Author: Diana Blakney

The new forest road that bypasses the Rock Creek forest road (the one that has the hole Diana fell in ) is really nice. Sadly, there is a widowmaker on the side of it that looks determined to bonk someone on the head sometime soon. We are halting vehicle traffic on that part of the road as a precaution.

A second widowmaker is along the forest road leading to the Griffith Creek crossing.

In the meantime, the front steps to the farmhouse are rotted and the handrails as well. Rick is going to fix! It is such a blessing to have a talented carpenter on call.

Rotted steps all gone! I’m sure Bianca and the cats are bewildered!

While the bulldozer was out salvaging our windfallen logs, it paused to flatten the entry hill a bit. Then Bob, the fabulous gravel guy put down a nice gravel entry road.

No more muddy entry by the gate.

Sid did a nice job gravelling the walkway to the water pressure entry.

The propane tank for the Annex’s fireplace will go here, hidden by foliage.

Mulch (7 yards of fir sawdust) arrived today.

Not a lot of yellow plums this year, but they look nice and fat.

The space between Bill and Sid is where the temporary housing for Mama M. will go.

Tandem loads! This truck driver is super skilled!

As long as Shane the logger’s bulldozer was doing forest salvage, it also smoothed out the crest of the entry hill to the farm. No more tipping tractor mowing (on that spot anyway).

While at it, the bulldozer also reopened the road that circles the base of the hill the farmhouse sits on. That will allow traffic to stay out of the soggiest part of the winter field.

Uncle Sid shows niece Jessica and grandnephew Julius the honeybee’s house (to which they recently returned).

Julius enjoys honey from the comb.

Of course, no tour of the woods is more fun than a ride in the Ranger.

Jessica has not lost her knack for driving.

Wading in Rock Creek

Safety first! Walking up the Loop trail counter-clockwise.

Tory and Nina posed on what would soon be a much larger pile of logs cut from the trees that fell thanks to the winter storms.

Not a slash pile … it is animal habitat!

One of the loggers watching the cat drag a log to the pile.

No … Nina was NOT allowed to drive the cat.

Trained professional at the helm.

Sid and Nina carefully observed the action.

By the time Bill and Dee arrived, work had ended and will resume Monday.

Fallen log by fallen log, the Loop trail is becoming open for navigation. A must during fire season!

The day’s work.

After two 10 hour days of field mowing, the tractor accidentally sipped diesel laced with rainwater and refused to mow anymore.

Lucky for us, Sid and neighbor Ed drained her tummy and put in fresh diesel.

Bianca made sure all repairs were done correctly.

After repairs and Sid’s oil and other filter replacements, Ms. Tym is purring like a kitten again.

A nice patch of mule ears!

Hawthorne (found on Chip Ross trail) is an invasive as well as a native species. It is generally unwelcome and we do have some on the farm.

Elegant cluster-lily (brodiaea elegans)

Mike takes a quick phone break during his second day of mowing the fields on the farmhouse side of the creek.

Bill and Dee went on a Linn County Small Woodlands tour of a 200 acre property near Lebanon. It consisted of lots of beautiful oak trees and wet prairie.

Rick S. power washed the farmhouse and it looks like new.

Sid and Bill work out (hah!) on a machine someone gave away!

Sid used our super weed cutter to reduce some pesky and invasive blackberry bushes to stubble.

Bill and Bianca at the swimmin’ hole.

There were Monkeyflowers creekside. So pretty!

We walked the perimeter of the field/meadow across the creek and spotted lots of native flowers: Oregon sunshine; Peacock larkspur; Larkspur; Cluster lilies; and lots and lots of Kincaid’s lupine.

As always, Sid is busy working while Bill and Diana take off on a walk with clippers in hand. The Ranger is in the shop (again) trying to get its transmission issue fixed.

This bare spot off the lower field loves to grow Scotch broom. As many times as it has been cleared, Bill found some blooming bushes and I found some new ones that had yet to get old enough to bloom. Constant diligence required!

This field is due to be mowed. Thanks to Woodcutter Mike. He’ll mow the far field in September.

This tender little volunteer seedling has the cutest little tips. I have seen lots of seedlings, but I don’t think I’ve ever observed the little tips that you see on this one.

As we walked around the perimeter of the lower field, we saw lots of cow parsnip. This pretty bloom was into the woods more than the others and the sun caught it just right.

My children tell me that big leaf maple samaras are edible. These look too immature for munching.

From the internet: Western honeysuckle vines (Lonicera ciliosa) are evergreen flowering vines that are also known as orange honeysuckle and trumpet honeysuckle. These honeysuckle vines climb up some 33 feet (10 m.) and decorate the garden with sweet smelling, orange blossoms. What is Western Honeysuckle? This North American native vine produces lovely, fragrant flowers. Bees and hummingbirds love western honeysuckle vines for the fragrant, trumpet-shaped blossoms that are rich in nectar. Kids also love to suck the sweet nectar from the base of a honeysuckle flower.

What a treasure to find in our woods!

Keeping the forest roads/trails clear is an ongoing process.

See how the fallen tree is bending the living tree? Yeow!

Upstream Griffith creek view.

Downstream Griffith creek view.

The pond formed by large wood as Griffith creek enters our property from the watershed is facinating in its complexity.

Pretty wild iris.

Bill looks out over our neighbor’s clear cut. Already replanted!

Some of our blowdown fell onto our neighbor’s property. Farm forester Shane will head up the salvage of the fallen trees beginning in June. Logger Shane will also enhance two small openings within which to plant some Doug-fir.

Our neighbor has already burned its slash piles to make room for the new plantings.

Lots of obstructions to navigation.

The annex looks great.

Bill is done hiking for the day. Sid’s chores are ongoing … short break notwithstanding.

A type of buttercup (ranuncula). Not found at the farm, but it could be there somewhere!

Looking for scotch broom … finding blackberry vines.

This road runs parallel to the replanting. It used to be navigable. Power saw time!

We walked through the plantings, making sure the little trees are doing well. They are!

OK. So we missed the connector from the plantings to the Creek trail. A little bushwhacking never hurt anyone.

Remember this big tree and its rootball that tore a hole in the Creek trail?

Some mystery person (me) fell into the hole while attempting to stand in it to show how deep it is. Fell flat on my back. No harm done, but it took Bill about 15 minutes to get me out! The Creek trail is going to be rerouted as a result of the damage. Our farm forester Shaun was out with Sid, Sandra and I planning the new route.

It really is deep! This is half way through the process of extricating me.

Sandra and the Ranger. What a handsome couple!