Workin' In the Sun

I was standing under my Green Goddess looking up this afternoon. 

She is totally covered with vines that are growing ever higher. 

Around her base were growing many saplings. 

Here is the top of her (with a crow model, do you see him?) taken yesterday from the deck. 

She still has leaves on about the top 40 feet of branches, but the vines were growing 

ever upwards. 

You can hardly tell in this picture, but the base was circled with 

saplings and weeds.  Thickly circled. 

So, today I started attacking them. 

This gives you some idea.  Oddly, I did not find any poison ivy, just Virginia creeper and 

grapevine.   Some of the grapevine was really thick, and grown into the bark of the tree. 

I am going to have to set some money aside to have this tree taken down at some point, it is 

VERY soft.  

My helper stayed with me for a while, but soon he went back 

to the cool porch, where I had spilled some 

water filling the (let's face it, RACCOON waterers)... and Lilly and he watched from the cool porch. 

I had on a sleeveless shirt, and had remembered to put 

Neutrogena skin spray on my arms and on my face, with 

an SPF of 100.

This was my compost heap at one time. 

I'm going to confess something here. 

I never, ever let Keith use Roundup or anything like it when we 

lived there. 

I'm using Tractor Supply weed killer now.  I caved.  

I made a big pile of chopped saplings and grapevine at the 

base of the tree.  I still have not found anyone to haul the piles for me, and 

until I can get in the pasture, I can't start a new brush pile.  I am trying to find 

someone who can cut the pasture. 

My yard guy out there has a bush hog and a big tractor, but no way to bring them 

over.  

If I can get it knocked down once, I have a friend who will haul my John Deere out there, and 

I can keep it cut down, and then start another brushpile down in the bottom of the pasture for the little critters. 

This about killed me... one of the saplings I cut down (it was 

growing almost from under the tree) was a mulberry, and 

I love mulberries!!!  See the fruit on it already? 

I am also going to work on the big mulberry on the front fence line 

and cut the grape vines at it's base this week. 

I have exactly ONE globe thistle  left and it is blooming... I am ordering more. 

Pretty soon these vines will be brown.  

I was being watched the whole time. 

We saw our friends as we left. 

We saw them yesterday, too.  There are two new calves, and two 

that I believe were last years.  I counted 3 times and got 26. 

I did find out a little more about the bison. 

The property they live on, 150 acres, went into receivership for taxes. 

A man bought 35 acres of it, including the burned home, the barns, and the front drive. 

He has cleared it of the red cedar trees that are ruining the grazing for the bison, 

and also took down the fence on either side of the drive. 

Some of his equipment is in this picture. 

As you see, the bison were all grazing or resting up by the house. 

I was told by someone that this man is involved with the project to 

develop the next property over as a camping lake for fishing, where 

people can park their RVs short term.  The neighborhood is fighting it, 

because we are afraid that RVs coming in short term will end up 

being there long term.  

Knowing that the bison's actual owners were unable to pay the taxes without 

selling a chunk of the property... leads me to believe that the choked-with-red-cedar pastures that I suspect that the bison will be pushed back on will get worse and worse.  For now, they are 

able to graze on an open pasture with adequate grass.  

Make no mistake, though, these animals are dangerous. 

They are huge and can run fast. 

I am sort of hoping that the developer has bought them, too, and 

will use them as an attraction.  I know that every time I pull off to take pictures, 

someone pulls off behind me. 

In the first bison picture I posted, there is a roll of big fencing and many heavy round fence posts.  Maybe that will be to help the bison, not to hold them back.  I can only hope so. 

Yesterday, I drove down to Garnett again. 

Grandson Nathan was graduating from Anderson County Senior High. 

He cleans up pretty well! 

He tied his own tie after watching a video on You Tube, NOT KIDDING. 

It was an extremely windy day at the football stadium. 

See his tassel fly? 

I asked him to put his cap back on so I could get a picture, and he had to hold it down. 

I got pictures of him with every one BUT ME. 

No picture for Grandma. 

We celebrated with a dinner at a local restaurant, and had a great time. 

Grandma was worn out though, when I got home last night. 

The iris' days are waning.  These beds need to be dug out and replenished this fall.  I'll divide these and share them with a friend, including the blues in the bed behind this. 

Tomorrow night is our first Little League game of the spring!  Yee ha!  I'll be baking cookies tomorrow for the team. 

Jax is modeling the Sluggers new uniform. 

Can't wait to see them.