A trip and a step

 Woodchuck and I recently went out to the land for a couple of hours on our scheduled day. It was going to be a scorcher again, and rain was in the forecast. I find it funny that Woodchuck and I live in the same house (obviously) but we have different cell phones that show slightly different forecasts. Mine showed that the storms would hit around noon, and of course, we got a late start to the land that morning! His showed they happen later in the afternoon. I figured it was best to assume they would hit at the earlier time and that means I had about two hours to run through what I needed to do, and get back up to the safety of the front before they started. Our plan then was to leave the land and head South to a discount center to look at their options for kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Woodchuck's to do list was a lot of mowing, my to do list was to find that last trail cam, pull the Timothy grass, any Deptford pink and Oxeye daisies along the way, remove some cages from the milkweed now that there was no danger of them getting taken down, and to remove the worm sacks from the elderberry. That was a lot of ground to cover in two hours, so let's head out, shall we?

As I walked up to the worm sacks on the tree, a wasp was flying around it. No, I thought, it can't be doing what I think it looks like it's doing! But sure enough it was! It burrowed into the sack, and all of the worms took off! Most jumped for their lives to the ground far below, and the wasp followed them down! I didn't want to interrupt and walked away, so I don't know if the wasp got any. But holy cow!!! How fascinating was that!!! I shared that video with a bug group I am in on FB and it didn't get any views or responses, so I guess I'm just a nerd! I have been unable to post videos in my bloggings, and I'm not sure why, but here is the picture of the worms starting to scatter. 👇

I also sidetracked into the property line border row of the back CRP forest to get eyes on what we thought might be hops. I even remembered last time to drop a pin on the map so there would be no questions this time about where it was. But. I got to the spot, and took another picture, and the app didn't bring up hops this time, and it really hadn't grown at all, and there were no tendrils anymore. I remember taking a photo of this within the past couple of years and sending it to an invasives group I am a part of, and nobody could i.d. it. I guess it's good though that it's not spreading, and I will continue to keep an eye on it. I also found the beloved Crowsfoot Ground Cedar (it also goes by many other names), and kept tripping on the stumps of juvenile white pines that Woodchuck cut down with the tractor mower. I need to get out there and take care of those, my ankles are messed up enough! 

I wish I could figure out why all of a sudden my videos aren't supported here! There are so many wonderful things to share with you....maybe I will start a YouTube channel for those!?

The Enchanters nightshade is starting to flower! In previous years, later in the season, the leaves will have a white speckled look that is, indeed, enchanting! It is native, but considered aggressive in some areas. 👇

I believe this might be wild bergamot? Otherwise known as bee balm. Native! 👇

I think I need to move faster! 😱🌧 👇

Stop with your beautiful smelling self! 😍 👇

Some updated pictures of the Smilax species, carrion flowers. 👇

The last trail cam was found, my work was finished and Woodchuck had done his as well. All we had to do was checkout the area of Tree of Heavens, which he has not been keeping up on. So, we had "the talk" about how he wanted to dive into that area, he uncovered them, he needs to keep up on cutting and spraying the suckers to keep that area from becoming infested with adult TOH's. We found dozens of them that will need to be taken care of on our next trip out.

I am not sure if these are poison ivy berries? The vine going up the tree sure looked like it, but in all of the years I have been out in nature, can you believe that I have never noticed poison ivy berries?! 👇

 The rain held off while we were at the land, now it was time to go look at cabinets...which I was not looking forward to! I am terrible at that kind of stuff and it causes me a lot of anxiety. What if I love something in the showroom and hate it in the house? I mean, at that point I just live with it, but it still stresses me out, lol. Anybody else feel that way?!

A few years back, when we first bought the land and were talking about building a home there, I wanted some turquoise accents in the kitchen. I have since changed my mind, but when I saw these glass (?) turquoise drawer handles at the discount place, I had to take a picture of them to swoon over. 😍👇

I was surprised to see that they now have granite counter top options, but most of them were white, and we didn't want that. The few darker options they have would work, though I know we are going to run into the same issues that we do with our laminate one that we have now. Woodchuck is not going to be able to see anything on it that needs to be wiped off. I just keep reminding myself that no matter the color of the top, he's going to struggle, unless it is something like a butcher block, which he doesn't want. So out of three darker options, he didn't like one, which now just leaves two to choose from. 

Thunderclap

This one has large, beautiful brownish orange glass-like flecks in it. Plus I love the name. 👇

Currant Dusk

Very similar, with a little less darker lines it. 👇

More recently, I was thinking some sort of light gray colored cabinet with a very pale yellow walls and accents of a golden honey color to bring the sunshine in (the dishware I got from a resale shop is that color), little splashes of a mossy/forest green to bring the forest in, and even less splotches of turquoise to bring the sky in. But when we saw the options, we fell in love with natural woods that show the knots and grains. It really speaks to us and how we would have loved to have used the trees that were cut down at the land to build all of the stuff we will need. Most of those trees though were white pine, which is a soft wood, but would have been decent for trim work inside, and some exterior stuff too. I think going with that kind of cabinet would also brighten the room by absorbing some sunlight and kind of "glowing". We adored this one, but it is SO tall! I would need a 6 foot ladder to get the cabinets on the top and would probably still have to stretch, and that's not safe and one day may not be an option physically. Woodchuck is planning on having 9 foot ceilings, but that does not mean the furniture has to go up that high, lol. We don't know if the top cabinets could be left off, since they were all one piece with the bottom, and honestly, they bring the character to this set IMO. 👇

This set we would do if we have to. Again the natural wood, but super plain. 👇

So, most likely we would go with this set. I can just feel the glow already when the sunlight hits them! I already have the drawer pull handles, but not knobs, in an antiqued brass that I got from a resale shop. All brand new and a lot of them! I learned my lesson with the current kitchen! Menards kept running out of the ones we needed and we had to hit various store locations to end up getting the amount we needed. 👇

Woodchuck loved this oven, but I think it will be too big! Unless our kids plan on coming home for the holidays, or having us over at their homes (which is unlikely anytime soon), then we won't need all of this cooking space. And what space we would take up with this will take away from cabinet or fridge space. Maybe we can find a smaller version, because it is a lovely piece! 👇

I think this kitchen sink would be perfect though! Especially since we will be getting a dishwasher that is not me in this house 😂 I have always been against them, but I am really looking forward to one now! I thought I always wanted one of those porcelain basin sinks, but when I saw it in person, I wasn't so sure 🤔 With my guys, it would likely be chipped or stained in no time. But maybe now I won't need sinks as big as these since I wouldn't be handwashing all of the dishes every day? Plus, I've never had an undermounted before. See! This is why I don't like this process 😆 👇

                                Woodchuck loves these kinds of faucets for the bathroom. 👇

                                                           And this kind for the kitchen. 👇

We want to keep things simple, but nice and functional as well. This discount place has been very hit or miss in quality. When we were finally able to remodel our current kitchen after 23 years of recycled shit cabinets and countertops that came with the house, anything was better than what we were replacing! Don't get me wrong, we made the decision to go with their cheapest cabinets because again, anything was better than what we were replacing, and we knew we would only have a few more years here and maybe the next owners wouldn't like it and rip it all out anyway. But I've been really disappointed in some aspects of the durability and quality, and the skillset of the person that installed them. It took us 23 years to make that remodel happen! I would have hoped that the cabinets would have held up better, but they started to show wear within a year. 

I also loved the idea of doing some upcycling/recycling in the next house to save on money and bring some character! Have you seen those china cabinets that get painted, separated into two pieces and installed in a kitchen? I LOVE that! I have a beautiful china set that belonged to an old friend of Woodchucks before we met each other (I would have LOVED to have met her, it sounds like we would have had a lot in common!) that we use at Thanksgiving, and I've collected pieces of the Ruby Red Cape Cod over the years to use at Christmas time. My mother just had a couple of pieces of it while I was growing up, and I fell in love with it! So it would be nice to get those things out of the totes that are shoved in the back of the closet behind the Yulemas tree box....you get the point. Oh how it's going to feel to have everything have it's own place and be so much easier to access!

And I love the idea of old dressers as a kitchen island, with a butcher block top! I mean, come on! More storage space in the drawers, or if the drawers are too messed up and need to be removed, you can use baskets. But, we have no way right now of hauling these pieces of furniture, or storing them. And with the cost of painting/refinishing them, would it just be easier and more cost effective to go with something that is prefabricated to go with the cabinets we decide on? But where is the character in that? I am assuming the first thing we need to think about if I want to move forward with these ideas is getting a truck. We've been keeping an eye out for one to use for hauling stuff to the land, but everyone thinks their turd is a gold bar right now. So, it's just not time yet. The most important thing is to get the house built and keep it affordable, but I really do hope that I can add some of those touches!

We left the warehouse feeling excited, overwhelmed, and tired. As it ended up, we got home less than an hour before the storms hit, and they were a doozy! Woodchuck and I jumped in the shower right away just in case the power went off. Which reminds me: generator in the next house! 

Feel free to weigh in on the options and ideas I've posted! Is there something in your house that you absolutely cannot stand and wish would have made a different decision? Is there something you absolutely love?! 

1,000 degrees and a whole bunch to see

 Okay, I exaggerate, barely. Weeks now of 90 degrees temps and 70-80 percent humidity. All things green and plant species are loving it, all things human are melting away. But there is work to be done, and we just need to altar. While it's still hot and muggy to even walk around out there, especially in the sun, it's a good time to be able to get eyes on things, make plans, and observe what Mother Nature wants to show me.

I am still finding Oxeye daisies, and pull them as I do. Luckily, each time I go to the land, I find less and less 👇

It is time for the Wild Carrot to start showing up! The deer like to eat these, even before they bloom, but these are a problem here in Indiana and I pull them as I find them. They do smell of carrot! These are also known as Queen Anne's Lace.  👇

Finding a native grape plant on the land is a breath of fresh air! I am used to finding the ones that like to strangle trees. The native ones seem to prefer the front forest and the other grape beasts seem to prefer the back one. This one is known as Pigeon's Foot. 👇

I went to pull some Sulphur Cinquefoil, but left this one because of the special friend that I saw on it. Can you see it? 👀👇

Remember, even native plants can be aggressive. This Nut Sedge is native to Indiana, but can become problematic. I am leaving this, as for now there are no issues. 👇

I am amazed at how cleanly a deer can snip off a plant part! Makes me think that the morels I found earlier this season had been eaten by them, or some other animal, and not cut by a human like I was thinking might have happened. 👇

We have various kinds of berries on the land, but I super excited to see the Black Raspberries! Native. I tried one, super seedy. If I do anything with them when we move out there, I will strain the seeds out. 👇

The amount of dragonflies on the move right now is fascinating to watch! We always have lots of meadow and pond hawks, and some damselflies as well! This one is a Sympetrum, Meadowhawk. 👇

Panic grass....which no, I do not panic when I find this. I don't know if this is the Witch's Grass, which is also a panic grass, or if it's another kind of panic grass. Grass. Confusing, I know! 👇

The elderberry are getting their flowers! I know that you can make wine with them, and other drinks, but I feel bad taking them at this point. I still have some elderberry from last season in the freezer with the hopes of making some elderberry chewables (vegan). I need to get on that! I noticed for the first time that we have some worm sacks on one of the trees, and parts of it aren't looking healthy. I'll need to address this on a future trip out! 👇

The back ditch continues to drain well, even with rain we have had, and the pipe coming from the North from who knows where has not being draining into the ditch. Once the vegetation start to die off, we will need to hit the front ditch again to get it cleared out more, and maybe even eventually get it dug out. Working our way towards it, I guess. Fixed the back ditch drainage to the pond, fixing the slumping pond this month, then hopefully this year we can get the ditch coming off of the pond excavated. 👇

Okay, so. Remember when I said that I don't get things right on the first try? And that if I am in doubt about a plant, I watch it and keep researching it in its various stages? Well, this was the most recent one to do that with. My plant i.d. pulled up various options, one of which being wild yam, another being in the Smilax species. I was getting excited about the idea of it being wild yam! But alas, the more I've watched it mature and researching photos I am taking at various stages, it is indeed in the Smilax species. There is a possibility of two kinds growing right here, but they are twined together: Smooth carrion flower, Smilax Herbacea, and also Blue Ridge Carrion Flower, Smilax Lasioneura. Native. 👇

The native roses, Swamp roses, smell heavenly! Even the insects are intoxicated by their aroma. 👇

As I am walking the land, it is not lost on me how when I am trying to find shade and shelter from the burning sun, the animals likely are as well. Woodchuck tends to lean in the direction of wanting to take a lot of things down, and I lean in the direction of wanting to leave too much. The animals have A LOT of places to get shade and hide from predators, etc. Eventually we will learnt to find some common ground and meet in the middle of cleaning some areas up while leaving things for the birds and other animals. I know I am grateful to be out of the sun on days like this. 👇

Maybe the animals are so hot that they just aren't thinking right and just poop as they are walking across the foot bridge. Always poop on the foot bridge. 😂💩👇

I found a few of these along the very back corner of the back ditch. Timothy grass. Non-native. BTW, my brothers name is Timothy. 👇

The watershed is sweltering hot and humid. It's hard to breathe, the air is so wet. But there is work to do and I need to keep pushing on and this trip out was about to be special one! You can see by the bundle of Autumn Olive in this picture that they are loving this kind of weather and season. 👇

It makes me smile to see the old familiars coming back out there! Black-eyed Susan's are one of the first to bloom. Native. 👇

Once again we have large patches of Silphium Integrifolium, a.k.a. Prairie Rosinweed, spread out over the watershed. Native. 👇

It can some times look like all one kind of flower when you look out over the distance. All you see are flowers that are yellow, but once you get closer, you see that there are different ones. Such as this Smooth Oxeye. Native. 👇

I knew that Woodchuck would be mowing the fire break path soon, and I needed to find the last trail cam, so I decided to walk to the very end of the path. Wowza! How did we not see all of the Autumn Olives when we do the work of removal out there? Maybe we did but had so many others to contend with? I don't know. But this wall will be coming down. 👇

But friends, if I had not made the decision to walk all the way to the end, I would not have found a plant that I have not seen out there before! The leaves are what caught my attention first. They are gathered near a milkweed, small oak tree, and patch of Black-eyed Susan's. Leadplant, also known as Downy Indigo Bush. It will get small purple flowers that will attract butterflies, beetles, bees, moths, etc. It is in the pea family, and it is native. 😍👇

In many other areas not on our land, I have been seeing milkweed flowering. I was excited to see how ours was holding up! Most of them were not flowering yet, and the ones that were were in the distance. This particular milkweed was about 4 foot tall. 👇

One of the most fascinating things I saw were these oak galls! I have never found any like these before! Usually it is some sort of wasp that makes them, but I don't know the specific species that made these. They were good sized, one of which being about the size of a large lemon. 👇

I love how on so much land, the tiniest of things can find what they need. 😍 This is a Batyle Suturalis beetle. A native insect. 👇

I am starting to get overheated and tired, and need to start heading back at this point in my adventure.

 As I walk back the way I came, I'm struck by how the Oak trees are growing so quickly! They hold hands over my head as I walk underneath them. I started recording at this point, a bit of nature walk to share with my friends, and got a feeling that a deer would dart across the path right in front of me. A couple of moments after I stopped filming and took a couple of more steps, I saw a Doe nursing two fawns as she ate some vegetation. I filmed them for what felt like minutes (but wasn't) and she smelled me, took a couple of steps towards me, and I moved just enough to let her know that I wasn't a big flower and she and her babies took off. Woodchuck told me that I should have let her come to me, but that's not the way I want to interact with the wildlife out there. I want them to have shelter and food resources and feel safe, but I do not want them approaching humans. While it would be safe to do so on my land, one step over the border is deadly for them anyway when hunting season starts.💚👇

There is SO much vegetation! Green everywhere and at times you have to really focus on an individual plant or else it all looks like one big green mat. This one is White Meadowsweet. Native. 👇

Isn't it funny how you see different things on the same path but just when you are walking the opposite direction? Some sort of a spider sac? 👇

I keep stopping to look and take pictures and smell and.....I've got sweat dripping and there is no break from the humidity and sun. 😓😰👇

And yet another thing to stop and observe. The playful Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly, likely a female, wanted me to see her. She kept following me and darting around me. I think she knew I was struggling, but also I just felt like there was something she wanted to show me. It ends up that she darted away, came back, and was snacking on a fly! Right there next to me! What a gift to have her present that moment in her life to me! 👇💚

I have made it off of the watershed, but there is still a lot of ground to get to the front. I see this Fallopia wrapped around a phragmite, but because of the lack of cell phone signal, I couldn't identify the Fallopia until I leave. One more thing to add to the list to eventually get rid of. Hopefully it chokes the life out of that one phragmite. 😒👇

Just as I was getting ready to step away, I noticed this huntsman arachnid. I watched it walk down to the flower of a white avens, and take a little drink from inside. 😍👇

I took this picture for my niece who has a jungle theme bedroom! It is like my own jungle, isn't it? 👇

The pond reverts back to being covered and stinky. Work to fix the pond slumping should begin within the next week or two! If you would like to contribute, you can send donations to paypal.me/badassnaturegirl. You will be able to see the progress here! Transparency, to date, we have not received any donations and I do not have this blog set up to make money because I don't like trying to read blogs that are overrun with ads and I don't want to make you do that either. 👇

The jewelweed in areas around the pond continues to grow now that I have marked them a no mow area! 👇🚫

It is just stupid hot and we am going home to get cooled off! By the time we got home, my car said it was 94, with heat indexes over 100. 👇🌡

Time to put the Pin Oak leaf in the encyclopedia to flatten it for use later. Thank you for coming on this nature walk with me! 💚👇