Where has this year gone? How are we already in September? It seems like we went from freezing to melting to Fake Fall. But I am grateful to be enjoying it and to be moving down the list of projects at the land. The main one for 2025 being the pond! It is done now, though not completed. We ran out of money to finish it, so we will spend the Winter saving up and continuing to clear out the house and sell belongings. The goal is to have the guys out by this time next year to finish it 🤞I handled the sight of everything well. Of every beautiful and native plant and tree that was downed, I know that this is what needed to happen for the long-term health and functionality of the pond. We were very happy to hear that we have a great clay base soil in this area, so as long as we do, and don't do certain things, we will not have slumping again. They also dug the center to at least 14 feet, maybe 18, I can't remember 🤔 But it's deep, lol. Next year they will need to clear the East bank, we would like to talk to them more about a waterboard they brought up, we need to get a fountain for water movement/circulation, and we are on the fence now about lining and rocks on the shore. Lots to pick up in 2026!
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As we continue in drought, low humidity, and mild temps, we are making as many trips out here as we can! Two hours a day doesn't seem like much to others, but it is absolutely game-changing when you have so much to do at once! And honestly, being out here is a great way to the end a day! 💚
We can fit a lot into a couple of hours, one of which is constantly checking back to areas that we have worked before to check for anything coming back. Once Woodchuck cleared along the front ditch (West side), we were able to positively identify a mature Tree of Heaven and a bunch of saplings it was sending out. So on our recent walk in the area to treat the juveniles, I happen to look up and see.....
That's right. Hops. A lot of Hops! Woodchuck wants to hire the same peeps who took care of the pond to come clean the edges of this ditch in Spring of 2026. May as well harvest these now and see how it goes. So we added that to the list of things to do, and to research how to do it.
A rare appearance of a Turkey Vulture that got very near to us!
One project that has been on the back-burner for awhile is hanging more lights in the barn. By the time we were able to start getting out to the land earlier this year, we needed to get to work on other things and saved the lights for rainy and cooler days. Fast forward, and we finally got started this week! There are 4 lights total to hang, and we got 2 of them up in one trip. It seems that even on Woodchucks day off, we are only getting a few hours at the land, which is really cutting in to getting something done at all once. There was a little hold up trying to figure out where the best place to hang them would be, but he decided and got to work! I am always in awe of how Woodchuck figures this stuff out, and how much he knows! 😍
A little friend came to visit us during the project! An adorable, fuzzy butt, bee fly! 😍
Woodchuck was ready for a break after two lights....it was hurting our necks looking up for that long, lol, so we took a little time for my things before having to leave sooner than we would have liked. Fallopia was my target once again. I think so far we have pulled at least 7 contractor bags full of it. From the watershed, from the banks of the ditches, from tree stands. Then I found a bit of it here at home in the railroad tree line next to my driveway. Some was getting too high and too far out in the ditches to reach with just my arms. So when we were moving stuff from the barn to the shipping container to make room for us to move around to hang lights, we found our old, trusty tool. The hot dog roasting fork! Just bend the prongs, and you have a handy tool to pull things down and to you!
When leaving the watershed, I spotted this Monarch caterpillar and hoped that we didn't accidentally harm any while pulling the Fallopia from all of the milkweed and other surrounding plants. 😬
As we prepared to leave, a bald-faced hornet was on my car, taking a breather. I gave it space, but I was not afraid of it. A healthy distance, and dose of respect, and we can both be on the land.
On our next trip out, we were going to harvest the hops, but went for a walk first so that they weren't sitting too long after cutting them. We have also been harvesting elderberry as we find it, but there isn't much as the original trees are not healthy. Luckily I still have some frozen from last year. We did spot some beautiful feathers on our walk, turkey and most likely hawk?
I was able to get to the Lespedeza on the watershed while it was blooming and will send these pictures to the Invasives group to make sure that they still feel like the identification they gave it earlier (while not blooming) is the correct one.
Some thing came flying at us, twice, and it was a Chinese Mantis! We only saw the one on our way in, but on the way back? Oh my! I have not been able to bring myself to unalive them. I think I am worried that the one time I do it, I will have misidentified it and unalived a good one. Woodchuck will need to take care of the situation moving forward. 😵 As I was walking away, I told them that I am taking their Ootheca!
The sightings of butterflies is slowing down now, but not zero. Little by little the flowers and plants that we see them on are in the final stages! This one is thistle.
The walk is done and it is time to harvest the Hops! We are not making beer with it, but I am hoping to use it as a culinary seasoning, make teas, etc. The plan, originally, was just to pick enough on this trip to fill my drying screen, but Woodchuck got excited and insisted that it all would fit.
Once we got home and were separating the cones, he said he didn't realize my drying screen was so small, lol. So, luckily our youngest son still has the window a/c in his room, and his screen was in the workshop...and was much bigger! The perfect size for all of the cones! I will leave them to dry for two days in the workshop with the dehumidifier and fan running, then on the third day (which is tomorrow), I will put them in the dehydrator to finish. I do plan on powdering some, and leaving some whole.
I miss being outside all day, seeing sunsets, and sunrises. We are hoping to camp at the land soon, if the weather levels back out in temps. Of course it is warming back up since we were going to try to camp this Sunday. 😒
Here at home, it's harvest season! I have apples galore, thanks to a local friend with lots and lots of apples! I've made applesauce (gifted one container of it to my oldest for his birthday because he LOVES it and I didn't make any last year because I was working), two apple crumbles, and some apple butter. I am saving the skins and drying them out to make a stove-top simmering potpourri for Fall and Winter.
One of my favorite cooler weather meals to make is Turkey Salisbury Steaks in the Crockpot! Served over mashed potatoes with gravy, there's rarely any leftovers 😛
My friend and I try and meet at least once a week to do our 3-mile walk. It's been great spending time with her now that neither one of us is working! We have been spotting these fungi on one tree alongside the track.
We usually follow that walk with a trip to a couple of resale shops, which I went to some new-to-me ones with another friend recently and found a new/unopened kitchen faucet and two new/unopened towel bars for the bathrooms in the exact metal finish that I needed! I get so excited when that happens and am grateful for the savings to help make our dream come true!
The most recent Sunday market was a success and saw around 4 items go to their forever homes! The cash helped me to pay medical co-pays, and put gas in my car. Every little bit adds up and I am grateful to the Universe to have some of my pieces speak to people. I had to mark my prices down on 3 of the 4 pieces to get them sold, but honestly, it was worth making it happen. 💜
Thank you for being on this journey with us!
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