The end result...
You can see that in addition to the shrubbery around the house, the willow tree took a hit over the years as it was starting to die off and I then cut it back.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Shrubbery - then and now
I found a photo of my house's shrubbery from 2003 before I started cutting down their height.
The end result...
You can see that in addition to the shrubbery around the house, the willow tree took a hit over the years as it was starting to die off and I then cut it back.
The end result...
You can see that in addition to the shrubbery around the house, the willow tree took a hit over the years as it was starting to die off and I then cut it back.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Black Friday and movies
I didn't get up early for the Black Friday sales. In fact I barely made the 11 am cutoff for a couple of the early "early bird" sales. I had only one item in mind and that store had an all day sale so I made the Army/Navy Surplus store my last stop.
The one item... a pair of gaiters. Here is a link to the company's web site with the gaiters I bought. The ones I bought are all black as no other color choices were available at the store. I hemmed and hawed at getting this style as the store had another style by the same company which was cheaper. But I decided to get the fancier version as it seemed more durable. I plan to use the gaiters when cross country skiing and snowshoeing this winter, though they also would come in handy if I end up bushwhacking through heavy brush like I did to the Heaven's Peak lookout.
Overall it seemed like less people were out and about, and they didn't seem as manic as in other years, but since I went to the stores later it was hard to compare the crowds to other years.
Oh, there was one other item I was interested in getting if it was still available. That was a DVD copy of the movie, "Across the Universe". I like the music by The Beatles and this movie is an imaginative story using a number of The Beatles' songs. I bought the last copy Best Buy had.
I also picked up a copy of "The Dark Knight" and "The Princess Bride". Ying and yang, male and female style of movies.
Other than getting some tools on sale at Ace Hardware, that was it for my Black Friday shopping. I don't want or need much.
All that shopping must have worn me out as that evening after watching the movie, "Coraline", I quickly fell asleep. And that was a few hours before I normally go to sleep.
The one item... a pair of gaiters. Here is a link to the company's web site with the gaiters I bought. The ones I bought are all black as no other color choices were available at the store. I hemmed and hawed at getting this style as the store had another style by the same company which was cheaper. But I decided to get the fancier version as it seemed more durable. I plan to use the gaiters when cross country skiing and snowshoeing this winter, though they also would come in handy if I end up bushwhacking through heavy brush like I did to the Heaven's Peak lookout.
Overall it seemed like less people were out and about, and they didn't seem as manic as in other years, but since I went to the stores later it was hard to compare the crowds to other years.Oh, there was one other item I was interested in getting if it was still available. That was a DVD copy of the movie, "Across the Universe". I like the music by The Beatles and this movie is an imaginative story using a number of The Beatles' songs. I bought the last copy Best Buy had.
I also picked up a copy of "The Dark Knight" and "The Princess Bride". Ying and yang, male and female style of movies.
Other than getting some tools on sale at Ace Hardware, that was it for my Black Friday shopping. I don't want or need much.
All that shopping must have worn me out as that evening after watching the movie, "Coraline", I quickly fell asleep. And that was a few hours before I normally go to sleep.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Fog, fence and apples
The valley inversions are back. Thursday's fog didn't burn off until 2 pm and started to come back by sundown a few hours later. Last night was very foggy and the visibility was only a quarter of a mile. Even so when I looked up in the night sky I could see the half moon. The moon was cool looking with a white circle around it due to the fog. Only the moon was visible. No stars could be seen which added to the strange effect.
I put the fence back up now that I am done cutting on that tree. I fixed the board that was broken when I had cut the box elder branch. I had to replace one board. Guess which one?
I completed my tree trimming for the year as I pruned the apple tree out in the pasture. This is the tree that may never have been pruned as it was very tall. I started the pruning this Spring, and Thursday I brought down the height even more. The tree is still tall as I had to stand on a step ladder and use a pole start to reach to cut the branch. But at least now I have a chance next year to reach most of the apples on the tree. On the branch I cut were lots of old apples that for some reason never fell to the ground and were way too high for me to reach.
I put the fence back up now that I am done cutting on that tree. I fixed the board that was broken when I had cut the box elder branch. I had to replace one board. Guess which one?
I completed my tree trimming for the year as I pruned the apple tree out in the pasture. This is the tree that may never have been pruned as it was very tall. I started the pruning this Spring, and Thursday I brought down the height even more. The tree is still tall as I had to stand on a step ladder and use a pole start to reach to cut the branch. But at least now I have a chance next year to reach most of the apples on the tree. On the branch I cut were lots of old apples that for some reason never fell to the ground and were way too high for me to reach.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sawdust
The chainsaw works! Hurray!
The chainsaw is an old model. It doesn't have the little plastic bulb to prime the saw before starting. Pulling the rope and working the choke got it started.
When it ran, the "bup-bup" engine's sound reminded me of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. I may call it "Harley".
You know what? Does a chainsaw for left handed people exist? I've always used a right handed chainsaw and I wonder if a left handed one would feel right to me.
I went to work on the part of the box elder tree I had cut down last week. It is now all cut up and stacked for drying and splitting next year. Four wheelbarrow loads to move what I cut today. It is so nice to have one of the projects on my "Before Winter" to-do list done.
I now have trimmed all the shrubs and trees around the house, pruned the apple trees, and trimmed the box elder trees in the fruit tree and garden area and the ones next to the pole shed. It is easier to do now when the sap is down, and when the leaves are gone and I can see the branches to get an idea on how to shape the trees. Also when leaves are on I find it hard to be ruthless and end up leaving more branches on the tree than I should.
*whew!*
Another item off my list and nothing new to add to the list. For once my list is shrinking. I am down to a dozen items. Many I know I won't get to before snow. I.e. finish painting.
I have the cut branches piled around the yard and need to haul them out to the pasture. Ooops... wait... I better get that done quick else I'll have another item to add to my to-do list.
Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone!
The chainsaw is an old model. It doesn't have the little plastic bulb to prime the saw before starting. Pulling the rope and working the choke got it started.
When it ran, the "bup-bup" engine's sound reminded me of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. I may call it "Harley".
You know what? Does a chainsaw for left handed people exist? I've always used a right handed chainsaw and I wonder if a left handed one would feel right to me.
I went to work on the part of the box elder tree I had cut down last week. It is now all cut up and stacked for drying and splitting next year. Four wheelbarrow loads to move what I cut today. It is so nice to have one of the projects on my "Before Winter" to-do list done.
I now have trimmed all the shrubs and trees around the house, pruned the apple trees, and trimmed the box elder trees in the fruit tree and garden area and the ones next to the pole shed. It is easier to do now when the sap is down, and when the leaves are gone and I can see the branches to get an idea on how to shape the trees. Also when leaves are on I find it hard to be ruthless and end up leaving more branches on the tree than I should.
*whew!*
Another item off my list and nothing new to add to the list. For once my list is shrinking. I am down to a dozen items. Many I know I won't get to before snow. I.e. finish painting.
I have the cut branches piled around the yard and need to haul them out to the pasture. Ooops... wait... I better get that done quick else I'll have another item to add to my to-do list.
Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Juggling chainsaws
I woke up to snow again this morning. *sigh* At least it had stopped snowing by the time I got out of bed and most of the snow was gone by sundown.
It was a gray blah overcast day. Not every day here is a great day.
On the drive home this afternoon from running errands uptown the route I chose had a downed transmission line that took out power to the NW area of town. My route was closed as the downed line was across it. The stoplights were out and the traffic was backed up. Since I couldn't take my road I had to drive north a few more miles before I found a road that went over to where I wanted to go.
I have another chainsaw. I had taken my old chainsaw into Terry's because the chain kept jumping the bar. The chain adjuster was broken inside and out. He had trouble finding the part and felt the final repair cost would be over $100. I could buy a brand new replacement chainsaw for $150.
His hourly labor rate for repairs is $65 an hour. Not bad work if you can get it. The cost for the estimate was $25. In exchange for payment I had the option of giving him my broken chainsaw. While the chainsaw's engine was very good, I had no use for a broken chainsaw. I agreed if I could keep the chainsaw's bar. I had just bought a new one and installed it. He agreed. I imagine he gets more chainsaws with bad engines than bad bars.
I asked Bob to watch ads in the newspaper for chainsaws on sale. Bob said he had an old chainsaw I could have. He hadn't used it in years but it ran excellently when he did last use it. He said the fuel line had rotted and needed replacing. Bob also felt the chain was unbalanced as it had two identical links in a row and caused the chainsaw to give an extra bite when those links came around.
Terry said it was common for chains to be like this and no repair/change necessary for it. Apparently the fuel line was fine as the work he ended up doing was to put in a new spark plug, new gas, an O ring on the gas cap and then adjust the carburetor. If that was all it was I could have done that.
It cost me $42. Well... it is cheaper than a new chainsaw.
Tomorrow I will see how the chainsaw runs.
It was a gray blah overcast day. Not every day here is a great day.
On the drive home this afternoon from running errands uptown the route I chose had a downed transmission line that took out power to the NW area of town. My route was closed as the downed line was across it. The stoplights were out and the traffic was backed up. Since I couldn't take my road I had to drive north a few more miles before I found a road that went over to where I wanted to go.
I have another chainsaw. I had taken my old chainsaw into Terry's because the chain kept jumping the bar. The chain adjuster was broken inside and out. He had trouble finding the part and felt the final repair cost would be over $100. I could buy a brand new replacement chainsaw for $150.
His hourly labor rate for repairs is $65 an hour. Not bad work if you can get it. The cost for the estimate was $25. In exchange for payment I had the option of giving him my broken chainsaw. While the chainsaw's engine was very good, I had no use for a broken chainsaw. I agreed if I could keep the chainsaw's bar. I had just bought a new one and installed it. He agreed. I imagine he gets more chainsaws with bad engines than bad bars.
I asked Bob to watch ads in the newspaper for chainsaws on sale. Bob said he had an old chainsaw I could have. He hadn't used it in years but it ran excellently when he did last use it. He said the fuel line had rotted and needed replacing. Bob also felt the chain was unbalanced as it had two identical links in a row and caused the chainsaw to give an extra bite when those links came around.
Terry said it was common for chains to be like this and no repair/change necessary for it. Apparently the fuel line was fine as the work he ended up doing was to put in a new spark plug, new gas, an O ring on the gas cap and then adjust the carburetor. If that was all it was I could have done that.
It cost me $42. Well... it is cheaper than a new chainsaw.Tomorrow I will see how the chainsaw runs.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Snow
I woke up to snow Sunday morning. I looked over at one of my bedroom windows and saw white against my red house facia. Guess the weather forecasters finally got it right.
It didn't snow much - less than an inch - but it snowed lightly all day. Enough snow fell to coat everything and the snow remained all day. So I made today an indoor day and didn't do anything outside. I baked an apple pie.
It didn't snow much - less than an inch - but it snowed lightly all day. Enough snow fell to coat everything and the snow remained all day. So I made today an indoor day and didn't do anything outside. I baked an apple pie.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Shrubbery
After trimming my owl ent tree I turned my attention to the shrubs around the house. I had last trimmed them down in height back five years ago - give or take a year. They had grown in height again and now were as tall as my TV antenna.
On windy days it *seemed* like the TV picture would fluctuate and I wondered if the trees were affecting the signal. It is not a stretch to think so as people living in different parts of the Valley have told me they get different amounts of channels. Their numbers always seems to be less than what I get.
I trimmed all the shrubs down in height lower than when I first trimmed them years ago. Back then I was concerned about cutting too much from the shrubs and killing them so I limited how much I cut to about a third of the shrub, even though looking at the shrubs now I would like to cut them down further.
As you can see I could have cut more this time as they still are above the roof where they are located and they still overpower the house. I decided to let them be near the height of the tallest roof's peak for now and think about cutting them to the roof's height next Fall.
Also, cutting them down to the roof level would have meant cutting them almost in half. And I couldn't cut the shorter shrub on the right side lower right now without seriously killing some of the interior branches. I didn't want the taller shrub next to it be at the same level as the lower part against the shorter shrub already has no branches on that side. I need to trim the shorter shrub back little by little and give the taller shrub time to reestablish branches on that side.
These photos show how I trimmed the shrub south of the house.
On windy days it *seemed* like the TV picture would fluctuate and I wondered if the trees were affecting the signal. It is not a stretch to think so as people living in different parts of the Valley have told me they get different amounts of channels. Their numbers always seems to be less than what I get.
I trimmed all the shrubs down in height lower than when I first trimmed them years ago. Back then I was concerned about cutting too much from the shrubs and killing them so I limited how much I cut to about a third of the shrub, even though looking at the shrubs now I would like to cut them down further.
As you can see I could have cut more this time as they still are above the roof where they are located and they still overpower the house. I decided to let them be near the height of the tallest roof's peak for now and think about cutting them to the roof's height next Fall.
Also, cutting them down to the roof level would have meant cutting them almost in half. And I couldn't cut the shorter shrub on the right side lower right now without seriously killing some of the interior branches. I didn't want the taller shrub next to it be at the same level as the lower part against the shorter shrub already has no branches on that side. I need to trim the shorter shrub back little by little and give the taller shrub time to reestablish branches on that side.
These photos show how I trimmed the shrub south of the house.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Owl ent tree, part 3 - the final photos
Here is how my owl ent tree looks now that I am done cutting it back:
Another view:
Another view:
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Second place gophers
With the pocket gopher I trapped today, this year now has the second highest total of pocket gophers trapped. It is a bit of a surprise as I didn't think it was a big year for trapping gophers. But I guess the amount trapped was steady throughout the year and they all added up.
2009 - 227
2008 - 134
2007 - 226
2006 - 322
2005 - 209
2004 - 114
2003 - 29
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Owl ent tree, part 2
Earlier I mentioned the first part of where I cut down part of my tree that looks like what I imagine a "Lords of the Rings" 'ent' tree looks like.
Monday I finally cut the main tree trunk. This has been a long time coming. I was delayed because I had problems with my chain saw. I couldn't start it. A major problem. Eventually I put in a new spark plug. Still couldn't start it. One evening after hunting Kelly played around with the choke on the chainsaw, and with the choke half out, was able to start the chainsaw.
The next problem was the bar and chain weren't being oiled automatically as the chainsaw moved the chain.
I cleaned the chainsaw and got oil to come out again. Whether enough oil, that is now the question. I was able to cut the box elder 'ent' tree, but while in the middle of cutting up the fallen tree trunk the chain started to jump the bar. This is a new chain. In its rotation around the bar the chain doesn't smoothly come off the drive. I'm going to take the chainsaw in to a repair shop to see if they can figure out the problem.
Still, the good news is that I finally cut through the tree trunk and cut off the dead and dying part of the tree. Before getting the chainsaw to work I had prepared the tree for cutting by using saws to start the cut. Part of the reason for starting the cut with a hand saw was that, even with the extension ladder fully extended, I had to climb up into the tree to a height higher than my house to reach where I wanted to cut. Not an ideal place to climb and stand when using a running chainsaw.
It was slow work to cut the tree with hand saws and I was happy to have the chainsaw working even if I had to climb way up into the tree to use it. In the photos below you can see how large the trunk was at the cut. It would have taken forever if I had to cut it by hand.
The part of the tree trunk I cut was over a fence. After what had happened earlier when I cut a branch hanging out over the hayfield where part of it hit the fence, I took down three sections of the fence to be safe when I cut the tree trunk.
I carefully cut from one side and another and then in front of me. All in an effort to have the trunk fall over towards the hayfield and away from me and away from the fence. I was also careful to make the cut in such a way to not let the trunk settle back and on my chainsaw. That didn't happen, but until the trunk fell over I wasn't a 100% certain where the trunk would go. The problem with box elder trees is that there is no bending or leaning of a branch or the tree itself while the cut is being made. All of a sudden the "tipping point" is reached and the tree then falls. And quickly! There is really no time to react.
The tree fell the way I planned. Mostly. Actually it fell in the direction I planned. As it fell the trunk turned over and the stub branch out over the hayfield now turned around and faced north. If I hadn't taken down the fence the stub branch would have obliterated one section of the fence. I hadn't taken out the fence posts and fortunately the stub branch missed the nearest post.
Also, a reminder... look in the second photo at the diameter of the cut.
The tree trunk hit the ground hard and loud. Another old stub branch hit the ground and created a hole before breaking off the trunk.
As you can see, what I cut down was not trivial. I believe the fence sections are eight feet long and the tree is over four sections long.
Box elder wood seemed to have a lot of water as the wood is much heavier than it looks. I am reminded of that each time I picked up a short section I have cut from the fallen tree trunk. I am stacking these logs for drying and hope to split them next year.
Length wise I cut up half the fallen branch. Unfortunately it is the outer and smaller part of the branch. I used my crosscut saw and cut two logs but that is hard and time consuming. The wood seems soft, but the cut also seems to swell and grab my saw's blade. Nothing is easy.
The following photo shows what remains to be cut.
Monday I finally cut the main tree trunk. This has been a long time coming. I was delayed because I had problems with my chain saw. I couldn't start it. A major problem. Eventually I put in a new spark plug. Still couldn't start it. One evening after hunting Kelly played around with the choke on the chainsaw, and with the choke half out, was able to start the chainsaw.
The next problem was the bar and chain weren't being oiled automatically as the chainsaw moved the chain.
I cleaned the chainsaw and got oil to come out again. Whether enough oil, that is now the question. I was able to cut the box elder 'ent' tree, but while in the middle of cutting up the fallen tree trunk the chain started to jump the bar. This is a new chain. In its rotation around the bar the chain doesn't smoothly come off the drive. I'm going to take the chainsaw in to a repair shop to see if they can figure out the problem.
Still, the good news is that I finally cut through the tree trunk and cut off the dead and dying part of the tree. Before getting the chainsaw to work I had prepared the tree for cutting by using saws to start the cut. Part of the reason for starting the cut with a hand saw was that, even with the extension ladder fully extended, I had to climb up into the tree to a height higher than my house to reach where I wanted to cut. Not an ideal place to climb and stand when using a running chainsaw.
It was slow work to cut the tree with hand saws and I was happy to have the chainsaw working even if I had to climb way up into the tree to use it. In the photos below you can see how large the trunk was at the cut. It would have taken forever if I had to cut it by hand.
The part of the tree trunk I cut was over a fence. After what had happened earlier when I cut a branch hanging out over the hayfield where part of it hit the fence, I took down three sections of the fence to be safe when I cut the tree trunk.
I carefully cut from one side and another and then in front of me. All in an effort to have the trunk fall over towards the hayfield and away from me and away from the fence. I was also careful to make the cut in such a way to not let the trunk settle back and on my chainsaw. That didn't happen, but until the trunk fell over I wasn't a 100% certain where the trunk would go. The problem with box elder trees is that there is no bending or leaning of a branch or the tree itself while the cut is being made. All of a sudden the "tipping point" is reached and the tree then falls. And quickly! There is really no time to react.
The tree fell the way I planned. Mostly. Actually it fell in the direction I planned. As it fell the trunk turned over and the stub branch out over the hayfield now turned around and faced north. If I hadn't taken down the fence the stub branch would have obliterated one section of the fence. I hadn't taken out the fence posts and fortunately the stub branch missed the nearest post.
Also, a reminder... look in the second photo at the diameter of the cut.
The tree trunk hit the ground hard and loud. Another old stub branch hit the ground and created a hole before breaking off the trunk.
As you can see, what I cut down was not trivial. I believe the fence sections are eight feet long and the tree is over four sections long.
Box elder wood seemed to have a lot of water as the wood is much heavier than it looks. I am reminded of that each time I picked up a short section I have cut from the fallen tree trunk. I am stacking these logs for drying and hope to split them next year.
Length wise I cut up half the fallen branch. Unfortunately it is the outer and smaller part of the branch. I used my crosscut saw and cut two logs but that is hard and time consuming. The wood seems soft, but the cut also seems to swell and grab my saw's blade. Nothing is easy.
The following photo shows what remains to be cut.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Owl ent tree
I have started to cut down parts of my "ent" tree. I call it that because to me it looks like it could be alive like the mystical trees in the Lord of the Rings books and movies. Doesn't the lower branches on the left look like arms and the upper part of the tree as the body and head? To me the tree looks like it could start walking as any minute.This tree is also favored by one of the owls. The upper part of the tree is dead and one of the owls would sit up there screeching and watching for mice on many nights this past summer. That is part of the reason I didn't cut the tree back before now.
The other reason is I waited for the sap to go down for the winter to make it easier to cut. While the upper part is mainly dead the left branch is still in the process of dying.
If the photo seems odd to you it is because I took it at night and left the camera shutter open longer. The shadows are from the moonlight as the moon was near full.
Anyway, the tree is dying from the top. Flickers have carved out several holes in the main trunk and I think that is weakening the tree. These birds have nested in this tree for a number of years now but this past year they have carved out several new large holes.
The tree is much taller than it appears from the photo. Look at the fence which is about four feet high then look at the total height of the tree. My extension ladder extended doesn't quite reach the lower left branch.
It will be a challenge to cut the tree back. I plan to cut it on the main trunk just below where the left branch come out. All that upper part is actually on the other side of the fence. But it is close enough I was concerned the cut branches and trunk would fall back onto my fence breaking it. Especially if the left branch hit the ground first causing the rest of the tree to fall back on the fence.
Therefore I first cut much of the left branch off. Enough of the branch remains to cause the rest of the tree to fall over and away from the fence (I hope).
I stood on a step ladder and using an extended pole saw cut the branch. I had to take care not to be under the branch and to be as far away as I could from where the branch fell as I was concerned it would fall against the ladder.
The tree is a box elder tree. Branches stay intact until they come off. There is no bending or leaning or sign that the branch is about to come down. It is either on or off. It can happen fast - and it did. I got off the ladder quickly and mainly jumped from the upper steps backwards to the ground. The branch just missed the ladder, but after hitting the ground fell towards the tree and fence with part of the branch landing on the fence breaking the top board. Oh well... better the fence than me.
Here is how the tree looks now:
Sunday, November 15, 2009
ToDo list and snowberry bushes
I've been busy the past week. I've been working on my list of things to do before the snow comes. I:
This is the first time I have mowed down all the snowberry bushes. I have been on a campaign for many years now to get rid of these bushes. Other than in the middle pasture these bushes were mainly along the fence lines and I have gotten rid of most of them. The middle pasture had the worst infestation. I think it was because the middle pasture has the most tree stumps. The bushes seen to mostly grow from around many of the tree stumps. I think it is because the birds "planted" them when standing on the stumps.
Spraying an herbicide is about the only way to get rid of the bushes. But that also takes time and I need that time to spray noxious weeds. I've seen bushes with one branch - or less than 10% of the bush - alive after spraying because I didn't spray the herbicide on that branch. Snowberry bushes are very hardy plants.
The best time to spray the bushes is when they are young shoots and before they get old enough to harden into a woody plant. Also the cattle seem to munch on the young shoots and not the woody plants.
That is why I decided to mow the bushes I hadn't gotten to spraying this year. Next year when they start anew the double combo of cattle or herbicide should really get rid of many snowberry bushes and reclaim some of my pasture.
- dug the rest of my garden (potatoes and carrots),
- mowed my large yard,
- raked many of the leaves from around the house and garage and tossed them on my raspberry and strawberry plants and my garden area,
- mowed the snowberry bushes out in the pasture
This is the first time I have mowed down all the snowberry bushes. I have been on a campaign for many years now to get rid of these bushes. Other than in the middle pasture these bushes were mainly along the fence lines and I have gotten rid of most of them. The middle pasture had the worst infestation. I think it was because the middle pasture has the most tree stumps. The bushes seen to mostly grow from around many of the tree stumps. I think it is because the birds "planted" them when standing on the stumps.
Spraying an herbicide is about the only way to get rid of the bushes. But that also takes time and I need that time to spray noxious weeds. I've seen bushes with one branch - or less than 10% of the bush - alive after spraying because I didn't spray the herbicide on that branch. Snowberry bushes are very hardy plants.
The best time to spray the bushes is when they are young shoots and before they get old enough to harden into a woody plant. Also the cattle seem to munch on the young shoots and not the woody plants.
That is why I decided to mow the bushes I hadn't gotten to spraying this year. Next year when they start anew the double combo of cattle or herbicide should really get rid of many snowberry bushes and reclaim some of my pasture.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Ripening tomatoes
Guess what?! Surprise, oh surprise! Many of my picked green tomatoes are ripening this year. That has never happened when living here in Montana. And the change has happened over the last two weeks after I returned from North Dakota.
The tomatoes a few weeks ago:
The tomatoes now:
They may not be juicy vine ripened tomatoes, but beggars can't be choosy.
And my three pumpkins are ripening nicely:
The tomatoes a few weeks ago:
The tomatoes now:
They may not be juicy vine ripened tomatoes, but beggars can't be choosy.
And my three pumpkins are ripening nicely:
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sea serpent
Back when I was back in school, back before the internet, and when we only had two TV stations to watch, I was a little bit of an artist. I took some art classes throughout high school. I guess I needed something to balance my interest in math.
When I was home last month I found one of my drawings that my mother had saved. Whether she saved it because I drew it, or whether she wanted the backside of the poster sized paper for another use, who knows. I do have a faint memory of drawing it.
I scanned my drawing before tossing the original. It was too big to easily keep. Besides if I kept it I would have stored it somewhere and then forgot I had it.
I don't remember where my inspiration for the drawing came from. Perhaps from a book I was reading, perhaps from the Loch Ness monster, perhaps partly from the old Beany and Cecil cartoon show. If so, then it was a only a starting point as my sea serpent is more on the 'serpent' side.
When I was home last month I found one of my drawings that my mother had saved. Whether she saved it because I drew it, or whether she wanted the backside of the poster sized paper for another use, who knows. I do have a faint memory of drawing it.
I scanned my drawing before tossing the original. It was too big to easily keep. Besides if I kept it I would have stored it somewhere and then forgot I had it.
I don't remember where my inspiration for the drawing came from. Perhaps from a book I was reading, perhaps from the Loch Ness monster, perhaps partly from the old Beany and Cecil cartoon show. If so, then it was a only a starting point as my sea serpent is more on the 'serpent' side.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Let's get physical
Manual labor day.
After checking my pocket gopher traps (2 more caught) I moved some of my railroad ties. I would like to work more on my loading corral rebuild but I have other items higher on my to-do list. Still, I moved a dozen of my larger ties to a new location and stacked them. These are heavy ties and I used my pickup to move them even though the distance was short. The ties are heavy enough that I can only lift one end and drag them.
When unloading and stacking the ties I had the pickup turned off but with the radio playing. Once I was done moving the ties the pickup wouldn't start due to a low battery. I guess after sitting for a long time the past few months the battery wasn't as strong as I thought. Fortunately after letting it sit a while the pickup started. With the other vehicles' batteries iffy right now, and being in the pasture and away from an electrical outlet for using a battery charger, I was between a rock and a hard place.
I did more painting today. Today's color: gray. I got a couple hours of painting in for touch ups on the house, more on the trim on the large north window, and more on the underside of the entry patio. I wasn't able to finish the patio as it was after 4 pm. According to the paint can one should paint only when the temperature was above 35 degrees and that includes the four hour drying time. I am not sure whether I made it tonight as when I checked at 8:30 pm the temperature was already down to 31.5 degrees.
After painting, since I had a few hours until complete darkness, I split some logs. (I had planned on mowing the yard one last time for the year but discovered I had no gasoline for the mower). I got half of my log pile split before it got too dark to aim the splitting axe.
After I put the ax and firewood away I heard a deer in the darkness. It sounded like it was on the other side of the corral. I could hear it snorting and hissing to try to catch my scent. Lots of snorting and hissing.
I made an apple pie today. I also made the crust from scratch. In the past I sometimes had too stiff of a crust. Tonight's crust was crumbly. It tasted good but when putting a piece of the pie on my plate the crust fell all apart. My piece of apple pie reminded me more of a crisp than a pie.
I must have split some good logs as tonight's heat is warmer than usual. It was 75 degrees earlier in the house though it has now settled back down to 71 after I stopped adding logs to my wood stove.
Between moving the ties and splitting logs my arms and wrists are tired tonight.
After checking my pocket gopher traps (2 more caught) I moved some of my railroad ties. I would like to work more on my loading corral rebuild but I have other items higher on my to-do list. Still, I moved a dozen of my larger ties to a new location and stacked them. These are heavy ties and I used my pickup to move them even though the distance was short. The ties are heavy enough that I can only lift one end and drag them.
When unloading and stacking the ties I had the pickup turned off but with the radio playing. Once I was done moving the ties the pickup wouldn't start due to a low battery. I guess after sitting for a long time the past few months the battery wasn't as strong as I thought. Fortunately after letting it sit a while the pickup started. With the other vehicles' batteries iffy right now, and being in the pasture and away from an electrical outlet for using a battery charger, I was between a rock and a hard place.
I did more painting today. Today's color: gray. I got a couple hours of painting in for touch ups on the house, more on the trim on the large north window, and more on the underside of the entry patio. I wasn't able to finish the patio as it was after 4 pm. According to the paint can one should paint only when the temperature was above 35 degrees and that includes the four hour drying time. I am not sure whether I made it tonight as when I checked at 8:30 pm the temperature was already down to 31.5 degrees.
After painting, since I had a few hours until complete darkness, I split some logs. (I had planned on mowing the yard one last time for the year but discovered I had no gasoline for the mower). I got half of my log pile split before it got too dark to aim the splitting axe.
After I put the ax and firewood away I heard a deer in the darkness. It sounded like it was on the other side of the corral. I could hear it snorting and hissing to try to catch my scent. Lots of snorting and hissing.
I made an apple pie today. I also made the crust from scratch. In the past I sometimes had too stiff of a crust. Tonight's crust was crumbly. It tasted good but when putting a piece of the pie on my plate the crust fell all apart. My piece of apple pie reminded me more of a crisp than a pie.
I must have split some good logs as tonight's heat is warmer than usual. It was 75 degrees earlier in the house though it has now settled back down to 71 after I stopped adding logs to my wood stove.
Between moving the ties and splitting logs my arms and wrists are tired tonight.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Red paint on trim
Hey! Even though I had my doubts the weather would be good enough to do any more painting this year (our normal high temperature now is 41 degrees) , Monday the weather finally improved enough that I was able to do a little painting. And I mean 'a little' as I only had several hours of warm weather before it got dark. We warmed up to a balmy sunny 49 degrees today. Woo hoo!
I got my can of red paint and I touched up some spots where another color intruded on some of the previously red painted trim. I also painted the trim around the large north window on the house.
I am not sure if it is because the red paint can was opened several months ago and there is a minority of paint left in the can, or because the temperature was on the cooler side, but the paint didn't flow as smooth as when I last painted in September. Though it didn't matter too much on the touch ups or the new trim. With red paint I find I have to paint at least several coats when painting over a lighter color.
Since the clouds disappeared today I could see the mountain tops. I also could see through the gap into Glacier Park. Those mountains are all very white.
I got my can of red paint and I touched up some spots where another color intruded on some of the previously red painted trim. I also painted the trim around the large north window on the house.
I am not sure if it is because the red paint can was opened several months ago and there is a minority of paint left in the can, or because the temperature was on the cooler side, but the paint didn't flow as smooth as when I last painted in September. Though it didn't matter too much on the touch ups or the new trim. With red paint I find I have to paint at least several coats when painting over a lighter color.
Since the clouds disappeared today I could see the mountain tops. I also could see through the gap into Glacier Park. Those mountains are all very white.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Rochester trees
Here are some photos I took in October when I was in Rochester, MN. These photos are of trees that I planted at the last apartment complex I had lived at in Rochester. The apartment complex had no trees and the landlord let me transplant trees I had found here and there growing wild when bicycling around the Rochester area. Before I left I even planted trees at the neighboring apartment building when a number of its tenants asked me to plant some trees there.
I planted these trees in the mid-1990s, while the other apartment's trees (the three trees on the left side in the first photo) were planted in the late 1990s. All these trees were small when I planted them. Man! Look at them now!
(The winter photos were taken in 2005. The pine trees especially have really grown since then!)
I planted these trees in the mid-1990s, while the other apartment's trees (the three trees on the left side in the first photo) were planted in the late 1990s. All these trees were small when I planted them. Man! Look at them now!
(The winter photos were taken in 2005. The pine trees especially have really grown since then!)
I had planted all these pine trees behind the apartment complex's garages.
They were only a few feet tall when I planted them. Look at them now!
I also had planted a number of deciduous trees among the pines. They were planted to provide something since pine trees grow slower. The stump in the one photo was one of several fast growing willow trees. As you can see all the deciduous trees have been cut down as the pines are a good height now.
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