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ursulas_alcoveStill don't have enough stamina nor enough time. Yesterday, I worked around the dead Japanese maple that crashed into my front yard bushes. There are three fallen limbs to cut. The hand saw and I are not completely compatible. I get back strain quickly. I worked on the yew bushes instead. I worked my way back to the ladder under the window box. It no longer looks like a skunk is inhabiting the hole. There is still a lot more to cut on those front bushes but the tree must be dispatched first. My goal was the ladder. I trimmed to that point.
The second story has a casement window cracked open that I cannot close. It is only a centimeter but enough to let cold air in. I wanted the ladder to set up in the driveway to push the window closed from the outside. Not happening. The 11 ft ladder doesn't get near high enough. Not to mention the driveway is on a hill and you can't get the ladder level. I am looking at making blackout curtains instead. The house needs so much work. I'd have to win the lottery to get even half of it done. I stuck the ladder into the backyard mulberry tree. I have plans to trim that next. It is an okay height for that.
Today I worked on clearing the driveway. I did a clear cut with the sickle. I also sawed the Siberian elm shoots down. Those shoots grew from a dead stump that is decaying nicely. Tree shoots are drying. The plant cuttings of phlox and Jerusalem artichoke went into my terrace project. I am redoing the hugel bed that was called "Middle Earth" There is a double stack of cinder block on the lower side now. The plant cuttings went in as fill. I am attempting a series of terraces going up the hill. That is the goal anyway. Roughly, I want a 3 ft bed with a 2 ft path. Then a row of cinderblocks before starting the next set. Middle Earth is getting a metal raised bed. The mulberry tree has extensive roots and sucks water out of direct plantings. I carved up those yellow roots all the way over in cinderblock bed #2 when I transplanted cabbage. Yes, that mulberry needs to be cut back.
2016 Hugle bed
With raspberry plantings
I have more shaping to do with the contour of the hill. At some point, I need to pull out a level. I woke up this morning thinking about the steps my neighbor gave me. The steps are treated wood for an RV. I think they will do nicely to segway the hill as the hill dips both southward and eastward. From the driveway, the longer side will be flat with the cinderblocks holding the bottom edge. Then will come the steps. On the eastern side, the garden will be lower. I have existing plants along that fence line. There is a plum tree and a spice bush. I am tempted to plant another elderberry I was given. It's been in a pot for several years. That could happen in spring.
Anyway, to stop my neighbor tossing toxic moth balls into my yard, I dealt with the issue myself. The neighbor believes the skunk lives in a hole along my garage by the rain barrel. First I had to clear the black raspberry canes out of there. I drove another section of "dig defense" (a sturdy underground fence) along the garage wall. I backfilled the skunk hole/ground hog hole with dirt. It's hard to call what was dugout of there "dirt". It was like river bottom silt. Then I laid down chicken wire. I know I will regret this later in life if I ever need to dig there. I topped the chicken wire with dilapidated cinder blocks. I tossed my old Coleman propane canisters in between (you know, the little green jobbie's). The garbage collection will not take these. Most are totally rusted out. The canisters are what stopped the critters from using that as an entrance. They collapsed into the hole. It wasn't the moth balls.
I started another fire to cook more walnuts for dye. I didn't have enough dye in the pot to do the whole batch of skeins I planned. I'm gradually moving the fire pit up the hill. I didn't get to the rest of the cutting that's needed. I got full of cleaver burs and spent a lot of time pulling them off my clothing. I discovered my sweater is not wool. I got a little close to the burn bin while pulling off cleavers. Part of the sweater melted. It originally came from a thrift store. I do not remember buying it, but from now on, it will be my yard-clearing sweater. Mom used to call them "Saturday clothes".
I am glad I got the driveway clear and the walnuts cooked with a bonus of ground hog proofing. While I waited for the fire to burn out, I managed to pick another pound of black plum tomatoes. They were also in the raspberry section. I really don't think we've had frost yet. It was supposed to hit 33 degrees last night but I don't think it did. So, no frost and no freezing point hit yet. It is so bizarre. We are already a week past our normal frost date. There were flowers on that tomato plant. But I'm already dreaming of next year's garden. . .
The second story has a casement window cracked open that I cannot close. It is only a centimeter but enough to let cold air in. I wanted the ladder to set up in the driveway to push the window closed from the outside. Not happening. The 11 ft ladder doesn't get near high enough. Not to mention the driveway is on a hill and you can't get the ladder level. I am looking at making blackout curtains instead. The house needs so much work. I'd have to win the lottery to get even half of it done. I stuck the ladder into the backyard mulberry tree. I have plans to trim that next. It is an okay height for that.
Today I worked on clearing the driveway. I did a clear cut with the sickle. I also sawed the Siberian elm shoots down. Those shoots grew from a dead stump that is decaying nicely. Tree shoots are drying. The plant cuttings of phlox and Jerusalem artichoke went into my terrace project. I am redoing the hugel bed that was called "Middle Earth" There is a double stack of cinder block on the lower side now. The plant cuttings went in as fill. I am attempting a series of terraces going up the hill. That is the goal anyway. Roughly, I want a 3 ft bed with a 2 ft path. Then a row of cinderblocks before starting the next set. Middle Earth is getting a metal raised bed. The mulberry tree has extensive roots and sucks water out of direct plantings. I carved up those yellow roots all the way over in cinderblock bed #2 when I transplanted cabbage. Yes, that mulberry needs to be cut back.
2016 Hugle bed
With raspberry plantings
I have more shaping to do with the contour of the hill. At some point, I need to pull out a level. I woke up this morning thinking about the steps my neighbor gave me. The steps are treated wood for an RV. I think they will do nicely to segway the hill as the hill dips both southward and eastward. From the driveway, the longer side will be flat with the cinderblocks holding the bottom edge. Then will come the steps. On the eastern side, the garden will be lower. I have existing plants along that fence line. There is a plum tree and a spice bush. I am tempted to plant another elderberry I was given. It's been in a pot for several years. That could happen in spring.
Anyway, to stop my neighbor tossing toxic moth balls into my yard, I dealt with the issue myself. The neighbor believes the skunk lives in a hole along my garage by the rain barrel. First I had to clear the black raspberry canes out of there. I drove another section of "dig defense" (a sturdy underground fence) along the garage wall. I backfilled the skunk hole/ground hog hole with dirt. It's hard to call what was dugout of there "dirt". It was like river bottom silt. Then I laid down chicken wire. I know I will regret this later in life if I ever need to dig there. I topped the chicken wire with dilapidated cinder blocks. I tossed my old Coleman propane canisters in between (you know, the little green jobbie's). The garbage collection will not take these. Most are totally rusted out. The canisters are what stopped the critters from using that as an entrance. They collapsed into the hole. It wasn't the moth balls.
I started another fire to cook more walnuts for dye. I didn't have enough dye in the pot to do the whole batch of skeins I planned. I'm gradually moving the fire pit up the hill. I didn't get to the rest of the cutting that's needed. I got full of cleaver burs and spent a lot of time pulling them off my clothing. I discovered my sweater is not wool. I got a little close to the burn bin while pulling off cleavers. Part of the sweater melted. It originally came from a thrift store. I do not remember buying it, but from now on, it will be my yard-clearing sweater. Mom used to call them "Saturday clothes".
I am glad I got the driveway clear and the walnuts cooked with a bonus of ground hog proofing. While I waited for the fire to burn out, I managed to pick another pound of black plum tomatoes. They were also in the raspberry section. I really don't think we've had frost yet. It was supposed to hit 33 degrees last night but I don't think it did. So, no frost and no freezing point hit yet. It is so bizarre. We are already a week past our normal frost date. There were flowers on that tomato plant. But I'm already dreaming of next year's garden. . .
