We had a brief warm spell here a few weeks ago. Just enough to bring out the bugs. Thankfully, though, it was also enough that my wife was able to get out and get the canes in her new black raspberry patch hooked into her trellis. We have several “wild” patches around the farm that she tends as well. She’s trying to establish this as a well-kept, easy-to-pick patch, though. And succeeding!
Then, just as everything seemed like it was greening up nicely, another cold snap hit. Fortunately for us, we still have plenty of firewood. Unfortunately for the poor bugs, sub-zero temps mean they’re struggling. It’s a shame, that is. I’m hoping that the ticks and spotted lanternflies are the hardest hit.
The temporary reprieve gave me a chance to stop and think about what I’ve got on the plate for this spring, though. There’s a number of jobs I’ve got to take care of.
At the top of the list, there’s an old tree-house that I built for my girls years ago. In a series of unfortunate events, they never really got to use it. I built it the year before out house fire; by the time we moved back in to the house, the girls were all old enough that they had other interests. Now it’s old, roofless, and starting to fall apart. Time to take it down before it becomes an eyesore.
Well. More of an eyesore.
Next up is limbing, bucking, and splitting some fallen timber. There’s plenty on the property, thanks to the tornado that bounced around us a few years ago (back in the Plague Days). We use wood for comfort, not heat, so I don’t need much. We still go through a cord or two every winter, though. That’s a few weekends worth of work, even with the use of what my wife refers to as my “favorite toy” (the 22-ton log splitter). Best to get it done before the undergrowth starts coming in, too.
While I’m at it, I want to clean up my wood-splitting work area. That’s back behind the wood shed, right across the driveway. A good place for it, but it’s very visible to visitors. Getting rid of some of the old pallet bases, spreading some mulch for ground cover, and adding in a few sections of privacy fence will help neaten that up nicely.
It will also give me an outdoor space to do some larger construction jobs. We need a new gate on the garden, and a new compost heap enclosure. The last one was not bear-proof. I don’t think there’s any way the next one could be, either, unless I go for something really permanent, like one with cinderblock walls. So yielding to the inevitable, it’s going to be another enclosure built from pallets, back in the woods behind the garden.
Finally, we’ve got a friend coming in to see about cleaning up a couple-three stumps in the yard as well. Leftovers from the aforementioned tornado, plus a few pines that have succumbed to pests. Which—hopefully!—this latest cold snap is killing.
What do you have planned for your spring jobs?
The Business of Writing
I’ve had a couple of hard weeks. Nothing related to writing or editing, though those have been impacted. Along with an “all hands on deck” sort of thing at work that’s had me working until midnight a few days, the end of March/beginning of April had a couple of hard days with personal anniversaries. Birthdays to no longer celebrate; the sale of the house that I grew up in as part of settling my father’s estate; and a few other things besides.
Last night I said “enough” and forced myself to sit down and return to editing The Novel That Is Currently Known as Blue as Sky. I kept it light, very mechanical, but I did make some improvements to the text. Next up, I need to start addressing the harder harder bits (“what does this mean?”) from my critiques. Oh, and I still need to write a couple more chapters. Woot!
I’ve continued to talk about the TV shows, movies, music, books and comics that have influenced me over the years. They’re still here as Notes here on Substack, but you can also find them on my facebook Facebook page, my Instagram feed, on The Social Media Site Formerly Known as Twitter, some place called Bluesky, and even over on LinkedIn if that’s what inflates your ungulate.
Speaking of Facebook, I also have a public group now - Strange Squirrels of the Apocalypse. It’s a place to chat and be weird with each other . You should definitely go check it out.
Ah! I knew I’d forgotten something up above. My wife would also like a squirrel feeder to go along with the hummingbird feeder. As for me, I’d like to set up a crow feeding station. Maybe start building up my crow army. You know, just for fun.
Whatever critter it is that you’re looking forward to feeding this year, I hope you get it all set up in time for them to enjoy. See you all next week!