Finding the right words to sell....

I am so ready to sell the farm and move to town but the only problem is DH and I continue to work on him to no avail.  Actually he would move if I found a place near a winery, bakery, gourmet restaurants and walking trail.  I actually know of such a place but it is one million dollars.  Since selling will not be that easy with this old house I try to think how to make it sound a bit better... like a delightful 114 year old country cottage.  But anyone that watches HGTV knows a 114 year old house has no end of problems... And I want to sell because I know it won't be long until the drain field needs to be replaced ($3500) and the big maples need to be pruned ($2500) and the well pump needs replacing and etc. etc. etc.  It is really a money pit but that would hardly be what you want in an advertisement.
 

And then there is our road which we own and is 1/2 mile long..  We have to have it graded, graveled and the snow plowed when necessary,  In the spring it gets muddy and wet and   full of ruts when the snow  melts.  Even with a 4 wheel drive winter is a problem..  Here is DH stuck halfway down the road.








But Donald Trump Jr. just bought a 4+ million dollar house and his drive is described  as "a long and picturesque private lane that runs alongside a field.  I will definitely remember that when I want to describe our "lane". Sounds just like our road...right????

But on the positive side it does have its own forest....and speaking of which remember this spring when I laboriously cut up all those strips of old carpet and drug them into the forest???  I only have two large weedy areas where I wanted the carpet to keep the trail clear   without spraying.

And it works... I know they are just weeds but in bloom they are full of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and later other birds feast on the seeds..

Yep...... only me!!!

My friend told me that I was  the only person that would come up with this idea and the only person who would carry it out.... And she is probably right and she was  really thinking stupid enough.  Years ago I discovered that used carpet headed for the landfill made a great weed barrier and often used it in spots that weren't going to be planted anyway.. drives and paths.  It takes years and years for it to disintegrate and saves me from having to spray weed killer.  Plus it breathes and lets moisture through and recycles something... So over the years I had acquired an  excess of carpet rolls in the barn...

I sold the tractor which I used to groom the forest trail  (which is a mile long) and now I had to come up with an alternative for two sections of the trail that were particularly weedy... so last week I started cutting all the carpet into strips approx. 2 x 15 feet... It took a while working out the best tools and the best position to do it..  It turned out a utility knife and crawling on my hands and knees.  

Of course anytime I am on my hands and knees Morris thinks it's a game... Just try to cut carpet strips with a silly dog trying to lick your face and continually  rolling over to have his tummy rubbed.

I have about 40 strips cut and am now dragging them one by one about 1/2 mile into the forest. It has taken me almost 2 weeks and  I should be out of carpet in two more days,  95% of the trail requires miminal care and is through the pines... and looks like this.  This is along our eastern boundary and this is the view as I walk...;=














And this is the biggest weedy area and it is at the very back of the forest.  I'm not even sure what the weed is but I think it is bugloss.  I will have to look it up for sure.  It gets a gorgeous blue flower and a nasty burr that cling to dog and human alike.  It would take gallons of weed killer to eradicate it and I don't even want to do that.  Bees, spiders, and butterflies love it and I just want to walk through it..  Problem solved by crazy old lady and discarded carpet.

 Note: I always lay the carpet with the backing side up...

My jaws are tight....

 

I had a friend once who used that expression when she was upset about a situation that was better ignored than confronted... and this week my jaws have been tight.

Twenty six years ago I planted over 5000 trees and have this 20 acre absolutely joyous forest... I walk in it most every day with the dogs and every day it is different.....the light, the smell, the wildlife, etc.

But all the snow is gone now and most if this week I have been picking up trash....yes! trash in my lovely forest.

I took this aerial photo of my forest from the  Google maps on the internet.  I check every few months as I love to watch it change.. You can see our house, barn etc. lower right.  The open space lower left were the sheep pastures.

























And this Google's aerial photo is my neighbor's farm.   If it looks like this from a plane or satellite you can imagine what it is like close up.  Whenever we have a big wind storm lots of it blows into my forest.  So all this week I have been "forest cleaning" with tight jaws.

Painting and Sadder Note - post # 1496

This is one of the new buttons I've painted with my new lens.  Keeping in mind that this button is only a tad larger than 1", look at the detail in the basket. 

While I'm waiting for Nikki's blocks I have been painting and painting and painting...  flowers, owls, cats, frogs and ladybugs on parade.  They are in various stages of completion and then need to be sealed (which takes 3 days) so it will be a few days before they are posted.  I do not often paint cats.  I have a problem with cats...they all end up looking like dogs...

And if you do any craft or art work that required acrylic paints I have a great tip for you.. For years I used wooden skewers as  stirrers until I discovered that the cup stoppers from Starbucks are the best thing EVER...

I put out the word and everyone is saving them for me and I have a lifetime supply because they are easily wiped off and reusable...  The little flat knob at the bottom is perfect for getting just that small dab of paint...

Now the sad note! I planted this place for wildlife and it brings me great joy and I am perfectly fine with nature taking its course.  We are not overwhelmed with deer but we have them daily eating up the apples, and other fruit.  I love watching them day-to-day and have favorites. 

This year it was a beautiful doe who brought her fawn when it could barely hobble.  They have been in the garden every day fattening up for winter and to drink from the heated water pan we put out for them when it is freezing.

Here it is this morning cleaning up the sunflowers seeds the birds drop... It had been alone for 2 days and when I drove home from taking care of my mother yesterday  I saw the doe ... dead...  hanging from a hook in front of my neighbor's garage  If you remember a while back I was walking in my forest and heard a whiz/click and found a motion camera hidden in MY trees focused on MY trail on MY land.  Yep.. that same neighbor.   The same one who sits on his deck and shoots at owls, hawks and anything that moves... We tried to make this a no-shooting zone but couldn't get enough support.

The fawn eats a bit and spends the rest the day standing at the gate watching for it's mother...  Without mom it will be easy for the coyotes to pick it off..  Makes my heart so sad.

I will mourn the loss of this tree...

At the back edge of my forest there was a huge old dead tree about 40' tall and it overlooked the valley behind us...  It was a favorite with the ravens, wood peckers, and hawks and at dusk I've seen the occasional great-horned owl there.  One day I even captured a shot of an eagle on it.   Every day as I walk  in the forest I check  it as I turned this corner...  This morning I was about 100' past the corner when I realized I missed it and walked back... Sure enough it was down... 

We had horrific winds Tuesday with gusts up to 65 mph and my lovely old snag was a casualty..  I have been watching it for over 30 years so I had expected it to happen long ago, but just the same, I shall dearly miss this landmark on my daily walks.

I blogged about my day in 2011 when I was looking for a cougar siting and saw the eagle..   olderrose: It's so great when you have a camera at the right moment!!

It's a rare day for a rare siting...

Birds for us are a passion and an integral part of our everyday life.  Anyone following the blog knows  that every tree or bush of the thousands I've planted (and I do mean thousands) has been chosen because it provides with food or habitat for birds... In fact for years the Washington State Dept. of Wildlife had open house here annually  and had talks and tours on how to plant for wildlife habitat...

So it's  indeed a rare day after 33 years to see a new bird....and yesterday was just such a day... in fact a bird rare enough here that the Audubon Society requests a special report when one is sighted  ... I was able to get pictures of the females but not the male as he just wouldn't sit still.  He was glorious. So my newest bird on the farm list is a Bullock's Oriole

CQJP #8 - Morris in the Forest!

The nice thing about these Morris blocks are the colors are such that I can haul them here and there and not worry about staining them... and this block has been everywhere in the last few days and almost all of the work done waiting for someone.  This block will be one of my favorites in the series because of the story.

When Morris was only 6 months old we walked every day in the forest and he happily scampered about chasing rabbits and butterflies.  But one day he inadvertently scampered too close to a wild turkey sitting on her nest...  She rose like a phoenix with her wings spread a full 6' and screaming and screeching she charged  Morris...  who ran immediately between my legs.

Now even two years later  he still scampers about the forest but when we get near the "turkey" spot on the trail he walks right next to me until we are well past it...  When you lift the peek-a-boo you see.....

I found this great photo of a hen turkey in attack mode... You can just imagine what Morris felt with this coming at him!!









Pages #1-8

A bird's eye view

I walked out to the edge of the bluff at the back of my forest by the tall dead tree occupied by my eagle.  Our property drops about 400 feet to a valley straight north of us... With a view like this can you blame the birds for coveting a perch on that tree?
I am standing facing due north, just a few hours drive to the Canadian border.

People usually make the assumption that all of Washington is like the wet coastal areas but the Cascade mountains keep all the moisture on the west side of the state and the rest of Washington is mostly arid and desert. 








Spokane is so unique because it is right on the dividing line of dramatic topographical change.... Directly to the south and west of us is dry land farming and desert.  Directly to the north and east are mountains and forest... We have the choice of either within an hour's drive.  Very few places have that kind of  diversity within a few miles... it is a magical place.

The photo on the left is just south of town in what is called the "palouse country."  Except for the forest I planted, our farm is in the dry land farming area...... wheat, wheat and more wheat...

It's so great when you have a camera at the right moment!!

At the back edge of my forest is a huge old dead tree about 40' tall and it overlooks the valley behind us...  It's a favorite with the ravens and hawks and at dusk I've seen the occasional great-horned owl there.  On  our morning walk  through the forest a couple days ago there was a different hunter...much to my delight and surprise..... and I had my camera in my pocket...

We are about 75 miles from the bald eagle's wintering ground...  They come for the Kokonee spawn on Lake Coeur 'd Alene in Idaho.  We often drive over during the winter and watch them catch fish...  And I occasionally see one flying over the farm, but this is the first time I've actually seen one in my forest... They have their favorite trees around the spawning area.  If you just walk along looking at the ground you can find them... You just look for  a big pile of fish scraps at the base of tree.

They are a magnificent bird. 

I tried to get a bit closer to the tree but it flew off...
This   tree has been standing dead at least 30 years.  Since it is the tallest vantage point around, it has an endless variety of  birds using it daily.. But mostly it's the  ravens squabbling over a perch on it...squawking and talking all the while.

Like my oldest apple tree, I will mourn for it when it finally falls.


And why was I carrying my camera you ask....?

Well the cougar is back in my neighborhood again.. A neighbor a couple miles east of us took this shot from his deck with the zoom on his camera... So I've been carrying my camera and watching intently hoping to sight her resting in or under a tree after a night's hunt.

Isn't she beautiful...? They figure she weighs about 125-130 lbs.  Of course the chances of seeing her during the daylight hours are sooooooo slim...but then again so were the chances of seeing an eagle in my tree.

A little turkey drama this morning....

At first light the wild turkeys show up waiting for DH to toss them some sunflower seeds..


Morris loves to rush out and chase them into the maple tree by the feeding area... This morning one was a little slow and Morris managed to snag a couple tail feathers... It surprised him as much as the turkey.. I am saving one to press and put in his "puppy book"...

So DH is tossing seeds when one of the turkeys in the tree drops a big pile of poop on his shoulder.. He tromps into the house totally indignant with the ingrate turkeys and shoving his befouled (pun intended) jacket at me...then asks if I wanted to take a picture of it for my blog.. Aren't you glad I declined and spared you that sight...
NOTE: The funny part here is not that he got pooped on but that he expected ME to take a picture of it.. I think if you can't figure out not to stand under a tree full of turkeys you shouldn't be surprised about falling poop....

Morris and I are walking again.. About 1/4 of the trail is still covered with snow drifts and a bit dicey to traverse, but the rest is open and smells of wet earth and pine needles.. My favorite way to start a day!!!

Create your own umbrella

I'm trying to bring my camera along when I walk in my forest so I can share bits with you... At the same time I planted the forest I planted about 1000 shrub seedlings provided by the department of wildlife... One variety was elderberry.... As they started to grow the deer grazed on them mercilessly and it looks weird to see all the stems growing devoid of leaves...but they persevered and eventually the stems were taller than the deer and started to branch and leaf out until now they look like this... The deer continually munch on the underside to get any new growth...thus creating this umbrella-like effect.

And as if they knew what they were doing they now use them as resting area in the heat of the day... You can see all the tall grass is smashed down where they have been. How comfy is that? Your own cushion in the shade of your own umbrella... Later this summer these huge plants will be loaded with gorgeous purple elderberries.. hence a very fruity umbrella...

p.s. on the dessert front this week I'm batting 0 for 2... My lemon cream pie turned into a pudding in a crust... This one I can salvage tho as I will scoop it out and add a lot more whipped cream and freeze it and serve it as a lemon mousse on Friday..

And also yesterday a Heloise reader said she hated plunging her hands into hamburger and sausage to mix them for meatballs and used her mixer... Not my favorite either so tried the mixer bit this morning and it worked great... Hooray for Heloise...

Comments on my forest!

Thanks for your kind comments and emails about my forest. I should have added that our land had been cultivated for almost 100 years with some pretty poor husbandry.. It had been deluged with tons of chemicals over the years and, although it does not show in that photo, the land slopes to the north and was becoming badly eroded... Saving it was one of my better life choices.... It has a covenant attached to the title and cannot be clear cut for 80 years... It's comforting to know that if I drop dead, someone can't immediately buy it and log it...which is exactly what happened to my grandfather's farm in Idaho....

The forest is 80% Ponderosa pine (native to this dry area) and they grow 12-18" a year once established.. This photo was taken a couple years ago by the Dept. of Conservation and you can see some of fir and tamarack trees as well as the pine. I will be doing a whole post on how it came about as part of my BJP...which is woefully behind...

A Walk in My Woods

It has been two years since I've had a dog to walk with in my woods.. Fritz just wasn't up to it his last year... Because it has been a bad year for ticks I waited until June to start Morris... The first couple weeks I kept him on a leash so he realized this was a TRAIL activity we did as a team and not a "chasing through the woods after rabbits" activity.. Molly will follow about 100 feet into the woods for a few good sniffs but then she goes back to the house. Here they found a particularly good spot and practically buried their noses in the ground.

Morris has found a balance between wanting to be in the lead and stopping to sniff. The vetch is in bloom now and it's so gorgeous. My woods are 20 acres and I made the trail to loop around the outer edge and then another loop in the center..... a mile total...

Morris stays on the trail through all the trees but every so often there's a meadowy part and he loves to run and roll in the tall grass. In years past the elk have wintered in these areas scraping away the snow for the grass.

But where the trees are thickest and the trail bends out of sight, Morris stays real close. Here he is waiting for me to catch up because a wild turkey flew out here the other day and put on a terrible ruckus to distract us from her young...really scared Morris.

And I finally got a good profile shot for his puppy book... He has lost his puppy face.

Afterthought!!! The woods looked like this in 1995 when I planted the 5,267 trees. High school kids came and helped on Arbor Day... Of all the things I've done...... I love my forest the best... In fact my tombstone should read "she loved her dogs and her forest."