Ode To An Alligator

Met with an absolutely gorgeous day I figured I should begin the process of cleaning up the yard after a tough winter. With the exception of raking, I actually like most yard work. I find it very satisfying to get a project done, especially one which makes things noticeably better immediately. It also helps that there are often fun tools to use to get those projects done. Today I was trying to clear a section of the yard that has been over-run by thorn vines. Now, more on those vines in a second, but to clear the area I used the Black & Decker Alligator and I have to say that this thing was really cool. It is basically a small electric chainsaw with guards on either side to make it work more like a clipper than anything else. It's small enough to get close to the ground to take out vines, but has enough power to take out bigger saplings. I wish I had taken a before picture to show you how much it cleared out, but you'll just have to take my word for it when I tell you it did an outstanding job. Plus, it has a picture of an alligator on the saw, which just looks cool.
-These vines that I had to fight with were driving me crazy. I have no idea what these things were, but I can tell you they were annoying. They were a purple color, only produced thorns (no flowers) and they were everywhere. In one instance there was literally an inch of dirt between two rocks and there were vines growing in that one inch. I can't imagine that anyone would ever plant these on purpose because they didn't look good or seem very inviting. I mean, even a medieval king trying to repel commoners would have thought planting these things was a dick move. But, on the comedy side of things, every time I recoiled my hand after getting pricked by a thorn my father would point out that getting a tattoo probably hurt a lot more. Makes you feel good when that is the jumping-off point on the pain scale.