The Devils Weed

[Mountain Cowgirl]

My battle with goat heads gets worse every year. I tried the weevils one year and they failed. Roundup brought them to justice but even after 10 years, they kept coming back. The burrs can stay in the ground for 7 years and then sprout a new plant. After the city built a sideway on one edge of my place, the goatherds took over between it and the road. Due to new regulations, thanks to Governor Brown, the city refused to spray it and forbade me from spraying it. They didn't however have a problem with me weed whacking the thorny devils. It is their job to control them since it is their property, but getting a crew out to do it takes away from their special interest budget, so it doesn't happen unless I go into city hall and cause a stink, and then their crew of four grown butt MEN does a crap job. They have no shame that a 70-year-old lady that is worn out from a life of hard ranch and construction work, can do it all by her lonesome and do a job that is photo-worthy of the cover of Home and Gardens.

So rather than battle with such jerks that never had their mama beat their behinds, I don my heavy denim vintage Lawman super high waist relaxed thigh riding jeans that allow a girl to move and work, work boots, cap, sunglasses, and long-sleeve Carhartt work shirt. I started early, an hour before legal time, because another triple-digit day was near at hand.

I found my round .95 line wasn't doing the job in an expedient manner so I switched to the twisted .80 line and started getting a nicer cut instead of bruising the devils into. It took two hours and I was sweat-soaked head to toe but finished as the sun turned up the temp in an unbearable manner. OK, you guys can stop reading now and to Nicky and FH who will understand when I say it was a two bra day.

I still have my lawn that would be a good sheep pasture, to mow so better enjoy my coffee before the 6 AM time hits (7 AM is legal noise time) and I upset the late sleepers. I was up at 02:45 this AM due to muscle aches that defied ibuprofen. I decided to wear my newly acquired, previously worn with care, vintage, bareback, Lawman riding jeans since lawn mowing will be a timed event this AM. Can an old lady beat the impending heat? Will it be a three bra day? Can she round the tree without skinning off some bark? Don't dare go to concessions for a hot dog or you may miss this championship run.

 

[leanin' H]

Now that was some fine writing!!!!! Made me grin and I needed that. Thanks MC. Good luck with the timed event. Hope your horse runs fast and the "barrels" all stay upright.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

Now that was some fine writing!!!!! Made me grin and I needed that. Thanks MC. Good luck with the timed event. Hope your horse runs fast and the "barrels" all stay upright.

Thanks! My girl is an orange Husky power 4 wheel drive walk-behind and we get the job done. No mercy for the sleeping clowns still in their barrels.

 

[Faster horses]

My battle with goat heads gets worse every year. I tried the weevils one year and they failed. Roundup brought them to justice but even after 10 years, they kept coming back. The burrs can stay in the ground for 7 years and then sprout a new plant. After the city built a sideway on one edge of my place, the goatherds took over between it and the road. Due to new regulations, thanks to Governor Brown, the city refused to spray it and forbade me from spraying it. They didn't however have a problem with me weed whacking the thorny devils. It is their job to control them since it is their property, but getting a crew out to do it takes away from their special interest budget, so it doesn't happen unless I go into city hall and cause a stink, and then their crew of four grown butt MEN does a crap job. They have no shame that a 70-year-old lady that is worn out from a life of hard ranch and construction work, can do it all by her lonesome and do a job that is photo-worthy of the cover of Home and Gardens.

So rather than battle with such jerks that never had their mama beat their behinds, I don my heavy denim vintage Lawman super high waist relaxed thigh riding jeans that allow a girl to move and work, work boots, cap, sunglasses, and long-sleeve Carhartt work shirt. I started early, an hour before legal time, because another triple-digit day was near at hand.

I found my round .95 line wasn't doing the job in an expedient manner so I switched to the twisted .80 line and started getting a nicer cut instead of bruising the devils into. It took two hours and I was sweat-soaked head to toe but finished as the sun turned up the temp in an unbearable manner. OK, you guys can stop reading now and to Nicky and FH who will understand when I say it was a two bra day.

I still have my lawn that would be a good sheep pasture, to mow so better enjoy my coffee before the 6 AM time hits (7 AM is legal noise time) and I upset the late sleepers. I was up at 02:45 this AM due to muscle aches that defied ibuprofen. I decided to wear my newly acquired, previously worn with care, vintage, bareback, Lawman riding jeans since lawn mowing will be a timed event this AM. Can an old lady beat the impending heat? Will it be a three bra day? Can she round the tree without skinning off some bark? Don't dare go to concessions for a hot dog or you may miss this championship run.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
You just made my day!

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

You would look more stylish if you wore your Cinch Cutoffs.

 

[webfoot]

I know that you are up well before any city employees. Roundup is a silent killer. I wouldn't make a clean edge at the property line.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
You just made my day!

Do both! That is what us old ranch girls do. We can laugh and cry at the same time. That is real multitasking that the sissy diva rodeo girls in their modern tight low rise skinny jeans all up in their personal business cannot do.

I am lollygagging since it is a cooler morning than expected and I decided to wait until 7 to fire up my big Sthil weedeater and edge along the fence where the quack grass has gone crazy and taunts me with its quackery. My Husky mower with its big Kohler is everything but quiet so in hope of overturning my heartless winch status in the neighborhood, I am waiting till 7 and reminiscing about livestock judging. Cattle judging was one of my favorite things to do. I took a photo of myself in my garage and cut it out and pasted it on this corral photo to see if I still had the look. I can't decide if I look authentic or like a sissy small acreage horse diva of advanced years. I fear I may be inducted into the urban cowgirl hall of shame. I will go kicking and screaming!

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

You would look more stylish if you wore your Cinch Cutoffs.

NOPE!!!! Lawman bareback cutoffs had me considering multiple marriages persosals. I couldn't even get a date with a jackpot roper, wearing Cinch, even cut higher than the pocket bottoms. They wanted back pocket jeans with the big W on them. Rough stock guys demand Lawman jeans on their ladies.

 

[webfoot]

NOPE!!!! Lawman bareback cutoffs had me considering multiple marriages persosals. I couldn't even get a date with a jackpot roper, wearing Cinch, even cut higher than the pocket bottoms. They wanted back pocket jeans with the big W on them. Rough stock guys demand Lawman jeans on their ladies.

I don't remember us being all that particular about what brand of jeans a lady was wearing.

 

[Faster horses]

Do both! That is what us old ranch girls do. We can laugh and cry at the same time. That is real multitasking that the sissy diva rodeo girls in their modern tight low rise skinny jeans all up in their personal business cannot do.

I am lollygagging since it is a cooler morning than expected and I decided to wait until 7 to fire up my big Sthil weedeater and edge along the fence where the quack grass has gone crazy and taunts me with its quackery. My Husky mower with its big Kohler is everything but quiet so in hope of overturning my heartless winch status in the neighborhood, I am waiting till 7 and reminiscing about livestock judging. Cattle judging was one of my favorite things to do. I took a photo of myself in my garage and cut it out and pasted it on this corral photo to see if I still had the look. I can't decide if I look authentic or like a sissy small acreage horse diva of advanced years. I fear I may be inducted into the urban cowgirl hall of shame. I will go kicking and screaming!

View attachment 1147

Looking good there, sista!!! Glad you didn't paste yourself in there a few steps to the left...
I can't imagine those urban folks taking you on.

 

[webfoot]

The goathead has been kind of slow to show up along the driveway. It is now starting to grow. I am debating on which chemical to spray it with. I have 24D, Crossbow, Milestone, and Roundup.

24D I have lots of it and it is cheap. Kills broadleaf plants but not the grass.

Crossbow It is 24d ester and triclopy in a 2 to 1 ratio mainly for woody plants

Milestone will darn sure kill it but it is mighty expensive, $127 for a little bottle. I should probably save it for the Knapweed.

Roundup Well it is generic roundup but everyone knows from the TV commercials that roundup causes cancer. But if I did get cancer from the roundup I would be entitled to significant compensation. At least that is what they say on TV.

Decisions decisions.......

 

[Faster horses]

We just watched Percy vs Goliath. It's about the guy who took on Monsanto. Not quite sure what to make of it.
Has anyone watched it; if so what are your thoughts? It's a true story, but probably slanted/biased.

Good luck deciding, webfoot. I hate decisions like that. We have friends who spray weeds in the oilfield and they are a wealth of knowledge, but they wouldn't know anything about goathead. We have leafy spurge (YUK) here and they have given us the formula for controlling it. I don't think we will ever be rid of it, because too many people have let it go.
I think most of the people moving in here have no idea what it even is. I think our weed board could do a lot more to
get the word out, but they don't. When we moved to MT in 1975, we thought WY was way ahead of weed control than
MT. That certainly isn't true today.

And prairie dogs. There are a LOT of prairie dogs; not in our area, but you sure see a lot of them driving down the highway.
People who don't run livestock think they are cute.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

Looking good there, sista!!! Glad you didn't paste yourself in there a few steps to the left...
I can't imagine those urban folks taking you on.

Hey, good eye girl, I never noticed that but it does add to the authentic look.

 

[webfoot]

And prairie dogs. There are a LOT of prairie dogs; not in our area, but you sure see a lot of them driving down the highway.
People who don't run livestock think they are cute.

We were at a big function at the community center last night. A critter has been digging into our chciken house and grabbing one chicken every night. The wife and others said it was a fox. I was saying we needed to get home before dark so I could set a trap for it. There was a lady there saying don't kill it. She even gave it a name. I said it is eating our chickens. She didn't care. Tough luck for the chickens. Well I set the trap and captured the guilty party. The wife's "fox" is strange looking. It is black with a white stripe down its back......... but it has had its last chicken dinner.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

.

I don't remember us being all that particular about what brand of jeans a lady was wearing.

But you were particular about how they were filled out and the best filled-out jeans were always Lawman hahaha!

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

We were at a big function at the community center last night. A critter has been digging into our chciken house and grabbing one chicken every night. The wife and others said it was a fox. I was saying we needed to get home before dark so I could set a trap for it. There was a lady there saying don't kill it. She even gave it a name. I said it is eating our chickens. She didn't care. Tough luck for the chickens. Well I set the trap and captured the guilty party. The wife's "fox" is strange looking. It is black with a white stripe down its back......... but it has had its last chicken dinner.

In all my years of having chickens, not once did I trap a fox. It was always a skunk or a weasel. The only other losses were to hawks or owls when I tried free-range or had an open-top pen. I finally dug a 2-foot trench under the coop yard fence and buried two layers of heavy chicken wire and that stopped the skunks and weasels and then had to wire the top to stop the birds of prey.

We just watched Percy vs Goliath. It's about the guy who took on Monsanto. Not quite sure what to make of it.
Has anyone watched it; if so what are your thoughts? It's a true story, but probably slanted/biased.

Good luck deciding, webfoot. I hate decisions like that. We have friends who spray weeds in the oilfield and they are a wealth of knowledge, but they wouldn't know anything about goathead. We have leafy spurge (YUK) here and they have given us the formula for controlling it. I don't think we will ever be rid of it, because too many people have let it go.
I think most of the people moving in here have no idea what it even is. I think our weed board could do a lot more to
get the word out, but they don't. When we moved to MT in 1975, we thought WY was way ahead of weed control than
MT. That certainly isn't true today.

And prairie dogs. There are a LOT of prairie dogs; not in our area, but you sure see a lot of them driving down the highway.
People who don't run livestock think they are cute.

I liked the foxes because they helped control the red diggers or prairie dogs as you call them in WY. The foxes always left enough diggers to keep my rifle skills up to par. You need to trap and drop off a few foxes along the road. When the animal activist sees a well-fed mama fox with her cute kits looking sassy, sashaying along the road, they will forget about the ugly prairie dogs.

.

 

[Faster horses]

In all my years of having chickens, not once did I trap a fox. It was always a skunk or a weasel. The only other losses were to hawks or owls when I tried free-range or had an open-top pen. I finally dug a 2-foot trench under the coop yard fence and buried two layers of heavy chicken wire and that stopped the skunks and weasels and then had to wire the top to stop the birds of prey.



I liked the foxes because they helped control the red diggers or prairie dogs as you call them in WY. The foxes always left enough diggers to keep my rifle skills up to par. You need to trap and drop off a few foxes along the road. When the animal activist sees a well-fed mama fox with her cute kits looking sassy, sashaying along the road, they will forget about the ugly prairie dogs.

Obviously there aren't enough foxes around here.

Reminds me of the cutest thing...we were horseback in the Powder River Wy country and we spied some fox kits (I think they are called kits, right?) and we watched them playing and playing hard. When they finally noticed they had observers they headed to their hole, and got there all at the same time. All we could see was baby butts sticking in the air because they couldn't all fit into the hole at once. It was hilarous!! Of course, no camera and that was before cell phones with cameras. But I still have that memory in my minds eye. We laughed til we about fell off our horses!!!

 

[Nicky]

I hate goatheads. When we were field trialling bird dogs we stopped at Jordan Valley at the rodeo area to air (let go potty) the dogs. Let them loose and they took a few steps and froze...it was covered in goat heads.

 

[webfoot]

I mixed up a batch of 24D in the back pack sprayer and attacked the goathead in the driveway. Can't have the grandkids all having flat tires on their bikes. We will see how good of a job it does.

 

[Mountain Cowgirl]

I mixed up a batch of 24D in the back pack sprayer and attacked the goathead in the driveway. Can't have the grandkids all having flat tires on their bikes. We will see how good of a job it does.

I had good results with 24D by mixing it a bit heavier than I would Roundup and really saturating the plants all over. https://morningchores.com/goat-head-weed/