Floating weeds

Each day I try to spent a little time painting and a little time spraying weeds in my south pasture.

The other day while spraying weeds I came across a small hole in the ground. Thinking it was a mouse hole I sprayed it, kicked a little dirt on it and went on my way. Being outside I hear insects buzzing about all the time so I didn't notice the hornets until one stung me below a knuckle on my left hand.

I swatted the hornet away and it left its rear end and stinger in my hand. I quickly pulled it out. That may be why my hand only swelled up on two knuckles and not my entire hand like the day before when a hornet stung the back of my right hand.

My hands are pretty much back to normal but for several days they were swollen and itched like crazy.

Today's challenge was my RL Pro Flo backpack sprayer. I have had it since June 2007 with no problems. Today it started to leak. A slow drip, but when it dripped on me it added up and got the clothes on my lower back wet even on a warm day. And it dripped herbicide too! I had to wash my back with soap when I got back home.

The sprayer is made in Germany. The bottom is where the air is inserted into the tank via a pumping action. The plastic pieces fit tightly together and a band is tightened around them. I don't know what changed that it started to leak. It started leaking when I started to spray my second tank for the day.

I took the pieces apart and found no signs how it would leak. I re-put the pieces together and added a little putty to a few spots. I see tomorrow if this fixes it.

The afternoon breeze was from the south today. When I was in the pasture spraying, the wind would occasionally gust and when it did it it blew the thistle seeds from the pasture to my south. One time a strong breeze make it it look like snow was floating by. That is how bad the weeds are on the property to my south.

The brother of the woman who owns the land plowed the weeds under last week. He spent two afternoons doing so but with so many seeds quite a number still lay on top of the ground ready for the wind to take them.

It was discouraging. Here I was spraying to get rid of my thistle weeds and a thousand seeds came floating over to my pasture ready to create new weeds next year.