Manchurian walnut

Damocles is home, and other good stuff

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Well, I’d say today was a productive day, in a very positive way!

Quite early on, I started getting a whole bunch of messages.

Some were from my brother regarding our mother. She has come down with a cold, though they are still waiting for test results to confirm, and is currently in quarantine, and the staff made sure to let him know.

Then I started getting messages from the rescue. Domino, one of the cats they took in from us quite some time ago, has not been doing well with the foster. She has been staying in hiding this entire time. She comes out to eat when no one is around, and that’s it. She’s been seen by a vet and as medication no one has been able to get into her. She’s booked to be spayed this Friday, and would we be able to take her back?

After some back and forth messaging, it was worked out that Domino would be staying with one of the rescue people for observation, first, then she will be brought back here, where we can keep her in the isolation shelter she is so familiar with for her recovery period, and then she will be back with the other yard cats. While in the isolation shelter with no other cats, we will be able to give her the medication in her food, if that’s still needed. She should be back here some time next week.

Then they asked how we were doing for cat food. I told them, I need to pick up more kibble for the outside cats today, and that I will never say no to the offer of cat food! At first, they talked about bringing some with Domino, but then someone said that, if I can meet her in our usual spot (thankfully, that particular stretch of road is no longer closed from the recent flash floods) this afternoon. Which I was happy to do.

Today being Wednesday, the store the post office is in closes at noon, and I had some packages to pick up, so I figured I would do that, first. The rescue worker, however, said that she could meet me shortly after 11, if that worked. That worked out very well, since it meant I could pick up the mail and then keep on going to meet her.

Then I got a call.

In between all the messaging, I managed to call the garage and left a voice mail asking about the status of the truck, suggesting texting me might work best, since I was suddenly going to be out and about.

The owner phoned me back very soon after I left the message.

The truck is fine.

They checked it out and found nothing wrong, but a code was coming on on the diagnostic computer. They cleared the code and took it for a test run. Everything is working find. They figure that the code was triggered while the part was being replaced. The only change is that, with the new part installed, moving the shifter is a lot stiff than it was before, which is to be expected.

Also, there was no charge. !!! They don’t charge for diagnostics, and they didn’t charge me for their time. There was nothing for them to fix.

I made sure to let him know how much I appreciated that! We were pretty stressed out by the potential bill.

I told him I was meeting someone soon and would be in the area, so I could pick up the key afterwards but leaving the truck, as needed to work out when my brother and I could switch vehicles, which he was good with.

I messaged with my brother and SIL about the truck, letting them know the status of the truck, and I would get the key after meeting someone with a kibble donation, and we could work out switching vehicles by their schedule. Which was settled until they messaged again, suggesting I take the truck home and leave their car at the garage. They’d pick it up with their spare key, then get the other key back from me the next time we meet up.

Plus, if something went wrong with Damocles again, at least their car would be nearby and available!!

So that was all worked out, and I was soon on my way, with my first stop at the post office.

One of the packages I picked up was my order of replacement seeds.

I have different varieties of purple and white kohlrabi, plus a different variety of fennel, all to try next year. The Giganthemum poppies are to sow in the fall. The last packet I got turned out to not have a lot of seeds in it, so I was going to order two. That size was sold out, though, so I got the next size of packet up.

If you check out the label, this one gram packet has about 1,691 seeds in it.

I don’t think I’ll be running out so quickly this time!

These are also for next year, but I will be direct sowing them in the fall.

I didn’t check the package out until after I got home, of course. From the post office, I headed out to meet the rescue person at our usual intersection. She had six 8kg bags of kibble for us!!!

As we were transferring the bags, she pointed out that some of them were taped. It turned out to be exactly what I thought. These were damaged bags that could not be sold retail anymore. She has a family member that works in a warehouse and she’s been able to collect the damaged bags to donate to the rescue, instead. Which is great, except she is retiring soon, so that donation source is not going to be around for much longer. For now, however, they have lots of these damaged bag donations.

After we parted ways, I headed into town to fill my brother’s gas tank before going to pick up the truck. After talking to the owner about the truck for a bit, and he told me about the test drives and so on, I asked about being able to leave my brother’s car for them to pick up later. He was good with that, and told me where I could park it.

I just had to transfer stuff over, first. Including those bags of kibble.

I am so incredibly grateful for this. This should last us to the end of the month, and maybe a bit beyond!

Once everything was transferred over, I parked my brother’s car as directed, then took Damocles home.

Of course, with the way things have been going, I was absolutely expecting something to go wrong.

Nothing did! N warning lights or messages on the onboard computer. No alarms dinging. Everything was running smoothly.

Also, it felt so good to be driving the truck again. My brother’s car is a sweet ride, but I find I really prefer to drive a larger vehicle! This truck is just on the edge of being too large for my comfort, but that’s been okay.

Damocles has been that most bizarre combination of being the best vehicle we’ve ever owned, and the worst vehicle we’ve ever owned!

Once at home and unloaded, I headed out again, this time with a daughter to help out.

It was time to protect some walnut trees.

One of them already has protection, which left three surviving trees to protect. One of the unprotected black walnuts was untouched, another black walnut was down to a stick in the ground, as was the new Manchurian walnut. It had leafed out so well, too! Both of the deer damaged walnuts, though, were already showing new leaf buds.

Once we brought supplies over (and my walker), I paced around the Manchurian walnut to decide how long a piece of chicken wire to cut, then my daughter and I unrolled the wire onto the ground so I could pace out the length. The roll is getting close to the middle, so it kept wanting to roll into itself. Annoying, but still workable.

We cut out the three lengths we needed, then set them up.

Here you can see the two black walnut, and the Manchurian walnut way at the end. This time around, I didn’t skimp on the wire, so the protective ring is a lot larger than others I’ve made, Plus, I didn’t cut the width in half, like I usually do. Once we had the wire overlapped, it was pegged to the ground and we secured the overlapping cut ends as best we could. I had considered using bamboo stakes to secure them more and add to the visibility, but the ground it just too hard. The bamboo would have broken. I did, however, bring some high viz, reflective cord. Each cage got the cord wrapped around the top, making sure to use it to secure the overlap more, and tied off.

Once that was done, I dragged the back garden hose over – which I was able to do while using my walker – as my daughter put the wagon of supplies away and brought me a pair of watering cans. The hose from the back tap reaches a decent amount into the outer yard. I set my walker up near the end to use while refilling, and gave all the trees we’ve got out there a deep watering.

That done, I brought the hose back and started watering the garden beds. I did as much as I could with the back hose, then continued with the front hose in the south and east yard garden beds.

While watering in the east yard garden beds, I was considering whether I should cut my losses rework the kohlrabi and cabbage beds, or keep watering it. I’m not seeing anything in the kohlrabi bed, but I watered it anyway. Then I started to water the cabbage bed.

Which is when I finally saw them.

This bed was getting overgrown with what I thought were self seeded radishes or turnips, but they were already bolting and starting to bloom. Yellow flowers. The radishes I grew for their seed pods had white flowers.

I took the cover off and weeded the bed, finding a surprising number of cabbage seedlings.

They are hard to see in the photo. That these are a purple savoy cabbage helped identify the seedings from everything else, as they have a darker purple in them.

Unfortunately, while the raised bed covers protect the garden beds from cats and other critters, they don’t block the elm seeds. They are everywhere, and many are starting to germinate. They are practically everywhere and, in some places, they are starting to germinate and crowd out the plants I actually planted.

The watering done, I remembered one last thing that I wanted to do. Clear out some stuff in the garden shed, that the raccoons had knocked about and could potentially harm them.

They didn’t like the commotion at all. Too many things tangled around each other. I did move the felted grow bags from previous years to make a sort of bed for them.

When I checked again this evening, after doing my walkabout, they were gone. I guess it was too much for them, and the mama moved them. Which, technically, is a good thing, but I’ going to miss the adorable little buggers! I’ll check again in the morning, though. Maybe she’ll bring them back after things have quiteted down again.

Meanwhile, I’ve since received a message from my SIL. They have retrieved their car and got it home.

I am so thankful for them. I honestly don’t know what we could do without them at times like this!

I am also ridiculously tired.

Time to go to bed.

It’s been a good day, though, and I am happy we have Damocles home!

Even if I do expect it to break down every time I drive it…

….

The Re-Farmer

Tree planting done

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Technically, today is a touch cooler – we hit a high of 31C/88F this afternoon, and it’s just starting to slowly drop for the evening.

It didn’t feel cooler, even though I was done well before we reached the high of the day. I started off around 6am and it was already getting hot. I have no idea what the humidex was, but I was definitely courting with heat stroke by the end of it.

It is, however, done.

First, the unboxing.

The Manchurian walnut wasn’t even visible until the packaging was unwrapped!

The package came with planting instructions, which included making sure NOT to leave any of the sawdust around the roots, and to let the roots soak for about an hour before planting.

While those were soaking, I got my supplies together to do the Manchurian walnut first. I got a wheelbarrow load of wood chips that I hoped would be enough for all the trees (that old pile of wood chips is decomposing nicely) and the wagon was loaded with watering cans, the tree bucket and a piece of thick cardboard as part of the mulch.

For the Manchurian Walnut, I chose to plant it where we have a row of Black walnut. Last year, one of them simply disappeared. Not just the leaves nibbled at. The entire stem, gone.

Since that area had already been worked and marked, I figure it would be at least a bit easier to prepare the hole, too.

Well, mostly.

There were the usual small rocks, but I also had to cut away a substantial root the wasn’t there when I planted the Black Walnut seed! The protective collar turned out to be absolutely jammed with roots, and it took quite some time to clear it. With that in mind, when I replaced the collar later, I set it just into the ground, not as deep as it had been when I planted the black walnut seed. But that was much later.

When I’d dug the hole before, I’d found some rocks that got used to form a ring around the planting area before mulching with grass clippings that were so long, they were basically hay. I set those aside along with more that the frost/freeze cycle had heaved up. The top soil is not very deep and I was soon hitting the gravel/sand/clay layer and loosened that up as much as I could before returning enough soil to make a planting mound, as per the instructions. I also used the protective collar as a template to cut an opening in the cardboard that would be laid down under the wood chips.

Once planted, it got a watering can full (2 gallons) of water. Then the cardboard and protective collar was put in place. Then a thick mulch of wood chips and more watering (another 2 gallons).

Last of all, I set the rocks around the inside of the mulch ring in such a way that I hope they will help direct water flow towards the middle. Since I still had the grass clipping mulch handy, I set that around the outer edge of the wood chips.

In this location, the Manchurian walnut will need at least weekly deep watering, unless we get a decent amount of rain. The surviving Black walnut are showing leaf buds and I should be watering them, too.

But not quite yet.

Next job, planting the Blue Basket Willow.

These were going to go much further from the house, beyond the outer yard. There is a low area that forms a shallow pond in wet years, and towards which our septic ejector drains. The renter’s cows are rotated into this quarter for pasture, so I needed to make sure they wouldn’t stomp all over the new trees! Not that I can 100% protect them from cows, but I can at least make it less likely.

Before heading out, I cut five sections of the heavy cardboard and five metal T posts to bring along. The area I was going to work in was so round, once I got the wagon through the outer yard fence line, I had to carry the watering cans and soaking bucket over, so as not to lose all the water to sloshing.

The first two pictures are where I decided to plant. This low area had been fenced off at some point, and the remains of fencing are still there. I wanted it to be further away from the existing willows that are way too close to our ejector system (the roots are likely why we had to replace it, a couple of falls ago, and the new ejector is further from the trees).

The bit of fence still there will protect the trees from the cows on one side, and the T posts should somewhat protect from the other. It will be some time before the cows are rotated to this quarter, and the willow should have time for their roots to be established before it becomes a concern.

I normally would have planted trees a minimum of 6′ feet apart, but these are meant for coppicing. I used the 5′ long T posts to mark a row in the grass roughly 5′ apart, plus a few inches.

This area has standing water in places, barely visible in the tall grass. Where I planted, it is slightly more elevated, but still very wet. Once I marked out the distances, I cleared the tall grass within a circle with my gloved hands and used that as a guide for where to shovel out a circle of sod, before digging deeper.

The first couple of holes weren’t too bad, but when I got to the third one, I hit so many rocks, so close to the surface, I thought I would have to dig somewhere else. In another hole, there were so many larger rocks, I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough soil left to return to the hole!

I got it done, though, and set the rocks along the old fence, out of the way.

Then I returned the sod in chunks, upside down, to create a planting mound. This area is so wet, water was starting to accumulate in the bottom of the holes.

The holes prepared, I planted all five of the willow and gave them a surface watering. Just one watering can’s worth, more to settle the soil around them.

Next, I cut holes in the middle of the cardboard, with a slice to the edge so I could slide the cardboard around the stems, adding the T posts beside each one in the process. They now each have the fallen fence protecting them on one side, and the T posts on the other.

Then the remaining wood chips got added for mulch. It’s nowhere near enough. I’ll have to get another load and add more later.

Last of all, I used the second watering can and what was left in the soaking bucket to moisten the wood chips.

One important thing about planting these in this location. I will not need to water them weekly. If anything, they are more at risk of drowning that drying out. At least for now. If things dry up over the summer, then I might have to water them. Which would be a pain, because the water line to the barn was shut off decades ago, when my parents no longer had cows.

By this time, it was coming up on 10am and the heat was a real danger. I put everything but the spade back into the wagon and took that to the “gate” at the fence line by the barn. With the wheelbarrow, though, I took the time to grab some of the rocks I’d dug up, plus a few more loose rocks along the way. I let the spade, just in case, but never needed to use it.

I had pulled the garden hose as far into the outer yard as it could reach, in case I needed to refill watering cans. Instead, I took the wheelbarrow over and started filling hosing the rocks down to get the worst of the mud off and let them soak for a bit. Then I brought the wagon to the inner hard fence before going back, dumping water out of the wheelbarrow, and refilling it.

The above picture is after the first water was dumped off and it was getting refilled.

This also allowed me to use the water to cool myself down. Including soaking my hat before putting it back on again. The heat was really brutal and I was starting to feel the warning signs telling me I needed to get inside, fast – and we hadn’t even reached the high of the day, yet!

I left the wheelbarrow where it was for the while. The rocks will be taken to the gate area, were they will be used to make the wall of what will be a flower bed at the base of my mother’s angel statue.

Then I went inside and, as soon as possible, crashed on the couch near the AC for at least 4 hours. I hadn’t done the morning watering in the garden, so my daughters took care of that for me.

Meanwhile, my brother and SIL had come out yesterday. Just as I was setting up, they headed out with their RV that they found someone to sell for them. They got back around the same time I was getting up, and now I see my brother has their zero turn mower out and is mowing in this heat!!

The grass is getting so very long right now, but it’s just been too hot. When it’s cooler in the morning, the grass is too wet. For the inner yard, I was going to break out their push mower that they’ve set up for us to use, and mow around the edges of the yard, then use the riding mower they have for me to use, to do the rest. My brother’s weed trimmer is also available, and I just brought his case of batteries for it out of the house where they were stored for the winter.

It’s past 5pm as I write this. It’s still 28C/82F out there, with the humidex at 31C/88C.

It’s hard to believe that, just a week or so ago, we were still getting snow!

I was supposed to do a dump run today. They’re open until 6pm on Saturdays, but I’m simply not up to it. My daughter was willing to do the driving, but I’m still groggy and dizzy. It’ll have to wait.

Again.

*sigh*

The important thing is, the trees are planted!

Now we just have to keep them alive…

The Re-Farmer