Feeling the cabin fever and the Spring pull

 So Woodchuck went out to the land yesterday to help the contractor. I could not go, due to doctor and physical therapists orders, and it was heartbreaking! Having to rely on seeing things in pictures, like you guys have to do, is just not cutting it for me. Not only do I want to see how things are progressing, but I am missing things as they are waking up. What kind of ephemerals do we have there? What kind invasives are popping up, especially now that the land has been disturbed? AGH! The weekly online classes that I am attending, though helpful in that I always learn at least one new thing, only make me more antsy to get out there. I literally feel like a race horse being held back at the starting gate.

But, at least some work is getting done out there, even though it's not the kind I do. From what I understand, all of the front CRP trees that we designated for cutting are down now and will be moved out to the prairie to be sorted. The piles of debris that we made cleaning up between the prairie and fishing shack have been or will be moved out to the prairie too and into one pile for eventual burning.

The picture above shows the piles of debris starting to be made into one on the prairie. They'll eventually be burned.

 The shipping container, once on the very edge entrance to the front CRP has now been moved to that very area. The trees that needed to come down from the ingress/egress are now so, and will be moved to the prairie to be sorted. Whatever we keep will be stacked.

In the picture above, the contractor followed the flags put down by the NRCS to mark what will be the ingress/egress road to get over to the watershed. This picture was only from the first day of working on it. The road goes behind our front CRP, through this area, around the Northern edge of the pond (the pond is to the top left in this photo), and around to the Western edge of the pond where the watershed can be accessed from. 

I found out yesterday that the land around ours is selling off again. If we had an unlimited source of money to build and keep buying land, I would have done so, but that is not possible. I love the idea of keeping that land as it is, and to provide a safe haven for the wildlife from hunters. But for now, at least, that will need to come from the land we do have. I admit that I am terrified of going through there what we have gone through here with neighbors over the past 20+ years. I just want to enjoy my land, listen to nature, and be left alone. All we can do is keep hoping that the Universe would not play such a cruel joke on us to have that land and have our enjoyment of it infringed upon by those around us. Fingers crossed!

We are starting to think about where to plant things or move things. I have some elderberry that needs to be moved before it falls into the pond, and I think I have the perfect spot in mind that will still keep its feet wet, but remove the danger of losing it the spreading pond banks. I have to wait for the work in that area to be done so that they don't get run over or damaged after being moved. Woodchuck was thinking about trying to take our grapevines from home here, but after watching some videos and reading up, he thinks it might be better to start all over again. Either way, we are thinking those can go over by the blueberry bushes. And the prairie? Well, it's in full sun right now for nearly all of the day, but that will change over the years as the white pines grow that we transplanted to separate us from the neighbors and allow for some privacy. We can always transplant them again if they are recreating too much shade over time, but for now they are little whips. Our garden will be going out on the prairie area, unless I want to keep all of the food stuff in one spot and put it over by the blueberries and grapes. It's pretty wet over there though. I find that part of things highly overwhelming and really the last thing that I want to do, to figure out where plants will go, but I also understand that Woodchuck wants to get some things established. It's easy to think of too many things at once! He was thinking about fruit trees too, but ugh, I can't handle that right now!

So what still needs to be done right now? Well, there are some dead trees at the front of the CRP between it and the road that are dead and need to come down still. They were the ones that we tried to do ourselves before I went in for surgery, but one cut and his chainsaw locked up. He's fixed that now, and also bought a second one. A driveway!!! The stone will be delivered tomorrow for that and it should all be leveled out by the end of the weekend. And it better be, because that's when I intend on breaking some rules and heading out there to take a look! I'll be super careful and walk slowly. I told Woodchuck he can empty out my work wagon and pull me around in that 😂 Seeing things in pictures makes me worry. Am I going to regret what we've done when I see it in person? Even though we took every precaution that we could to not take more out and down than we absolutely had to, I'm sure it's going to look so very different. I'll get some more pictures then! 

Eventually, but soon, we'll need to think about burning the ditches. They are so overgrown with crap that we can't see the condition of the culvert And some time over the next month or so, the NRCS will need to come out there. Best to get it done earlier, before everything starts to wake up and explode and getting out there will be nearly impossible in the current state of how things are overgrown.

We've priced some things that we want to get now, such as building a pole barn, but prices are too insane! We are also waiting for the revised first draft of the main floor plan from the designer we hired. We went in a different direction than we anticipated with some of the rooms, because, frankly put, we were having a hard time fitting everything we wanted where we wanted it! Compromises had to be made and I have no idea where we are putting all of the art stuff, and the guys' workout equipment. I wouldn't mind a little She Shed of sorts by the house, but I wouldn't call it a She Shed. How about, The Den of a Creative Forest Witch? Too long. Eh, I'll figure something out. But having something outside means 1) when I'm old, I still have to walk over to a separate building in the Winter. 2) I would have to think about controlling the climate inside for me to be comfortable working in there in all weather 3) there are going to be some things that can't stay in there without the temperature being consistent. So much to think of! But the workout equipment? I have a horrible feeling that I'm going to have a punching bag, weight racks and stinky, grunting men lifting them in the living of the new house. 😳