This was a typical week here on Naneum Fan, except for a little rain.
Phyllis and I cleaned out the remaining boxes that had been packed in the Big Shed in 1989, 32 years ago. There is still much “stuff” there but I know what it is – and much of it junk. There are ancient snow skies, old irrigation, electrical, and wood bits and pieces. There are other sports things – archery, shotgun related, and a wood lathe. The last has been covered with stuff for 25 years. Now it is visible. And there is still a bit of horse stuff around.
Phyllis carried another car load of things to be fostered out to new homes; or thrown out. Others will decide. The house still has 4 or 5 large furniture pieces that need to go.
Meanwhile, I have been adding rocks to the drainage sump. Most of the rocks are coming from a 20’x20′ area that I’m re-configuring to be a (mostly) flower space near the front of the house. The rocks come out and “dirt” goes in – moved out of the area now a car port. As the lowered area is refilled, pine-pellet cat litter, wood chips, leaves, and pine needles provide organic matter. A wood and rock border wall (gabion) of some sort is in the future. Photo is just a concept, for now.
The trees that were cut down a couple of months ago, and cut into rounds, are now split firewood and under cover. I’ve 5 more of the largest rounds to split. Odd and difficult pieces will get carted off to White Heron this coming Thursday when we bottle Amigne (Swiss, white wine, Valais region). Cameron and Phyllis and the pruning crew and spouses usually have a traditional Raclette (outside with a wood fire) in early January. Unlike the others, I have an endless supply of “exotic” wood. (Exotic = not good for anything). Unfortunately, I have a 1 ¼ hour drive home after the party.
I have been meaning to document the Bees-in-Log part of my landscape. There was an old Cottonwood log – most went to firewood – that I rolled to a spot just off the driveway. I noticed a few months ago that bees have taken it over as home. There is a quarter size hole mid-way on the side and an additional entry/exit place on one end. I decided that rather than try photographing this – I’ll wait for a frosty morning – I will cheat by going to the web.
The photo below shows a bee on Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) and the inside of a log that has be colonized. I suspect the inside of my log looks similar.
Here is a link to Rabbitbrush: https://www.arborvalleynursery.com/rabbitbrush/
The log photo shows thick green grass all around. My log is set in the midst of a very dry and rocky patch, generally called a shrub-steppe biome.
Change of topic.
I’ve noticed an increase in the recurring pain in my right hip. Years ago I did an ice-skaters twirl in the driveway and injured my sciatic nerve and/or the piriformis (pear-shaped) muscle. The current pain is likely a result of landscape and water carrying activities, namely filling many buckets with water and rocks and dumping them elsewhere. The hip is wearing out!? Not good. I’ll talk to Chelsea, my “doctor”, about this in a couple of months.
The body parts in the right hip are complex, where the longest and widest single nerve {sciatic} in the human body goes from the top of the leg to the foot. Check it out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_muscle#Variation
From the Naneum Fan
John