Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
2019 Farm Life
Hopalong:
Oh I should come to one of those work parties.
My role is essential. It involves following around people doing Actual Work and asking insightful questions such as:
What does that thing do?
How does this widget work?
Oh my, doesn't that hurt your back?
LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS!
I don't have any lemonade, want some water?
Is this your dog? Cuuuuuuuuuuute!
How did you get into carpentry in the first place?
Want to share your family history? Those are fascinating!
Ever been in therapy?
For some reason, I'm not invited to many...
:)
Hops
sKePTiKal:
LOL Hops. That would be fine. Although, things like the wood splitter are rather loud. Might not hear your questions. I moved a row of rocks yesterday... along with more pruning/trimming/planting... all but 3 rocks that are just too big. My technique is to roll the bigger ones - not lift! And you have to get under it with a heavy steel bar first, to loosen it. Mind you, it works better rolling a big rock DOWNhill.
I get so far into the "zone" doing things like that, there often aren't any thoughts or words going through my head. And when they do, they repeat over & over again... like "What on earth were people thinking planting THAT this close to THIS?" If I have to stop and give directions to someone doing something else - it takes me a little time to "come back" enough to even have words again. This can cause misunderstandings; and it's something that with Hol here, I've been working on.
She does the same thing I do when working, and doesn't accept suggestions or reorientation or guidance during her process any better than I do. So, we sort all those kinds of things out prior to someone moving, gathering tools or gloves, and then go our own way until break time.
That means, we start to resemble a group of guys standing around looking at stuff for an hour before doing a blessed thing. LOL.
My secluded little "land that time forgot" is definitely a challenge to maintain up to my standards of "tidy". Mind you, I recognize I don't live in a suburban gated community where someone's going to complain if I haven't kept the grass "estate" level pristine. For most of the years we were at the beach, Mike & I did all that work anyway. We both liked doing it and had plenty of experience. But it DOES eat up a lot of time. So while I'm doing my thing now... I'm thinking ahead to how to mark areas for maintenance that I could delegate to some company or guy with a side job and not fuss over it myself. In the days, when I'm not going to be able to work 4-6 hrs a day at it... and do the things I really want to do.
But keeping things cleaned up around here, creates a fire buffer in case of forest fires, keeps the bugs, snakes & creepy crawly critters down... and helps preserve the buildings around here in a usuable snug state. Fires are rare here now; but have still happened in recent memory. So, I look consciously at things... add things to the list "to-do" as preventative measures... and try to steward the site to the best of my ability.
Hopalong:
When I thought I'd be moving to CA and we were looking at fire-zone properties online (and when I read my aunt's letter about escaping the Camp Fire)...I thought about how different a yard would need to be out there from the mid-atlantic lushness I'm used to.
In terms of maintenance right near the house, what would it be like to scrape off topsoil to 6 inches, install serious weed barrier cloth, put the topsoil back, cover it with river rock etc, then add creative unusual "beds/planters" for flowers and shrubs? And great paths curving between? Could maybe skip entirely anything that must be mowed?
There. Now you know why I'm not invited to landscaping parties either.
xo
Hops
sKePTiKal:
Nothing goes to waste around here, Hops. So, when the crew cut 92 trees last summer, to clear a new path for where my driveway intersects the gravel road... they also chipped the small branches and left me two big piles. I'll be making paths with those.
Because of the dogs, we need some grass around the house - and "someone" has spread two bags of grass seed around, sprinkled wood ashes (helps "sweeten" the pH), I'll have a couple compost bins in the yard, a mossy boulder-y "firepit" area near the kitchen beds, and possibly a chicken coop within the fenced area of the yard (TBD for now). Most of the yard is weeds; only a few places where the grass grows well. And I fully intend to plant ground covers... edible shrubs... perrenial herbs... etc in that space. I'm pretty good about planting ground covers on the banks, so it doesn't need as much trimming (or trying to mow it). I need to start getting some fish in the pond, too.
The big garden area, is going to be devoted to food production - a bit of orchard, the berry beds (raspberries are temporarily in one of the kitchen beds; gal pot I was able to separate into 3 plants). I don't need to go crazy on orchard trees, because my area has LOTS of big local ones. Garden will be a combo of high tunnels and open beds that I can work with the ranger & attachments. I'm buying ONLY heirloom seed... and am still sorting out exactly where my seed starting is going to happen. It's really the only way to get good medicinal herbs established.
I learned my lesson last year, with the rosa rugosas. Not to overbuy, overcommit, or start working outside TOO early. I'm going to have to replace them, and I'll only get 5 this time.
Because of my sensitivity to sun/heat/bugs... I have to plan to work on overcast days or in the shade. If I'm just using the bobcat or ranger, I can work in the heat.
I'm dogsitting today, while Hol mows out at Steve's. Maybe all weekend, if they go camping at the mushroom doin's up in PA. Beebs has been excavating the groundhog hole under the Yew... and Knuckles has been trying to get him to play instead. They stick around pretty good (or Knuckles does when he's by himself) while I'm out working. But I don't like them around when I'm running equipment. I'll do some more trimming, weeding and moving rocks - step 1 - before I fire up the bobcat to dig a shallow ditch and cut back the bank a bit from the driveway between the yard & pond; it's a tad narrow there and tends to collect puddles in the rain. The house sits a good 20 some feet higher from there and I need to direct water; not let it just take the path of least resistance. While I have the bobcat out, I'll move some more topsoil to cover where the propane tanks are, so I can get that vinca in... and possibly dump some between the boulders for the echinecea... and future full-sun herbs.
This is getting long-winded; but just talking out loud about the kind of planning Lighter mentioned in her Yard thread. I've spent 2 years and 8 seasons just looking... feeling what the space wants to be... and imagining what I might make here. Holly's doing the same with her site. We need get started on clearing the brush in that area - and could probably use Steve's assistance too.
sKePTiKal:
Quickly - I've not gone quiet for any negative reasons. Life has just made a major shift around here, and I'm still processing everything. It's all good, just different.
Counting on you guys to take good care of yourselves, have some fun, and hold down the fort till I think I understand my situation better. LOL. (As in, analyzed down to the mitochondrial level...) I'm not exactly "managing"... just trying to see the whole picture. Previous negative happening is settled for the time being. (I think; we'll see. And if not - current events will likely counter it.)
Whee! 0 to 90 mph in a nanosecond! Surfing.....
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