Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Spring is Sprung!

30 degrees at 12:22 PM on the FIRST DAY of SPRING. 

What's wrong with that picture? 

We are expecting possible snow tonight, and for sure, tomorrow night into Friday morning. 

11 years ago tomorrow, at the old Calamity Acres, I called in because I could not get out of my 100 foot long upward-sloping driveway.  I literally spent the day shoveling snow... but at mid-day, heard a sound from high above me.  I looked up... and thousands of Canadian geese were flying south over my head.  It was a sight I have never forgotten, and never will.  I stood, leaning on my shovel handle, marveling at them. The sight of geese flying makes my blood sing. 

Here's what we were up to here this morning: 


I turn on the lights over the plants as soon as I get up in the morning. 
Look at those tomatoes!  I had to take the cover off, they were pressing it so hard in some places. 


Every single morning, Our Protector jumps up to get a cuddle and a rub on her furry belly.  She is such a beautiful dog. 


Keith had a cuddle with his little girl just before he left for work.  She adores him. 


Then, it was out to the garden. 


This is one of last year's beds.  The dirt in it was okay, and if you read us then, you know that this was a lasagna bed, with several levels of peat moss, straw, with paper on the bottom.  It was never quite full enough, and in the ensuing summer, we pretty much gave up on the garden.  I was still working, and worried about my flower beds, and the veggies went to rack and ruin.  Not this year! 




With straw (plain straw, not chicken-house straw), and manure. 


With three bags of Miracle Gro dirt on it.  Keith went to get me twelve bags last night, and Home Depot had Miracle Gro on sale for 3.33 a bag.  I'm going to go get some money from savings and get another 20 bags.  

I switched to our bigger yard cart today, because it balances better.  Now that I'm 62, I have to make work-arounds to get things done while Keith is at work.  He unloaded three bags for me last night, and a bag of peat moss... but left the rest on the truck. 


I can't jump up on the truck anymore, I'm just not agile enough.  

Like my work-around?  

I climbed up carefully, threw the bags 3 at a time in the big yard cart carefully, climbed down, and trundled them across the yard to the garden. 

Yes, I had to lift them one by one, but I got them there.  

Two nights ago, he stacked five by the garden bed I was working last week.  I'm going to haul them over to the vegetable beds this afternoon.  


The Range was supervising from a shady spot. 



Here is the hollow trunk of our century old walnut three, half of which was dead last year. 


Big branches and bark are falling from it frequently.  The walnuts leaf out last in the spring. 

Keith received an estimate, recently, of $4000.00 to take the tree down, and we are not sure what to do, we never imagined it to be so expensive.  

I'm putting the smaller branches with the compost, for my tiny try at hugelkultur.  

That's it for today from Calamity Acres! 




13 comments:

  1. That sounds terribly expensive. Too bad we don't live closer. We've cut a lot of trees on our property.

    When the Redneck use to work for some another company we did yard cleanup and that would often mean storm damage and cutting trees.

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  2. Yes that does sound terribly expensive to cut your tree down. I'd get another estimate before I spent that much. Thanks for showing your garden growing. At least now I can say I got a peak at Spring today. Windy and snowing in our neck of the woods. You are really getting a workout hefting all those bags of soil around. Take good care!.

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  3. Wow that is high..wish my son in laws lived closer they each have a tree business on the side!!
    stella rose's momma

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  4. Those raised beds are wonderful! Love how you are determined to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I always worry that some day I will be too old. I hope that day is long off.

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  5. Hmmmm. My lady paid (about three years ago) $1000 to take two very very big locust trees down. Can you get another estimate for your tree?

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  6. Great pictures. :) I have two raised beds now and I'm going to build more this spring, gardening on the ground is just too hard, you cannot beat raised beds and pots for other stuff, so much easier! It's all about getting the job done however you need to and it always helps to figure out how to make things easier on yourself, that's the key :) (says the woman who does everything the hard way.) I enjoyed at least seeing that you have no snow - cold yes, but it's nice to see the ground at least :) and to see things sprouting!

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  7. I think you're going to have so much fun this year with your garden and flowers! How nice for you to have more time to work in them this year!! That dirt looks so rich and inviting..just waiting for something to grow in it!

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  8. Your garden beds look wonderful! So dark and rich looking.

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  9. We are going to make our new raised bed this week ...well I hope. Seems new England didn't get the Spring memo, we are getting more snow tomorrow ...oh my.

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  10. I only experienced the geese going over one time in my life and it was almost like a spiritual thing, so beautiful. You are amazing, Mary Ann. You remind me of my husband in your determination to do what you've planned, one way or another.

    I hope our big American elm never has to come down. It grows right by our house and would cost a fortune to take down safely. Is your oak right by your house? Is that why the estimate is so large?

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  11. A client of Rick's just "let" him cut down a walnut and two fruit trees on a property he owns; our firewood for next year. I can't imagine someone not being willing to cut yours down for the privilege of getting free firewood!

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  12. Love your "workaround" for climbing up into the pickup truck bed! I need to remember that!
    My tomato starts look about the same as yours. It's always such a joy to plant a tiny seed and end up with food to feed the family. :)

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  13. You might want to try to find someone with a portable sawmill. They might be interested in your tree if there is any usable lumber in it and there is no metal hardware lodged in it. They might at least take it down for a much lower price.

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