Kermis

This month brings the celebration of Kermis to this part of the state.  And the harvest continues....

A friend of mine invited me over to his place to pick mulberries.  Yup, wild-grown, native mulberries.  I have never, to my knowledge, ever enjoyed a mulberry.  Not once.

We dined on these (especially good on vanilla ice cream) and I froze a couple of packages as a winter treat. As a result of my mulberry experience I think I'm going to order some nursery stock this winter for planting in the early spring.

Then there is the broccoli.  I can honestly say that this year's broccoli is the gift that keeps on giving.  And with cooler nights it should persist.  

And there are apples on our apple trees.  They're generally neglected but they are abundant this year.  I haven't a clue what variety other than they are quite tart.

Acorns too.  We don't eat them.  However, if you leach the tannins from them I am told that they are quite wholesome and healthful.  The deer, blue jays and turkeys dine on them straight-up.

The green beans appear to be done although the sweet peppers continue to produce.  The tomatoes are going gangbusters - not so many to can but plenty to eat daily and share.  There are carrots and beets to dig and a big pile of German Butterball spuds to excavate.  Third sowing of lettuces and spinach have emerged and the mutant pumpkin vine continues it's mutancy.  

Been taking surplus produce over to the local church on occasion too.  It's been a good year.  Raising a toast to the continuing harvest. 

Look-Up!

Four years ago I was out brushing trails and clearings like I ordinarily do this time of year and later discovered I had a close encounter with a nest of bald faced hornets hanging in a white pine.

I never took notice of the nest at the time and as a consequence took no special measures to avoid knocking it from the tree with the roll bar of the tractor.

My Guardian Angel earned some hazardous-duty pay that particular afternoon as it was a close call with the wasps.

Ever since then I have been particularly attentive to be aware of my surroundings and always look-up before driving under any tree branches that might be shaken or disturbed by any chores I am performing.  

Like this nest of bald faced hornets.

That Mama Jama is bigger than a basketball and was one of two I spotted Friday and Saturday and gave a wide berth so as not to disturb the inhabitants.

It's one thing to watch where you step to avoid tripping and falling.  Yet sound advice to look-up too.

Trust me on this....

Happy Labor Day

Since today is Labor Day it seems only fitting that I should publish some self-effacing imagery of a dusty, chaff-producing fall chore.  Namely completing the final brushing of the trails.  Not that I mind at all - I even took no small measure of delight in digging and hauling dirt on Saturday.  What sort of retired kid wouldn't?  It's one of the  last hurrahs of chores before bow season commences.  A good labor indeed.  And Sunday was a day of rest.

These were taken Friday and Saturday from a couple of the trail cameras - including this one....

And a two close calls with the video set-up..... 

    

POW

Powerful stuff from the Lincoln Project.

Republicans and conservatives dedicated to protecting our democracy and ridding the Grand Old Party of the stain of Trumpism.

Get involved - it's not too late to join the growing movement.....

Earth Moving

By the time you are reading this I fully expect it to be raining.  As a consequence  yesterday was a busy day of deadlines.  Namely, to complete brushing-out 3.5+ miles of trails and pushing the biggest deadfalls and obstacles out of the way.  I can follow-up with a pruner later to remove the smaller hazards to navigation.

With rain in the forecast I wanted to begin some of the trail remediation work before it got too squishy.

That included excavating and installing a water diversion pipe under a section of north-south trail just after the turn.  

Hopefully, no further washouts and rutting.  Time will tell.

I also moved additional fill into a couple of serious low spots approaching Silver Creek.

Between back-filling the pipe install and filling the low spots I must've moved several tons of pit-run. 

Edit to add a trail camera photo

It's a small matter to remove and pitch the larger rocks and the smaller ones will become compressed into the roadbed by driving over it with the tractor and Mule.

More work ahead of me but this is a good start.  I felt like a kid again pushing dirt and rocks around.

On the list is measuring, cutting and installing treated plywood seating and seat backs for three of the metal tripod deer stands. 

 

The Year In Review

I know it is premature but if 2020 were a scented candle this is what it would look like.....

My Kingdom for a Leader

​As of today there is this:

6,117,000 reported cases of COVID.  

The death toll exceeds more than 1,000 of our countrymen each and every day.

More than 179,000 people have died of the virus with hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of additional lives surviving and crippled by disabling complications. 

The national unemployment rate is 10.2% with 31.8 million people claiming jobless benefits. 

Do you hear that rumble in the distance? That is not a protest march or even rioters – that is a growing avalanche of business bankruptcies headed directly at us.

55% of businesses shuttered during the worst of the pandemic in March will never reopen. 

The economy so far has replaced only about 9 million of the 22 million jobs lost in March and April. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented a temporary eviction moratorium through the end of the year which – according to the Treasury Secretary – will delay (not prevent) as many of 40 million people being turned out on the street.     

About the rioting and destruction of property? The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of our countrymen do not riot, burn or take the law into their own hands and murder their brethren.  

Law-abiding, peaceful and civil society continues uninterrupted across virtually all of our great nation. 

The real shitstorm is the absence of leadership on the pandemic and the economy.  

 Everything else is: LOOK! SQUIRREL!!

 

*Data courtesy of Axios, Fox News, MarketWatch, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control