shoveled lane end, planted willow row at the new pond
Okay so here is what I did.
I drove down to the Upper gate, or the entrance to the pond and parked on our road. Using my flat ended shovel, I rounded the beginning of the slope so I won't bottom out when I drive in there eventually. I thought how silly it was, when I had so many things I was going to do down there today, that I'd start shoveling sand first thing. This back has to keep me going all day!
I took out the bundle of freshly cut willow shoots. They were about two feet long or more. I took the other aluminum lawn chair and my clippers and headed in.
I left them near the apple tree and carried the rest of my stuff to the hammock. I lay down, wondering why my body was so lazy and hard to lug around these days. I was going to make a video, but I'd left the sd card in my laptop up at the house!
So I lay there and enjoyed everything, the view of the pond, which is about six inches higher than the last time I saw it, the trees and tall grass in the far distance, the ferns nearby and the sumac leaf clusters overhead.
I lay there long enough that I had to remind myself that I needed to get busy. So I took the willow shoots, sat in the chair with it facing the long rectangular mound of gravely soil, and stripped all the leaves off each shoot. It's easy when you hold it at the top and just pull downward against all the leaves.
I had a nice little pile of leaves on the bare earth on my right and a pile of willow sticks on the ground on my left. I learned from planting willow before, that they don't need leaves, nor length to start rooting.
At the base of the mound or the plateau, I pushed in a willow rod, then cut it off several inches above the ground. I spaced them about six to 12 inches apart, trying to keep them close in case only half of them make it this time. I had enough to go right to the far end of the mound, 120' long row. Excellent. Then it was time to lie down in the hammock again.
I drove down to the Upper gate, or the entrance to the pond and parked on our road. Using my flat ended shovel, I rounded the beginning of the slope so I won't bottom out when I drive in there eventually. I thought how silly it was, when I had so many things I was going to do down there today, that I'd start shoveling sand first thing. This back has to keep me going all day!
I took out the bundle of freshly cut willow shoots. They were about two feet long or more. I took the other aluminum lawn chair and my clippers and headed in.
I left them near the apple tree and carried the rest of my stuff to the hammock. I lay down, wondering why my body was so lazy and hard to lug around these days. I was going to make a video, but I'd left the sd card in my laptop up at the house!
So I lay there and enjoyed everything, the view of the pond, which is about six inches higher than the last time I saw it, the trees and tall grass in the far distance, the ferns nearby and the sumac leaf clusters overhead.
I lay there long enough that I had to remind myself that I needed to get busy. So I took the willow shoots, sat in the chair with it facing the long rectangular mound of gravely soil, and stripped all the leaves off each shoot. It's easy when you hold it at the top and just pull downward against all the leaves.
I had a nice little pile of leaves on the bare earth on my right and a pile of willow sticks on the ground on my left. I learned from planting willow before, that they don't need leaves, nor length to start rooting.
At the base of the mound or the plateau, I pushed in a willow rod, then cut it off several inches above the ground. I spaced them about six to 12 inches apart, trying to keep them close in case only half of them make it this time. I had enough to go right to the far end of the mound, 120' long row. Excellent. Then it was time to lie down in the hammock again.