chelidon

Here's some pictures from this past week, spent with some dear friends, including

threefrognight, and of course Lovely Housemate

lylythe_strega. After a couple of drippy days, we actually got to tree-planting on Friday -- black walnut, white ash, rowan, and wild plum. Today if I get a moment, I'll put in some hawthorne, oak and hazel. After I clear the fallen trees from on top of Moose Hill, I'm going to plant a semicircle of Sugar Maples up there, so that they'll be nearby and easy to tap for maple sap (after they grow for a bit...), and also so their flame-like fall colors will be visible from the house, the barn and the spot in the woods where I'm planning to put a yurt and/or a log cabin. Tree planting and landscaping give me hope -- it's planning for the future, imagining what things will look like in 5, 10, 50, 100 years, long after I'll be here to see it. I find that kind of next-generation planning feeds me, makes the issues of today seem a little less sharp and thorny.

Special thanks to

draiguisge -- I try to learn quick, but sure it is that it helps to have someone here with the experience of having done this stuff a lot before...

Amy and Kelly, tree planting #1
Tree planting #2
Me and a big toy, digging some holes
Digging myself in deeper
Fun with my new chainsaw

draiguisge and

threefrognight takin' a break
Yet another hole (soon to be yet another tree!)

If you want to join in the fun, ya don't need a backhoe, or even a chainsaw -- here's a good primer from the Urban Tree Foundation on planting trees in urban areas: Planting Landscape Trees