Apparently I was having too much fun using my Mantis 4-Cycle Tiller Cultivator and so the HH finally decided to give it a whirl yesterday and revive a garden bed alongside the mini greenhouse. And everything was going a-okay until the blade stopped turning and the tiller sorta bounced off something.
The HH immediately turned off the machine. I looked up {because you know, chop chop, get back to work, why are you stopping… there is no dawdling here on the Butterfield farm!}. And then he freaked out a little and proceed to tell me that he nearly severed the propane line.
I was like WHAT!? I don’t think so. And then we both knelt down to inspect the pipe. And then he was like “That’s strange. The propane line is made out of thick tubing.” And I was like, “That is not a pipe. It’s a root.”
He didn’t believe me. And then we argued about it and moved the soil around the “pipe” for a good 30 seconds.
In all fairness, the section he hit with the tiller did in fact look like a pipe. But it was indeed a vary large root. Whatever. This whole moving to the country thing, it’s just one exciting new discovery after another. 😉
Moving on… How many pieces of kindling will I need to get the wood stove up and running each morning? 3, 5, 7? I need to figure this out and then multiply the number times 180 days so I don’t come up short squirreling away wood for this winter.
Also, the freshly cut samplings look so much nicer in the galvanized tub {almost decorative like} than the older bits of broken limbs. I need to get over this and just hoard it all, I know, but the former high maintenance suburbia homeowner inside of me wants the pretty twigs. I live in the country now, and must adjust my thinking. I mean, before I even had the pruned saplings I was happy with the old twigs. What is wrong with me?
The HH says I need to get out and meet some people, you know, make some friends. But I’m like why would I do that when I can obsess about twigs?
Speaking of friends… Lucy made two yesterday. Unfortunately they stopped moving once she got a hold of them. For the past few weeks she’s been mesmerized by the sound of something underground. Standing outside, staring at the ground, tilting her head and knowing something was there but not quite being able to figure out what it was. And then BAM! MOLES. She caught 2 of them. GO LUCY!!!
Even thought he temps were a bit cooler at the beginning of last week, I was able to plant 100 seascape strawberry plants and some sugar snap peas.
The next day there was snow.
And then, the weather started to heat up again and I was back in the vegetable patch tilling the compost into the garden. It was so warm out there I was in a tank top!
And then yesterday, holy cow man, I was in shorts tilling up a long strip of grass along the back of the house. I think it will be the perfect spot for some mammoth sunflowers, don’t you agree? Giant sunflowers 12 -14 foot tall? I wonder if they’ll reach the second story windows? How cool would that be?
Spring, I think it has finally arrived in New England. Wahooo!
Have a wonderful day everyone, enjoy the sun,
~Mavis
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Shari Harniss says
Yay for Lucy and her mad hunting prowess! Hope she received an extra special treat for her performance!
I made the Mississippi Pot Roast for a family dinner last week- it was a BIG hit! My mom and I don’t enjoy roasts, usually. But, this one! It is just wonderful- mom had two helpings!
Thanks, Mavis!
Kara says
Way to go Lucy! She must be quick. Our cats were never able to catch the voles who destroyed our backyard every spring. Good girl!
Sherry says
There’s always that “call before you dig” number. Your utilities will come out and mark the gas, electric, etc. so you know where they are. I believe 811 routes you to your local one, but a quick online search will tell you.
I think the sunflowers will look beautiful there!
Mel says
I second this–both the “call before you dig,” and the sunflowers. 🙂
Rosaleen says
Agree with everything above!
You have said that you moved to New England, but not which state. All or most states have a “dig safe” program of some sort. For MA, look up https://www.mass.gov/dig-safe Utility mapping is free and there can be a big fine for damaging a utility line, so it is worth complying. I would think that lines here are buried just below the frost line while you should be tilling a bit above it. Still, better safe than sorry!
Best of luck!
Jessica says
Just finished listening to an audiobook on Overdrive. Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. She owns the restaurant Prune in NYC which I would love to visit now. It is a pretty good listen!
SandyF says
Jessica: BEST BOOK EVER!!
Carrie says
That’s a mole with a M not a vole. They eat grubs and their tunnels can tare up your yard. Voles look like mice and eat plants. Must be the beagle in Lucy! My cattle dog is great at chasing rats but not so good at catching them.
Definitely dial 811 before you dig. If you damage a pipe on your property its at your expense!
Alice says
That’s a mole. Make sure it is good and dead because they seem to fake it until you leave it alone and then come alive again. We had that happen before so make it final.
Indio says
wow… you are making a lot of progress on that garden. I use a frost blanket to cover my strawberries when there is a cold patch coming our way. It’s not major amounts of work to put down but it’s enough to protect them from the cold blast. I finally got my peas in the ground. I’m about 3 weeks late because Spring is running late too. there’s a cherry blossom tree on my street that I always use as the benchmark for Spring. It should be in full bloom by April 18th. It’s got about another 5 days before it hits that point so I figure my peas will be ok. I save the branches from the winter fruit tree pruning and use those for the peas to climb up. It looks so pretty and the peas don’t have to be strung with string.
I wish I could do sunflowers. I tried it for 2 years in a row and the squirrels decimated them every year. I need a Lucy to guard the garden!
Diana says
There’s no such thing as too much kindling squirrelled away. It’s like gold. 🙂 It does look nice in the metal tub.
Dena says
I use Costco banana boxes to stack my wood stove kindling, as they fit neatly on top of one another. I scrounge my backyard woods & fruit tree trimmings to come up w/ 3 sizes of kindling, #1, #2, #3 (keep it clean, people!). The #1s are the smallest, about pencil size, & go on the newspaper 1st – I try to collect about 7 – 10 boxes, & use about a handful to start a fire. Then on top are the #2s, which are a little larger, & not so many utilized – about 5 – 7 boxes. Then the biggies, #3s, that get a good fire going for the chunks of firewood to be put on. With the #3s, that is usually 4 – 6 boxes, & I close down the damper at that point. Might sound like a lot, but my morning walk consists of carrying a pair of clippers with me, so I can dump a ‘load’ of kindling when I return to the house each time, & it adds up. Just be sure to keep the kindling dry, & expect all sorts of critters to be bouncing in & out of them.
Mavis Butterfield says
EXCELLENT!!!! Thanks Dena!
Gee says
Well, I hate to admit it, but this obsession with pretty twigs (in 3 sizes!) has nothing to do with suburbia, and everything to do with OCD. I know this is true, because I suffer, also. I.e., I’ve been re-organizing my craft room this week. Regular hand sewing needles are in one drawer. Large, curved, or otherwise weird needles have their own drawer. And, of course, the embroidery needles are organized by size and brand in their own drawer.
Heather says
My cats kill everything and leave them by the porch. They get treats immediately upon me finding the gifts. I don’t want them eating the gift.
Love the sunflower idea!
Rebecca in MD says
My Miss Kitty catches chipmunks and baby rabbits. The critters usually play possum after she deposits them on the deck until she walks away, then they escape back into the woods. I freak out every.single.time she does this. She walks up to the sliding glass door with the critter in her mouth and drops it on the door mat. Then my husband or I go out to rescue the animal and set it free……….
Glad to hear that the tiller hit a root and not your propane pipe! I am enjoying your stories about the new homestead and seeing the pictures. Our strawberries are flowering already, even though it has been such a cold spring. I just planted my cabbages yesterday and am in the process of hardening off other veggies and herbs, and still planing seeds and potting up seedlings as they get bigger. Such a busy time for gardeners!
Terri says
My father drew a rough map of their property and posted it in his workshop. It showed the utility service lines and the septic tank location. It came in handy more than a few times and any future property owners will thank you for it.
One word of caution on your sunflower plans: sunshine? I don’t know what room(s) those windows are in but be prepared to lose your sunshine in them.
Jenny says
We built our house. My husband is in construction so he has the blue prints for everything in the house and yard. It is all precise and to scale! I thought he was a giant weirdo, but it has come in handy!!
E in Upstate NY says
When my parents built their house [in the city/suburbs] many years ago, my dad photo’d every interior wall before the plaster guys arrived. Yes, they paid the up charge for plaster! Showed every wire and every pipe. A god-send photo book for later finishing work.
When we sold the house to my SIL’s sister, the book was passed on. We stopped by to see all the changes they did, and guess what? They didn’t refer to the book and xyz if they didn’t put screws from the back side into solid oak paneling.
Leslie says
I hope you’re going to grow giant sunflowers. Don’t tease us Mavis… they would look so good along the side under the windows!
Mavis Butterfield says
You bet I am! 🙂 It was the first thing I thought of when I saw that part of the house. Because really, how cool would that look?
Elaine says
NE weather is bananas! I’ve had dirty clothes hampers filled with tank tops/shorts and sweaters/wool socks in the same week! Don’t bet on anything until memorial day! Ha Looking Good!
Julie P says
Definitely moles! Our two labs catch them too!
Denise Soderlind says
Make sure the twigs are dry before you burn them.
BeckyM says
You don’t start a new fire each morning when you heat with wood. EAch night before you go to bed, you load the woodstove up full, close the damper nearly all the way, and it slowly burns all night. In the morning, you open the damper and use the remaining hot coals to load up the morning batch of wood, no kindling needed because everything is still hot.
I only let the fire die out when I need to clean out the ashes every 2 weeks or so. 🙂
Wendy says
If the back of your house gets full sun, it would be the perfect spot for blueberry bushes too.
jan says
I saw something today I thought you just might like for Butterfield Farm!
http://littlefarmstead.blogspot.com/2018/04/why-im-crazy-about-these-custom-egg.html
Mavis Butterfield says
Love it! Thanks Jan.
Linda says
Ditto to what BeckyM says about not needing a ton of kindling. Unless we are cleaning the stove of ashes, our fire runs all the time at some level from October to AprilJust make sure you have your chimney checked before you start out, and periodically according to what the chimney sweep says. We have stainless and it needs cleaning less often than some pipe. We also run a really hot fire regularly to keep the creosote buildup down. Mother Nature provides us with strong winds regularly, and we walk the yard for downed branches, which become our kindling if our supply is down, but the hubby slices up regular wood pieces into kindling on the spot sometimes, and those work even better than branches, which are often to new, and therefore wet, to get a good start on the fire.
There is definitely a knack to burning wood, and you’ll use less and less wood as you get better and better with your damper and technique. I can’t imagine any less from someone so world-wise.
Mama Cook says
I’m late to comment…but OH! The sunflowers!!!! Those will be beautiful!!! Now i’m looking around my place and wondering where I could plant some!
First we need to rip out Rhodies…SO -MANY-RHODIES!!!!!!! I’m with you…they’re not my favorite! Though I had committed to not removing anything until we were here a year…so this summer!!!!!!!
Angela D. says
“It’s All Fun And Games…..” This is my favorite title on any of your blog posts, ever! Ha!!! I’m so glad it didn’t turn out to be the propane pipe that your husband hit, though.
You continue to be an inspiration to me, in all things gardening. Today, I’m hoping to plant 25 bare-root trees, some snap peas and more peonies.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and adventures with all of us!
Mavis Butterfield says
Have fun planting Angela D. 🙂
Pat says
There are all kinds and colors of sunflowers now. I love them and plant a big variety every year. On the down side, deer think they’re yummy!
Tracie@SomewhatAwry.com says
I am seriously loving hearing about your new adventures in the country! Love the idea of the giant sunflowers, now I need to order a bunch of seeds to screen us from our neighbors since we are still stuck in suburbia…..
Marybeth says
Good girl Lucy. She is earing her keep. The weather here has been crazy too. Have fun finding something new .
Laura says
Mavis-there is a free service called Dig Safe that you can call before digging. They will come out and mark any lines on your property so you don’t inadvertently disturb anything important! I can’t seem to paste the link but here is their email.
http://www.digsafe.com/contact.php
Linda says
Back in Michigan my parents and grandparents planted castor beans to deter the moles. The plant is poisonous to them and humans. It’s a lovely plant!