Busy Fall Weekends

The weather has been perfect for working outdoors this fall and our main safety concern is being careful with fire because of wildfire danger.  We have had only two frosts, and the first freeze may hit us during the upcoming weekend.  Pretty good for being over halfway through November. Tonight we still have tree crickets talking to us in the woods.



About that dogwood used as background for the cricket. Many years ago a neighbor lady asked me to get a couple of dogwood trees for her. I am the Tree Guy, aren't I?  I'm not in the business, but she was a nice lady, so I dug a couple of nice young saplings in our woods and brought them to the house. I called her and told her to have her son-in-law come and get them, and to plant them for her. She responded that she wanted me to plant them for her. Mind you, her son-in-law lived right next to her, and she evidently had some problem with asking him to plant them. I told her that getting the dogwoods was on her, and if she didn't get them, I would plant them in our yard. She didn't, and I did. So those trees are named after her.

We have torn out the raised beds in the garden, and tilled up the entire area for a regular, old fashioned garden next year. It was much easier to do the larger area with the tractor than to tear up the raised beds and clean up between them.  We also have the wildflower beds sprayed, mowed, and tilled in preparation for seeding in the early spring.


Firewood is a year-round activity, but we do more of it in the fall and winter. We have been bringing wood to the house from the barn, and putting new wood in the barn to dry. That will be going on nearly every weekend until spring.

The first firearm deer season is this weekend, but I won't be hunting.  My primary activity will be watching for trespassers who think that I keep all the deer on this place.