Small Discoveries

Similar 2 My Ravine....

I took a vacation day yesterday and used it to begin some serious outdoor work needed around the house.  There are some things that have (from the looks of it) not been attended to in a decade.  Stuff like an assortment of half dead pine-like hedges around the back of the house, a pile of tree logs that I suppose were eventually meant for firewood but are now rotting in the side yard, greenbrier and brush that is overhanging into the yard on three sides of the property.  It is all a gnarly mess out there and will take some serious time and elbow grease to work through.  Rather then rant about how come people let stuff get like that.....

I'm just happy I made some progress.  So, these logs were very heavy and long and some of them I was able to get to the ravine and pitch to go their natural route.  Of the others I simply pulled them to edge of my property line behind a row of pine trees where a little no man's land of brush and rocks exists.  I lined them long-ways behind the pines, making a little fence-line of sorts.  May they slowly decay in restful peace.  LOL.
I cleaned up the space where they were, cleaned up two other old woodpiles and built (out of rotting pallets) a new wood keeper between two perfectly spaced trees.  I will do a little roof for it later this summer to help keep the wood dry. 

I dug out four dying hedges and returned them to the woods.  They will make great wildlife cover.  Birds and small critters love pine-like stuff for that purpose.  I trimmed some other stuff I'm keeping.  A burning bush and some other ornamental bloomers.  I still have to make a decision on a couple more of these pine hedges on the side of the house but they will most likely go as well.  Taking out the ones in the backyard really opened it up and I can see a nice little bench back there, maybe some Hosta (which will lead to a deer salad bar I'm sure LOL). 

I started the battle with the briers and brambles that are creeping into the yard (ugggghhhhhh I HATE briers) and while working on this made the coolest discovery!  On one side of my yard is a ravine.  It is lined with limestone rock formations.  Very pretty.  Really big drop at one spot (about 50ft) but gorgeous.  In my backyard the drop is more gradual and in this one spot there is sort of a natural drainage ditch etched out over time.  My dad has been trying to work on this issue of the backyard being soppy wet due to water coming off the hill from the trail using this ditch.  I am damn well convinced there is also a natural spring under here somewhere.  So this ditch leads to a smaller rock formation that is stepped down into the ravine quite nicely, with moss growing on it - one of those spots that as a kid I was always convinced served as a little water fall spot for the Fae.  Why am I saying "as a kid"?  LOL I still believe it.

So, I started tidying up around it with the rest of the yard.  Hoping the spring rain will now wash it clean. 

There are so many cool little spots around here and about three miles up the trail there is a swimming hole with a water fall.  A runner that I work with told me about it and the prior owner (who had a big dog she took on long walks) mentioned it as well. 

So, lots to explore and a ton of work to do.