He Knew He Was Right

1) I let mother nature blow them away. Coincidentally, this made the neighbor's list of the top 10 most hated ways other get rid of leaves... 2) I crush small handfuls in my hands. You know which leaves I mean: the ones when you open the door and a bunch of them are packed into the corner of the door frame, just waiting to get in the house. If they're dry, and a broom isn't handy, I just grab them, rub them together in my hand, and toss them to the side. That's right; I let them know who's boss. 3) I sweep them out of the garage, the basement hallway, the kitchen, and any other place into which they've made their way. 4) I rake, and I rake, and I rake. Ok, enough of the enviro-friendly leaf disposal stuff. I have a lot of trees, and sometimes I just need to bring out the big boy toys... 5) I use my leaf blower (gas; not electric) to move them into a small wooded area on the side of my lot. Overuse of this tool, though, was also noted on the neighbor's most h...

Well, a few people have been asking me where the foliage pictures are, so I thought I would share some fall shots from the yard, taken before the leaves really started covering it. First, though, here is proof of the old adage that you can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. I finished restaining the deck a few weeks ago. I'm glad that's done as it looks considerably better than it did a month ago. But, I won't be happy until I have a new one. Or at least do something about the rails. Why it was built with four rails on one side and three on the others has been bothering me for some time. Further, those four rails are all 2X6s while the other sides were made from 1X6s, suggesting that the last side was probably made from leftover wood. Still, if I take the picture emphasizing the nicely turned maple a bit better, the imperfections on the deck don't quite stand out so much... Here's one of my burning bushes. Travel prevented me from seeing them in their dee...

There are things we all can do to help the environment, and being a homeowner on a lot that is over an acre means that there is always ways for me to do more. I’ve discussed in earlier posts that I have planted a bunch of trees; in fact, I can almost see them sucking the CO2 right out of the air. Offered here are a few other things I am doing. In addition to the trees, I’ve also mentioned in earlier posts that I have created and enlarged planting beds to lessen the amount of mowing I need to do. I’ve removed grass around corners to minimize both the string trimming needed and the back and forth with the lawn tractor, decreasing the time they run by about 20-25%. Conversely, I have seeded other areas, to prevent erosion and runoff of dirt and other matter into area streams. This surprises many, but neither my neighbors nor I water our lawns—Mother Nature takes care of that. Cool nights in the Hudson Valley mean lots of condensation in the morning; coupled with the typical annual rainfa...

If I align everything just right, I can fit my lawn tractor and car into my one-car garage. I only bother in the winter, removing the mowing deck from the tractor and squeezing it facing outward in the back left corner. Backing my Forester into the garage, I end up with about six inches of clearance between its back tire and the front one of my John Deere. In what has become something of a ritual every spring and fall, I swap the placement of my tractor and snow thrower, which spends its summers in that back corner. I can’t say it’s a happy routine, as there is a bit of dread that comes with the necessity of having these machines at the ready. Still, though, there are four seasons here in the Hudson Valley. Things may go quickly from hot to cold in the autumn, and then heat up just as quickly in the spring, but I count four distinct seasons. Spring is here in these parts, and really everywhere, just check a sports calendar: In April, “March Madness” wraps up, the Masters Tournament in...