Enter At Your Own Risk

Twostep said:
They may have brought in wet cones which dried in your attic.
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Hmmm...maybe so.

The crew came yesterday to haul off the barn materials. I have the greatest respect for these young men, ages 25, 18, and 16 (brothers). They had to carry it all a good distance, up and downhill across rocky rugged ground to the trailer to haul away. $160 labor for four hours of hard work for three people. I would have paid five times that amount because I doubt many other people would even agree to do this, at all. Add to that $70 for the dump fee and $70 for trailer rental, which was filled to the top. $300 total. It is about two thirds done. They will return another day to finish. This job is being fitted in between other larger jobs. Fine with me.

I have another young man who does landscaping, tree downing, clearing (same family as above). He has done work for me before, felling and hauling away dead trees. I have asked him to come help me decide what to do with the back property (where the barn was). Mostly it is dry, rocky, dead brush. I walked it again yesterday. There is a very large bush, dead I think, that I was sure I wanted to take out. While standing there looking at it, I noticed two chipmunks moving around in it. So...maybe it will stay there. It had not occurred to me that some of this may be wildlife habitat. The only animals I have seen back there are grasshoppers and the neighbor's cows when they escaped through the fence.

I can see where others before me have planted things back there and it has all died for lack of water and poor soil. I may just remove the dead stuff, or most of it, and let nature have it back.

Still cold but next week is supposed to warm up. Meanwhile, I have resorted to sudoku.
 

GoodEnuff said:
filled to the top. $300 total. It is about two thirds done. They will return another day to finish. This job is being fitted in between other larger jobs. Fine with me.

I have another young man who does landscaping, tree downing, clearing (same family as above). He has done work for me before, felling and hauling away dead trees. I have asked him to come help me decide what to do with the back property (where the barn was). Mostly it is dry, rocky, dead brush. I walked it again yesterday. There is a very large bush, dead I think, that I was sure I wanted to take out. While standing there looking at it, I noticed two chipmunks moving around in it. So...maybe it will stay there. It had not occurred to me that some of this may be wildlife habitat. The only animals I have seen back there are grasshoppers and the neighbor's cows when they escaped through the fence.

I can see where others before me have planted things back there and it has all died for lack of water and poor soil. I may just remove the dead stuff, or most of it, and let nature have it back.

Still cold but next week is supposed to warm up. Meanwhile, I have resorted to sudoku.
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:| I paid 3k to have one tree taken down --he didn't even remove the stump. One tree. I oughta be beat with the stupidity stick.
But it was a big cottonwood, could have come down on the house.
 
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gruntlabor said:
:| I paid 3k to have one tree taken down --he didn't even remove the stump. One tree. I oughta be beat with the stupidity stick.
But it was a big cottonwood, could have come down on the house.
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Yes, Been there at another house. Not fun!

Nothing that large is dead (yet). Mostly it is aspens, juniper, and scrub oaks. The aspens are tall but single trunk and easy to fell. The hard part is, again, dragging it all out. And it has been neglected for many years, so work here has piled up. This outside labor intensive stuff is better done now while the weather is cool, before the summer heat. Luckily, the snow is all melted for now. But...it is snowing as I type this so ???

I wasn't planning on getting this all done so soon. However, the young men in this family are all such hard workers and are trying to get their own businesses going. I am doing my best to keep them busy; however, it seems word has gotten out and their customer base has greatly expanded. Dang. Best of all is they are my next door neighbors.
 

Strange day yesterday. It snowed off and on most of the day but the little bit that did stick also quickly melted. Sun was shining and it was snowing. I didn't go out much except with the dogs.

I see this morning that Home Depot (which which I have no affiliation) has Milwaukee tool sets on sale. I have most of those tools already but they are Ryobi. Milwaukee is higher quality. It's a 70 mile drive one way to HD. Trying to decide if I want to go or if I even want to get that better tool set. Well, rather if I "need" it; of course, I want it. Seems I have been hiring people to do harder chores, anyway. BUT...I do like tools. Hmmm.... Nothing to do today. Maybe a trip to HD? That would be fun.

When my late husband and I were first married, on our first wedding anniversary he asked me if we could go out on that day to celebrate. I was so impressed that he remembered and said, "Yes". The day came and we went to the grand opening of the new Home Depot near our house. No joke. It was a portend of things to come which actually worked out great. Except that I caught the Tool Virus. No vax for that unless the tariffs do the job.
 
Not much going on. Taking it easy the last few days because of this back threatening to go on strike.

Yesterday, I did go out to the other side of the creek to do some clean up. Raked up the main path, four bags of mostly pine needles and cones with more to be bagged, probably today. I decided to clear out some of the underbrush close to the paths myself just to see how difficult it would be. That was interesting. I have no idea what this brush is. If a limb touched the ground, it grew roots. Anyway, I cleared that one small area, probably 6' x 6'? Took about an hour to do and surprisingly wasn't difficult.

One thing I love about this area is there are no venomous snakes hiding in the brush just waiting for you to stick your hand in there. I didn't do any of this last year and the leaves are very thick, perfect place for those rascals to hide. Not to mention the rocks. *shiver*

It was in the high 60's yesterday and predicted to reach high 70's over the next ten days. This is very unusual for this time of year. I hope it doesn't melt all the snow up above, all at once, which created a flood two years ago. Maybe I should fill more sandbags.

Back out there this morning. It's so nice after being hunkered down inside all winter.
 
Yesterday was a short work day of cleaning up the brush/leaves/pine needles that were raked out the day before. Today will be a short day, too. I have an appointment this afternoon.

It was beautiful weather and I thought how unfortunate it is that my dogs can't be trusted off-leash. They are cooped up inside while I am out there enjoying the day. I decided to bring them out, one at a time, and tether them to a tree near where I was working. The younger one spent the first 10-15 minutes at the very end of that rope, straining to chase after whatever she thought was out there. She did eventually settle down and stood guard.

At one point, a cat (the same one that caught the squirrel last week) walked through some distance away and yes, she saw it and went crazy wanting to go after it. A wild turkey walked through, on the other side of the creek. Either she didn't see it or by that time she realized she couldn't get away. Those things are very large and their talons are deadly. Perhaps I should carry some form of defense? The predators that are a real threat are usually night hunters.

The older shih tzu figured it out very quickly and just laid down on the mat I had taken out there for him and watched me work. He doesn't like roughing it, lol, but he didn't seem to mind being out there. These days, he just mostly sleeps.

This morning, I will do some dead grass clearing, tall stuff from last year. Hopefully, the grass coming in underneath it will thrive. Lots of plants/trees budding out. Risky business this time of year.
 
My experience in botany/gardening is limited to lawn maintenance at suburban homes. You know, mowing, fertilizing, watering, etc. So a lot of what I am finding here in the mountains of Western Colorado is new to me.

I was using the weed eater and came upon a spot where a few large stems were growing. I stopped, grabbed the clippers and started cutting them off. Discovered about six other stems growing horizontally on the ground, under last year's dead grass, laid flat by snow. They were like 3-5 feet long, no leaves, no visible roots, just these long 1/2"diam branches. Maybe they were laid flat by heavy snow? It would have happened in a previous year because last year's dead grass was laid down on top of it.

This project has given me new eyes in how I see things around me. Now, when I walk the property, it looks different. My perspective has changed. Not sure what to do with that yet. How much should be left in its natural state? Should it be "cleaned up"? I will finish this one small section and stop, except to take out dead stuff, which is probably a lifetime commitment. Then again, maybe leave the dead stuff to decay and rejuvenate the soil. Decisions decisions.
 
GoodEnuff said:
My experience in botany/gardening is limited to lawn maintenance at suburban homes. You know, mowing, fertilizing, watering, etc. So a lot of what I am finding here in the mountains of Western Colorado is new to me.

I was using the weed eater and came upon a spot where a few large stems were growing. I stopped, grabbed the clippers and started cutting them off. Discovered about six other stems growing horizontally on the ground, under last year's dead grass, laid flat by snow. They were like 3-5 feet long, no leaves, no visible roots, just these long 1/2"diam branches. Maybe they were laid flat by heavy snow? It would have happened in a previous year because last year's dead grass was laid down on top of it.

This project has given me new eyes in how I see things around me. Now, when I walk the property, it looks different. My perspective has changed. Not sure what to do with that yet. How much should be left in its natural state? Should it be "cleaned up"? I will finish this one small section and stop, except to take out dead stuff, which is probably a lifetime commitment. Then again, maybe leave the dead stuff to decay and rejuvenate the soil. Decisions decisions.
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I like your step by step approach. That is how we handled our property in Georgia which was part of a farmstead but unused for 50 years. Around the house was the first summer's target.
 
Twostep said:
I like your step by step approach. That is how we handled our property in Georgia which was part of a farmstead but unused for 50 years. Around the house was the first summer's target.
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Yes. I did do a bit more clearing yesterday. It is hard to change thinking on this. Clearing the layers of dead leaves and pine needles will give the wild grass underneath a chance to grow. IF it is irrigated, creating more work which I may not be able to do in the future. It has been gratifying to do this. Keeps me busy and moving and outdoors in this unseasonal gorgeous weather. Next week will be back to high of low 50's. There will be more snow, a good thing as we need the water.

I would like to work on the small front garden, where five or six lilies or tulips are coming up! This area has also been neglected and has real potential to make something very pretty. Unfortunately, there is a stone/concrete wall next to it that will require tearing out and replacing this summer so anything done there now will probably be destroyed in the process. Best to let that wait.

Today will be bagging up yesterday's piles and hauling them to the front where refuse truck can pick them up. There are a few smaller garden-type projects that need attention that will keep me busy for the morning.
 
Do any of the neighbours do controlled burns? It’s not something you’d want to take on without experienced help. Probably too late for this year.
 
Twostep said:
Grass will not grow well if at all under pines.
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That is very true. There is a very large blue spruce in the front "yard" and not even weeds will grow under it. Very thick and dense and NO sunlight gets through the branches. There are a couple of other places here that are the same way. I heard that the acidity of the pine needles prevents anything from growing. However, I looked that up and found that when the needles degrade, they lose that acidity. I think it's because there is NO sunlight. There are others (different types) where sun can get through or can shine in from the side because the lower branches have died and fallen off. Grass and other wild plants do grow under there IF one keeps the leaves (from other surrounding trees) and needles cleared out.

The other issue is water. If a tree is close to the creek, it is very large, very dense, very beautiful! Those that are farther away don't do so well. Previous owners did (legally) irrigate some areas with water from the creek. In fact, that is what I worked on yesterday. The neighbor is upstream and uphill from me. Lines can be placed in the creek at his place so that water can be brought down here by gravity. It is a very primitive system but it works. Requires some attention. We met yesterday and came up with a plan. Today we are going to get more of the PVC lines and hoses needed. I am thankful that he is willing to do this.

Running parallel to the large creek, about 20 feet away, is a very small creek-let. It's a small ditch-like waterway, maybe 8 inches deep and wide. Most of the time it is dry. When the water level in the large creek is high, it overflows into the little creek from a spot on the neighbor's property. When we were out there yesterday, he was surprised to see there was water flowing in the little creek because at his place it was dry.

We walked it and there is a small low-lying area between us where it is usually just "swampy" but now water is seeping up from the ground and filling the little creek. Perhaps it is a seasonal underground spring, maybe a higher water table right now due to snow melt? It is very unusual for it to be running this time of year.
 
Jules said:
Do any of the neighbours do controlled burns? It’s not something you’d want to take on without experienced help. Probably too late for this year.
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Yes. I have seriously considered this. Not too late either. There are two areas where a burn could be done safely. I would have to be out there the entire time, nobody to help. And honestly? The idea just scares me! Normally, I am not a fearful person but the idea of wildfire gets my heart rate up. I just pay for it to be hauled away.

Call me a sissy, lol.
 
GoodEnuff said:
At age 46, 120#, I quit smoking, gained 78# over the next two years; then diabetes raised its ugly head. Joined Weight Watchers and that helped me get down to a healthy weight, along with smoking again. But no diabetes! They tell you "you may gain a little weight, 5-10#". Bull. And even after two years, I still had the cravings. They never stopped. (I have been smoking for 58 years.)

Quit for four months for a surgery, gained ten pounds. Started again after healing from the surgery, lost five pounds of it and held there until October, 2023, when I decided to quit smoking again. THIS time I was determined not to gain weight and be faced with diabetes; diabetes scares me much more than anything smoking can do. So out came the food scale, measuring cups/spoons, nutrition guides, etc. Limited myself to 1,000-1200 kcal/day. When I started, weight was 135#. Actually lost weight, to 113#, which was way too much. And started smoking again at Quit Day 70, after completely losing it and destroying some solar lights outside and did some damage to the fence with a galvanized steel pipe.

The medical community does absolutely nothing to help. Chantix turned me into a monster. Tried meditation, exercise, music, accupuncture, massage, hypnosis, the state quit-line program. I can recite in my sleep "Set a quit date; tell friends and family so they will support you (no, they won't); use nicotine replacements (here, have some of the drug to which you are addicted); chew gum; stay busy" blah blah blah. NONE of that helps! In fact, some of it actually worked against me. Tell someone and then when you slip up and smoke, they will smear your face in that failure.

The only thing that worked to help control the mood swings the first time I quit was ativan, an anti-anxiety drug that is very addictive. I don't want to do that again and possibly exchange one addiction for another. No thank you. Nothing helps with the extreme anxiety and anger brought on by quitting. I am thankful that I live alone.

So, today is Day 1 of another quit attempt. Five hours since my last cigarette, nico patch in place. The food scale etc is out on the counter. I do have two more pounds to lose from the last couple of weeks of eating the wrong things. Then back to normal-for-me meals, just to maintain.

I can already feel my heart rate increasing and the anxiety building as I sit here typing this. In reading over this for typos, etc., parts of it are confusing so now, enter the brain fog. Not sure if it's worth it. Because as so many say, it doesn't get better after a week or two. It didn't get better after two years! And I'm not sure I have the strength to go through this much suffering at this time in my life.
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if it helps to keep talkin it through keep goin - I worked in an addiction unit once and watched lots of colleagues trying to quit - yep keep talkin buddy we iz listening. there is no easily solution you sorta have to find your own - tried suckin any high octane sweets??
 
GoodEnuff said:
Yes. I have seriously considered this. Not too late either. There are two areas where a burn could be done safely. I would have to be out there the entire time, nobody to help. And honestly? The idea just scares me! Normally, I am not a fearful person but the idea of wildfire gets my heart rate up. I just pay for it to be hauled away.

Call me a sissy, lol.
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No, you are not a sissy but a cautious landowner.
 
smiley said:
if it helps to keep talkin it through keep goin - I worked in an addiction unit once and watched lots of colleagues trying to quit - yep keep talkin buddy we iz listening. there is no easily solution you sorta have to find your own - tried suckin any high octane sweets??
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I finally found the thought process that works (so far) for me. It is like food. Certain foods are a Big No and that is what I tell myself. No, you cannot have that. Get over it. And that is how I have been thinking about cigarettes. It's just a No and that's the end of the conversation. Yes, I do still have cravings, usually situational. I have been using gum and tic tacs. It helps. Soon I will try to wean myself off of those.

Working outdoors has helped a lot. I know winter hasn't breathed its last but for now, lots has been done and still more to do. It'll probably never be finished.
 
This week has been spent concentrating mostly on irrigation, which means working closely with my uphill/upstream next door neighbor. Water is being "siphoned" from the creek and gravity fed downhill to my place. It will require some maintenance so I am learning about it. It has also meant designing ways to water certain areas without having to drag hoses around too much. I need to get a couple more hoses today. Another trip to town.

In the midst of all of this, I must have left the gate open and little Chloe went on a jaunt by herself. Scared the crap out of me. She did show back up after about 15 minutes. The wild turkeys have been around here in abundance lately. And a night out there alone would probably be her end. *shiver* She does have a tag on her collar with her name and my phone number. Luckily, she is enamored with the neighbors and their animals and that is where I found her.

Trash service comes today to take away 22 bags of yard debris. That's in addition to the 12 bags last week. In a day or two, the irrigation system should be running and focus will change to taking out a few small dead trees and limbing some others.

Soon, the siding project will start again; this time I will hire it out and it should be finished in a couple of weeks. Some concrete work is included in that project. It will be a relief to have that finished.
 
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