New Media from a Journalism Veteran
The lower 40
Welcome to the lower 40, otherwise known as the front yard of Chateau Thompson — three-and-a-half acres of rolling hillside that drops off sharply from the front of our house, sloping as much as 35 degrees as it plunges down towards a creek and the intersection of Greenbriar Lane (a private road) and Sandy Flats Road, which is sandy but never flat. At current gas prices it costs between $15 and $20 and takes most of a day to mow this expanse of green. The yard extends all the way down to the road and beyond the driveway that slopes down out of sight on the left. The yard and the view were high on the list of things that attracted us when we bought the house. But John Paul Houston, a previous owner, has since told us he had trouble selling the place because of the front yard. Too many people, he said, took one look at the yard and said "no way I’m mowing that." On some days, after several hours of dealing with the many twists and turns or leaning into the hill to keep the mower upright I wonder if they weren’t smarter than us. But only on some days.
so
May 2, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Beautiful! Maybe it’s time to reduce the amount of grass…perhaps a rock garden on the steep portion with some nice winding paths to the stream. You would still have the upper portion – which is not insignificant. A rock garden could go high enough to reduce the danger and the cost but allow you to keep the beautiful view.
Dusty
May 2, 2006 at 7:53 pm
God what a view! To me the view outweighs the hassle of mowing it..but then, I don’t have to mow it
I lived west of Manassas for a year. It was rural and beautiful like Floyd..wonder if it still is..
fletch
May 3, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Goats, good for milk and cheese, not as tasty as lamb, but they will eat any litter thrown out as well as important stuff you forget to put up.
Leslie
May 4, 2006 at 12:15 am
Sheep, goats, horses; there are lots of better uses for that land. No less expensive, though….
John B
May 4, 2006 at 4:13 pm
I don’t know, what is it about Americans and taming nature? … the more you demand the less is willingly given. Doug has a glorious piece of American heritage in the land he smiles at each morning over the rim of his coffee mug (though tea is more apropos for Virginia), why not look to different ways to care for it? Perhaps a wild-flower meadow and beehives, bringing back the lost flora of Virginia and a taste of why it is such a great place to live. You don’t need to subdue nature by burning petrol to enjoy it. Think out of the box.
A couple of PSs:
Sean Pecor: Get yourself to Southern Europe or North Africa and find out just how incredible goat can taste.
Tom King: A few more acres might be needed for cattle
ian
May 4, 2006 at 6:58 pm
If I had so much space I think I would have a meadow – although for me a wood would be pretty high on the list too – but not with that view!
Sean Pecor
May 5, 2006 at 1:03 am
John B, I think you have me confused with Fletch. But I may be even more anti-goat than Fletch
In my experience goats are particularly good at eating what they’re NOT supposed to eat! I’ve had two bicycle seats eaten by goats. I’ve seen them eat snowmobile seats, john deere gator seats and expensive groundcovers. Goats in my humble opinion are loud and obnoxious animals that given the opportunity will teach well behaved lawn mowing sheep to mow things they’re not supposed to mow 
Also, goats like to jump on top of cars. Goats are the only farm animal I expressly forbid on my property. On the other hand, they’re perfectly welcome on my dinner plate right next to the mashed potatoes 
Sean
John B
May 2, 2006 at 7:53 am
a dozen sheep would make your life a lot easier and Sunday lunch very tasty.
(Lamb in a rosemary and honey glaze … mmmmmmmmmm)
Sean Pecor
May 3, 2006 at 3:53 am
Rock gardens can be nice. The caveat is that you tend to replace one chore with another. With a rock garden, you either have to live with whatever might volunteer, or you’ve got to be out there pulling weeds to keep them from killing off your desirables. Also rock gardens have to be mowed around which can make mowing less straight line and more F1 style racing
I do love rock gardens though.
Sean
Jerry Stratton
May 3, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Get a nice 35HP tractor w/ a finishing mower. Cut your mowing time by 2/3. Plant a few pecan trees, get a couple of bee hives…voila, Thompson’s Farms. Then write that tractor off, etc. on your taxes. Course, with your past history w/ the feds, you’ll probably have the IRS breathing down your neck, every time you get on that tractor.
Tom King
May 4, 2006 at 12:59 am
To john B: Gey them sheep outta here. This is cattle country.
Steve King
November 4, 2007 at 7:20 am
wayyyy too much time listening to the New Christy Minstrels?
Sean Pecor
May 4, 2006 at 1:32 am
I like the way you think Jerry
Except, unless he wants braggin rights, the JD 2305 w/ 23hp Yanmar would do him just fine. I can mow a +/- 3 acre pasture approximately the grade of his front lawn in about an hour with my 2210 and its 62″ belly mower.
I have a 37HP JD 3520 for bigger jobs but I prefer the 2210 for finish mowing. It’s more sure footed on hills. Rather than tip it will slip a little when you’re getting on too severe an angle.
Still, I wonder if the $13,000 for the 2305 would be better spent on the next generation digital SLR that Doug might be probably lusting after at the moment
Sean