Adventures In Homesteading (Day 17)
Hello Everyone!
Working on getting into a writing routine, So much exertion to get around, Water potential, Forest status & A weird wood sculpture!
Alright, I am trying to get into the routine of beginning my daily writing a few hours before sunset... because I really need the extra time to spell things out in a meaningful way. Just getting to where I can write each day has been a feat unto itself... so I may as well do it well... if I am going to do it at all.
This morning I awoke not long after sunrise and spent a good portion of my day chatting up my good neighbor... and then taking care of some other correspondences. I cannot recall what all that I intended to do this morning... but the aforementioned things took up much of the cooler hours... and by noon I was already feeling fatigued from all the hiking around that I did.
Like I alluded to in my previous entries about this place... the terrain is steep, rugged and slippery when damp... but even under ideal conditions it requires a lot of exertion to move around the place... and even more to haul the wagon. The big gulch along the main path is the real bear when it comes to the wagon... and I have learned the hard way that sure it can carry stuff downhill quite easily... but getting back uphill again can be a real struggle.
I am still unsure what I am going to do with that gulch... but for now I have two large oak logs and several long oak logs... that I am thinking to use to construct a bridge with. Basically, I am going to cram a bunch of oak material in between the four cedar posts that I have in the gulch already... and then cover it all with clay and gravel to form an earthen bridge.
From what I can tell the surface water uphill of that gulch has been diverted off to further along the road... so in essence the gulch is now a 'dry gulch' and my 'bridge' should not need any piping or a culvert. Even with that being the case I have still considered running a piece of PVC under the bridge just for good measure... and in case I develop the section of the gulch above the bridge into a small pond.
As much as I might complain about the terrain and especially so all the gulches... I gotta admit that the property handles surface water very well... and the soil stays moist even during drought conditions so it is also retaining water. There is huge potential in developing quite the network of springs, watering holes, small ponds... and possibly one large farm pond near the foot of the hill where two large gulches converge... which is all rather exciting!
There is also a super nice variety of trees and I think that once I get the sweet gum thinned out (as well as some juvenile poplars) that the forest itself will be healthier. It is by far not the worst woodland that I have encountered... but as with many others it was logged at some point... and never properly managed afterwards so there are way too many (small to medium sized) trees all choking each other out.
In regards to invasive plants and trees... I have not seen much aside from two small trees near the road that might be some privet. I made a mental note to go back to it with my phone and get some pictures of it... because there are a few other trees that look very similar to it but are native here.
While I was out and about working on digging in the gulches yesterday... I did take some time to look around for that wild black raspberry plant that I saw... but did not have any luck on locating it. Given that there is still plenty of growing season left to the year... I kind of want to retrieve it from the woods... and get it into a sunnier spot as soon as possible... so that by next spring I will have even more of them.
On a different note. I finally went ahead and gathered up a bunch of random pieces of cedar to make a wood sculpture with... and banged one out late this afternoon before the rain rolled in. Having never worked with cedar for making sculptures... I was pretty happy with its overall 'look' even if the wood was prone to cracking much more than I thought that it would be.
Of course I set the new sculpture up at the edge of my brush wall... so that if you are looking at my camp from the road... you are bound to see it. By itself it is not all that weird or spooky... but I am thinking to make another one (perhaps a humanoid figure) standing next to it that is obviously peculiar and strange.
Well, I am going to call this entry 'good enough' and get on with the editing and posting... so that I can go investigate what massive tree just fell on the back of the property! I hope that everyone is doing well. Ta ta for now.
So glad to see you back online! Have some catch up reading to do...
Update: All caught up. From the pics and your early plans (particularly water) it seems all very promising from a distance by me. Wishing you every success!
P.S.:
Love it! :)
Thanks! Haha yeah 'from a distance' it sure does! The water scenario is promising though. I keep plugging away at it all so maybe by the winter I will have at least one source of water besides rainwater.