Mar 26-27, '10

I was off for spring break, so first thing I did was go by the Farmer's COOP. I got bird seed, one bunch of Walla walla onions, and this 12" x 10' culvert to go behind the barn. The culvert will replace the bridge I built with a concrete pad and railroad tie pieces. These span the ditch I dug to drain the water from the north/bluff side of the barn. (Before digging this the barn wood flood every time it rained.) I worried every time I drove across this make shift bridge, so I had been planning the culvert replacement for some time and was glad to find just what I was looking for. $95 for this piece of steel.

The city had failed to pick up these limbs for two weeks, so I decided to just take them to the farm and throw them in a hole where the hill slid off. I've been throwing all kinds of limbs in there for years now.

Short Cut
Since we had an early start, I talked Sally into trying a dirt road through the Wildlife Management Area I had found while looking at google maps. (This was instigated by Cindy's comment that she thought she had seen a short cut.) There was no road number at all, but there was a sign indicating entrance into the WMA. I also knew where it should come out, having seen the same road from the other end. Sure enough, it worked out and was a beautiful drive. The weather was gorgeous with partly cloudy skies and temps in the 60s. Its a one lane dirt road and we could only drive 15-20 mph. We also had to drive through a creek, which was flowing good with beautiful clear water over a rock bottom. (We planned to explore the creek on the way back the next day.) I guessed the dirt road was 5 miles, and the total difference in distance was 7 miles vs 20 miles going through Eureka. Time wise though I think it only shaved 5 to 10 minutes off the trip -- but its a nice alternative. Hard to believe we've been coming out for over 6 years and just now discovered a shorter way.

Unload
At the farm I unloaded and dumped the limbs, and then took the culvert down to the barn. I'll tear out my bridge, dig out the ditch, and bury it on at a later trip.

Garden
Next up was turning in the rest of the compost I had brought out two weeks before. It took awhile since there were still lots of weeds in that section of the garden. In fact that last corner I tackled is where the mint is, and is also the area of the worst intrusion of the bermudagrass. We planted the onions all along this south side and corner. I'm hopeful they will turn out as good as the walla wallas two years ago, and will hopefully be harvested by the time the mint and bermuda completely take over. Sally also planted some beet seeds, and the broccoli and collards had survived the 13 inch snow just fine.

Beaver
Saturday morning we walked to the pond. I had thought it looked a little high, but we could tell water was pouring out of both culverts so weren't really worried. But sure enough the beaver are back and had some huge limbs/trees jammed down both culverts. Thank goodness they weren't completely plugged, but it was sure difficult getting them cleared. I almost thought this was done by smarter beavers because both culverts had limbs where a fork had been left on the trunk -- making them extremely difficult to pull out. I walked around the pond but found no sign of a den (for me to destroy). This is very frustrating and just makes me sick thinking of all my trees those guys are killing.

Work
Later in the morning I took my loppers and adz down the hill. I cleared the ditch next to the road -- it tends to fill in with mud/dirt from the hill, grass grows over it, and then when a big rain happens it will run across the road (eroding it). I loped the rest of the cedars on the west side of the road; and then worked back up plume creek and back down the north slope in the woods. Another 1000 down. I also sharpened the Stihl and trimmed the holly (doing a neater job than the deer had).

Firsts

1. Saw a cat stalking something down by the barn.


2. The nectarine was the first tree to bloom. There were only two or three blooms open when got there
   Friday, but dozens open by Saturday afternoon.

Return
Saturday was extremely windy, and a storm was beginning to blow in when we left. With just a few light sprinkles falling, I decided to go ahead and return via the short-cut. Shortly after getting on the one lane dirt road the bottom fell out and we were pelted with hard rain and even small ice pellets. Couldn't even hear the radio. The road held up remarkably well in spite of its wet condition. Needless to say we did not stop and explore the creek.

Mar 12-13, '10

I picked up a load of compost from the city over lunch on Thursday. Man, was the truck over loaded after they dumped a scoop in the back. In the dark that evening I spread 25-30% of it on the yard and in the beds in town. Friday I gave blood at 12:30 (my 12 gallon mark), so we were late getting off. Then we stopped in Hindsville and got some red and yellow onions (Sally had already purchased collard greens and broccoli) and some zebra grass. We arrived about 4pm to grey, chilly and damp weather.

Garden
I pulled the truck up parallel to the garden and shoveled just over half the load onto the mounds right over the fence. Then using a shovel I turned it in. That was the hard part. (It wasn't until later I noticed the blister on my hand.) Sally went ahead and planted most of the collards and broccoli that evening.

The next morning it was drizzly, so the compost was a mess. I carried the rest of it into the garden using a bucket -- 6 or 7 shovel fulls per bucket load. I just dumped these around the garden and will need to work them in the next trip out. I used one bucket load to amend the soil where I planted the zebra grass -- out front in the Y in the road. Just felt like it needed something there other than the big blue stem. Sally got the onions planted and the garden looked pretty good.

The truck was a mess, so I got the hose out of storage and sprayed out the bed and some of the mess off the sides.

Cindy
Cindy ran a 10K in Eureka Saturday morning and came out for a quick visit. It was windy and raw out, so we spent a little time in the house before I walked her around the bluff, up the hill, and back through the woods -- all just past the house.

Firewood
Since we couldn't get decent air fare tickets, it was looking like we would be driving to Chicago the next weekend. I still needed about a third of a load of firewood for Dave and Sarah (18 to 20" pieces), but it was too wet for me to drive back up into the back pasture as I had done last weekend. So after sharpening the saws I went up the road and cut hickory limbs on the opposite slope, threw them down the hill, and then hauled them back up to the road. Many of these were splitting size, but it was difficult since there were lots of joints. (I ended up taking three pieces back to the barn where I will use wedges to split it.) At the barn I finished loading with the hickory I had cut the past couple of months, and just bit of white oak I had cut their size.

Mar 5-6, '10

We stopped in Rogers on the way to look at Tibetan rugs sold by a Fayetteville church as a mission project -- the proceeds are put back into the Tibetan village. The rugs were in the very back of a very large warehouse, and Clay would pull out any we wanted to see and spread it on the floor. We bought one on the spot and I've added a couple of pictures to our Hickory Floors picasa site.

Finally some nice weather. Actually it was almost too warm for me with highs in the 60s. Amazingly there was still ice on the north facing cliffs.

Pond
We arrived fairly late, so no time for any big project. I wanted to check out the pond and ensure there were no sign of beaver, so I drove down with my loppers. Things were all clear! I lopped a few cedars, piled up some walnut limbs I had cut a few weeks before, and loaded the truck with the larger beaver sticks that I had accumulated at the culverts and below the dam. I took the limbs back to the house for camp fire wood.

Garden
Sally was working in the garden, so I joined in with the clean up by pulling weeds. The city didn't have any compost ready yet, but said probably the next week. I'll bring a load out and work it in and then we will be ready to plant.

Walk
Saturday morning I talked Sally into walking up into the back pasture versus going to the pond. I didn't remember all the limbs that were down next to the west edge of the pasture -- almost all hickory. On the way back she wanted to come down the creek. There was lots of water at first and so many trees down we had to work our way back and forth. I walked right over a large patch of hair where a deer had obviously died and been eaten, but Tender found something in it he decided to try and eat. I had to chase him down and pull something gross out of his mouth. Shortly after that the creek disappeared underground and Tender, in the lead, ran into this raccoon. Tender was just sniffing at him and he was just laying there, obviously sick or injured and close to death. As much as I hate them at our feeders, I felt sorry for the guy. All he seemed to be able to do was move his head.

Hickory Limbs
I decided to drive down and cut up some of those hickory limbs for Dave and Sarah. With the erosion on the dam from the beavers plugging the culverts and the water over topping it, I had made plans to begin driving across the creek versus over the dam. It worked out fine, though I hit a muddy spot near the giant hickory growing in the middle of the pasture and I had to back up and choose a different approach.

I took my McCulloch and Stihl. The McCullock started and cut great at first. But after a couple of large cuts I could tell the chain was already dull after only half a tank of gas. I did a quick field sharpening and got through the rest of the tank of gas, but it needs another good sharpening. And the oiler was working fine. That hickory is just damn hard. The Stihl did fine at first but also quickly got dull.

Sally helped me unload at the barn. The good thing was that the bigger pieces split just fine. The bad thing was that I thought I was cutting it 18-20 inches for D&S, but half or more of the pieces were a good 22" or more. I'm hoping they can use the 21" pieces, because I put them in their stack.

Feb 26-27, '10

Sally had an appointment in Harrison, so we met at the farm. I was visiting Amanda in Denver the previous weekend, so it had been two weeks since coming out. I arrived about 2:30 well before Sally. After filling the bird feeders, I was anxious to check out the pond to be sure the beavers had really left. I also wanted to explore upstream to make sure they hadn't just moved up the creek. The pond was the pretty green it used to be, a nice color I don't remember seeing in years. No sign of beaver either, so I wonder if there absence might relate to the pond color?

Lopped Cedars

Since I was going exploring up stream, I took my loppers along. (I now try to always carry them whenever I'm out walking.) I was pleased to find no sign of beaver, but lots of downed trees across the creek -- more ice storm damage. It wasn't long before I got to a tributary I didn't recall. I decided to follow the main stream, gum creek, up to where it entered my property on the south line. I then fought my way back along the fence line going east. The cedars and pines were so thick in areas I had to lop a path just to get through. I whacked 1200 in just under 2 hours, and I'm sure there are 10 times that many that need cutting in just that area -- many with the chainsaw.

I also lopped Saturday morning, starting at the spring and following that disappearing creek down beside the road. I didn't get all of them or all the way down the road, but 800 more did make a dent in that immediate area. Lots of chainsawing of cedars is needed in that valley and up the opposite hill toward the power cut. Much of it will be just cleaning up the broken and down ones from the ice storm.

Weed Garden
When I got back to the house Friday afternoon, Sally had arrived about 20 minutes earlier and was out cleaning up the garden. So I joined her pulling weeds. We tackled it again Saturday and it was beginning to look pretty good. I hope, within the next few weeks, to get a load of compost out there and work it into the garden soil.

Pruned
I also pruned a peach tree, the nectarine and the two pears. I made some more spreaders for the three-in-one pear, and this time I tied them in place with twine. (I am attempting to get the limbs to spread rather than all growing straight up in a tight cluster.)

Deer

The signs of deer were all around the house. Out front where they have stripped the hollies, there must be 8 piles of poop. While driving down to the pond Friday, I spooked 8 of them that were just across the fence in the Clark's pasture.

Heater
The pilot went out over night on the heater in the core of the house. This is the one we just had in to Anderson's. When I re-lite it Saturday morning I could tell it would not stay on if I turned the heat up because the flame was away from the pilot and it was making that blowing sound. I just left it, but it returned to its proper position within 30 minutes and worked fine the rest of our stay. These ODS pilots are driving me crazy. BTW, I checked the propane tank and we are down to 37%, so we have burned a lot of gas over the winter (even though we haven't been there that much).

Load of Limbs
Before heading back, I loaded up the truck with ice storm limbs to bring back to town. We've burned up everything except for the Ash and cherry stacked down the hill.