Late September
I just don't seem to get around to up-dating my blog but every month or two. Sue and I have had lots of fun since my September entry. We continued to harvest zucchini, beans, snow peas and a late ripening Raspberry called Autumn Bliss. Once the tops of our potato plants started to turn yellowish Sue dug up a few Yukon Golds to test their flavor, She pronounced them delicious.
Since Winter would be hard on the heels of Fall, I thought I should get started our fourth wood shed. Sue had expressed her desire that the roof on shed three be raised. It was indeed too low for both of us to move around in and not risk conking our heads on something. The solution seemed to be to remove the roof on shed three, build and frame for shed four and then build one large roof over both. Dismantling the roof on shed three turned out to easier than I'd anticipated. It did not take too long to set the frame for shed four. The hard part was trying to figure out hoe much higher to make the roof. I didn't want to have to replace the 4X4 posts in shed three. I settled on setting the roof on the tops of shed three posts - which raised the roof about 8 inches, but it was just enough for head clearance for me.
I was able to get the work done in a couple of weeks, only working on dry days and I did take time off to visit my daughter and her family in California, at the end of September. I had a wonderful time seeing my grand-daughter for only the second time. We went to the Huntington Gardens one afternoon and the next day to the Getty Villa. I was impressed by both and took a fair number of photos so I might draw on them for garden designs at home. At that time my daughter was nearing her term with baby number two - who finally came into the world on November 1st.
Early October
I was able to finish shed four in early October. Part of the project entailed putting in a gravel floor and pathway around the perimeter. As soon as shed four was completed Sue and I began bringing up the 45 inch broad-leaf maple tree logs from the slope on the East side of our house. In most cases I had to split the logs length-wise, the logs were just too big in diameter, in order for us to carry them up the steep hillside. At the top of the slope there is a nice flat Douglas Fir stump I used for a cutting station. Using Sue's birthday present, I couldn't believe she ask for one, an electric chainsaw, I began cutting the 45 inch logs into 15 inch sections. Once I had the really dry (standing dead portions) logs cut and split, Sue stacked them into shed one, where we put the wood ready to burn. During the rest of October Sue and I brought up more of the greener sections of the two maple trees - but we have lots still to be brought up.
As the end of October approached I connected the gravel path from shed two to the one around shed four. This connection made the whole wood shed complex look and feel like a unified complex. Sue and I turned our attention to clearing an area just South of the wood sheds to be the site of our Garden Shed. It will house our gardening tools and serve as a potting shed and maybe even a partial green house.
November Rains
The rains of November have come to the foothills and them Sue I spend more time inside. She, writing & editing her book and me, taking care of my Masonic Lodge secretarial duties and now finally adding to this blog. Though the rain does dampen our spirits some, November weather does have its own beauty. The clouds are often low and sit in the valleys between the hills and mountains, reminding me of Taoist and Zen paintings where Mountains seem to float in the air and streams emerge and disappear into misty banks of fog. When we do get a break from the rain or its only misty drizzle, Sue and I venture out to do some weeding, clear more brush or put straw on the garden beds. Yesterday Sue brought in three of our beets. She cleaned, peeled and roasted them for dinner, they were just delicious.
Soon I hope to get a few photos scaled down so I can post them for you all to see. Have a wonderful Holiday Season everyone.
