Gardens, weeds, trees, and stuff

The shade garden got more sunlight Sunday even if it was cloudy and cool.

We had a late and very wet snowfall this spring which took the top of a tree and bent it right over the shade garden.

Since I am not one that could operate a chainsaw to take down the tree and clean up the mess, I put some feelers out and finally Olive volunteered her husband. 

It was a harder job than any of us expected. Getting a tree down that kept hanging up was a bit dicey, but her hubby calmly took it down bit by bit. When he started sawing it up into pieces, I told him to let me know what he would like stacked for them to use in their wood stove. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

We made swift work of dragging the limbs and unwanted parts into the wood pasture [I took the hot wires down]. The big chunks that were cut were stacked next to the hosta garden to await another time for transport. 

Rich said he'd be happy to transport it with the skid steer when the time came. This is how we do it on in our 'neighborhood'.

Now I am eyeing that section of the yard for another Wildflower Garden mixed with more split up hostas and ferns. I don't get into strict planning, it just happens.

I thought I'd try out the little trimmer against the huge pile of invasive thistles. Last year I gave up cutting them down in this area and that was a huge mistake.

Sundance decided to supervise. At one time my neighbor had cattle on the other side of the fence. We used it as a large pasture after he died and his brothers took over the land and Rich kept it mowed twice a year. The 'deal' was simply that we mowed it in the late summer so the deer hunting party could walk through it.

The absentee owners then decided that we should pay rent and we took our hotwire down and stopped mowing. Of course all their weeds became our weeds.

So I realized a few things. This is a really big job. Bedstraw and other grasses are growing thick in between the thistles.

I chop with a machete and use the blade a bit at a time. I have to pick up as much of the thistles as I can and pile them. If they are left in place, it would be too prickly for the mules to eat the underlying grasses.

I made some headway. Tomorrow I'll take out the scythe and a rake along with the trimmer and the machete. I'm pretty determined not to let it seed out this year.

The yellow line is my progress against the thistles.

The inspectors came out to nose around and eat some of the previously hidden grasses. There are my piles of thistles! Yikes!

Of course I had a support team and we agreed to head back to the house when we felt some rain drops and the wind changed.

Sadly it was just a few droplets. Perhaps we'll get some tonight. Rain will soften the thistle stems and make them easier to hack, chop, and pick up.

I know this sort of thing works as I worked on another patch of the same kind of thistles and now, three years later, the thistles are easy to manage. So I have some hope!

Tools I can use...

Hubby is such a nice guy. He thought that I should learn to use a saw as in chain saw. I told him that I'd cut my leg off easily and that I couldn't stand the noise.

Besides, big trees should be left to people with skill and knowledge. We agreed at least on that. So I saw this thing and asked him what he thought about it.

It is a mini saw that is battery operated.

It was a version of this:

After my hand sawing debacle he thought if I had a better tool, I wouldn't be tugging on branches to break them. I could saw through them.

So I got this---->

After a lot of instruction on how to safely use this tool..... 

I got my first assignment from the Boss. Clear out lower branches where he mows so he didn't have to duck or get slapped in the face with leaves.

Years ago when he downed trees, he'd have me hook up the logging chain so he could use the tractor to pull the logs and heavy stuff to another area for cutting up. I decided to use a rope and attach it to the the 4 wheeler. Then I dragged the whole works to a brush pile I can burn this winter [if we ever get moisture again!].

In the summer pasture the snow had damaged several box elders so that their branches hung so low that the mules couldn't get under them to eat the grass. I decided to see how the little saw really worked on a hard job.

The yellow area is where all the branches were hanging to the ground covering up the grass.

I was really amazed at how fast and easy this job was. Much better than a hand saw. I won't be doing big jobs, but for cleaning big branches off the fence, it will be incredible.

I have a lot to pick up and drag.

The next job is to make sure the forest fence is up to snuff. I was going to avoid it this year but without rain, our pastures are looking sickly and perhaps the gals will enjoy foraging on the steep hillside. 

I've tried feeding them hay and they leave it be, so they are getting enough out there in the woods.

Hubby then came up with another fine idea. He thought I'd like a nice battery trimmer that has blades that will whack up those pesky weeds in the other sections of forest and meadows. The ones I've always had to take the scythe or machete to in past years.

Swinging a scythe or running a 3.5 lb electric trimmer? I think I'll go for the trimmer and see what happens.

If nothing else, it will give me great satisfaction to cut down noxious weeds easily.

Look out you nettles and thistles! Watch out curly dock! I'm coming for you!