November ~ Rocks & Trolls

So, I have claimed to dislike November and sometimes I certainly do. The fading colors of October can be brilliant with the oaks showing off their colors.

I headed out with Charlie to grab another SD card and to wander about. I'd set hubby up with another football game from years past and had some time to spend in the fresh air.

I was cold when I stepped outside. The winds were WNWish. When I walked across the meadow out back, the winds cut right through my jacket.
Charlie ran ahead darting this way and that smelling where deer or other critters have traveled.

I only brought my pocket camera. I didn't have a plan in mind or a real destination either. I figured it would come to me eventually.

Neighbor's Land to the east of us. Nearly one square mile of woods, valleys and brush. One of the most remote spots in our county.

All trails are shared by all the wildlife around.

No wonder Charlie's nose is SO busy!

I decided to just follow Charlie as he took a different path from the creek to the backside of our acreage. 

I dropped down, slid down a critter trail into the dry run on east end. It is one of the more amazing places we have on our land. Huge boulders seem to have been tossed into the run. Massive trees grow on each side of this ravine.

Most of the time it is dry as the name implies. During flash floods and winter melts, it roars with water and washes rocks, logs, and leaves to the creek below.

View of an oak tree roots from above the dry run.

View of the same oak tree from the bottom of the dry run.

How on earth does this tree stay there? Erosion will topple it eventually.

We have two dry runs which catch the water overflow from the ridge above during storms and direct the water to the creek below. 

During the summer, it is nearly impossible to explore these areas. 

In the fall, winter, and spring, however, it is like entering every child's dream. It is deep, it is quiet, and it begs to be a fort or a play space.

It is out of the harsh winds of winter. It has nooks and crannies. 

With a bit of imagination

this could be a place 

where Trolls and

Dragons live?

I also like looking for unusual rocks while I am in the creek area. I can usually find neat iron concretions after a good flash flood.

I didn't expect to see this though. 

Our rocks are rough and not like those found elsewhere in our state. I stepped over this rock and glanced down. A fossil! I have no idea how old it could be or how it was formed.

I guess I could spend more time hunting our dry runs for interesting things.

Dragons

Trolls

Fossils

Lichen

Mosses

and

cool rocks.

As November progresses and winter arrives, it is time to go back to searching for those other things that interest me. Lichen, moss, and rocks.

Tidy up for Charlie....

So here is Charlie on the porch keeping an eye on things. Most of the time I don't need to tie him to the anchor as he won't go anywhere unless he sees a rabbit.

Here is Lil Richard working on the rough spot in the yard that still needs a dozer or someone with landscaping abilities to smooth it out. The tree in front of him should come down.

This section of the yard is still a left over mess from digging the addition basement and piling the stones, sand, rock willy nilly in the side yard.

There is Sven who is working on a section where I piled the hoses and the drain thingy in a spot I can only weed whack.  I hate the weed whacker. I have to wear a face shield and my clothes just get full of crap.

Easier to let the goat work on the rough areas. He does a fair job but is sort of picky. I generally walk through with a light scythe and trim it a bit further.  

If this side yard gets totally out of hand, I will run a hot wire around it and let the mules in to graze it all down. Well, that is a thought anyway.

Rich keeps saying he'll do it, I keep asking to hire someone and that's where we stand. A side yard that is kind of a mess.

[It took me nearly 5 years to convince him to replace the old carpet in the living room...so there is hope!]

I finally convinced Rich that Charlie needed a nicer area to lay on the blocks in front of the porch.

He agreed. Hmmm.

I was tired of moving those round stepping stones each time I had to mow, so I dug things up, smoothed it out, and put down landscape fabric and mulch.

It looks so much more tidier!

Here is the view of  'Charlie's' look out after putting down fabric and mulch. He alternates between the concrete rounds and the black fake stones. Of course he has his pillow out there and his blanket on the bench. The black blob is Charlie snoozing or supervising from the bench. 

I'd knocked over his water and hadn't cleaned up the stuff I had laying around before taking this shot.

I spend a lot of time on the porch so this is like my living room.

The end result was pleasing. So much nicer to look at than the dirt.

And...

I had a neat place to put my fossil rocks. Well, I think they are fossil rocks.

I have no idea what the rock below is, but I might assume that it was vegetation at some point? Anyway, I found it unique and curious so it found a place in my flower garden for a few years. Now it can be next to the porch.

The next two shots are of Stromatolites or I think they are. 

I love rocks and like to collect odd looking ones that I find while hiking. 

I have iron concretions that I am always picking up after a good gully washer comes through the dry runs and creeks.

Anyway. The porch area looks really nice. Now I have to figure out what to do for the west side of the porch. It looks rather drab after all this tidying up!

Maybe I can get more things done by hiring it out IF I can convince Rich that Charlie would benefit. You know like..."I think Charlie needs a new laptop. Or Charlie needs someone to come in with a dozer and redo the west side yard!"

One thing at a time. I think we will be replacing the old love seat this year too. The old one is worn out and was second hand when we got it 20 years ago. Besides, Charlie might like that [insert giggles here].

My Sunday was a day of rest and wandering about in the overcast and humid forest.

Look for a new funky word....coming soon.