Pond!

Pond!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Rule of Three




The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.

"omne trium perfectum" (everything that comes in threes is perfect)



I found these nine eggs equally divided between three nestboxes.



Who knew that our hens were so wise and literary (not to mention mathematical)?  







Sunday, March 22, 2015

Still Life with Toad and Pansy


A helpful pansy sheltering a large and rather lumpy toad under its leaves in the front garden.  I've never seen toads about so early in the spring -- by Friday it's supposed to reach the low 80's.

The Stockade






It's been years since we've made any real attempt at clearing out the dead branches and trees that litter our two properties.  With the drought taking its toll, there are more of them than ever.  A modest amount of deadwood can make an area look woodsy and natural.  Jumbled heaps of them everywhere are just depressing (as well as being a fire hazard).



So I decided to repurpose the ones I could use and burn the rest.  And thus began my New Project: The Stockade.  Last summer one or more deer figured out how to leap over the eight-foot fence around our orchard garden.  The temptation that sent them over the fence was the small pear tree that taunted them from behind the wire with its load of sweet, golden fruit.  One late summer morning I discovered that most of the tree's branches had been snapped off and every pear was gone.  Fortunately the tree has survived and is bravely flowering in a lopsided sort of way.  

The deer are just trying to make a living, but they have to be stopped.  I already had some branches wired to several small sections of the fence, so it didn't take much thought to decide that this was the way to go.  I liked the idea of a project that recycled the wood that we already had to haul off the hills anyway.  The downside to this project is that sorting through and preparing the branches for being wired to the fence is slow going.  I work with a saw and pruners to trim down the twigs and trunks.  Wiring them up isn't hard, but fitting the branches together takes thought.  I'll admit to getting more artsy with the look of the fence than is really practical -- sometimes I'll try the same branch in two or three locations before I'm satisfied.  



I'm also a bit worried that the combined weight of all the branches might serve to knock the entire fence inward.  Wouldn't the deer get a laugh out of that.  At this point, however, I'm too far into this to change my mind.

Besides, I love the rustic, twisted look of my slowly spreading fence.  This picture is from the outside looking in.







And this one is from the raised berry beds looking out.  The new height should give a bit of additional shade to the garden when the heat of summer slams down on us again.




The above pictures make it look like this project is almost finished.  It's not -- I'm less than a fourth of the way around the garden  I still have over half of one of the long sides to complete and then almost all of the stretch along our driveway.  But I'm carrying on like a little worker ant emptying a grain sack, one small piece at a time.











The hope of this two-legged ant is to get the stockade completed before the next pear crop ripens.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

March


Well, it's March and the rainy season, such as it was, is winding down.  Earlier this week, a weak storm finally broke through our high pressure system and gave us about a quarter of an inch.   I'm grateful for this rain as it means I don't have to water for a few days but it doesn't do much to raise our water table or fill the pond.  I'm still hoping that a monster storm or two or three roars in by the end of the month.  It could happen.