The Elysian Fields

So today was the makeup day for the string-trimmer fest set for last Saturday... naturally, no rain in the forecast last night... ummm, early this morning... and, naturally, when I wake up it's "light showers" and everything is wet.

Cold and wet, no less. While I was loading the truck it looked, for a moment, like it was debating being snow, or at least ice.

Just took the one string trimmer - the heavy duty one is currently down and out. I think it has some homemade varnish in the tank. I had it running the other day and it actually kept going for a few minutes. Couldn't get it started, and you don't want that when you're half mile along the trail.

aequitaslevitas was out of commission - he caught the cold that Mr. B had, and he caught it from Rachel - so it was a solo mission.

Joined up with a couple of the guys from the Allentown Hiking Club on-site, though, and we took to the trail. Apparently, just before I pulled up, I missed the golden eagle - or a large immature bald eagle - that hung around at eye level off the side of the parking lot. (You can kind of see the view in this shot of aequitaslevitas from back in July.

It was still raining when we were getting ready, but that stopped at some point in the first thousand feet or so of the trail. Shortly after that, I realized I'd better go back and grab the gas can so I could minimize the distance backtracked for fuel. Also removed the coat, on account of no rain and plenty of warmth.

Most of the trail was cleared nice from our earlier efforts so there were spots we could just cruise through. Trailhead to trailhead, on the access road, is more than a mile, so the trail - which goes up and down the side of the ridge - is probably on the order of 1.5 to 2 miles. Much fun lugging along a metal two gallon tank of gas and a string trimmer! Might look into a gas backpack (they make them for wildfirefighters) sometime down the line.

Found a bear run - or, possibly, it might have been made by a hippopotamus or a 500 lb. otter. It was a clearer trail - and flatter! - then the one we were making. Looked like a three to six foot wide streamroller went down the mountain.

Found coyote tracks on the mile-plus hike back to the truck

During the debriefing with Dan back at the Osprey House, we had an immature bald eagle give us a nice flyby. Of course, the camera was back at the truck. Oy.

Had a falcon or hawk outside the bedroom window later in the afternoon, but when I went out with the camera, the only thing I saw were mushrooms and fall foliage. I couldn't even get a bead on the crows that circled when I was going in!

Justin finished off fertilizing the back lawn - we didn't have time for him to mow as well. We were discussing how many frequent mowings are better than letting it turn into a jungle and then hacking it down, and how it would nice if we had a new mower that could trim a little bit higher for healthier grass. He said my mother has her yard kept down to the lowest height, and thinks we need a new mower so we can trim at a lower height.

( Lawncare PSA: Most people cut their grass way too short... )

( Meadow planted! )

Crocus really are multiplying, still in their small little local areas. Maybe next fall I'll plant a bunch more, probably scattering them even more. The first round I planted in groups of three, but given the way they spread, they'll do better in single spots.

Greens from the bluebells, grape hyacinth, iris, and Rachel's tulips have appeared - hopefully the bluebells and tulips will actually bloom this year. One of the elderberries is also showing some low green growth - hopefully it will remain unnoticed until I get the sprayer and can apply the anti-rodentdeer juice.

The black pussy willow - which gets hit pretty hard by the rodents - actually put out a single, dark, velvety catkin. We'll see if the spray treatment can keep the deer from eating all the buds this year - since it's inedible (to us,) it was treated last year with the 2-year systemic tablets, and they did nothing to disuade deer from the tasty leaves, buds, and stems.

Nothing planted yet for this season - still a bit early for that. Not much actually planned - a test order from a nursery I haven't tried before (hemlock for hiding the highway, some winterberry holly for bird feeding, some sycamore because they're beautiful, and two evergreens for the foundation) and a Forest Farm order that mostly completes the backbone plantings for the foundation (evergreens for the front and oakleaf hydrangea, English laurel, and fothergilla for the back) as well as a clump of ornamental grass to help spruce up (and hide) the not-yet-a-meadow sand mound/septic access.

As always (lately,) if anyone cares to contribute to the garden, they can - if you want to share native plants or certain non-natives, I'm open to that (and can offer up oaks and red maples in exchange - I'm not quite ready to part with blueberries, witch hazel, wintergreen, mountain laurels, and azalea, although that might be possible, more so in future years when things stabalize a bit more; I'd spare some ferns but I'm really not clear on the best way to share them... =) and there's always the Amazon wish list if someone just wants to buy a plant or three. Most selections on there come from Gurney's, Michigan Bulb, Henry Field's, or Spring Hill - all the same company, really - and I've planted stuff by all of them before. There's also some lawn & garden care stuff from Gardens Alive that can always come in handy.