chicken pen needs work
fragrant or aromatic sumac took over this corner of the chicken aviary pen. Ice storm one year damaged fence from falling branches and interior support of mesh roof is failing. Lots of work to repair to working condition. However, make sure this very happy bush continues to thrive here. It gives a most pleasant lemonaidy tea as well as a wonderful aroma.
Aviary repair and renovation
This was a chicken, duck, geese, guinea, even pea fowl aviary which suffered damage from an ice storm that dropped large limbs on part of it followed by years of neglect with no chickens. Needs cleaning out inside and repairs.
used oak lumber
Under the roof panel is a pile of oak lumber that needs to be unstacked, evaluated and made ready for use as lumber in one of the other projects. And denailed...
The barn leaks
The roof has many leaks that need to be patched. At present mainly wood storage. At lot of the wood in here will be used to finish the studio.
fenced enclosure
This is an excellent place for a market garden, since the fence should keep out the deer, and there is water nearby. Current project is to clean it up, remove most of the trees and see if any of the volunteers are worth keeping.
Walking sticks, handrails, etc
This pile needs to be sorted. some of the stuff on the bottom has been here long enough to have cured and ready to work.
Rabbitry home
This is pretty close to still ok, gates need digging out, but mostly this will still work well as an open rabbit home.
Chicken aviary repair
Barn area studio area
This area just north of the barn is one of the most level spots on the property, pretty much the top of the hill. Currently not very useful as a studio area, unless a cage is desired. That's a former rabbitry built with dog pen panels.
storage...
Stashed under cover here is some good roofing tin,albeit cut up, some siding stuff for the house, some 19 foot long iron pipes and a couple of rain gutters in good shape. tossed up on top are mangled tin gutters and the like.
The pen
Enclosed area north east of the barn. This is just downslope from the top of the ridge, looking downslope toward the east north east. Water drains out that way, so a berm built along that corner of the fence will keep more water up in this spot that gets quite a bit of sun except under the cedar. Geese and ducks were in here at one time, goats or sheep at another. Gate fell into disrepair, though hardware is still there. There's a spigot off a branch line from the well about 50 feet in back of where the photo is facing.
One of the local lumber stores
Preferred place to find a piece of wood.
Infestation of winter creeper
The cedar directly to the east of the barn has a bunch of old farm equipment and junk that needs to be cleaned out. Want to do something with that nice curved oak branch.
ice storm damage from 7 or 8 years previous
Looks like a candidate for some kind of wood sculpture. Whole are will need cleaning anyway.
Fragrant Sumac makes a thicket
This was planted around 2003. Homer ran over it with the mower when it was about 18 inches tall and maybe a foot in diameter. It came back rather well. The berries do make a rather nice tea.
only one white dog; moved during pano takes
repaired gate
The problem remains that it's not hanging straight due to the hinges not being straight. Will have to redrill and rehang at some point.
Had very few flowers and don't see any berries forming this year.
Oak 2x4 stored outside
These are actually 2 inch by 4 inch rock hard oak. Well, the ones under cover are rock hard, the ones exposed to the weather are mostly rotted out.
before and after of the gate into the aviary. Had to dig out nearly 2 inches of very nice top soil chock full of wintercreeper roots. Might be used this weekend to house some sheep temporarily.
Pair of sheep resting in the shade.
Relaxing in the shade until I came along with the dog on a leash.
Morning Glory
Fragrant Sumac
It likes to sprawl if given the opportunity. I planted that back around 2003 or so and my son mowed it down by accident in 2005 or so. It hadn't done much of anything until after it had been run over by the mower. Then it exploded.
Elderberry
This elderberry bush was here when I arrived in 1999; or rather, new ones have been coming up in this area every year. Some years lots of berries. Looks like this year just this one bush flowering out.
Several years of collecting branches
Insects have pretty much ruined the ones in the pile on the left; the ones vertical on the right are straight enough to consider, though some of them have insect damage, too. Out of sight, inside on the right is another dry vertical store of pretty good walking stick candidates. "Ruined" only for using as sticks; just fine for putting in mulch pile.
