How to Get Rid of the Jungle

The grass by the gate and across the field was getting high. Also, we've never cut back from the road going through the woods. Earlier this season, we picked up all the dead wood and cut down some trees and saplings that were dead or damaged then rented a chipper to chip it all (see Beautification post). Now it was time for a brush mower.

... and a weekend of hard work! You would think it was easy, since the mower is self-propelled but the terrain was rough, there were rocks and stumps and unexpected holes. Carolyn did the field early Saturday before it got hot, including around the big blackberry bushes so we can pick in July then we took turns cutting in the woods along the road. No chiggers yet thank goodness.

It was a beautiful weekend but next year we will do this before everything leafs out. Easier to see what you are doing.

We also spread chips around the fire ring. Will use them around the cabin too. Putting down the chips stops erosion.

Here's the new, cleaned up look... in the woods and along the road. And still some acres left untouched for wildlife habitat.

Out every window, green.

On Sunday afternoon, getting ready to go, we saw a luna moth. Look at its feathery antennae.

Assorted projects

Russ built a long countertop then I stained it. We plan to make the countertop limestone. Already have the big tiles and the sealer. To the right, the spot it will occupy; we'll remove the table that's there now.

Meanwhile, spreading chips to reestablish the path to the bathhouse.

Richmond Woods Drive Beautification Project

Finally getting back to work at Richmond Woods after taking a lot of time off for the holidays, bad weather, etc. Below, making "Christmas Blend" coffee Sara gave me in my stocking for Christmas, the living room/kitchen end of the cabin. It's starting to look nice and be more convenient. Bed end. Nice and comfortable at night! Living room corner with Debbie's beautiful glass table as a high point. Note cozy throw from Heather on the couch!







Now about that beautification. We've been talking for a long time about how the drive looks kind of nasty. Lots of limbs down, brush, dead trees. So we started the project by Carolyn picking all the stuff that was already down and putting it in a pile. Left, the piles. Right, the ugly brushy mess. Sure, animals love it, Amber. But they have 36 more acres that are untouched.




Then the weekend after that (how nice to have two beautiful weekends in a row, sunny, in the 60s, in February! Life is good here in the South. No gray February!), Russ rented an industrial sized chipper. Of course we didn't know how to work it too well at first....

Russ got us these lovely masks so we wouldn't breathe in too much sawdust. Yes, they are dorky. But they were comfortable and worked! Then we commenced to chippin' and blowing the cheeps into Russ's trailer. We have use for chips: to make paths, for the privy and for the mud in the front of the cabin.

The chipper was kind of good, noisy fun. And as we went along, we cut down ugly, dead stuff and chipped it too. The worst of it was emptying the trailer.

Beautification Phase 2: we are renting a brush mower and mowing along the edge of the newly debrushed road, 10-15' each side. Also going to widen the road across the pasture (it's all dirt road to those of you who haven't visited yet).

Phase 3: we will collect Alabama wildflower seeds this summer and strew along the roadside. And I would love to get/plant the new disease resistant dogwood, "Appalachian Spring" because just about all our dogwoods are gone. Russ had some big ones, but no more. A fungal disease, dogwood anthracnose, is killing dogwoods in the wild.