, worried the whole deal would flip over on landing. It wasn't pretty.

This is what could be seen of the tractor. Most of it, and the entire brush hog is largely vertical.

This was an opportunity to meet some neighbors. Being new on the "block", we had met a few folks, but in this instance, we needed a neighbor with a BIG tractor. I called a friend, got a number for the farmer that has the large farm just north of us, and introduced myself, and asked for a favor. He and his wife kindly chugged down in an enormous powerhouse that picked this tractor up like a tinkertoy and pulled it right back onto the ground. I figured it was a goner. Our friend that had come to participate (these are big doin's in the coun'ry) got on the seat and fired it right up. We gave it to him.
Good riddance to bad baggage.  We need a tractor with brakes.
Since that time we have managed the property without the tractor. This meant hours on the lawn tractor until we killed that one too. We traded up for a zero turn with a huge deck that makes shorter work of the mowing, but not without problems. In June after The Fair (this means the County Fair, as opposed to State Fair), I went to go catch up on the front field overgrowth, and the mower wasn't happy, it would rev and stop. Then the tire got a hole on the inside and refused to be patched, time and again. So, we had to order a new tire. In any case, the mowing wasn't getting done, and the front field became the beautiful front meadow. Unfortunately, despite the beauty of a meadow, it makes for bad pasture, and we need pasture. I leave much of the middle pasture that borders the creek in tall grass prairie and some meadow, but I cannot forgo the use of the front pasture. This is sad, because the butterflies like the meadow. And the bunnies and the grasshoppers. But mowing it is also fun, because it brings the swallows. Dozens of them to keep me company as I work the mower back and forth. They zoom low over the ground, enjoying the bounty of bugs that get all stirred up (thier homes, no doubt, in shambles) as I remove the Queen Anne's Lace. It is loud, despite the ear protectors, but a relaxing constant. The uneven ground makes it bouncy enough that relaxation is impossible in body, but not in mind, and I watch the swallows work their way over the newly mown grass.

You can see a few of the swallows, but there are so many, it's hard to believe my snapshot didn't catch more!

I also have faery rings. Last year was the first time one appeared. It was an area about 9' in radius, and the grass was all worn away. It looked like one of the horses had circled in a perfect O until the grass was gone. I thought it very odd. As the ring just stayed there, I began to speculate on aliens and teenagers. Then the grass returned, a deeper green than the surrounding colors. When a mushroom the size of Maryland appeared, I began to get suspicious that I had a Faery Ring. Now, I have two. They are ostensibly caused by a fungus, but I think maybe some of the Fey are involved.

The original ring is in the right of the photo, and in the distance in the center is the other ring. Mini crop circles.

The front pasture is now looking tidied and green. Inspection would reveal the pasture is suffering from weeds,  but from afar, looks marvelous. From the sky, I wonder if you can see our circles?