I took occasion yesterday to get in the tractor and warm it up, then bowl over the old dog pen that is out in the middle of the yard. It got dark before I finished the task, so there is work remaining today. But it sure is coming along pretty easy, which is great! There used to be goats living there, and they left such a mess that I could not access with the tractor that in some places there was approaching a foot deep in hay debris. Obviously, I am pulling up great compost now. Once the rest of the fencing is down on the far side of the big tree in the middle of the pen, then the tree will come down. It is a poplar tree and it is fully grown. The goats ate the bark off it, and now it is almost completely dead. Call that the last tree in the middle of the yard! I intend for the whole yard to be open and clear for a lawn and room for grandkids to run free.
Speaking of grandkids, we have had both of the newborn granddaughters by this week, and it has been a wonder of a time! I have really enjoyed it! It’s lovely to have little babies around. I love kids, because they are not all screwed up by adulthood! Humans in as pure a form as we can ever get them on this planet. Every little thing people do to try to read in the self-help section, or learn in a church, or go to therapy for, or visit the cinema to watch, is just some means of getting them back to the state these little ones are in. That’s what I love about kids. They are just naturally in that state of open minded-ness, and acceptance of what is going on, perfect imagination, and a willingness to explore, unencumbered by all the stresses of everything that is wrong with the world. I know this is not entirely true for every little one, and I curse the people who make that so. But this week I have enjoyed thoroughly the presence of two who are still pure.
Meanwhile, the father of one and I went to check out the tree-getting situation down where I pick up firewood. I have heard folks all up in a panic because there are fees being applied to those dumping off green waste down at the dump. I worried there would be fees imposed on us picking up tree trunks for our winter heating and hobbies, but alas, it is not to be. They will remain open and free to those removing such from the dumping grounds. We picked up a truckload of wood and talked about what we could do to run a firewood business from there. It really comes down to him getting a trailer and me bringing the tractor down to lift logs onto it.
So, that was yesterday. The sun will come up here soon, and I want to get the rest of that fence up and out of the yard, ready to send away into the somewhere or another that is not where it is now. I want this yard completely cleared before we get our permanent snowfall and freeze on it till April or May. That way, it can begin to repair itself and get itself ready for the lawn to grow back. In my experience it takes two years, and a person will not be able to tell that there was ever anything there at all.
When I rode up from the tree-getting yesterday I found Missus on her way out the door and the neighbor there at the side of the yard, and when I wondered what was up, Missus said he was over to get the goats. Two of our does our off to a new adventure for the price of a large six-string bale of hay each. This will take a bite out of the hay budget for this year, which is a relief I welcome! I want this farm down to just useful animals and not pets. We have so many cats and three dogs, and half a dozen llamas and then there are the goats. Yet despite all this, we still feed mice, and all of the afore listed. I am happy to have the llamas and I’d be happy to have some better help with them come shearing time and such. Since that is difficult, I want the whole farm to be easy as can be otherwise. Why should I be stressing over animal care I can’t get help with?
The tree that I have to cut down is too close to several of our buildings. I may be back on here later telling of disaster. Besides, when does amateur tree cutting ever go right? I’ll do everything I can to refrain from being up on a ladder against the tree. I think there are a couple of branches I can take to narrow the tree and shift its weight. Then I think I can trunk cut it and take the whole remaining down in a whole chunk, so long as I can fell it in the correct direction. I’ll need to sharpen the blade first because I hit the ground on the far side of a log yesterday at the dump. If I don’t ever post again, this whole job went sideways. Here goes something.