May 15, 2012

I've encountered more roots in the area highlighted in red. It seems that in order to do one thing, I have to do another, but, then, another before that. In order to finish this level, I have to dig out a bunch of roots. But, in order to do that, I have to cut out the shrubbery that has grown into the fencing. The following images document that ordeal.

The shrubbery in red is actually growing THROUGH the fence.

As you can see in the image below, the shrubbery has been completely pruned, BUT...when one sees the other side...

The above image is the same view as the top reference image, outside of the fence. The images below are from inside the fence.

The roots of the above plant as viewed from the outside.

What long-term growth can do to a fence.

Not satisfied with the day, I started doing some more digging and found this.

I asked my grandfather, and he doesn't remember a tree being there. We think it was a tree that was felled before we moved in...35 years ago.

I've also realized that, since the yard slopes in TWO directions, another set of smaller terraces will need to be made, perpendicular to the original terrace. The zone pointed out by the arrows will be a low retaining wall with a small foot/wheel barrow ramp.

The dirt was moved to the future third terrace.

It was a long day.

May 14, 2012

I just added an email sign-up to the blog. It's supposed to let you know by email whenever I add a post. Hope you take advantage of it.

So, it's raining again. Couldn't get much done. BUT, I did get the stump out of the hole. As you can see, I had to lay down some 2 x 4s. The plan was to sit on my butt at the lowest point possible, latch onto the stump and drag my butt and the stump up the boards. My fear? That the boards would spread open, and I, with the stump, would fall through. Or, they would pinch my butt cheeks, and I would be stuck with my baby-soft flesh stuck between two boards, maybe three. If that were to happen, my dilemma would be to either let go of the stump and start over or hold on and try to pull the pinched flesh out without letting go of the stump. Fortunately, neither happened.

What did happen? Because of the weight of the stump, I had to twist-drag it up the boards. Pull up one side, then the other, the whole time pushing my butt up the boards without dropping my feet to the ground or letting go of the stump. In fact, the stump was so heavy that I couldn't even relieve the tension on the stump, or it would have instantly slid down. This was definitely a case of 'get it done or start completely over.' As the stump passed ground level, with me barely hanging on, the boards teetered down. Scared me for a second. BEAUTIFUL!!! The boards, the stump, and I were now on ground level, just on the edge of the hole. Now I just pulled it a little farther and rolled it off the boards. I can't even guesstimate at its weight. My neighbor, who is fit, was questionable about BOTH of us trying to move it.

Now, what do I do with it? I'm thinking about using it as a core for a planting mound. As it slowly rots, it will provide heat and nutrients to anything growing on the mound.

The next two images just show how much dirt that I've moved so far. Disappointed that I didn't take more pictures from various angles and positions in the yard.

May 13, 2012

The stump is done!

Finally, I've disconnected the stump! Three days of digging, chopping, sawing, washing...it was worth it, I think. Oh, well, waaaaay too late to second guess and develop a different plan.

The hole actually reached mid-thigh.

Not content with my victory, I started work around the border that will be the third tier.

Photomerge was unable to blend these images, so I just used simple layers. I didn't feel it was necessary to clean up the edges. Too much extra work with no extra gain.

The bottom picture has two lines of text that are barely legible when the image is enlarged. I've learned that a three-stack of pictures is one too many for the blogoshereacising software. The first reads, 'Bricks,' with the red arrow pointing to them. The second reads, 'My grandfather believed that dry stacking bricks around the foundation would help keep rats out.'

I don't know why, but rats were one of the cautionary obsessions with my grandfather. How often did I hear, 'Be careful, there might be rats,' even though there were zero signs of a rat presence. No droppings. No gnawings. No nests. No tunnels. Nothing. Yet, I was supposed to be cautious of them. And, amazingly, I did not succumb and grow up to be scared of them.

As I review and edit my pictures, I have come to regret not taking more pictures of the work in context, with more of the background and surrounding space, the Big Picture, if you will. I am aware of how the work relates to the Big Picture, but my awareness is not the purpose of this blog. The blog is to demonstrate to the reader what kind of work can be done to make a typical suburban yard into a sustainable landscape. Actually, using a term that I've just encountered, this is more of a restoration landscape, which, I hope, will become sustainable. Unfortunately, it will be a few more days before I learn to take more pictures in context.

May 12, 2012

Keeps raining, so I keep getting delayed on this stump. Doesn't really matter as posts go. How many times can I say, 'Dig, cut roots, wash, repeat?' It's not really ad-revenue generating information.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, at this root mass. I'm really thinking about using a reciprocating saw on all of this.

The above root is on the inside of the fence, directly opposite of the stump. Sadly, I've had to re-learn that, when dealing with nature, one needs to expand the work zone; it always seems to be at least three times than expected. Even more sad, I'll probably have to re-learn this lesson many times on this project. Actually, it's not a lesson that I can't learn, it's a lesson that I don't want to admit when confronting aspects of this project.

I want to point out that the 'ground level from build-up' is on the INSIDE of the fence. Even with the fence in the way, that much build-up occurred. The beam forced the erosion build-up to self-level. In theory, if another beam were to be stacked on the previous, this area would build-up and self-level to the new height.

If you've been following this blogonism, you'll remember the left image as one taken when I first arrived. Honestly, I like seeing how nature operates and takes over human devices. Areas that have been overcome by vines, erosion, and such always draw my eyes. But I can't keep the gate like this.

The tape measure is NOT the true depth from the original ground level. That's just the minimum depth to get the gate free.

I've finally gotten the first tier leveled and pushed back.

Having just moved back from Las Vegas, I'm disoriented by all of this rain. Not that I'm complaining. I love rain and thunderstorms. Plus, it'll allow me to put into practice some passive, then active, water harvesting techniques.

May 10, 2012

It's rained for the past couple of days. I don't mind working in the rain, but I think I really needed the break

I've cleaned up a lot of the stray roots, obviously. As far as I can determine, this stump is completely supported by the two roots extending under the fence.

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