Something unexpected always happens.  Cameras needed for blog pictures get packed.  Dogs try to roust intruders only to learn that javelinas bite.  Cats decide to join their servants in bathtubs before checking for water. 

One lesson to be learned is not to become enamored with your projected schedule.  Another lesson is patience.  If you can't get Project A completed because you need to order a tool, chill out and look for Project B.  There's always one hanging around somewhere.  And finally,  accept that sometimes you'll just have to change the project scope.

I thought that by now I'd have the planter in my kitchen demolished.  Being a city girl, I didn't realize how much time I'd spend fighting a decade's worth of weed incursion.  My goal for this year evolved from "kill the weeds" to "reduce the weeds and encourage wild grass."   Grass coverage has increased by about fifty percent, so I count that as a success.

Grass (or weeds) on rocky, irregular ground can pose a fire danger.  Lawn mowers and even most lawn tractors are designed for level suburban lots.  String trimmers are the weapon of choice for the state highway department, but I can't swing a heavy one and the one I can manage couldn't handle the tough weeds. 

Research time!

Husqvarna, Poulet, DR  and other manufacturers make string trimmers on wheels, designed for exactly the situation I faced.  The best reviews (and the best prices) aree on http://Amazon.com  

If my original plan had stayed on track, I'd have a semi-shiny kitchen by now, but I wouldn't have learned about string trimmers and our lot would be a vista of dry weeds.