Dec. 24, '09

Weather
I think this was the quickest trip ever to the farm. Amanda got in Tuesday evening and had wanted to come to the farm, but the forecast was for rain Wednesday and Thursday. As it turned out, it would have been fine. But by Thursday morning the forecast was for 4-8 inches of snow for Thursday afternoon followed by very cold temps. Since she was leaving Saturday evening, I knew this meant a trip to the farm even Christmas (Friday) evening was out. And since the forecast was for 4 days of sub-freezing temperatures I was worried about the pilot going out on the lone heater left in the house. The other heater was still at Anderson's where they had adjusted the pilot.

So I left Fayetteville at 9:08, picked up the heater in Hindsville, and had it hung and the pilot lit by 11:oo. I then filled the bird feeders and seeing the pond very full headed down to unclog the culverts. Sure enough the beavers had them about two thirds plugged up. I cleared them in the light rain that had begun to fall. I was back at the house by 1:oo. It turns out I didn't miss anything since Sally and Amanda had been to see Bill Tims and were just finishing up.

Dec 11-12, '09

We arrived after 3 with cloudy conditions, temps in the low 40s, and light rain predicted for Saturday. The house was its typical 54 degrees after a cold week (single digits one night), so we cranked the heaters up.

Left Front Mud Flap
I had ordered replacement mud flaps, since my front driver side one was torn off when the wrecker drug my Tacoma back up onto the road last month. My drill is at the farm, so had to get this put on while out there, and since it was likely to be wet Saturday this became the first order of business. No problem, but it is basically screwed into plastic. We'll see how that holds.

Split Wood
With just a bit more daylight I decided to split the the larger ice storm limbs I had set aside behind the barn. I thought my wedges were down there with my splitting mauls, but they weren't. It turned out I really didn't need them. Use two mauls and the sledge hammer to get through even the hickory that had been set aside since February.

Heater
The pilot on the propane heater in the kitchen area just suddenly went out Friday evening. We've had chronic problems with the pilot on this unit. Several years back I took it to AmeriGas in Fayetteville and he just blew it out with some compressed air. A couple of years ago I took to Anderson's to be worked on, but don't recall what they did. In all cases I had always been able to re-light it so that it could be used temporarily. Not this time. Even holding a lighter to it, I couldn't get it to stay on. Saturday I called around and couldn't find anyone in Berryville or Eureka that carried them, thinking I would just go ahead and replace it. But I couldn't find one, so I moved the one from the living room into this core room of the house. My fear is the pilot goes out during really cold weather and the pipes freeze, so I like having two. And I like not relying on electricity, which as we saw this year, can be out for days. We dropped the unit off at Anderson's on the way back into town. I am anxious to see what they do to it.

Squirrel on Feeder
This was the first time that I had seen this. Figuring he wouldn't be able to climb up the barb wired raccoon baffle, I guessed that he had jumped from the adjacent Sassafras tree which was getting pretty large. So, I cut it.

Burned
I didn't have a lot of time Saturday, as we were heading home early to baby sit Savannah for the night. But since it was wet and rain forecasted I decided to go ahead do some burning up the hill behind the house. After I got the fire started, I got nervous about all the high dry grass that had grown up in the burn circle since it was used last year. I kept the fire small and began intentionally burning the grass to clear the area. Then it rained and I wasn't as worried. I probably got about 15% of the cedars burned that I had drug up -- so some progress.

Dec 4-5, '09

Sally was at a retreat at Camp Mitchell, so it was just me and Tender on this beautiful winter weekend. Clear skies with highs in the low 40s and a low Saturday morning of 21. I do love working outdoors on such days.

Joe
On the way I followed a Ford 4x4 into and out of Eureka Springs, and then all the way to CR 511. He pulled into Kathy's drive and immediately approached me as I got to the chained cattle guard. I noticed a new lock on the chain with the key still in it -- and then he explained. He knew Kathy and she had given him permission to hunt on her land. He said he shot a buck on Tuesday, hitting it in the shoulder and not bringing it down. He tracked it to below our barn where he field dressed it, but he had to get his truck in to pack it out. So he cut the chain and put a new lock on. He asked if he could hunt on our place and I said no. Hunting season ends Sunday, and I'll be glad.

Lopped Cedars
I spent about 2.5 hours Friday and 2 more Saturday lopping cedars. Boy did Tender have fun running through the pastures smelling everything as I worked. Friday I was south of the pond in the field and up to the fence line in a bit of woods. Saturday I was below the barn where I noticed I had let the trees get pretty big where the septic field line is (not that I know exactly where it is), even though I had cleared it out 3 or 4 years ago. I was also looking for the remains of the deer, but all I found were the two hind legs and a large area of hair. I figured I lopped 4,000 cedars, though its hard to keep focused on a count as I work.

Banana bread
Made some black walnut bran banana bread Friday evening. Um, um good.

Frost Flowers


Cindy had been talking about these and sent me a picture from the Carroll County newspaper. I started noticing them on the way out along Hwy 12. On Friday there were hundreds on that north facing slope where I was lopping cedars, in-spite of being in the sun. But I didn't have my phone/camera. So when Tender and I got out Saturday morning I got these pictures over by the spring, though there were far fewer on this dry south facing slope.

Annual Rye
I had picked up 50 lbs. of annual rye at the Farmer's Co-op, and spread it up the road. Hope we get enough moisture for it to germinate before March (which has happened before).

Cracked Walnuts
Cracked enough to keep me busy picking for a couple of weeks.

Chainsawed Cedars
Took my chainsaw back down below the barn and cut some of the larger cedars. One had grown up at the gate positioned half way down the far pen, and had it completely blocked. I really don't get down there often, and I could spend a year clearing cedars from there down to the old home site. This was the only time I had to leave Tender at the house.

Nov 20-21, '09

Thrift Shop
On the way we stopped at the new Thrift Shop that has moved into the old Yester Years Antique building in Eureka right at Rock House road. Got some great deals, including a nice pair of jeans for a $1.

Locked Out
The Corroll Electric meter reader had his pad lock through both ends of my end of the chain, and had me locked out. I'll make sure I never leave him enough chain to do that again. We carried much of our staff down, and my arms were aching by the time we got to the house. Later I took a hack saw back to the cattle guard and cut the link on the end and brought the truck down. Really didn't need to carry all that stuff down.

Great Weather
Sally and I had a beautiful weekend with mild temperatures and clear days. She got a few jalapenos and some spinach out of the garden, and the broccoli was beginning to look like it might provide some food. Sally soaked up sun while reading and relaxing I cut more cedars above the house, drug cedars to the burn area, cracked walnuts, and wrapped barbed wire around the wooden feeder (continuing my battle with the coons -- they were on top of the feeder Friday night).

Nov 14-15, '09

This was a solo trip, as I joined the Ozark Society and 40 participants for a hike into Dismal Hollow on Saturday. I'd heard of this spot and was anxious to see it. The time was well spent. (I'll be putting more pictures on my picasaweb site.) Dismal Hollow is northwest of Nail just off Hwy 16. Unfortunately I had a flat on the dirt road just after the hike, but with some help I had it changed in 20 minutes. From there it was 80 miles to the farm via highways 16, 21, 412, 127, 23, 62, 305, 221, and finally CR 511. I would have driven the dirt roads up through the Madison County Wildlife Management Area, but didn't want to try that without a spare tire. I arrived at the farm just at dusk.

Work

• Cleared one of the culverts as the pond was not backed up much.
  
• Mowed the front yard using the headlights of the riding mower.
  
• Made some melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin bread (yum).
  
• Pulled the back door off and patched the rotted out section on the inside lower corner. Its a metal door sandwiched over a wooden core (at least around the edge). The rot has been there since we bought the place, slowly getting worse. We will see how this epoxy wood patch works.
  
• Treated the picnic table, one of the adirondaks, and the well house with CFW preservative.
  
• Cut up ice storm limbs I had hauled down the hill and ones that recently fell from the two oaks left of the road heading down the hill. Also cut up the rest of the long camp fire limbs I had piled up.
  
• Sharpened the Stihl and the McCulloch.
  
• Cracked a few walnuts before it started spitting rain and I headed back.
  

Nov 6-7, '09

We had gone to Atlanta the previous weekend, so it had been two weeks since being out. I could immediately tell Larry Hodge had gotten the brush hogging done (apparently he had finished earlier that day -- more on that later). The second thing I noticed was the pond was real high. I knew we had probably gotten three inches of rain the week before last, but that it had been dry for over a week. Actually the weather was very nice -- warm and dry (in the upper 70s) both Friday and Saturday.

Pond

I knew I needed to mow down to the pond, so got right on the mower and headed down. I couldn't believe what I found. I could not drive across the dam because water was running over the top -- the beavers had both culverts 95% dammed up. I went back to the house for the camera, but couldn't talk Sally into coming down to see. More pictures are on my picasa web site. It was just unreal as I had never seen the pond this full. From the back looking across we had an 'endless pond'. And the water that poured through once I cleared all the limbs was impressive. It was espcially cool to look up the culverts and see the pond level near the top with water pouring in but only filling 25% of the volume of the culvert. It just could not enter fast enough.

Brush Hogging

Larry seemed to have three problems. Here he seemed to have some trouble turning and really cut up the road. He also snagged a part of the fence just to the right of this corner and drug it down the hill pulling up 3 for 4 steel posts and mangling a bunch of wire. Its a section I had partially taken down years ago in order to make the turn in my truck entering the pasture where the deer feeder is located. Its a mess and I will have spend some time cutting out and hauling off the wire. I'd like to take that section of fence down anyway.

The real disappointment was that he mowed behind the line of pine trees he had left three years before -- the same line he was not to mow behind then.
This is where Nicholas and I had planted 500 pines last January. He did a pretty good job going around the little volunteer walnuts I had flagged off the road to the pond, but we just had a another major miss communication here -- again. Oh, I would love to have my own tractor.

Miscellaneous
Deer had eaten the leaves of the new red maple I had just planted two weeks before. I hauled more limbs from the woods above the house and cut them up. Some of them splitting size. Brought the hammock stand in so water wouldn't freeze in the pipe and split it. Then just before leaving Sally wanted to spend some time laying in the hammock. We opted for the swing across the creek -- the one I had repaired the previous trip.

Oct. 23-24, '09

Garden
After a couple of frosts (one Saturday morning), the garden was pretty much shot. We did pick more green beans and black eyed peas before pulling up the plants. There were more cherry tomatoes but they didn't taste good. Tender actually got sick after eating some. Of course there was more summer spinach (had it with our eggs). We also got a few jalapenos (left that plant) and bell peppers (pulled it up).

Fall/Beaver

The trees were pretty, but many (including our sunset maple) had already dropped their leaves. We had gotten another 2.4 inches in the gauge, so the creeks were flowing and the spring was full Friday. Beaver had the culverts dammed way up, so I cleared those again when we walked down Saturday morning. The pond should have dropped a good 8 inches. Larry Hodges is looking for a dry period to get in and brush hog.

Work

• Repaired the swing on the other side of the spring. The vertical cross member between the seat and arm rest had broken and it was cracking the horizontal piece supporting the seat. Cut and drilled out a replacement.
  
• Sally had gotten two trees from the fall city give away that I planted. A red bud I put by the road on the way in where I have two volunteers coming up, and a red maple I put to the west of the house and just south of the sunset maple.
  
  
• Put the insulation back in the top of well house.
  
• Drug limbs big enough for fire wood out of the woods north of the house, and drug some cedars NE of the house for another burn (lots more to go up there).
  

Propane
Anderson's had filled the propane tank during the week, 205 gallons. Price is low now, $325.

Truck Stuck

This was the big event of the weekend. (I wish I had thought to get a picture of the truck, but instead only got the mess it left.) I had 6 bags of bentonite clay stacked on some boards in the garage. I had gotten them in the summer to plug the south culvert where the pond had started leaking. But when I got back out the beaver had solved that problem, and I hadn't had a need for the bentonite. But I noticed mice or something had chewed through the bottom two bags. So I decided to dump it in the pool below the spring because it has never held water (I've tried this before). I didn't want to carry the bags over there, so I drove them in the truck. Feeling like there wasn't room to turn around in there, I decided to back out (which I have done before). But just before getting back to the main road I didn't realize I was heading off the narrow lane and both left tires ended up down the hill. I'm really lucky I didn't roll the truck. I called a Berryville tow truck who hooked onto the side of the Tacoma (front and back) and winched it up to where it was almost on the road. It dug so much of the hill he wasn't comfortable trying that any further. So he tried to drive it out, but had no luck getting it to move. He then got behind the Tacoma in the drive going to the barn and pulled it backward with me inside holding the wheel straight. Sally said the right rear tire was several feet in the air at one point. Then, it was making a terrible screech when I drove it up the hill. The driver said it was gravel stuck in the disk brakes and I would need to pull the calipers. Later I realized that it only happened in 4WD and found a rock wedged between a housing and the drive shaft going to the front wheels. The tow was only $75. I'll probably spend more than that replacing the mud guard that got torn off the front left.

Oct. 10-11, '09

Sally was in Colorado seeing Amanda and soaking at Gleenwood Springs, so this was a boys weekend (Tender and me).

Walnuts
I had picked up about three bags of black walnuts around Asbell earlier in the week. But I wanted more figuring this was the best chance to them hulled when I passed through Clifty. (Wouldn't be out the next weekend since Sarah and Dave were coming in.) So I stopped across Drake from the Agri Farm to pick up nuts in an old walnut grove. It took about an hour and a half, but I got another 3+ bags. For $7 I had them hulled by Clarence in Clifty -- ending up with 108 pounds. Chose to store them for drying in the work room at the house. (Sally's already complained about the smell.)



Weather
We had recieved over 5 inches of rain in town Thursday night/Friday morning, so I was a bit anxious about what I would find. The gauge was completely full, so 5.5 inches plus. The well house had a little water still standing, but the sump pump must have worked as there was no sign of high water. I have not completely filled the hole I dug replacing the yard hydrant behind the barn, and sure enough it was completely full of water (and mud). The pond was also full but there were no signs of it going over the main part of the dam -- just the lower part on the far side.

It was 62 degrees in the house, so I went ahead and lit a heater though I never used it. It was in the 30s over night and the high Sunday was only 50 with completely overcast skies.

Work
Did some mowing, some weed eating, and continued cutting, dragging and piling limbs in the pastures -- downed from the ice storm. I'm finally ready for the place to be brush hogged, but now its too wet.

Birds
There was still food in the green feeder, but very few birds around. The suet feeder had completely disappeared. Restocked the sunflower and thistle feeders hoping for some customers.

Burrs
The fields and non-mowed areas are full of begger lice and tiny burrs that stick to anything. I don't remember these in the past. Tender would get loaded up and I had to give him several thorough brushings. They were also difficult to remove from my clothes, especially the frayed areas of my jeans.

Oct. 2-3, '09

It had been three weeks since being at the farm due to my Lake City, CO trip with Brad and meeting up with Amanda. Need to get that written up for my website.

Garden

Sally got quite a few green beans from the one pole bean plant she didn't pull up, and was now upset about being impatient and pulling up the others. Also got more black eyed peas, but nearing the end of that crop. Picked one bell pepper and had stuffed peppers this week. Also got lots of jalapenos, but just a few tomatoes -- Sally wouldn't pick most of the cherry ones thinking they didn't look good.

Work

There was 4.1" in the rain gauge, so the grass was still growing and everything needed mowing. I got most of it, leaving the area behind the house and across the spring for the next weekend -- along with weed eating. Also, trying to get ready for the pastures to be brush hogged I continued cutting up ice storm limbs. (I got another truck load of firewood and had Sally call Lou to offer it to her since she would be in Tulsa Thursday, but Lou had just taken delivery of a load.) There are some huge walnut limbs which I wonder if could be salvaged. I'd love to make a table.

Leisure

Watched some 11 year old television when we found a video marked Donna's Baseball, but had a Sony Bono tribute and other old TV programs.

Sept. 11-12, '09

Sally was in New Mexico for Rosen Movement training, so this was a solo trip. Well, Tender came along.

Garden
Picked lots of black eyed peas both Friday and Saturday. There were also lots of jalapenos and cherry tomatoes, a few other tomatoes and one bell pepper. The spinach and broccoli planted the week before had survived. We had .9" in the rain gauge.



Work
Mowed the upper level including the barn and spring. Weed ate the hill. (Need to get a new head for the Poulan.) Marked the pecan trees along the north creek -- feed from Plume spring. (Found 12 of my trees.) Went into the back pasture both Friday and Saturday cutting and piling up ice storm limbs. Got a full truck load of firewood and hauled it back to the barn. There is still much, much more to go. I sharpened the McCulloch and it cut good, but then I couldn't get it restarted. It actually cut better than the Stihl -- maybe I need to lower the depth gauges.

Tender and I ate a whole (all be it small) watermelon. Half Friday and half Saturday.

Sept. 5-6, '09

CJ, Lisa & Savannah
Came out Saturday night and Sunday. CJ and Lisa fished Sunday morning and afternoon. CJ caught and released at least 25 large mouth bass, and one grass carp that broke the line and got away. He said the carp was cruising with 4 others. That means it had to be one of the ones we stocked no more than 2 years ago, but CJ said it was huge. Lisa caught a few perch. They cruised around the pond in Papa's canoe quite a bit. We cooked buffalo and turkey burgers out at lunch. Savannah was napping, so CJ and Lisa took off about 4:30 and we brought Savannah back later with us.

Garden
Harvested about 8 cups of black eyed peas, some tomatoes, and some jalapenos. We had gotten .7" of rain Friday so didn't have to water. Had bought and planted 8 spinach and 8 broccoli plants. Hope they survive (no rain forecast for several days).


Work
Mowed the road and barn, cut up more limbs downed in the fields by the ice storm, dug about a dozen thistle plants either side of the road coming in, cut more spent blackberry canes and pulled grass around the plants, hung a couple of bars of soap in the fruit trees to defer deer, and flagged about 8 pecans I found along the creek coming out of the pond (maybe 20% of the ones I planted there in '07).

August 29-30, '09

Sally
Sally had to get CEUs for her massage license, so was taking one of Ted's reflexology classes in Harrison. She left from the house early Saturday morning and would meet me at the farm after class, returning to Harrison on Sunday.

Rain
We had gotten rain Thursday in town, but the gauge at the farm was empty. Probably just as well given I wanted to get the yard hydrant behind the barn replaced, and needed dry conditions. (The hydrant had been very difficult to open/close and the handle had cracked about a year ago.) I had exchanged the 4' bury hydrant I had gotten the week before for a 2' which was what I really needed. More on this project later.

Garden
There were tons of black eyed peas, lots of jalapenos, and some tomatoes (those cherry ones are the best). The few green beans were over grown and hard -- just not the right time of year for them. I spent the morning picking, weeding and watering.

Pond
Sally and I drove to the pond at dusk to see what the beaver had done. The culverts didn't seem to be dammed any higher than the previous week, though no water was flowing. I just left them as is. I can live with the beaver if this is all they do.

Work
The project for the weekend was the yard hydrant, but first I mowed around the spring and the swing and took the weed eater (really my brush whacker) all the way up the road and cleared around the cattle guard. (Sally commented that the road looked good. Wanted to know if I had ridden the mower up there.) Last thing Saturday afternoon I cleared out all the mud that accumulated in the hole I had excavated around the yard hydrant. It mostly involved using a garden trowel while leaning over and into the two and half foot hole. It was easiest to just put a bucket in the bottom and put the mud directly in. The plan was to get it ready for the replacement on Sunday when I could shut the water off and Sally would be gone.

Well, Sunday I realized I had to use the pipe and PVC joint on that pipe from the old hydrant, and that I would have to cut the line before the junction that existed connecting these two. That meant more excavation to give me room at the head of the line.

Did I mention how nervous I was about this project. I was secretly hoping I wouldn't have what would be needed and could put it off. Up until the end I was afraid I would not get it put back together water tight, and would have to call in a plumber.

I got the water shut off -- just turned off the breaker to the pump. Then I opened a faucet in the house and the other yard hydrants in front of the barn. Finally the water stopped flowing and I used the wire Lowe's had sold to me to cut through the line. That worked really well, and was necessary since the bottom of my hole was one solid slab of rock on which the line and hydrant sat on top of. Not as much water as I figured flowed out of the cut line. But it wouldn't drain into the soil as I had hoped. My hole was like a pool. The ground down there below the bluff is mostly clay, which is why I think the other two hydrants don't drain. I decided to mop up the water with a rag, again putting a bucket into the bottom of the hole. During the process I noticed that water seemed to be seeping in, and finally realized it was very slowing flowing into the hole from the line. There was a slight rise there and the line wouldn't drain completely.

I went to lunch and decided to just check back later. Well, later there was as much water as when I first cut the line. (There were also half a dozen mud dobbers in the hole collecting building material. I would spend the afternoon shooing and cussing them.) I realized that if I was going to do this job, I'd have to get the hole and pipe dried out as best I could and quickly glue the PVC connection. Did I mention I was nervous. I tried a dry fit with the joint connector and needed to scrape and sand both pieces. I cut my knuckle on that rock trying to sand paper around the feed line, all while water was seeping out. I stuffed towels into the line to try and get as much water soaked up as possible. I also laid the old hydrant across the hole and duct taped the hydrant to it at a 90 degree angle to hold it in place, knowing that once I connected the two pieces I couldn't have it wiggling around while the glue dried. In the end it worked out and the hydrant is in and not leaking. (I am somewhat surprised.)




I collected small rocks and filled the bottom of the hole so there would be some space for the water to flow when the hydrant is shut off. The instructions were to have a 1 foot deep hole like this below the hydrant. I then put three buckets of mostly chirt on top of that, and still need to finish filling in the hole. I just don't want to use that clay that is available because I figure it will fill in and clog the drain -- which it will anyway over time.

And afterward, my chest and the lower edge of my rib cage are very sore from laying on my belly, leaning into the hole, and working.

Next year I'll need to dig up the other two to get them to drain.

August 21-22 '09

Garden
I had left the gate unlatched two weeks before, but luckily it had swung in and jammed -- so the critters had not decimated the garden as I had feared. We had 2.1" in the rain gauge, I believe all of it received the day before. We harvested tons of black eyed peas (some dried on the vine), jalapenos, a few tomatoes, lots of cherry tomatoes (volunteers), and a few large green beans. The butterfly garden was too much and Sally pulled about half of it out plus many zenias and beans (didn't see many blooms).

Pond
The culverts were dammed up 4 or 5 inches and water was running through the south one, so I called a truce with the beaver and just left it. The water was clear but dark, with only a few clumps of algae floating in the center.

Yard Hydrant
I bought a new one, deciding not to use the repaired one of Ben's since the two stand pipes I had both have the center scored (intentionally?) which would prevent you pulling up the plunger if ever needed for repair. I bought a 4' and wondered why the box was so big. It turns out it is 4' bury -- so is 6' long/tall. I'll now have to exchange it for what I should have asked for a -- a 2' bury (which is really 4').

I tested the other two hydrants down by the barn and neither one of them is draining the standpipe when shut off (put a full glass over the spigot and it should siphon it out). I then tried to blow out the drain by connecting a hose that is capped off, letting the pressure build up, and then shutting the water off. It didn't clear either one of them. I dread having to dig both of those up.

Work
Mowed all but the spring and swing and did some weed eating. Took the chainsaw up into the back pasture and began cutting and piling up downed limbs from the ice storm. What a mess. There were some big limbs from the large trees just below the bluffs: mostly walnut but also some red and white oak. I leave the walnut but take the oak that is large enough to burn in the stove. I didn't get 20% of it cleared. I want the brush hog to be able and get through. I also sprayed more sumac in the upper pasture and hope most of it will have been hit with more application.

August 7-9 '09

Lou
Lou came over for her birthday. She and Sally did Eureka, dinner, and then came to the farm. Lou helped harvest the garden, which really produced this week in spite of receiving no rain. I feel awful because I was the last one to leave and forgot to lock up the garden. I dread seeing what it will be like when we return in two weeks (after a Chicago trip).

Pond
The culverts were dammed again but not that much water was backed up. I broke them free but the beaver had it redone by Saturday morning. There was lots of algae floating around the edges, so I sprayed it with copper sulfate Saturday.

Volunteer Walnuts
There are lots of these all through the pastures, but I've decided to save the ones along the road to the pond. So I cleared the high grass around many of them using the mower and a weed eater. I hope I can keep them from being brush hogged. It will sure beat buying bare root seedlings and planting them.

Weeds
Now that I know what knapweed is it makes me sick to see all of it we have. I guess that will be the priority after the sumac, which I think I am getting close to controlling -- next year!


Coon Baffle
I rebuilt Papa's feeder and reversed the baffles on our wooden feeder. Will have to wait until the next trip out to see if it keeps those critters out of our bird seed.

July 31 - Aug 1 '09

Weather
We had 1.8" in the rain gage and got another .3" on Saturday morning. Its nice not having to water. It had been 3 weeks since mowing around the barn though, and I could barely get through it with the mower on the highest setting.

Beaver
They did their thing again, and I did mine. But Saturday morning they had the culverts dammed up again. That dynamite their den option is sounding better and better. Sally wants to try an essential oil to keep them away from the culverts. I just laughed. I did propose using a ditch witch to do the digging for the Clemeson pond leveler, but she didn't go for that either. She made the comment that she "doesn't think she would ever want a pond again".

Raccoons
The water jug seemed to work good on the green feeder. Next week I'll try flipping the baffles on the wooden feeder to see if I can win that battle.


Ice Storm Cleanup
I finished cutting up the split walnut above the pond, the red oak up above that, and most of the down cedars in the area to the east. Several of them were still growing but at a 45 degree angle. I've now got three huge piles of limbs and I got 7 posts -- two from some of the same trunks. The largest ones I barely managed to drag to the truck, lay the butt on the tailgate, and lift and slide them in. And then I had to unload them in the barn. I was wiped out. There are still a half dozen standing cedars in that area that ought to come down because they have no top. And then there is all the other acreage with downed limbs and trees. The picture is mostly fire wood salvaged from the ice storm.

First
Saw the first giant thistle of the year. One wasn't in bloom yet so I just pulled it up. The other I will go back for with a shovel and feed bag.

July 24-25, 2009

David vs Beaver
I did some research and it appears the beaver may win this without some drastic measure: cut all the trees, dynamite their den, trap 'em. There is the Clemeson pond leveler which I'd like to try, but its a lot of work too. After busting up their work again, Sally and I drove down at dusk and parked up on the tepee flat area. We sat in the back of the truck with a bottle of wine thinking they would at least provide us with some entertainment, but they didn't show. We did get to see a nice crescent moonset. Next day though, they had stopped up the culverts again, and again I undid their handy work.

David vs Coons
This is another long on-going battle.


I put the 5 gallon plastic water jug with bottom cut out (Papa had given me) on the green metal feeder -- replacing the ineffective $50 racoon baffle. That seemed to work for 1 night. I replaced the post and added a second baffle to the wooden feeder. We heard them make attempts Friday night and I scared Papa coon, Mama coon, and three little ones off at one point. But the next day I could tell they had gotten around my obstacles some how.

Garden
Still no pole beans so we pulled up the last of those plants. The bush beans provided us with a couple of servings, one tomato, a bell peper, and several jalapenos.

Yard Hydrant
I finished excivating the hydrant back of the barn in preparation for its replacement. The hole is a good three feet deep. I'm a bit nervous about this task because the line is sitting right on top of a big flat rock, and if I don't see how I can saw the PVC off. I'm hoping I can cleanly break the weld and re-glue in the same joint. Since this is the end and bottom of the line we will have to let all the water drain out of the system and then dry up the connection. And of course no water during this time. Maybe I will put it off until a time when Sally isn't out there with me.

July 17-18, '09

Garden
The pole beans went crazy with their vegitation. Only problem is that there are few if any beans. There are blooms, but no beans. Sally grew tired of them and ordered most of them pulled up.

Pond
The beavers were busy, damming up the culverts again this week. I would guess they had the pond backed up a good 8 inches. I unclogged both culverts on our walk Saturday morning and the wate started pouring through. The interesting thing was that we beat the water to where it flows under the road. We could hear it coming down the creek and got to see the surge come through.

Weather
Had 1.8 inches in the gage -- nice given the oppresive heat we had been and the fact that we got nothing in town. But what a cool down for the weekend setting record lows in the 50s and highs in the low 80s. Got some quality hammock time in.

Work
Mowed everything on the upper level. Got the Stihl started without a problem and cut hickory and oak ice storm limbs above the well house. Dug down to the bottom of the Yard Hydrant behind the barn -- which has had a broken handle for a couple of years. Still more excavation needed. I'll replace it with parts Ben gave me. Hopefully it won't be too much of a PITA. Sprayed more sumac in the upper pasture. Still much more to go, but finally feeling like it is possible to get it under control.

History prior to July 2009

I decided to start this blog to chronicle our Serenity Farm activities and provide a history of what we have done there (and to learn about and experiment with blogging). Since we bought the farm in October 2003, I've missed almost six years of activity. And since blogs seem to be posted in inverse chronological order, I thought I would create this entry which I could edit and add the most significant historical farm activities to over time. This should have been my first post. Anyway, I hope to revise this entry -- ha, like I will have time to do so!

Trees Planted

• 2006 Approximately 1300 hybrid loblolly pines in the small field behind the pond and behind the ridge extending up the hill from the pond. Most were mowed down in the all due to a mis communication with my brush hogger, Larry Hodge.
• 2007 100 black walnut in various locations that hopefully wouldn't get mowed and 100 native pecans along the streams and the fence row above the road paralleling the stream.
• 2008 100 northern red oaks in the small field across the creek above the pond, and one at the house.
• 2009 500 hybrid loblolly pines trying to fill in where the originals got mowed.
• 
  
  May '09 Planted an oak (unknown type) behind the house to one day provide shade there. It was provided bare root by the Forestry Commission during the city's tree give away.
  

July 11-12 '09

Sally was getting over flu like symptoms, so stayed home with Tender.

Weather
Hot and dry -- mid to upper 90's. Had .6" in the rain gage from storms 7/3 and 7/4. A few leaves were falling from the Walnut trees and being blown about.

Garden
Looked good but little produce: 2 tomatoes, 2 jalapenos, 1 radish that had been missed, the remaining bock chow (6-8), and a handful of green beans mostly too big or too small. The pole beans are going crazy and have blooms but only 3 beans. Sally says we should pull them up. Spent lots of time watering and weeding both Sat. and Sun. Thinking about bringing a sprinkler out.

Work

• Mowed to the pond, around the barn, and around the spring.
• Cut up the downed ice storm limbs from white oak in the pasture on the way down the hill. That was 1/3 of a truck load. Then went to the big red oak beyond the pond (first time it has been dry enough to drive past the seep on the south side of pond) and cut up two more large limbs that had fallen since my first cleanup there. Some of these were splitting size. Loaded up the rest of the truck and still left limbs. Had trouble re-starting my Stihl MS250, and couldn't re-start it at the next stop. Got to get that figured out.
• Raked the algae and dead weeds around the edge of the pond. I can still see the weeds growing in the deeper portions of the pond, but only a few were reaching the surface. I was out of copper sulfate or would have applied more.
• Sprayed more sumac in the upper pasture. There is lots more, but I finally feel like I am making progress.
  

Bluebirds
Cleaned out both bird houses near the house. The back one had three dead babies. Don't know what happened there. Both houses had to hatchings this year.

Orchard
I watered the apples, though all three look pitiful. There were web worms on one pear (and the lilac by the house), and one branch of the 3in1 was stressed and leaves were browning out. I did get almost 2 quats of blackberries, but they are relatively small and not the plump juicy ones I would prefer.

Firsts

• Live armadillo on the road to the pond.
• Live scorpion in the house (dead now).
• The dam was leaking again around both culverts, which I could only tell before because the water level had dropped. This week the beavers had built a dam in front of both culverts with smooth mud -- I suspect plugging the leaks plus backing up water in the pond. I opened up a channel through the mud in front of one culvert on Sat., but it was plugged back up on Sun. Want to see what they have done next week, and what happens after a heavy rain.