June 7, 2012

Two posts today. It's time to prune back the branches in the back of the garden. Keep your eyes on the 'reference object.' An observation that surprised but makes sense on reflection, behind the leaves are only branches. Duh! Right? BUT, I, and most people, would assume that the leaves would completely fill those interior spaces. Not the case. Once back in the branches, it was amazingly unobstructed, except for the fortress wall of small branches. No leaves, just branches...and more branches.

Obviously, the following images are the 'after' pictures. As indicted above, I was shocked, and frustrated, by how many branches were actually involved. The 'reference object' should make it clear to how much volume was cleared. Nothing like a reality check to make one humble.

The following images are the close-ups of the branch ends in the above image. No way will I be able to get those out. Nature continually amazes me.

I found these hiding in the branches. They are rusty and blended in perfectly with the branches. They look just like wood. Funny story about the fork. My grandfather kept telling me, "I have a pitchfork back there somewhere." Yeah, I found it.

This is the level surface of the garden area, left end of the top view. Note the supreme health of the grass. People pay big money for lawns this green. We got it for free. It only happened because the cinderblocks prevented  the soil from running off down the slope. All of the organic matter built up and composted, allowing the grass to grow all lushy and green. Also note the lack of 'weeds.' Why? Because most weeds are an indicator of poor soil health or soil disturbance. Let the soil get healthy, weeds disappear. Don't dig, weeds don't show up. In a later post, I will rant on why I put 'weeds' in quotation marks.