Spraying, shingles, and cut

Friday, after sewing another pair of ripped up pants, I sprayed weeds. I had planned on just spraying the knapweed and thistle patches in the hayfield, but you know how much I hate the western salsify weed, I couldn't resist spraying the ones I came across.

I hadn't planned on spraying any salsify as Wyatt will cut my hayfield soon and this will be before the salsify goes to seed. But that doesn't kill it while spraying does. It seems that I have less salsify this year. This may may be because:

• I sprayed lots last year and killed lots
  
• I didn't drag my harrow across the field the Spring potentially 'planting' the seeds
• the cool wet weather slowed the salsify down.

Later I found Wyatt had cut his field Thursday night so my field will be cut sooner than later. Spraying the weeds might have been a waste of time as it may take a few days for the weeds to die.

I was about done spraying when I saw Bob and Jan's pickup turn into my driveway. They had bought roofing shingles as they are going to re-shingle their house. They needed me to unload the shingles from the pickup. Earlier I told them I would carry them up onto their roof as they were having problems renting a machine that would lift them up on their roof. Later I realized what I had got myself into as their house is a split level and has a high roof.

The pickup load was only half the shingles. While Jan made lunch for us Bob and I went to Lowes and got the rest of the shingles. 75 bundles in total.

I placed the shingles on pallets in the yard and will carry them up to the roof later.

After lunch and a little relaxation I returned home to check my gopher traps. Two more pocket and regular gophers each were trapped.

Then I went to work on my fence rebuild. This is the fence that heifer #20 ("Hamburger") had broken over a week ago. I had torn down the old fence and yesterday I had assembled the posts and poles needed for the new fence. I had put one post into the ground and attached one pole before the mosquitoes had chased me inside last night. I had planned on finishing the fence today until I got sidetracked with the shingles.

Friday night I got as far as attaching several poles to the second post before mosquitoes and events caught up to me. The mosquitoes were bad today, sometimes even venturing out in the sunlight and heat. I had worn long pants and a shirt even though the temperature was warm and I didn't want to wear more clothes than I had to. I cut a flat part on the end of the poles by which better to attach the poles to the posts. I was cutting my last planned pole for the night when, between feeling hot and sweaty and the mosquitoes driving me crazy even when I was wearing repellent, I was distracted and the hand saw - having cut the piece of board off - continued onto my finger.

*argh!*

If I thought the blood ran before, the blood really ran after I washed the finger. I had to get a piece of cloth, press it again the cut, and hold my hand above my head to stop the flow of blood. That ended my fence work for the night.

The blood had stopped flowing now. It looks like I will have another scar for my collection.