Author: Diana Blakney

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Visitors, Logging and a busy August

Bill, Kurt, Kay, Alex, Sid, Diana, Sandra, Judi, Michelle, Sofie and Kevin. Kurt, Sofie, Michelle and Kevin came all the way from Germany to visit Shiver River and their favorite relatives.
Next came Jessica and Noah and their families. A good time to stack wood!
Julius and Will were the most help of all.
Mike the woodcutter split one load of the Shiver River logs he cut for firewood. More stacking in our future!
The logging equipment arrived on Tuesday, August 24.
New seat covers for the Ranger

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Firewood, mulch and logging prep

We only purchased three cords of mixed firewood this time. Here are two cords being delivered.
Third and final cord
Bianca won’t stack firewood and won’t spread mulch either.
Sid is putting a beautiful finish on this door.
Diana admires this tractor at the Benton County fair.
Bill prefers this one
Sigh….Scotch broom
This series of orange tape actually is a message to the loggers from Trout Mountain forester Shane.
Beautiful wasp nest remains near Diana’s boot
Pearly everlasting.

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Edging & fire prep

At Home Depot, getting cement bricks to edge the farmhouse garden
Fire season requires a fire hydrant and a shovel to be onboard the Ranger when we drive around the farm. Our old hydrants need replenishing (every year) so we opted for a new one so we would be compliant immediately.
The shovel handle has to be a certain length or longer. Ours meets the requirements.
Looks great!

After hauling all the edgers to the farm, the truck needed a rest. It is now in the shop.

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New tool, more firewood, and further goings on

Here’s our new bladed brush destroyer!
And here’s the safety helmet that goes with it.
Sid’s demo
More work on the big garage
Sandra is worth more than her weight in labor performance skills!
Sid befriends and feeds worms to a baby swallow that bonked its head on a window.
Not quite ready for prime time.
Mike ran out of diesel while stacking firewood onto the huge flatbed that was abandoned on Henkle Way. Sheriff notified months ago, but owner never found.
Mike mowed a nice path from the Loop trail to Rock Creek.
Perfect spot to wade on Rock Creek
Despite suffering from multiple poison oak rashes from a week ago, Diana bravely faces the wild once again.

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Logging prep and Sandra to the rescue

Another tree comes crashing down … luckily nobody was on the Rock Creek trail when this “widow maker” fell
Sandra is back and is hard at work
Big Blue donated its wood pile to the farm (Tory and Robert have gas fireplaces now)
From Big Blue to the farm
The Starker clear cut has lots of slash piles now
Baby trees will be planted soon.
Dead false brome … sprayed as part of the prep for the thinning scheduled along the loop trail for August.
Timber Harvest Boundary sign posted near the entry to the Loop trail.
Trees marked with blue paint were selected for cutting.

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Big Blue’s owners at the farm

Bianca wisely keeps her distance while Sid, Tory and Robert wait for the honeybees to notice them. This hive is a wee bit more aggressive than the last, and yes … the bees did notice the observers and promptly buzzed Sid.
Bill and Sid found the strength necessary to move a huge beam after Robert and Tory treated all the Aunts and Uncles to a tasty lunch.
The old steps to the small porch died and Sid replaced them with these sturdy fellows.
Can anyone identify this flower/weed? We have been busy learning to identify Poison hemlock, Water hemlock, Cow parsnip, Cow parsley and Yarrow (we already knew how to i.d. Queen Anne’s lace). This one escaped identification UNTIL, after endless searching, Diana figured out it was Celeryleaf licorice-root.
The vetch is pretty, but it will take over given half a chance.
Ox eye daisy and vetch. So pretty.
.Scotch broom? Not pretty to these eyes

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Turbidity mystery solved

The turbidity was from routine maintenance that the City’s Water Operations do every year to clean out sediment accumulated at their intake pipes.  It usually happens in June, before the summer hits and demand for water increases, and after the last of the rains. 

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Mysterious turbidity

Last Saturday evening, Sid smelled and saw turbidity in the pond formed when Griffith Creek flows onto Shiver River property.

This photo is of the spot where the forest road crosses Griffith Creek before it joins Rock Creek.
Rock Creek was heavily affected. This photo is from our bridge.
Rock Creek above Griffith Creek was clear.
By Sunday, Rock Creek was clear again. Photo taken from the bridge.
Jess and Julius enjoyed the view on Saturday, before the stinky turbidity.
Monkeyflowers

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Bees, Rock Creek bathers, and (sigh) Scotch broom

Sawdust delivered and ready for spreading
Replacement bees installed in their new home. They are (for some reason) really angry. Is it possible these are not the easy going Italian bees?
Apparently not … Sid was chased and stung right after I took the first photo!
Abandoning the injured, Bill and Dee head out to tackle Scotch broom.
Alex, the merman
Scarlett, Gabriella’s daughter, enjoys a cold plunge during her and her mom’s holiday at Shiver River.

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