Drought

I've been biting my tongue trying not to bring up the subject of how dry it is here. It's normal to not have any rain this time of year in northwest Ohio. Last August we didn't get a drop of rain and I don't think we did this August either.

We had record rainfall in July with over 8 inches following an equally wet spring. Our hard pan clay can't hold moisture very long though and I'm afraid those water reserves are all gone. I stand by and wring my knuckles over the 200 saplings I planted in April. I'm afraid my losses are at 10% now, with more to come. I strain my eyes at cloud formations hoping that some water will fall from them. But it doesn't. There are cracks in the soil so big I can stick my foot in them.

The really agonizing part of all this is that there is rain all around us. Take a look at the Doppler radar map and you'll see the remnants of hurricane Gustav making its way in our direction. The red star is where the Twelve Acres is located. But is there any of that life-giving green above us? Nooooooo! We live in a pocket, if you will, protected on the north by Lake Erie. It protects us from the really bad snows in the winter which usually bury places like Chicago and Cleveland. Unfortunately, it also means we usually have a drought every summer. It could be raining like hell 15 miles to the west but dry as a bone here. When September rolls around our rainfall returns to normal and the huge cracks in the ground close up and the grass gets green again. As it is right now, we haven't mowed our lawns in well over a month...the grass is all dead. On the bright side, the drought is saving us money because we haven't had to buy gas for the mowers.

Enough doom and gloom! I have a bit of exciting news. Cheese Doodle (our only Buff Rock pullet) laid her first egg today. It is noticeably lighter than the Orpington eggs with its light chalky shell color. It's a tiny little egg but I'm so happy to have found it. The girls produced 3 eggs today. Don't be fooled by Miss Cheese Doodle's placid countenance. She'll take your arm off if she's so inclined!

The Fence Row

The fence row is a wooded area that borders the south edge of the twelve acres. Although I've never measured it (but now I must!) I would estimate its length to be well over 400 feet. It has three narrow drainage ditches running the length of it and is covered with mature hardwood trees. The tree roots hold the mounded earth in between the ditches firmly in place. They do such a good job at retaining the soil that little has changed in its height or width since my childhood--truly a testament to the value of tree roots in the prevention of soil erosion. These trees were just seedlings when this area was claimed by my great-grandfather, Harold G. Moore. He turned what was once part of the Great Black Swamp into sugar beet fields, then later along with his sons, he planted the fruit trees that would become Moore Orchards. What was once uninhabitable swampland is now acres of apple, peach, pear and plum trees. Our property lines are clearly visible because of these large fence rows that were left standing to act as natural property boundaries. Apple trees grow on the other side of our fence row.

I took this photo on a late summer evening in 2007 just as the sun went down. The crescent moon looked lovely. I love the silhouettes of the trees in the fence row. That night we were treated to getting to listen to the pair of Great Horned Owls as they spent at least 15 minutes calling to each other, "Hoo, hoo-hoooo, hoo, hoo-hoo!" One owl's voice was higher than the others' and my bird book said that the female's voice was the higher one. How interesting!

Starting at the east end, I plan to naturalize this fence row. It has been a dream of mine since I was little. Wouldn't it be lovely to walk through this area and see all kinds of wildflowers with butterflies and birds enjoying the blooms? In my previous post I listed the perennial species I plan to sow this spring. I think they will have an easy time of getting established. They'll have dappled sunlight from the sparse trees at the east end and the soil is ideal for plant growth. I certainly hope they do well at least!

Over the years, as trees have matured and the canopy has gradually risen, what was once a solid stand of trees has become sparse with large visible gaps between the trees. As a result I feel like I have less privacy from my cousin's farm at the end of the road. It is my goal to fill in the gaps with new trees. This spring, I am going to plant young trees inside the fence row to replace the trees that have either died naturally or been removed by us. The trees we've cut have been strategically removed to allow more light to penetrate the canopy, which in turn will give new plantings better light and less competition for soil nutrients. I plan to plant a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees including some stately Dawn Redwoods and Bald Cypress, which are fast growing deciduous conifers. Some Red Maples will go in because of their quick growth and some Forsythias will make for a colorful understory planting. While deciduous trees can provide a visual screen only when they have leaves, conifers can provide privacy (and windbreak benefits) year-round.

What's growing in the fence row right now? A large variety of native Ohio trees and understory shrubs. I walked through it last fall and collected the leaves and fruits (if found) of the trees and shrubs. There are plenty of Red Osier Dogwoods for understory growth as well as a few shorter trees, including one native crab apple tree. There are several American Elms, White and Green Ashes, Shagbark Hickories, Pin Oaks, Hackberry, Hawthorns, Mulberry, a gargantuan White Poplar and several large trees I haven't been able to identify yet. We have been working throughout fall and winter to eliminate the wild grape vines and poison ivy growing up the trees and have been able to remove a lot of it.

There are quite a few snags standing in the fence row that I adamantly refuse to remove because there are nest cavities in them. Screech Owls and Northern Flickers use the larger cavities which are excavated by our native woodpeckers. I have also been moving dead and rotten logs away from the foot path and leaving them on the sides. The decaying logs provide food and habitat for a myriad of fungi and insects. There is one very large snag with a cavity nest in it that has been designated as the screech owl area. I have placed dead logs around the base of the snag to allow smaller wildlife to use them as cover which in turn feeds the owls.

As we manage the fence row we are keeping our eye on the future. This special area is a connecting point between nature and us. I want to be able to walk through the fence row without tripping over logs or getting my eyes poked out by twigs, but I don't want it to be so manicured that it looks like a park and the birds are reluctant to nest in it. Finding the balance between the two worlds is not as challenging as one might think. It simply takes some common sense and research, as well as educating the next generation on effective land management so that our efforts will not go to waste when we are gone.

Waiting For The Storm

It's New Year's Eve and we are expecting a snow storm tonight. A winter weather advisory was issued early in the day today but I haven't seen a single snowflake yet at 10:30 p.m. We are predicted to get 3" - 6" of snow by tomorrow morning. We'll see. Snow storms just aren't what they used to be. Heck, when I was a kid we'd still go to school if there was only 3" of snow on the ground. They cancel school for that much now.

As the crow flies we are less than 10 miles from the south shore of Lake Erie. We live in a protected pocket here which means the weather predictions for our area are more often than not, incorrect. In fact, we are even in a different USDA zone than the folks just a few miles south of us! Most of northern Ohio is in zone 5a but we are in zone 6a. That means I can plant a larger variety of perennials in my yard.

If we get some snow I'll be outside with my camera tomorrow. Hopefully we'll get some pretty scenery on the property!

Windbreak

When the last snow storm hit us, the blowing and drifting snow provided proof that trees planted for a windbreak really do work. You can see a large drift forming where three Arborvitae trees were lost years ago. This row of trees runs along the driveway and provides privacy as well as protection from the elements. I remember huddling close to them while waiting for the bus as a child and now my own son does the same.

Now that I am managing the property where I grew up I am having to plan the planting of new trees. It's an obsession that I enjoy very much. I learned more about trees in the past few months than I ever thought I would. This season I planted 17 trees. Next year it will be well over 100! I can hardly wait for winter to be over so I can plant all the new trees.

I look at the yard and see the twelve acres as a very large garden where I can plant to my heart's content. Finally I live where I won't run out of planting room! And I can even plant really, really big plants like trees (bonus)! I wish I could live another 100 years so I could see them all at maturity. I figure I have about 40 years left so hopefully I'll get to see them all well-grown.

Here's what I've planted this year:

• White Pine
• Colorado Blue Spruce
• Pin Oak
• Red Oak
• Black Oak
• Black Cherry
• Black Tartarian Cherry
• Yellow Buckeye
• Sugar Maple
• Eastern Redbud
• White Flowering Dogwood
• River Birch
• Red Maple
• Silver Maple
• Forsythia (2)
• Paper Birch (3)

Whew!

Ice Storm!

We had a heavy ice storm on December 9, 2007. As with all ice storms, it started with rain then gradually changed to freezing rain as the temperature dropped. I threw on some boots and a coat and ventured out to take some photos, placing each step very carefully on the icy ground. I captured this precious little Red-Breasted Nuthatch helping himself to a peanut. I suppose it helps to have grippy feet when your restaurant is coated in a slippery glaze of ice!

Thankfully, there was little wind that day. I only had one tree branch snap. It was from a White Pine. The trees surely would have lost many more branches had there been any wind. Even with the slight breeze blowing I could hear the trees' branches crackle with ice and I held my breath hoping none would break.

The scenery was like that of a magical ice world where everything is coated in a thick layer of ice. It was absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately I had to go in to work that night but made the trip safely despite the slippery conditions. It all melted within 24 hours and I'm glad I managed to get a few pictures of it.

Winter Scenes

I choose to live in NW Ohio because I need to have four full seasons. I grew up with it and it's what feels normal to me.

And when I see scenes like this one I am reminded that even the cold winters here are beautiful. I took this photo on December 16, 2007 after a snow storm passed through and the sun was just setting. The Three Brothers huddle together in a heavy blanket of snow while songbirds take shelter within their branches.

It was very cold and windy but I couldn't stay inside and let these beautiful scenes escape my memory. I had to photograph them.

Heaven On Earth

Keep Manhattan, just gimme that countryside.

The trio of Colorado Blue Spruces are only a few years older than me, probably around 40 years old if I had to guess. They are half their potential size.

I love trees. I love almost all plant life though. If I were going on a long journey into space and could take only one thing with me, it would be a plant. I'd leave people behind. Who needs 'em?

Derek was paddling the canoe around in the pond when I took this picture. He will be 13 on November 10 this year. Where did my baby go? I now look him in the eye and we wear the same size shoe. Soon I will be looking up at him.

In the meantime I'm quite pleased to watch him enjoy these 12 acres of heaven on earth just as I did when I was growing up. There's no better place to raise a child. No crime, no drugs, no violence, pollution or screaming neighbors. Just the peaceful sounds of nature uninterrupted.

Heaven on Earth.

Autumn

It's my favorite time of year. The smell of the woods, the crunch of leaves underfoot and the endless pallette of colors satisfy my senses. I love to walk late at night when everyone is asleep and let the moon light my way. I can hear the screech owls and great horned owls calling to their mates as they hunt at night. They always make me smile.

The tractors are out late at night harvesting the corn and soybean fields. I love to watch them as they lumber over the fields like giant locusts eating their fill of grain. The harvest dislodges the rodents that have been living in the fields, sending them out into the open to fatten the raptors for a long, cold winter.

One of my favorite trees near the house is this Eastern Redbud. Its heart-shaped leaves turn a bright yellow in autumn before they fall. It's a small, shapely tree with an oriental flair to it--a real standout in the twelve acres of land it shares with a large variety of hardwoods and evergreens. Its nearly black bark contrasts beautifully with its autumn hue and the bright purple/pink flowers it puts on in spring.

Introduction

When I dropped Yahoo as my ISP they saw fit to delete my Yahoo! 360 blog. That's fine. I intended to delete it anyway. It had become something I didn't want and I felt obligated to write in order to keep my friends up to date. This blog will be a clean slate for me and not even my family will know about it--a relief really.

I bought the house I grew up in this August at the age of 38. Now I am not only a home owner but the owner of my childhood home. A strange position to be in, certainly one that most people don't get to experience. It's wonderful to be home again I must say. I never thought that working on my home could be so back-breaking yet so fulfilling.

I live in a ranch home that sits on 12 acres surrounded by trees and a kidney-shaped 1/4 acre pond stocked with game fish. My only neighbor is my cousin, Sandy. This is a wonderful place for my son, Derek, to grow up just as it was a wonderful place for me to grow up. This blog will chronicle my activities and experiences as time goes by here at my "new old" home that I share with my husband, Jim, and my stepson, Ian.

I love living in the country and living a simple life. The peace and quiet out here is priceless. I love being about to have complete privacy here on my property. City life just isn't for me, a country bumpkin.