All about Shiver River
“Stachys chamissonis is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name coastal hedgenettle. It is a perennial herb native to the west coast of North America . . .” from the internet.
While out clearing the forest roads of intruding branches and blackberries, I spotted some pretty flowers growing on a bank of Griffith Creek. Unable to identify them using my various apps, I reached out to Mike A. who immediately identified them. Thanks, Mike A.!
Sid, Sandra, Kay, Diana, and Tory attended the annual Benton Small Woodlands Association picnic. Van Decker recounted the history of the Castle Family Forest while we munched our lunches.
Sid finished mowing the field across the ditch.
Sid is doing something while Sandra arranges the new chairs.
A nice trench for the propane feed to the Annex.
Sandra’s hard work pays off!
Why do the pure white animals love the dirt best?
New steps are painted and they look fabulous. Rick will replace the porch itself next and add pavers or tiles at the base of the steps.
We have plans for a woodshed, but no time to build it this year. The canvas shelter will be moved to this location in the meantime. We are expecting 6 cords of wood. This pile is only two.
Sid is thrilled at the thought of the stacking ahead.
Master carpenter Rick at work on the front porch replacement project.
Kay, Sid and Rick test the weight-bearing strength of the new porch.
So sturdy! Painting and non-skid application next.
Kay, Diana and Sandra love the feel of a good ladder.
Having wrestled toddlers and a very strong baby (grandchildren), trimming the bushes in front of the dining room porch was easy-peasy for Diana.
A neck massage is just what the hard-working Sandra wished for.
This is the widowmaker Shane the logger cut. John the woodcutter will make a nice pile of firewood out of it.
Here is the other widowmaker Shane cut for us. He had to take two trees as the leaning tree refused to fall even after being cut.
Grampa Brent’s little garage had residual building materials that Sid and Miss TYM sought to remove. Notice the nice, straight, new downspout on the big garage/barn.
River loam delivery!
River loam about to be distributed.
And then there is mowing … always.
Shane the logger came out and cut the dangerous trees down yesterday.
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.
