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Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:13 pm
by halfmoon
I forgot this photo. The yellow-leaved arbor consists of 2 hardy Kiwi that produce small, delicious, fuzz-free fruit for garden grazing. We take no credit for the rainbow.

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Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:31 pm
by saving-10-years
And bees. Lovely picture.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:27 am
by Fish
I am finally able to catch my breath after seeing the 60 foot tower. It's impressive you moved those massive logs like matchsticks. :o That's a lot of work just to mount your solar panels! Also, I notice an antenna in the picture... I suppose that it was only natural since you already had the tower.

Those are some nice photos of the present! And the arboretum that's a very beautiful environment you have made for yourselves. I'm in my mid-30s and I'm only starting to realize the wisdom in planting trees. The original owner of my house planted fruit trees some 20 years ago that we continue to enjoy today. Apples and figs. We should have the foresight to leave something nice for future generations.

Great to have you back halfmoon! I missed you. Look forward to the continuation of your story, and best wishes to you and DH.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:53 am
by Riggerjack
Nice Sequoias! 8-)

Oh, wait. That's not a euphemism, they really are actually nice Sequoias. Old habits die hard, I guess.

We planted red cedar, because the are flexible, with a solid root structure. That and I really like how they look. How do the Sequoia stand up to wind? Also, how do you keep the underbrush down, are you mowing under the arboretum?

I wanted to mention how much calmer and in control your husband looks than I did in a beekeepers hat.viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8097

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:11 am
by halfmoon
saving-10-years wrote:
Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:31 pm
And bees. Lovely picture.
Thank you! Maybe honey is the gold at the end of the rainbow? It certainly smells and looks wonderful, though we leave it for the bees...and feed them sugar on top of it. ;) Not very ERE, but satisfying.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:36 am
by halfmoon
Fish, I have to not-so-humbly admit that I also find the tower impressive! :D It was ostensibly built for our solar panels, but DH also just really, really wanted a tower. When we moved back over to W WA and installed a new solar system, his first suggestion was: "We should build a tower!" I replied: "Sorry; one per customer."

The antenna was for an extended-range cordless phone, which we installed a few years in. It worked some of the time. The antenna spoke (when it so chose) to one a couple of air miles down in the valley. The valley antenna was hard-wired to a landline cordless phone base that had been juiced up by someone who knew about such things, powered by a storage battery and solar panel. Our tower antenna was hard-wired to the handset in the house. When it rained, we would sometimes get a connection. Usually no connection when the sun shone and the air was dry.

Thanks for the arboretum appreciation and the good wishes. Planting trees is one of the easiest ways you can make a difference in the world and your own environment, IMHO. Habitat improvement, air quality improvement, heat abatement and sheer loveliness. Looking at trees gives me peace.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:39 am
by halfmoon
ffj, I completely agree that a tree you planted yourself is more special. I'll admit to hugging them sometimes when no one is looking.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:55 am
by halfmoon
Riggerjack, I had never heard the phrase "Nice Sequoias!" Sheltered life.

The Sequoias probably hold up better to wind than any of our trees because they have such wide bases in relation to the rest of the trunk. I'm sure there's a technical term for that.

We've planted plenty of red cedar; they're beautiful trees. Also Alaskan yellow cedar and incense cedar. My favorite cedar, though, is Port Orford because of the full, soft-looking branches. A friend dug up a whole flat of tiny Port Orford cedar seedlings from his yard and brought them to DH for transplanting. We transferred each one to a small pot so they could grow bigger before having to compete in the woods. When we were finished, DH counted the trees; there were 99. He said, "Call that asshole and tell him he shorted me one tree."

We sporadically mow under the arboretum (maybe once or twice a year), but it's getting to the point where the shade and needles/leaves inhibit most growth. We neglected it pretty much for the last couple of years, but DH's son came in this fall and did a huge amount of cleanup for us on this and other parts of the property. It's been a joy to see it look this way.

I love your wasp story. :lol: DH is very calm around the bees. I also call him the Wasp Whisperer, because he used to go up on the roof to clean our chimney and explain to the wasps nesting there that he wouldn't hurt them if they didn't hurt him. They never stung him.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2017 5:34 pm
by halfmoon
I'm planning another installment of our illustrious history, but first I have to break in (again) with the current day. THE POND IS FULL! :D It was such a dry, sunny summer (not complaining) that our poor little Buddha was sitting on a mesa instead of an island. Now I finally have photos of Buddha Island, so of course I must share/brag.

Here's the long view. Buddha is the tiny speck in the back, flanked by two young bamboo seedlings. Absolutely no color enhancement; it really is that green here in November.

Image

Closeup:

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There's a hooded merganser floating behind the back side of the island. He declined to be photographed.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:39 am
by Farm_or
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a green oasis piece of paradise

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:34 pm
by George the original one
If I posted a picture of our water feature today, there'd be a salmon carcass in it...

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:06 pm
by halfmoon
Farm_or wrote:
Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:39 am
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a green oasis piece of paradise
It's certainly an oasis in our eyes. People are odd, though...or maybe it's just us. :shock: We loved this property and its lush green climate for most of the first 12 years we lived here, and then we slowly began to dislike the damp, overgrown ambience. Eastern WA looked so open and clean and blessedly dry. Dry = dusty, but that realization came later.

When we moved back here to Western WA, it was strictly temporary. As soon as we could fix up and sell this house, we were getting out of the jungle. Then time passed, and we began to appreciate the beauty again. Trees we'd planted were getting big, our fruit and walnut orchards were producing, and the summer weather even improved (thank you, global warming). Now we're more in love with our paradise than ever before. Eastern WA is still beautiful, but this is much more supportive of life.

And easier. With internet. ;)

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:10 pm
by halfmoon
George the original one wrote:
Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:34 pm
If I posted a picture of our water feature today, there'd be a salmon carcass in it...
Do tell. Is that because your water feature is a river? Lucky you, if so!

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:29 pm
by George the original one
halfmoon wrote:
Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:10 pm
Do tell. Is that because your water feature is a river? Lucky you, if so!
Necanicum River, which is a glorified creek. Here's a picture from last February:
Image

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:39 pm
by Fish
I thought the tower was going to be the highlight of the journal, but looking at the pictures of the present it seems that the best is still yet to come. :D

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:07 am
by halfmoon
George, what a joy to have a lovely little river next to you! I'm guessing you spend a fair amount of time fishing? Does you wife like to fish? Does it ever flood enough to make you nervous, or is your house out of reach?

Fish, thank you for the encouragement. The tower is sort of the high point (get it? :P ), but there's plenty more to the story. I just need to get my head back into the past. I waste a lot of time these days obsessing on the present and future.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 4:33 pm
by George the original one
The house is well out of flood reach unless a logjam or landslide dams up the valley and water backs up a lot. Yes, I fish. Wife does not.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:38 am
by FBeyer
halfmoon wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:07 am
The tower is sort of the high point...
Condoning topological jokes; always a slippery slope.

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:27 am
by halfmoon
George the original one wrote:
Sun Nov 19, 2017 4:33 pm
Yes, I fish. Wife does not.
Yeah...I don't fish either. Too slow and contemplative for me. I certainly wouldn't object, though, if we lived by a pristine river from which DH brought fish home to eat. And cleaned them. And cooked them.
FBeyer wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 4:38 am
Condoning topological jokes; always a slippery slope.
:lol:

Re: Halfmoon's journal

Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:36 am
by Farm_or
I used to pedal past people fishing, playing golf, handgliding, cliff climbing. I thought, "what great sports if you don't have a bike"