Nice Fellow!

I got a reply! I got a visit! 

While I was out doing chores, I got a call from one of the other 'Tree & Brush Svcs' folks. He is the son of one of the neighbors down the way and was recommended to me by the owner of the lawn mower/chainsaw shop in town.

When he stepped out of the truck, I walked up to him and asked if he was Dominic. He smiled when I stuck out my hand and he shook it and said, he was. 

[Hmmm, don't tell anyone. But I thought he was also very handsome!]

First off. He was very polite and asked a lot of questions about how I'd like this work done. I also asked him if he knew of anyone that could brush hog my pastures. He handed me his card with the list of services he and his crew provide. 

Bingo! I hit the jackpot, if the prices were reasonable!

I pointed out the trees that were problems. A photo below taken with the cell phone wide angle which distorts things a bit. These are the trees near the house that need to go before they fall down on the house.

This is a closeup of the trunk of the trees on the west side of the house. I will hate to lose the shade, but would hate to have to repair the house if it came over on it. The woodpeckers and the Pileated Woodpecker know this tree is dying as they dig for the insects living inside of it.

These are Honey Locust trees and in the Spring they produce the most wonderful smelling flowers in the world.
I love to just sit out and listen to the bees above working on the flowers and breathing in the incredible scents.

But they are dying. The trees are were planted well over 70 years ago, so they have lived long past their prime.

I do dearly love these trees, but they have served their purpose.

I will lose their afternoon shade, but then again, the payoff will also be gaining a sunny spot to expand my flower garden if I wish to!

Then I took Dominic to the trouble spot.

The Widow Maker Oak Tree:

The shed and the tree 👇

At the base

He took a long time to look at this spot. 

Then he asked me a surprising question. 

I can get it to fall into the woods. Would you be upset if it hits another tree and damages it? Do you care how it falls? Do you want it cut up?

I get it. He has dealt with some of those folks who have moved into our area who are suburbanites turned wanna be tree hugging homesteaders. [No offense to anyone please!]

My woods are thick with trees that have fallen and tree tops and branches. There is nothing tidy about the woods. The woods are simply the natural forest. Trees fall in inaccessible places and as they rot down the provide nutrients for the forest. No big deal.

I answered him. "Better it fall into the woods and be a mess there than crush that little shed. My mules can walk around it and so can I."

The trees in the yard will be chopped up and deposited into a brush pile in the pasture. I will give some neighbors a choice to come and get firewood. If they don't, I'll burn the brush piles this winter. It is an activity that I actually enjoy.

I showed Dominic another little project I'd like to get done this fall. I also asked him to give me a price on mowing the weedy place we call a pasture. I said that I'd like to get it mowed -- brush hogged twice a year if possible.

Dominic also asked if I had a particular fondness for the stump that is in the yard. He said that one of the dead pines may fall on it and damage it. Right now I have a planter on the stump in the yard. I laughed and said I had no fondness for the stump, it was just a place that was convenient to set that plant that needed more sunlight.

"We can move the plant to a safe place," was his reply. 

I said I'd deal with it.

So I'll be getting an estimate for just the tree work via email next and an approximate date in August for the work to begin.

He'll notify me a week before he comes and I can take down the old fencing and get everything out of the way. This works out with my plan of replacing the hot wire in this particular area.

I'm so glad that I also have alternate pastures for the girls so they won't be in the way. Now? Fingers crossed that it works out.

----

I just got the estimate and it was very reasonable and much better than ones I've had in the past! Well now, that makes me a happy camper as I can cross off one more BIG Job off my list of to dos.

Uffdah

I was hoping to keep it simple this week... Hmmm.

Monday was hubby's annual wellness checkup and nothing has really changed from last year. His legs are swelling up so she had some hints for him to help him with that. Time was of the essence for the appointment as the highway department was getting ready to close a bridge because the Kickapoo River was rising rapidly.

Monday afternoon we got a visit from the Oxygen folks.

We received a portable oxygen concentrator which should give Rich more mobility. It is easier to carry a satchel type item than to drag around a tank. The VA Home Oxygen lady was a great educator. Much better than the person they had previously.

This afternoon, I'm getting a visit from a fellow named Dunnum. He runs a company that does tree trimming, brush hogging, landscaping, cleaning up old junk piles,...delivering hay...

well.... 
you name it, and his folks will do it apparently.

I'm looking to have some trees taken down and two pastures brush hogged along with some other clean up if the prices are right. IF I like his work, I'm gong to have him come twice a summer to brush hog down the weeds in my main pastures. It would save me so much time, frustration, and sweat!

The weather hasn't been conducive for activities outside for even healthy folks. I can get chores done easily, but I am wringing wet by the time I get inside. If I have to do anything for a length of time, I have to wear a gnat net over my hat.

By Wednesday the heat and humidity will come down enough for hubby to enjoy getting on his zero turn and do some mowing.

In other news, our gym now offers a class called Legends. It is for those over 50. The workouts are more personalized and less intense. I love the folks I am working out with. We have a range of ages and abilities. Plus, it is great to meet new people. [most of the folks are wayyy over the 50+ mark!]

One of the ladies just finished up her chemo and radiation, and is gently easing back into fitness and mobility. I have to hand it to her. She makes me feel as if anything is possible. 
We do the same workouts as the regular classes, but with more adjustments. I switched to this class because the scheduling works out much better for me.

I can monitor Rich's morning routine and go to class while he naps.

I still do a regular class once a week so I get 3 days in. It is a win win for me right now. Come winter, I may just stick with the smaller class for us older folks. I think none of us would come when we are sick? Fingers crossed.

Below:
Hummingbird Moth 

on Bee Balm.

Below:

Little Richard

doing yard work on

the hillside.

 If this Dunnum fella is easy to work with. I'll take some shots of what needs to get done so I can have some before and after shots for comparison. 

So many things have been let go since my husband's cancer and stroke that I feel I need to make an effort to get things back on track.

Wish me luck!

Goings On!

Well I talked to the Insurance Adjustor yesterday. Her name is Jeanine and we've had one other occasion to talk about my car about 2 years ago. A Woodchuck chewed through my transmission line on that claim!

She remembered me and that claim because it was so odd.

She asked how it happened and I explained. She wanted to know how bad was it... and could I drive it? Apparently she has handled concrete vs vehicle claims where the underside of the car has been covered and the car is a total loss!

She concurred that my poor 'Ru had to see a professional for clean up and that it is covered under Comprehensive coverage.

The estimate for this? $2,500.

I think I am the lucky one. I'd had to think how the other car that splashed me turned out.

Jeanine said if another Very Strange Auto Claim came past her desk, the first thing she would do is to see if it belonged to me. She said she still refers to the Woodchuck Attack once in a while just for laughs.

Meanwhile...

The Wild Teddy Bears decided they better check out Frank's bulldozer.

I'm glad they couldn't figure out how to run it!
 

Hey Percy, let's check this out!

Chance, you do the pedals, 
I'll do the stick things...

This is so much cooler

than that bike!
Where should we go?

The work started yesterday. Frank cleaned out all the culverts and reshaped the waterways for run off. 

He graded the area by our back door and is putting in a gravel parking area.

I spoke with Frank and let him know that my neighbor probably had a small job for him to do before he was done at my place with the dozer. 

Frank thanked me for the referral. He was pleased as my new neighbor asked Frank to also grade and gravel his driveway too.

The final cost will be pretty pricey, however the lower driveway has seen one load of gravel in 26 years. The cost of maintaining the driveway all of these years has been very minimal. I want to have the whole thing done properly and hopefully it will last a long time.

Okay, the driveway rehab is pretty boring stuff. But I feel rather accomplished. This sort of job was always referred to Rich as he was the one who always negotiated these things. There were a lot of guys I could have called for this job, but I felt that the work should go to the fellow that was maintaining my driveway through the winter too.

Tails

 If your animals go into the wild woods, they get into burrs. I don't have a nice flat pasture that we can mow. In the wooded section there are numerous logs, huge rocks, rock outcroppings, and steep hillsides. Each year I try to work on chopping down or digging up the burdock.

This year I failed. And now I am suffering those consequences.

However, IF I can get someone to clip/brush hog the flat areas, I might be ahead of this next year.

I started on tails at 11:30.

The above shot is Sunshine's tail.

I cleaned it and braided it. Later I decided to just do the right thing and give it a trim. I love long tails like everyone else. However, these long tails get in mud and muck and snow and ice. After one ice storm a few years ago, the mules had iced tails. Those with long tails made clicking sounds as they walked. 

The tails grow back and less maintenance might be better!

I actually think her tail looks prettier trimmed! Less burrs to gather when we ride through the forest too.

Siera had the nicest tail of all. Here it is finished. I had a real hard time cutting it shorter. She is not a mule to get down into the brush and explore like the others so her tail is usually not too bad.

It was still long after I cut off about 6 inches! I may leave it for now.

Check out Sunshine's sister's tail. Typical of this mule who has NO fear and explores everywhere.

She did this in one week. 

I purchase cheap hair conditioner and use mineral oil and a spritz of ShoSheen on the burrs and tail. I rub it in and let it soak in. I have to keep applying as I work towards the center of the tail.

To this, with a trim.

I also had to trim her mane, it was plum full of handfuls of burrs. I asked her where in the heck she has been going to find all these burrs. 
She snorted and said it was her secret!

Everyone was done and I promise NOT to let a whole week go by without cleaning tails again.

All mules spent some time with me in the yard grazing.

Here is Fred. He is 37 years old, nearly 38.

He still has a lot of energy which is improved with soaked alfalfa pellets and Senior Feed. After all, I don't think he has much in the way of teeth left. 

The leftovers.

I finished after 4 pm after taking off an hour for lunch. 

It was worth it. 

Each mule was patient and quiet, just like they have been taught. In a way, I didn't mind it at all because I was able to spend time with them.

Just being with them is good for my inner self.

I hope their tails don't get too messy. I'm looking forward to some riding later this week. That is, IF I have time.

My nephew and his new wife are coming to visit on Wednesday!

Word of Mouth!

Last spring we had a power outage. After some investigation by the Electric Company, they announced that the main breaker of ours needed to be replaced. 

I called the guy that did the construction work and also had added outlets in the basement so we could plug in a freezer. 

He came out looked at the box and then said he'd get back to me. I texted him 3 weeks later and he said he'd get back to me. In July he came out with the Electric Company while we were gone. He'd told me he would do that. When we got back from Rich's appointments, I saw where they parked and left tracks.

And.

I never heard from the Electrician again.

The power stayed on after that so basically I let things drop and didn't think about it. Then when the plumber was out fixing the sink for me I asked him casually if he knew of any electricians I could call to fix my main breaker. The plumber wrote the name and number of a fellow called Dan on the back of an envelope and handed it to me. He told me that Dan didn't like new construction jobs, he was a Fix-It Guy.

With the sudden warm weather we started losing power intermittently again. So I called Dan the Fix-It Guy. I left a message and then figured like anything else, it would be days or he'd never call back.

Ten minutes later he called back and told me he'd be right out. He opened the box and showed me the issue. The box was 40+ years old and the frost heave had probably moved the wires just enough to cause an issue. He snapped the box shut and said he'd get the parts and fix it. It would take him a two or three days.

I was floored. Wait....what? Whut???
An electrician who in this day and age would/could actually do work? 

As it happened we had a week of rain, sleet, cold, winds, snow, and nasty weather. But our electric problems got worse. Half the house would go out, then come back. I ended up unplugging the Fire Stick as it would blink off and on and reset multiple times. I checked the breakers and nothing had tripped.

I was beside myself all weekend with worry. Monday morning I texted Dan the Fix-It Guy and told him about the odd electric behavior. Would it cause a fire?

I got an answer in 10 minutes. 

"I'll be out this morning after I make some calls and rearrange my schedule."

An hour later he was tearing things apart and working. He showed me the wires that had burnt on their ends and the thingy [I forget the technical name] that was melted. His comment was, well, it is 40ish years old, time to give it a face lift. He smiled and explained quietly what he was going to do.

I asked him if I would have a fire from all of this. He said most likely the fire would have been in the breaker box. 

I left him to it.

He checked on a few other things for me and was done in 2 hours.

He even took time to explain to Rich what he had done when Rich stepped out on the porch.

Dan works solo, he broke off from another company to be his own boss. He says he doesn't advertise but uses Word of Mouth. 

He was amazing and kind. Just like the plumber that had come out this winter.

A Shovel and a thought...

Shoveling 101.

There was only about 2 inches of snow to I just pushed it with the shovel out of the way. I sanded the spots that have ice underfoot. This is by the north side of the house. I didn't want to fire up the skid steer just for that. I don't like using it and I thought by taking the tracks off from it, it would be easier to operate.

It is but without the tracks AND the spikes it doesn't have the traction it used to have. I just can't win.

I pushed snow out of the way for vehicles to turn around. Keep in mind that I've had to call 911 for an ambulance many times over the years for my husband.

Actually the work kept my mind off from a few other things and I was able to sort of plan how I'd clear this spot with the skid steer after the major storm that is predicted to come in tomorrow through Saturday. I also had time to work out which elder mules would go inside tomorrow afternoon.

Charlie looks up the driveway towards the ridge.
My neighbor has taken over the plowing of the hill for us with his tractor.

I am very grateful that he comes down to my place and turns around. I am standing in the middle of my driveway for these shots. The hill to the south and the house to the north.

This winter I can park the Subaru in the large shed so the driveway and the north side of the house are clear for med deliveries and an emergency vehicle should we need one.

The flatter areas could easily be plowed out with a 4 wheeler or UTV. I'd like the Polaris Ranger as it has a dump box and I could use it for fence work, yard work, level plowing, moving dirt, gardening, and ... well, it is handier than the skid steer, and since it could replace both the skid steer AND the 4 wheeler....

....Still working on that idea. 

Anyway.

Update on MIL.

The nurse told me yesterday that Dr. Bassett has now decided that MIL has a viral infection. [I'm thinking viral pneumonia, but no official dx has been offered]. She still has CHF and Stage 3/[just points above stage 4] Kidney Failure. 

When I texted and called around to offer that up as an update, I got one odd comment back.

Oh that is a relief.

Um. What?

So this new revelation says to those who haven't seen her...that she is okay and it is just a cold type thing?

So now this development says to me that a common cold or virus is/can be deadly in her condition. But a collective sigh of relief?
She is still very sick, she is in the hospital still.

I imagine they will treat her and get her released back to the nursing home as soon as possible.
Which brings me to another sore point in my mind. The mentality of health care these days are get them just good enough to be released. So they can get another patient in.

I'll be headed into the hospital this morning after chores [it is -2 F with a wind chill of...pretty damned cold!]

Wild and Wicked Sunday

Really. 

It was not Wild nor was it really Wicked.

First order of the day was to go get a truckload of hay. Rich said he wasn't going with because his knee is swelled up again and it hurts.

It has been drained twice now and both times the aspiration has revealed blood.

The VA orthopedic department did make an appointment for him on December 4th. 

The lady who made the appointment said that we should visit the ED if it was too painful or bothersome before that date.

When a joint fills up with blood it will severely damage that joint. Rich says leave it until his appointment, but I'll drag him over to the ED [ER] tomorrow after seeing Oncology for a follow up. He is in a LOT of pain. I'd like to also find out why the joint keeps filling up with blood.

So, off I went with the pickup and got our monthly supply of small bales of hay. I paid Eddie for the pig we purchased from him. His wife made coffee and I sat down in their kitchen and visited for a bit.

As you can tell from this photo, I'm not really great at just backing into a crowded shed to get close to the spot where we stack our small bales.
I got the truck into the doorway and left it there.
This way I get to move it at least twice by hand!
Once to toss it off the truck and once to stack it.

I will consider it a CrossFit workout...WOD: Move bales and toss them!

I did get it all taken care of and it went slightly better than I expected. Maybe it is that CrossFit training I've been doing. Maybe it was the cold temperatures that made it more comfortable.

Rich and I have been playing Backgammon for Speech Therapy work. He has to use strategy and counting.
I saw how much he enjoyed playing cribbage with our friends from Kenosha.
So I asked him if he'd teach me.

Cribbage is as clear as mud.

But since Rich loves the game so much, I decided I need to try and learn it. There is a method to my madness. As he tries to teach it to me, he works on his communication skills, words, thought process, and counting. IF I play, he promises to do a bit of writing therapy also.

Even when Rich's words don't come out correctly, they are generally close enough that I understand what he is trying to say. Sometimes it is an exact opposite and sometimes it is just a strange new word combination.

So he started by trying to teach me to count.

"15 two, ..." he said holding cards out, "15 four, see?"
I did NOT see I saw a Jack a Queen and a 5 of spades.
He moved his hands again putting them down and repeating them.
"Then there is the crib, but since I am just showing it to you..."

It made absolutely NO sense to me so I suggested we bring out the board and he help me play the game until it clicked.

Patience has never been a strong suit of my husband's. So we played and I could see he was getting frustrated that I 'wasn't' catching on right away. However we played until it was nearly dark outside...moving the pegs in a manner that almost made sense and counting in strange and odd ways.

I suggested we take a break while I did chores and made supper.

After supper Rich went back to watching Netflix and I pulled out some paints and chunks of leftover wood. I wanted to see if I could make crackled paint with Elmer's Glue. I wanted to experiment with glue on glass.

I always like to experiment on small things before trying something else. I saw a video on Modge Podge and paint crackling that may be fun to try...with napkins? I don't know.
I also did a dirty acrylic paint pour, which is drying in the basement.

I'm trying to figure out how I will decorate this year for the Christmas-Winter season. Time to gather new sticks and grasses to make bouquets.

I see light fluffy flakes coming down outside. This monday morning is very grey. The Juncos -- Grandma called them Snow Buntings, are busy in my flower bed.

Time to get my new week going.

Maybe I'll have a wild Monday?

Gardens and Fences and stuff

Remember when I gave the neighbor kids a bucket of seeds to toss in the dirt next to the porch?
Well it is blossoming right now. Zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, 4 o'clocks, and green beans all in one place.
The humming birds are swarming the flowers. No need for messy feeders. I can have coffee and watch the hummers fly in and then sit on the pine tree.

Yesterday I figured it would be a piece of cake to finish up the fencing project.

I guess my cake was in shambles.
I took some line we'd used already at one point and strung it out. It all went very nicely until it got tangled up in briers and multiflora rose.

I carefully got it untangled and it got tangled again. Solo fencing is the pits. It goes much faster with another person.
Oh well.

If you look carefully there is a little brown spot in the photo. Two small brown Teddy Bears.
They are my fencing pals. They supervised everything going on at the gate.

I was so excited to get both lines to the 'ridge' road finally!

However I didn't have enough to finish the project and it was time to go check on Rich anyway.  It was close enough to noon to have lunch also.

I put the one gate handle up and took a photo so Rich could see what I was doing.

To turn around the cart and the 4 wheeler, I have to take the yellow cart off and manually turn it around. Then drive the 4 wheeler to the creek where it is wide enough to safely turn around ... and then come back and re-attach the cart and go on my way. This method, while not perfect, has saved me so many trips of carrying heavy items.

I had to stop and admire the flowers by what I now call the Morris Garden. This is where Morris was buried. Flowers do help ease the pain. However, I do know this is where he loved to go first thing every single morning....
Funny how it is such a lovely spot now that he doesn't pee on it.

We had lunch and Rich put the mower deck back together for me. The good intentions were that I would quickly finish the fencing project and then jump on the mower and start on the yard.

I got an email from MIL's cousin telling me that I should go over to Folsom School and check it out. Her husband went there and was doing the painting and cleaning to prepare for a get together and school reunion.

I ran over and took a peek inside the school house.

It is a one room school that operated from 1880 to 1961. I found the little school chairs to be adorable. The atmosphere inside was one of hushed respect. I don't know why I got the feeling but I could almost hear the teachers talking to the classroom full of different aged children.

I wanted to linger but I knew that time was 'a--wasting' as my Grandfather would have said.

Back to the fence. What a job it ended up being. I had to go back once for more wire and then I had to get some of those heavy T posts and pound them in.
My neck and back were feeling the effects of a heavy lifting 'work week' and too many hours driving back and forth to the VA in the car.

Finally! The last thing I have to do is connect the wires to the other fence so the electric pulse will follow through the wires ... and I am done with a project I started over a month ago.

I plan on finishing the work this fall and winter along the barbed wire fence all of the way to the creek and revamping the old fence that Rich had put up somewhere around year 2000.

I consider this a start at least.

After supper, I decided it was too late to begin mowing. So I picked green beans and some pea pods.
I froze 12 packages of green beans and the plants have just begun!