The November Chill ~

I was expecting to enjoy the same type of weather we had last November - this November! So much for my expectations! Instead of those crisp, sunshine days, we've had almost nothing but bitter cold & wind! I could add the two skiff's of snow we received this last week. There was almost no moisture in them at all. It was just an irritant, to blow off the cars, porches etc.

After getting in at least four beautiful rides November of 21, I've only enjoyed one so far this month... Not enough by a long shot. Instead, we have had a couple days where I could work outside, with thermal pants & a couple layers.

11-5 Marsh looking SW

I ended up raking most of the Marsh. First time for that, as usually the winds blow all the leaves out. It did stay so much greener than higher up on the hillside. The creek is still flowing too.

Friday the 11th, I'd hired a company to come in & cut out all the dead limbs, branches & trees in the woods. It was a new-to-me company & I should have known eough to outline the scope of work in writing. I ended up with two beautiful snags cut down :-( One had been the home of a woodpecker family.

11-5 Our property to the left of the white tape~

It wasn't that there wasn't plenty to cut! Plenty! But none of the wood got hauled out - the excuse being that the ground was too soft. It was, but a wheelbarrow has worked in the past. If equipment can't be used, it doesn't get done. The big windstorm we had in June, made a mess.  The neighbor had to cut down our big Box Elder tree (stump far left) to get the trunk of the huge Locust on the ground. 

11-5 hung-up limbs~

Another Box Elder nearby, had two big limbs broken off, hung up in another tree. I wanted those gone. At least two other trees had large limbs broken. The trails were torn up quite a bit, just getting the chipper down the hill. I was told it wasn't big enough to chip up all the limbs.

11-11 -After

Instead, it was decided the rounds & limbs etc. could be laid out where they thought they looked good. Not the look I wanted. I'd asked that anything left, be cut to a size I could move. I must I look stronger than I thought!  

Sunday the 13th, I worked on the Marsh again. I'd had two trees taken down there. One long dead by the creek & the other a Mulberry with insect bore holes in the trunk. It was still growing every year & too close to our south fence.

11-13 SE corner, no mess here!

I raked up what was left of the small branches, what a difference it makes. Just doing things by hand. The dead tree had been a Silver Maple & had been dying off when I first cleared this area.

11-14 Start of my cleanup~

Monday, I went back into the woods... I'd delayed long enough. All the sedum's & hosta's I've planted along the edge of the trail were well smashed manuvering the chipper & track skid loader in/out. All of this to be left with a small pile of chips. Most from the pile of smaller limbs I'd made since the storm.

11-16 Looking SE

I was out again Wednesday afternoon. It had warmed up just enough that wearing thermal lined gloves, my hands didn't freeze. Where to put it all was the problem. I finally decided to try to make it work - re-establish the edge of the trail & curve of the hillside.

11-16 View SW

By the end of the afternoon, things were looking a little better. I've still a lot of work to do before I can use the chips to cover some of the bare earth on the trails. It won't go very far. I'm using some of the leaf debris to throw over the bare, beaten ground where the flowers were. It will be interesting to see if the root systems are hardy enough to survive.

Tinkle Branch Trail~

The far west end of the woods is much more open than before the storm. A new look that will be less barren when spring rolls around again.  

Ode to the Golds~

 After two days of rain & very gray days, the sunshine was so welcome!   With a couple cooler nights, the trees are reaching the height of their color.  I could spend all my time just sitting out.  Such a glorious afternoon, I had to capture the moment.

Long Shadows~

I have spent a lot of it working out.  The soil is so soft, it's easy to pull weeds.  A friend also gave me several of her big healthy rhubarb starts!  The one's we've purchased have never taken hold.  I'm hoping  local plants will do better.  

Looking west~

Now that all the of the bush honeysuckle, with it's green leaves, are gone, the trees take center stage.  The orange of the still blooming marigolds, accent the shades of autumn.  40 mph wind gusts, did take a toll on many of the colorful trees around town.  The wind also managed to take down the biggest of the dead snags at this end of the woods.  It hung up in a smaller tree, but otherwise didn't do any damage.  More work with the chainsaw & more firewood.

Lower Corner~

We're to have at least one more beautiful day, before the temperatures drop & the wind returns.  Next weeks forecast is for the mid-40's.  Chilly, especially if we have wind.

The Owls~

It's been a almost a year now, since I brought these owls home from WA.  I'm planning a trip up north, maybe for the holiday's, but it will depend on Butch's schedule.

Along Tinkle Branch Trail~

Today, I started transplanting some of the daylily's.  One splurge on an expensive variety - Green Inferno - has yet to produce blooms.  My guess, is not enough sun, we'll see if the move helps.

Top of the hill~

Last week I attended a presentation by Shirley Miller, Mills County Master Gardener Coordinator.  Shirley's topic was Iowa Native Flowers.  The slideshow was totally inspiring.  The biggest challenge for me again - is understory shrubs.  We moved the remaining three serviceberry's planted by the Cabin, down to the edge of the woods.  I'm hopeful they'll recover & add some reds in a season or two.

Almost Halloween, October has gone by way too fast!  

Cabin Finished, Summer Woods~

 When we received news of Courtney & Mason's upcoming, early July visit, we had just enough time to get the ceiling in the Cabin finished.  It was a lot more work than I anticipated, when I came up with the idea...  Many thanks to my husband, for all the ladder time it took to complete my vision.

Blue jar collection above the door~

We added a small window AC unit we use on the warmer days.  With all the insulation, once it's cool inside, it stays that way for a long while.  The red bow saw has been with us forever, the green one was my Dad's.  

Wood Shed & Saw, 9-28-2007

The CO license plates were also from Dad's, he had one for his birth year & another for Mom's.  Our last WA State Parks plate  found a spot too.

Swan collection out of boxes!

Most of my swan planter collection is finally out of the boxes!  It was almost like Christmas, unwrapping each one.  It was Mason & his sister Cassidy who helped me wrap & box them prior to our move.  Mason was also happy to find the jar of butter mints on the dresser :-)  After Mason's bout with cancer, it had been three-years since any of the Peters family had visited us.

Timber Trail~

We're now well into our hottest time of year...  Mid to upper 90's with crazy high humidity.  On last evening's local weather - it was reported that one acre of corn sweats 4,000 gallons of water a day!  That sure explains our humidity!

Looking West~

I had some catching up to do in the woods after Courtney & Mason left for home. Good thing, since keeping busy kept me from being so lonely for them... I've spent the last couple days weed -whacking along the creek. Then, there's the mowing. It's been great that our neighbor has taken an interest in keeping her portion cut down too!

Day lily's blooming at the Lowlands~

The red Day Lily's I panted last season are in full bloom now.  They add such a bright spot of color to the green landscape.

View from the bench~

Butch bought me the little bench for Mother's Day & I love it.  Nika & I will have a place to sit on our winter walks too!  (Stall matts do come in handy for a variety of purposes!)

North on the Cabin Cut-off trail~

I've been watering again too.  Not a lot, but enough to hopefully keep just a little moisture in the ground.  The far left end of the photo is the last section of the hillside I planted, along the Cabin's north property line.  It's a year behind the rest, but catching up quickly.

HoT!

Squirrely isn't happy about the heat, but the ferns love it!  I'm watering my outside flowers once in the morning & again at night before bedtime.  We've been promised some moisture by the end of this week & cooler weather for the first of Aug. 

Breezy had been at the Bike Rack in Omaha, since Sat. for new tire liners.  We finally picked her up yesterday, only to find out they were short one liner, so only one tire was done.  Now, it's another wait for the additional liner to arrive next week...  In the meantime, I hope to get in a ride at least by the weekend!

Summer Begins ~

 Spring is gone, summer is here.  With it, the heat & humidity have returned.  We're again just over four-inches below normal for rainfall.  Thursday evening a thunderstorm with strong wind gusts rolled through.  Many trees sustained damage, but ours were fine.  Another storm came in last night.  Our rain gauge says we've received over 1.5" so far.  It's not Nika's favorite time of year :-(

Tinkle Branch Trail~

I've been braving the humidity to get caught up with all the weed-whacking, edging & mowing.  Butch had been hauling water for the  plants in the woods.  

Beautiful, but very invasive~

This year, the dominate ground covers seem to be a lime green grass, (above & yet to be identified),  Violets & Creeping Charlie.   I've managed to control the stinging nettles & mowing keeps the weeds from going to seed.

Edge of the Woods~

In March, a big wind storm blew my gold stainless gazing ball away...  Weeks later, I was working at the SE corner, along the creek, when I looked down to see it floating in the water!  It had been stopped by a small jam of branches!  Dirty & almost full of water, Butch waded in to recover it!

Polish Spirit Clematis~

It's been a struggle, but the Clematis I planted on the Cabin light post is climbing & blooming this year!  The Echinacea are in full bloom & I'm expanding their area.  I love seeing the butterflies visit.

Mr. Snapping Turtle returned to the marsh.  He dug a deep hole, coming & going for several weeks.  It makes all the work worth while, seeing the changes the last year has made, in both the Marsh & the Woods.  Almost all of last years plant starts, have come up.  The biggest disappointment has been the ferns.  I'd transplanted so many - evidentially our harsh winter killed them off.

The Marsh~

The young trees struggling for light, when trying to compete with the Honeysuckle, are now growing!  Most are Ash, but there are three Catalpa trees! The one behind the signpost is so beautiful!  The shade the large leaves provide is perfect for the hosta's I've planted along the old log.  The blooms are big & showy.  

My friend Laura, offered me large leaved hosta's she didn't need, from the front of her house.  I made several trips & have planted at least 25 starts on the hill in the woods!

6-4-2021 The view~

The Pyrus calleryana Chanticleer tree we planted April 12th, is doing fine.  It doesn't seem to mind the heat & will provide much needed shade for the south side of the house.  The tree is famous for it's fall color, too.  Speaking of fall, this year, I plan to stay close to home.  I'm looking forward to the crisp days & time on the trail, I missed last year.

Rain - Wind~

I looked out at the Woods during the height of the wind/rain event last weekend & the view wasn't what I'd expected... One of the dead trees on the far side of the creek, had come down.  The last few gray days, continued the spell of big winds, cold & damp. Everyone was complaining - even the weatherman! Dismal - far from the taste of spring we had a week ago. 

Regardless, I went out to see just how much work we'd have to do. I could hardly walk. My leg & both knees were giving me such fits, I was starting to wonder if my mobility will be more compromised than I've expected. Butch took me out for a meal & trying to keep up with his walk made me feel like a squaw - limping along behind :-(

Today~

But today - the sun returned! I could never move back to the never-ending gray days of WA now!  I'm back to being a sun worshiper!  Above, is the dead snag from the far side.  The squirrels & racoons have a new bridge!

The second snag, down~

The one above really made me unhappy though!  It managed to hit right on the exact center of the glass post cap on the signpost!  It was broken to bits!  (At least the post & sign weren't damaged.)  When I was down there today, I found two pieces, but there should be at least two more, someplace.  I'd emailed Island Post Cap, but hadn't heard back, so I put in a call yesterday.  My replacement was already in the mail!  What a great service!

A miss!

It did manage to miss one of my remaining, surviving Rhody's!  As you can see in the photo below, there are two other big dead snags.  I'm surprised they didn't come down too.  I wanted to leave them up - but am now reconsidering.  The honeysuckle was sucking the life out of these woods.  At least the Walnut trees are healthy.

Two more to go~

Now, when navigating the woods & stepping over logs, I have to remember my left leg doesn't go up as far as it should.  Instead, my foot hangs up on whatever I'm going over & the result is a faceplant.

The last week, Karen took a fall & managed to break her right arm.  Doris fell too, but came away mostly unscathed.  I told them both - we are done falling!  Done!  Spring is so close - I can smell it today!  The greens are returning - none too soon!

Sparkling ~

 Sparkling - a day full of sunshine & the sparkle of fresh snow!  A good day to end what's been a difficult year. I had some disappointment yesterday.  My leg lost the three cm's I'd worked so hard for.  Back to 109 & more swollen.  It would have also been my mother's 89th birthday.  I was sad.  Mary Jo told me she'd gone snow-shoeing, something else I've always wanted to do...  Maybe next winter?

The Woods~

The one thing I can do - is walk!  It's a halting, painful, gimpy walk, but it gets me out!  I put on the new warm socks Butch got me for Christmas & my tall uninsulated snow boots.  It was a chore to get my foot & ankle pushed into them, but I did it!

One of our birds :-)

Waiting until after lunch, it had warmed from the early morning 6°, up to 28. Fresh air would help me out of my funk. The blanket of snow has quieted our world down.  I could almost hear the snow crystals tingling.

East along Tinkle Branch~

Only a rabbit had gone this way, as I looped down the trail from the Cabin.  Funny how he followed the trail.

Trail marker~

It was so pretty along the creek, the snow giving it such a pristine look.

Flowing clear & cold~

I had to take my insulated gloves off to take photos, then put them back on again to warm up my fingers!  Somebody was waiting for me when I came back in the lower gate!

Nika~

Honestly, I may be prejudiced, but the most beautiful Buhund in the state of Iowa!  I tell her that all the time!

Running for me!

It's a good thing she's not any bigger than she is!  I would have been knocked off my feet!  She positively loves fresh snow!  Of course, she sheds non-stop, but just in the past few weeks grew in her thick winter undercoat!

A perfect pose~

Of course I was led back up the hill to the house.  I hadn't taken my walking sticks, it was a little difficult.  I told Nika she might have to pull me up!  The sunshine on the deck felt warm, but of course Nika wanted in.  Either in - or - out - she gets a cookie!  :-)

First Snow ~

 Yesterday started out cloudy.  But by mid-afternoon the rain came; a nice, slow, soaking rain.  Temperatures dropped, the wind picked up & last night - the snow started.

The Cabin~

Butch had to drive the wrestlers to Sioux City, two hours north. Since they left early, he didn't have time to clear the walks. I walked out front to find ice from the rain beneath the snow, just about impossible to shovel.

Sun dropping behind the hill~

Later this afternoon, things started to drip a little.  I managed to get my foot into my boot, put on gloves & decided to do what I could do.  With only maybe 2-3", it had gotten wet enough to be heavy.  I did our walkway (Butch had taken down the ramp last weekend!).  

100% weight bearing, doesn't mean my knee is working yet.  But the repair is healed & I can load the leg.  It's tight, painful & I constantly try to stretch it out.  My 90+ degree angle had not changed since last week.  I now have PT twice a week & try to meet Doris at the Y twice a week too.  I'm going to keep on keeping on - until I can get full rotation on my stationary bike & walk without a limp!  

Edge of the woods~

I started down the sidewalk & worked my way over to & past the Cabin.  Butch has the materials now to do the ceiling.  Possibly a project for the first of the year.  I have the little tree up & we go out at least a couple evenings a week.

Cabin cheer~

It was cold enough my hands were getting numb.  I'll be getting out my insulated gloves next time.  It feels so good to get any kind of outdoor exercise.

Cabin porch~

Crunching through the snow, this is the first year I've had clear views of the woods, with snow.  Last season there were still piles of cut honeysuckle.  We didn't have any snow until January.

Sunset~

With the sun so far to the south, I love watching as it moves lower over the ridge.  Of course the temperature drops with it - so I gimped my way rapidly back to the warmth of the house!

Day's of Long Shadows~

The weather continues to be glorious. I would be so happy to be out on the trail riding Speedy, appreciating every minute of the ever shortening days.  Alas, I've taken my walking sticks out of the closet & put them to use. I feel so much more mobile. They are much easier than pushing & lifting, the walker around. 

Woods~

Thankful - I can get close to nature without leaving home. Walking in the woods, is challenging, yet so rewarding. With the sun so far to the south, the shadows stretch far across the leaf strewn ground.  Tomorrow, we go see Sam Phillips, MD who will hopefully set me free of the walker.  I'm now at eleven-weeks since my first surgery! 

Looking east from the west end of the woods~

I was discouraged to find one of the little trees we'd planted two-years ago by the far property corner, destroyed by a deer. Broken in half, with branches on the ground, it was easy to know what had done the deed.

Santa Flag~

It's impossible not to be outside! Our weather is due to change this weekend, we'll be saying goodbye to temperatures in the 60's & I'll miss them!

Tinkle branch running clear along the Marsh~

The grass is still green, a neighbor was mowing this afternoon.  Getting up & down the hill is my exercise for the day!  

Nika, a year ago today, brush piles everywhere~

Nika is mad I'm not taking her with me, but I can't handle the sticks & her leash too.  Soon though - we'll be back to doing our winter walks!  In 2018, by later in the month, we were well into winter mode.  Most of December last year was beautiful too, so it's easy to be lured into thinking winter will be mild.  We're so dry, I don't think anyone will complain if we see moisture.