Friday, March 24, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Wednesday wildlife, coyote country
These seem to be healthy enough:
Too bad they aren't keeping he rabbit population down.
Too bad they aren't keeping he rabbit population down.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
Friday is buck day, Rumps!
Walking away from the camera and showing their best sides:
By the shed, a poor silhouette but a nice rack:
By the shed, a poor silhouette but a nice rack:
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Wednesday wildlife, looking for a home
Immediate Occupancy: Small country bungalow with views of rolling hills overlooking the scenic English River valley. Perfect starter home for that young couple who are looking to begin their family. Recently built with a cedar roof and open floor plan, interior completely stripped just a few short months ago.
The frugal-minded will appreciate the attractive styling and three-dimensional construction. Southern exposure with young trees nearby is just the thing for a growing young family. No appointment necessary to view this lovely home that could be yours for just a song.
This bluebird pair worked in concert with one on the ground while the other perched on a young walnut tree. While I first spotted them a week ago, this past Saturday they were checking out the house. I'm hoping that this will be the year a young brood will emerge and we can enjoy them for years to come.
The frugal-minded will appreciate the attractive styling and three-dimensional construction. Southern exposure with young trees nearby is just the thing for a growing young family. No appointment necessary to view this lovely home that could be yours for just a song.
This bluebird pair worked in concert with one on the ground while the other perched on a young walnut tree. While I first spotted them a week ago, this past Saturday they were checking out the house. I'm hoping that this will be the year a young brood will emerge and we can enjoy them for years to come.
Monday, March 6, 2017
Box elder blues, young trees needing gone
I spent this past Saturday cutting several dead, dying and rotting trees. A dead elm that need to be removed for a couple of summers and 8 box elders that ranged from 8 to 15 inches in diameter. One proved troublesome and it leaned north but turned to the southeast. That came back on me over the fence.
The property has an overabundance of these box elders in the fence line, some of which I would much rather have the wind take down. Even though these were small, almost all had rotten centers and a couple were dead. One of these had rot up to 12 feet and only a few inches at the base was keeping in upright.
The second one I cut was about 7 inches wide and I discovered ants:
Another example of a smaller 5 inch tree:
I like the red blending through the wood grain, but it's rare to get a log of any size that is worth to cut.
I'm thankful for the chain brake for the saw and I pretty much have the habit of hitting the brake after a major cut or if I have to step around the brush. A missed step could have cost me a foot on Saturday.
About 5 hours of cutting, stacking and dragging brush around and I called it a day:
Not quite going off in the sunset, but back to the truck.
The property has an overabundance of these box elders in the fence line, some of which I would much rather have the wind take down. Even though these were small, almost all had rotten centers and a couple were dead. One of these had rot up to 12 feet and only a few inches at the base was keeping in upright.
The second one I cut was about 7 inches wide and I discovered ants:
Another example of a smaller 5 inch tree:
I like the red blending through the wood grain, but it's rare to get a log of any size that is worth to cut.
I'm thankful for the chain brake for the saw and I pretty much have the habit of hitting the brake after a major cut or if I have to step around the brush. A missed step could have cost me a foot on Saturday.
About 5 hours of cutting, stacking and dragging brush around and I called it a day:
Not quite going off in the sunset, but back to the truck.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Wednesday wildlife, 4 AM coyote call
Our first pic of a coyote this year. The neighbors have had several hunts after reports of the predators attacking young lambs. They can have their fill of rabbits on our acreage and leave the livestock alone.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Get to work, taking down the deck, part two
After the initial work day tearing the deck from the middle of the pond, the January Thaw came to Iowa and it took me a couple of weeks before I felt safe to get back to work.
On February 4, I found this:
One of the poles was under the ice and I'm going to have to wait for the thaw before I can think about getting that one. Another was at an angle with only about 4 feet out of the water.
Discouraged but with a job to be done, I unloaded the tools and got to work. The first couple of hours went pretty well and I was able to get the two poles detached:
On the bottom right of the picture, you can see that I cracked the ice but the pole on the left broke through when it hit.
The temp reached to the upper 30's with fairly strong winds from the south. The deck was flapping in the wind and it started to get loose from the ice. I figured that I couldn't waste time taking pictures but I did check the depth of the ice:
I dragged the two posts to the south bank of the pond and took the chainsaw to the deck and cut the 2x6's to get the deck down so I can manage it better.
I used a drill to take out as many screws as I could to get the plywood off and then tried to take apart the joists. I dragged the plywood out of the pond and decided to use the chainsaw to the joists to speed up the process. The wind was cold against the skin even though it was fairly warm for an early February day. By the fifth hour of work, I could feel my joints ache a bit and I could tell I was out of shape from not working so much during the winter.
Then I stepped into the hole in the ice. I didn't fall all the way through but I stupidly stepped back into the hole I mentioned earlier. My left leg was wet to the knee but I still had work to finish.
Dragging the joists up the bank, I cleaned things up of what wasn't still frozen in the ice. I appreciated wearing the chainsaw chaps as they worked as a windbreak when I faced the wind. I could have used a broom but I didn't think that far ahead before loading up for the day.
About 90 minutes after dipping my leg into the water, I was loaded up and turned the heater on high. I headed home, satisfied that I was able to get most of the deck torn down and dragged out of the pond but thinking of the rest of the work needed to clean up.
On February 4, I found this:
One of the poles was under the ice and I'm going to have to wait for the thaw before I can think about getting that one. Another was at an angle with only about 4 feet out of the water.
Discouraged but with a job to be done, I unloaded the tools and got to work. The first couple of hours went pretty well and I was able to get the two poles detached:
On the bottom right of the picture, you can see that I cracked the ice but the pole on the left broke through when it hit.
The temp reached to the upper 30's with fairly strong winds from the south. The deck was flapping in the wind and it started to get loose from the ice. I figured that I couldn't waste time taking pictures but I did check the depth of the ice:
I dragged the two posts to the south bank of the pond and took the chainsaw to the deck and cut the 2x6's to get the deck down so I can manage it better.
I used a drill to take out as many screws as I could to get the plywood off and then tried to take apart the joists. I dragged the plywood out of the pond and decided to use the chainsaw to the joists to speed up the process. The wind was cold against the skin even though it was fairly warm for an early February day. By the fifth hour of work, I could feel my joints ache a bit and I could tell I was out of shape from not working so much during the winter.
Then I stepped into the hole in the ice. I didn't fall all the way through but I stupidly stepped back into the hole I mentioned earlier. My left leg was wet to the knee but I still had work to finish.
Dragging the joists up the bank, I cleaned things up of what wasn't still frozen in the ice. I appreciated wearing the chainsaw chaps as they worked as a windbreak when I faced the wind. I could have used a broom but I didn't think that far ahead before loading up for the day.
About 90 minutes after dipping my leg into the water, I was loaded up and turned the heater on high. I headed home, satisfied that I was able to get most of the deck torn down and dragged out of the pond but thinking of the rest of the work needed to clean up.
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