New Project...Not on the List

Each year we create our list of 10 projects to get done and those are our goals for the year, no matter what. The "what" is that sometimes other projects have a way of creating themselves and working their way into our schedule. This past weekend was one such project.

The new project - Clearing part of the shoreline of the big pond to make it easier for fishing (especially fly-fishing) AND using the trunks of the cut trees to temporarily shore up the collapsing overhang roof of the old picnic shelter.

Shoreline Before:

The first 7 pine trees to the right of the tractor are slated for removal.

Shelter Overhang Before:

It's not pretty, but we can at least prop the overhang up for a small improvement.

We had the perfect weekend, weather-wise. We were getting the most extreme outer bands of Hurricane Florence to the north which provided plenty of cloud cover, nice breezes and the occasional misty rain. It was a pleasant day to be doing manual labor outside.

The first step was to use the brush cutter to clear away all of the tall weeds and grass around the trees and along the water's edge. Once that was done, the chainsawing could begin. The first couple of trees came down pretty easy. I wrapped a cable around them and hitched it to the tractor to keep the tree from falling too far from shore and making extraction more difficult.

Using the cable wrapped around the bucket to lift the tree out of the water and up onto the bank.

Two trees on shore and another down and in the water. Also, you can see two pieces
of trunk in the bucket that will be used to prop up the shelter overhang.

Each tree that was cut was drug (via tractor) up around to the head of the pond. We have a large brush pile there that we keep adding to. It's slowly creating a sight/sound break from the traffic on I-16. Soon we won't be able to see, and barely hear, the traffic as it zooms by.

The bottom trunk sections of the trees were measured and cut to size and brought over to the shelter overhang. The scrubby oaks growing in front were also cut down and dragged out to the brush pile. Using the tractor to lift the overhang we man-handled the trunk sections into place. It was not easy work.

This will look a whole lot nicer with some clean-up and a facelift.

Back to the pond...

The fourth, and biggest, tree was a bit of a problem. There was a decent-sized fire ant nest at its base. This called for some fire ant killer and skipping that tree for later while the powder did its work. The third tree was infested with carpenter ants. While they bit and clung to my gloves and shoes as I cut that tree, they seemed completely uninterested in my bare knee as I knelt down to finish the cutting. My lucky day I guess.

By the end of Saturday, I'd cut down all but the "fire ant tree" and put up 3 trunk sections under the overhang. On Sunday it was time to go out and finish those jobs. The last tree was cut down. The final trunk section was put in place under the shelter overhang. After all that, we've got a clean looking shoreline and a reasonably level roof line.

Shoreline After:

Lulu enjoys the first unobstructed view.

Lulu inspects the new, cleaner shoreline.

Shelter Overhand After:

A level roof.
The cooler and garbage can hold food for the fish in the pond.

Still need to clean up the whole area, but at least it is safe to work under there now.

Now don't think I was the only one courting danger with fire ants, carpenter ants, falling trees and collapsing roofs. Neta was out in the wildflower meadow deadheading the wildflowers so we'd have some seeds to spread in other places. She encountered some pretty evil and deadly looking creatures.

As you can see, farm work is not to be taken lightly. There is always something to do around here. You can never accuse either one of us of being a victim of this:

Nothing like a good pun.
That's sage advice!

Six Down, Four To Go

We're slowly whittling down this year's list of farm projects, and we're officially crossing one more off the list: clearing the goat garden area and getting started with plantings.  We've completed that and then some.  We've started gardens, put in grape vines and an orchard, and built the vine trellis tunnel  (which was another project crossed off the list). 

Before

After

Pictures don't really do justice to the amount of work that's been put in here, mostly by Craig (and his trusty tractor).  This area was goat pasture when I was a kid, but had been planted with pine trees that we had cleared when we moved down.  There was a lot of broken branches and debris left after the pines were cut, as well as rows and rows of pine stumps.  The trees were cut at ground level but many of the stumps/roots are still a mowing hazard.  Craig scraped it all up and added it to the pile of discarded trees in the middle, creating a new hill in the process.  He tilled, he planted, he built the trellis and now he mows it all, too.  I'm the visionary and supervisor, you understand.

This is part of the goat gardens, right after the trees were cut

In the orchard, we've put in satsuma oranges, loquats, pomegranate, plum, olives and persimmon (the latter two courtesy of Emily).  We also dug and moved several muscadine grapes, with plans to add more grape varieties. 

Newly planted satsumas in the orchard area

We've added a number of crepe myrtles, too.  We didn't originally plan that but when you find crepe myrtles on clearance at the nursery...well, who can pass that up?  We're up to 10 so far, including a few volunteers that Craig transported from other locations.

We still have a small area to clear behind the new hill, but I may take pity on Craig and let it go to meadow rather than trying to turn it into an additional area that needs mowing.

Now it just needs to grow in!

Here's the status of the project list - we're more than halfway done.  We're waiting on cooler weather to tackle the items we have left.  We've already started the barn renovation, and building a pump house is a must, but I doubt we'll finish all the walking paths or clearing the underbrush along the lane.  I suspect those are going to be perennials on the list for several years to come.


1. Build an enclosure for the pump

2. Put down flooring in the attic

3. Renovate the little barn

4.  Double the wildflower meadow

5. Spruce up the cabin exterior (paint the foundation and landscape)

6. Cut more trees and brush along the lane

7. Clear the goat garden area and start new gardens

8. Expand the walking path around the farm 

9. Finish landscaping the island

10.  Build a vine trellis