Coming out of Winter

 We are continuing to monitor storm damage, water drainage/flooding, and invasive plants coming to life now that we are coming out of Winter. We are also in a time crunch to finish preparing certain areas for the planting of trees that I pick up in just a few days. Funny how we can make a plan, even draw a little plotting map, and as the day approaches, Woodchucks brings up how it won't be a good idea to plant where we had planned to and now I have to pivot quickly. Luckily I had another space that we can plant them instead. While cleaning it up, I was greeted with the Stinging Nettle that I have always wanted to harvest, but have been too nervous too. I just a post about nettle chips that really have me wanting to harvest them now! If there is a chance that they will get mowed over anyway, I would rather harvest them. We also have yarrow coming up all over the land.

We decided to make this trip about clearing areas of dead trees and invasives, while taking inventory of what absolutely has to be done before planting the new trees. We needed to remove a large broken branch that was blocking the ingress/egress to the watershed. It feel and got caught on this cluster of dead trees that we eventually need to remove. I hate to do it in the sense that the hawks love to perch on the tallest one, but they are so rotted you could literally just push them over with your body.

This is the tree is snapped off of, also dead, that will need to come down. Woodchuck wasn't kidding when he said we would need a tractor when we bought the land....and thank goodness his chainsaw has been behaving.

Since were right there with obth the tractor and the chainsaw, we did some cutting of grapevine and honeysuckle on this bank of the pond. We are going to lose a young oak tree soon to the slumping, unfortunately.

We started taking down the dead staghorn sumac. While a Native tree, these were all dead, likely due to being in such wet conditions on the very edge of the back ditch. We will need to get back soon and get this all hauled away, as this will be the area that we plant the elderberry and serviceberry trees, alternating, the whole way down the edge of the pathway and ditch. They will have well-drained soil, moist feet, full-sun, and they will hopefully help stabilize the ditch banks. Not to mention, the beauty and food source for the birds (and us)!

Then we moved farther up to the front ditch, whose edges are a jungle of crap. Just crap. Crapity, crap, crap. Honeysuckle and Autumn Olive galore. This edge runs along the ditch and what we refer to as the prairie and has been a beast to contend with, with us chipping away at it over the past 4 years. During droughts, we get down in the steep ditch to remove the invasives, but there is a lot of water in it right now, so it's a balancing act at the edge to reach what we can as far down as we can. On this day, Woodchuck wasn't taking any chances, and stayed right at the top of the bank. He would cut, we both would pull the vegetation out, and I would treat the cut. This is the before....

                                            This is the after of just the one small section.....

He has said numerous times over the past couple of weeks that he is mine this Summer for projects. You read that right. And I am going to hold him to it! So our goal is to finish clearing the banks of the back ditch, clean out the downed branches in the back forest to make it easier for walking, keep working on cleaning up the banks of the front ditch, and some other areas that need clearing of invasives, especially on the Southern boundary line that runs from the watershed preserve to our land that is not on a government program (such as the prairie). We continue to try and walk that boundary often now, to familiarize ourselves with it, and create a plan to clean it up. There is one area that is a soldi wall of downed trees from over the years that we need to work a bit on clearing up to make the area somewhat accessible. But the mosses there are fantastic! 

I am also getting it on my radar, once we move out to the land, to do a controlled burn. This makes Woodchuck very nervous, however, I am not doing the burn alone. I intend on contacting the NRCS for direction, and also consult the Potawatomi Tribe in the area. I would love to have them involved with it. Traditional ways of caring for the land that was likely once theirs anyway. We will see how it all works out! 

As the rains continue, the pipe coming from some place up North continues to drain into the back ditch. Even with capping, taping, and propping up the pipe, it has slowed it down enough for the other drainage tubes leading to the pond to keep up, but it is still leaking. The County Surveyor is going to check into where this pipe is coming from.

Here at home, I am still cleaning out and organizing! We did our first indoor rummage sale yesterday, my youngest son and I, and we were able to move some things and make some pocket money, though not nearly enough of either. I am glad that I got to spend the day with him, but that also he got to see the hustle I have to do in order to make a little cash. Likely, my cash will go for tolls and parking tomorrow when we take him back to Loyola for them to check his carotid artery and brain bleed. This is the big appointment, because it is likely the last of all medical appointments before he is released to go back to work. So now I need to sort through everything that is left from the sale and decide what I want to continue to try selling and what I can donate. I am also checking into a once a month flea market that maybe I can move some stuff at faster. I'm just grateful for options right now.

I am also continuing to find healthier options to use in the kitchen, like these stainless steel popsicle molds.

And I am trying to get through craft and art supplies and finish projects that have been laying around for far too long! This is a work in progress with a grapevine wreath I made years ago.

Don't forget, we have lots of ready-to-ship items in the Etsy shoppe! www.offorestandheather.etsy.com

Clean up, clean up, every body do your share

 Spring has roared in with massive storms, the most recent of which covered the entirety of our state!!! 😱We have been VERY lucky with every storm (knock on wood), both here at home and at the land, to not have any damage. It feels weird to be concerned for two places, while we are here and the storms are heading East, I always wonder how the land is holding up. I was telling Woodchuck how surprised I am that there was no damage, just a couple of dead trees that got snapped, and I feel like the land is responding to our efforts to get it healthy. 

On one of our recent trips out there, we put up more signage on the watershed. We had extra signs that were given to us by the NRCS, so we made sure to post every single one. We will be going back in and posting regular no trespassing signs as well. While out there, I trapsed through the vegetation to shake hands with one of my favorite kinds of trees. Willow! They have their catkins right now and are fuzzy and adorable. We met our goal of getting as much done out there as we could before April 1st. Now we let the animals nest in peace until August 1, with the exception of keeping the fire break path mowed.

Speaking of met, we meet with the County Surveyor about the ditches and overflowing pond. She was very nice and open to meeting with us on the land to take a look at some of the areas of concern! We weren't dressed to do it that day, but made an appointment with her for the following week. The consensus was that we can't do anything that causes flooding on anyone else's property, and vice versa, so that one pipe that leads from the North into our back ditch was going to be a key topic to discuss. It was a cold day when we met on the land and we walked her from the back ditch that leads into the pond over to in between the neighbors where the ditch winds from the pond, through three properties, under the road and into a county overseen ditch. Again, she was so kind and open to spending her time to figuring out to handle the situations of flooding on our land from issues from surrounding properties, as well as how to enhance certain features on ours that might make the flow of water/drainage better. 

I continue to try and streamline my side hobby business for this new year. Trying to find things that work, let go of the things that don't, and create a more authentic presence. So, I changed the name! We went from Soapwood Art Studio to Of Forest and Heather. I also had new business cards printed since I was down to just a few from the previous name. I LOVE them!!! I think the new name and the new look of the business card really reflects me and my art better. They are also printed on a hemp-blend paper.

Although I was accepted into an adorable little plant shoppe that also highlights local female artists, I had to reject the offer once I got their contract. I just can't afford their fees. I've noticed, when checking into shows too, that nobody wants to state their prices/fees upfront. They make you contact them with a a basic website application and then if THEY like what they see in YOU and your art, they send you the details. I feel like it's such a waste of time on the parts of both parties. So I am continuing to find new ways to try and move my art, but also work around my availability while my son isn't driving himself and within my financial parameters. I was kind of put-off too that when I took the time to thank them, but said that I would not be able to move forward with them because I would not be able to afford their fees, I did not hear back from them. That's not the vibe nor respect that I am looking for in a business partnership and I think the Universe understands that and keeps me from the things that don't align.

So while my days are long and hard in a Winter and hardship kind of way, I tuck myself into the evenings with my cat and some hand-sewing. Better do it while I can! Once we start working the land more, my days will be even longer in a different kind of way.