Bear and I

I got to take a little walk in the neighbor's forest to the east. I wanted to see why they seemed as if they were cutting every single tree down in one of my favorite places. I didn't get far. The logger was cutting trees much closer than I thought.

...and I had an idea in mind and ... well, honestly, I didn't want 
anyone to see that I'd brought Bear on the walk.

However, Bear insisted.

He loves the forest as much as I do.

He asked to be set on a stump so he could look over the situation.

He slumped the longer he looked at the damaged forest he loved so much. He looked absolutely miserable.

He wanted to know why the trees in this beautiful forest had to be taken.

How do you explain 'greed' to a Teddy Bear?

Bear was sad, he wondered why they had to make the forest so ugly with nothing but stumps and twisted tree tops. 

I explained that they didn't want the tops, just the trunks.

"But Bears like to climb into the tops," Bear told me. "We like tree branches to get away from scary things."

He was upset and decided that the forest looked very 'Scary' to him now.

Bear decided we needed to get home where he felt safe.

"I'm comfy here," he said quietly. "Just let me sit on your bed. I'll even share it with Charlie. Maybe we will try a walk in the forest again some time. I need to think about it."

 

November Colors

Let me give a huge round of applause to another blogger and photographer who has encouraged me to see the Beauty of November!

Generally, November has been the boring month, the brown month. The month of adjusting to light/time change and early darkness...as well as temperature changes. I've always turned a bit inward and ignored the overcast skies and the leafless trees. Nothing seemed to appeal to me outside.

But if you look for it, sometimes you can find some amazing things. 

Points down

Tamarack Trees in full color
with afternoon sunlight 
highlighting part of them!

A stump in the woods. 

The moss picked up some yellow highlights of the subdued sunlight that tried so hard to come through the dull grey overcast.

Charlie and I headed down the ridge trail that our neighbor made years ago with his bulldozer. I sat on the trail to look at some lichen on a rock. I turned to look up the trail and squished my eyes half closed. I wanted to see the forest for the colors and not for the trees. 

Muted greens

yellow

reds

burnished oranges

leaf litter

sticks...

and

bark

make me Happy!

Maybe...
just maybe...

I can start to look with different eyes.

Wild

Strawberries 

make me smile!

Barberries

Pointy 

Sharp

Red,

No
smiles.

Pretty reds

and greens

decorating

creek rocks.

Imagination

drifts while

admiring the trout

in the creek.

Abstract reflections

of 

the grasses above

the water.

At the end of the day, I can honestly conclude that I found this particular November day full of vibrant colors.

Maybe I can change my attitude about November and look for its beauty. After all, I find winter to be fascinating and beautiful.

November Pasture Fun

 So I'm sure this Election Day will be well remembered.

What did you do? I'd voted already, voted early. My goal for the day was to mix up Chicken soup, make bread, and head out to the woods to do battle with more Buckthorn trees. 

I'm doing the easy route first before I go tackle the harder stuff. I'd cleared 8 trees from one area that I've been working on. I didn't use the Black Bag method, but I did saw them down with a hand saw, then applied brush killer to the stumps [per instructions from DNR videos and foresting videos]. I then wrapped them in white bags and painted other stumps yellow so I can see if they sprout this coming spring.

The Black Bag method is supposed to deprive the stump and roots from getting sunlight and nutrition. I thought since I didn't have the bags, I'd brush the killer on the stump and wrap it in a plastic bag to deprive it of...I don't know...water? If nothing else, it will keep me from tripping over them for a while.

I've let the trees sit for three weeks to dry out a bit. Then I've chopped them up and put them in a small pile to burn. I make a small fire and just add to it.

That little job took me all morning. But the trees were burned and the coals raked out. I moved west to work on another section of pasture. Rich had cleared things with his skid steer quite a few years ago. I personally think that all that disturbed soil let in more Buckthorn Trees and nasty weeds.

Below are more piles I've made by clearing out multiflora rose bushes and Elderberry trees that have choked the area. In the spring I can pull most of those plant stumps up right out of the ground. But here I have won the battle of against the burdock!

There is a small outcropping of rocks that are really neat. Over the years they have become overgrown with the dreaded Buckthorn too. But since the roots have to be very shallow on the rocks, many have died leaving a huge mess.

I'm going to take that little area and do 'something' with it. Clean it up for sure, but I'd love to make it a place I can walk to and sit. 

The soil is very rich and fertile around the rocks.

I'm thinking of moving some ferns into the area.

Maybe I'm just a dreamer. But I needed an outdoor project to keep me from going nuts this November. 

For my inside entertainment, I've taken the huge balls of material that I inherited from my Grandmother by way of a cousin...and I am crocheting a new rug to be placed by the kitchen sink. Grandma used to weave her rugs, but I don't have room for a loom and crocheting is easy. Well, sort of. My rag rugs have usually turned out lopsided. However they are very functional.

Off I go early tomorrow as the sun comes up. 

Staying home is a good thing.

Covid-19 has sickened a whole house on our ridge as well as infiltrated assisted living in town, as well as one of the nursing homes. 

[One house is a lot ... we have 5 homes on our ridge.]