Answers

 As time continues to fly by, we are now making preparations to pick up our youngest from college in about a week and a half and have a list of projects he can work on to keep him busy while looking for seasonal work. We decided to rent a truck to help haul his stuff, since neither of the cars are feeling well this year and I think it would be too much on my car to pull a trailer that far. Hubby finally got the flooring done in the his bedroom and it's been approved by Pierogi the Cat....who supervises all indoor projects around here. We sent a picture of the finished room to the boy, and he greatly appreciated it!

I continue to sloth create.....which is a term I just made up and means that I may go days at a time without touching a project, or when I do, I may just spend a few moments on it. I did finally realize though that when I rush these things, I am producing versus creating. And producing goes against my grain. I recently had a meeting at an art vendor space opening up, but it was not a good match for me. I admit that I cried a few tears when I left the building (which is WAY old and WAY beautiful!), because trying to find a place for yourself in the world can stab the heart at times. But I let myself feel the feels and then moved right along. Keeping to my beliefs about the guidelines I will follow for selling my pieces will eventually work out in my favor. As of right now though, we have no shows due to work schedules and no Etsy sales for several months. I refuse to define my success by these traditional means though. I have a few pieces of cross-stitch to eventually get framed. 👇

Woodchuck finished two benches on the land...one on the watershed for resting when we are walking or working out there (it is removable, not a permanent structure), and one on the path of non-government contract land between the watershed and back CRP forest. They are super comfy and we watched the eclipse from one of them! 👇

We have been impatiently waiting for spring peepers and frogs and to see fish, oh my! Nothing yet though. What a sight to see spiders on the surface and bubbles under. 😎👇

As we were sitting and waiting for the eclipse to happen, I noticed a tree on the watershed that I hadn't before. I ungracefully crossed the logs over the ditch and began taking pictures of it...only to find out later that it is the dreaded Callery Pear! We cut it down and treated the stump and found a smaller one next to it that we did the same with. It will most likely sprout again, since Spring is the time that the sap is flowing upwards in trees and the herbicide doesn't make it down into the roots like it needs to kill it off. But I wanted to catch it early and it's now on our radar to check it again this Fall. 👇

I have had to rethink what I take into the woods to get work done, and how I get it in there. Because of the amount of things I take in and the weight of them, limb debris on the ground, and areas of standing water and mud, pulling the work cart is too much for me. So I just walk carrying a large contractor size garbage bag draped through the strap of my back pack, loppers, a chainsaw, a hand trowel, and herbicide. The hard part about that is the frequent setting down and picking up of it all. But again, I am one person handling invasives on over 15 acres and I am constantly trying to find ways to make the process more comfortable for me. 👇

While down on my knees digging out Lily of the Valley, I accidently disturbed this beautiful Nursey Web Spider. She was very docile and let me move her on her leaf off to the side of me so I didn't accidentally harm her. Once I was done, I put her back in the same spot I originally saw her in. 👇

So far I can really see a difference in the amount of LOV and garlic mustard and dames rocket that I am finding in the forest. I am hoping the numbers remain low, but we are early in the season yet. The LOV pierce right through the leaf litter to find life in the light! I am always surprised by how deep their root systems go, and the suckers that they send off. Now that I am an invasive/non-native plant fighter, I see plants in a completely different way now.👇

The bittersweet is waking up again and I have a large area of it next to the shipping container. Once again I am overwhelmed at all of the invasives exploding at the same time! 👇

We stopped after work recently to work on a project of hubby's (the theme continues of me helping him but not vice versa), and we took a walk to sit on his bench, listen to the birds, and watch the sun start to sink. 👇

I am seeing so many maple saplings in the forest! It's one of the reasons I am doing what I am doing. To give these hardwoods a chance to mature and have the forest be healthy again. 😍👇

I am reminded with each trip how it feels like the entire Cosmos is held in this place. 💖👇

But while I am spending so much time and energy taking care of the land and working so hard to make our future plans happen, I am also trying to take care of myself. Some times no matter what I do, I struggle physically, but I figure it has to be helping something. I am officially just over one year out from the massive allergic reaction to the tetanus booster and resulting SIRVA in my left arm (the one that I had the shoulder surgery on.) It no longer feels like it's being slammed in a car door every day, all day; but I do still have some side effects. I continue to working to get it, and my other issues, under control. I'm grateful for any amount of feeling better! 👇

I find many reminders that I am not alone in my journey even when there is nobody else standing on my path. 🪶💚

And Mother E reveals gifts along the way of my work. I know She appreciates all that I am doing to help her and the creatures, and to honor my ancestors and how they cared for the lands. 

I can't help but smile when I see fresh, native life emerging. I shook hands with this darling Poplar leaf and welcomed it to Das Zem. 

 Now for the answers! On our most recent trip out to the land, we had a meeting with a pool/landscaping company that has an employee who also deals with ponds, ditches, etc. The flooding on the back ditch and pond, as well as the dysfunction in the ditch flowing out of the pond continues to worsen. Hubby finally agreed to have someone access the situation, and boy are we glad he did! Our problems are numerous, but also, we learned that we can control the water level in the pond by creating a dam situation. Our minds were blown, that was never even on our radar as an option or how to even go about it! He said when we are in drought season, use that dam to keep the water in the pond. He also said not to put minnows in it, and what did Woodchuck put in it last year? Yep. Minnows. 😣

We started the tour at the very beginning of the ditch where it goes under the main road, next to and behind the house next door, and then to our pond and ditches that are on our land. Issue #1). It turns out that some kids a couple of houses down put rocks down in the ditch to create a waterfall kind of effect, and narrowed the water pathway at the culvert to less than an inch wide. Hubby stopped over and explained that while it was beautiful, it's creating flooding on our land and the rocks need to be removed. Issue #2) the neighbor next door bulldozed his back yard, and filled in the ditch while also putting in a culver pipe. He did this for safety of not having anyone fall in the ditch and to also extend the yard space. But the professional found several issues with that as well. The culvert pipe was one size too small, and he could tell from sink holes in the yard that the pipe isn't level. Issue #3, now on our land, is we are having issues with our culvert pipe coming off of the ditch. It's the one that got a little crushed during excavating and hubby had to go down in the ditch to get the water flowing again. 

And then the back ditch, where the most recent flooding is going on. He recommends digging out the land on the crossover, letting the water go directly into the pond, then laying new culvert piping, etc. I took notes, but honestly, I think we are in a position on this one where we need to hire the professionals. We are hoping to have a quote within a weeks time and then can decide how to proceed.

I'm in the position now of trying to decide where to put my income? Towards tuition, or towards getting this fixed? I am actually hoping that the boy can find good Summer work to  build up his money to pay for his final semester of college. He graduates this December!!! With FAFSA being confusing, glitchy, and no help at all, I am sure that we will be paying full tuition again. I am working 45-50 hours a week, but at $12 (not including tips), it wipes me out every month to pay the tuition bill. I have been trying to sell my unwanted belongings on eBay and FB Marketplace, but it would be even more helpful to be able to sell the art! It would bring in money, free up space in the workshop, and be less to move when that time comes. Help a girl out, would you? Take a look at what's available, share us....it's free for you and would help us get noticed. TIA. www.soapwoodartstudio.etsy.com

We have to forego our usual weekly trip out there next week due to weather and needing to making some road trips, so we have decided to make a couple of trips out after work on nice days to utilize the longer day light. My goal on those shorter time frames is to walk the forest quickly looking for garlic mustard, which is flowering right now. The honeysuckle and LOV can wait another week until my next long day. I can completely relate to farmers now and the rush of the season and utilizing as much daylight as possible! I am hoping that all of my hard work now will enable me to one day relax on the land more and enjoy the fruits of my labor. But for now, I have to keep wearing the BadAss Nature Girl cape.