THE SURVEY


this weekend i went down to check on any remaining paw paws, and do a little looking around the property with a focus on identifying locations which might be good for planting the seeds i have. i did a lot of walking, and marked some locations as i walked through. i marked the trails i walked by dropping pins on a google map. later i connected the pins with lines and ended up with a pretty close representation of where the trails are. 

it was an amazing day with great weather. highs in the low 70s the wind was gusty enough that the leaves were blowing out of the trees, and the leaves were big enough, and crunchy enough that it sounded like it was raining. i don't really care for poplar, but i was loving them on saturday. 

there are a number of areas that could be great foraging fields. setting those up should be pretty easy. for now, i just need to plant some wild paw paw trees in the woods. i can do some clearing as i go, but for now the shade will help the paw paw grow.

the beech grove between the field and low loop will make a really gorgeous location. i marked part of it as "sitting garden" because some landscaping could make it a lovely little spot. some of it could be mowed. the rest pretty easily cleared. deciding not to remove what gets cut down will save some work.

i had an idea i am a little excited about. i have dubbed it "passive tree felling." there are a few trees that are blocking sunlight. but for now i don't really need them  totally gone, just no leaves. so i took the machete and cut a ring around it. not sure if it will be enough to kill the tree, but if it is, then it should stand for a while before it falls on its own. that keeps me from having to put in the effort to cut it down, but the real brilliance, i think, is that i won't have to worry about the safety concerns of chopping trees down. also, while it is still standing, it should dry out really well, and be ready to burn. or it will rot, and when it falls, be ready to... rot. 

mom's house had cedar shingles since it was built 40 years ago. it now has blue siding. this is the rear elevation. it's hard to see the cedar go, but it looks so fresh and clean. i really like it. 














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