First, I apologize for the poor lighting conditions exemplified in this photograph, but sometimes you have to abide by the conditions imposed upon you by nature.  Having said that, it is still enjoyable to look down at the feeders from the kitchen and see seven deer partaking of breakfast while you sip your morning coffee, regardless of lighting conditions.

As you may notice in the picture, we have had sufficient rain so far this season to allow the grasses to grow into a thick green carpet, but not enough precipitation to top off the ponds.  Therefore, I’ll join in with the usual chorus heard around here this time of year – we could use some more rain!

If I had my way, we would receive about 1 inch of rain per week, preferably delivered in the form of a steady (but gentle) shower that occurs between the hours of 11:00pm and 6:00am every Tuesday.  In reality, however, although we receive an average of about an inch of rain per week, it may come in the form of a torrential downpour that drops 4 inches of rain at once, and then a dry spell for the next month.

Greenbriers!!!  Grapevines!!!  I shudder at the mere mention of these two plants.  Silently, slowly, and with an undeterred relentlessness, these vines spread themselves out among the branches of nearby trees, and the ensuing battle usually results in the destruction of the host tree within a few seasons.  

In the photo above, you can see how the vines envelop the limbs of the host tree.  As the seasonal winds blow through the trees, and as winter snow and ice accumulate on the branches, the limbs eventually snap, resulting in the gradual destruction of the tree.  Even the mighty oak succumbs to the tenacity of the vines.

I do not get too concerned about this process in general as it occurs on our property, however there are times when it cannot be ignored.  In the photo above, the tree that is being destroyed by the vines happens to be situated next to the barbed wire fence that separates one of our horse pastures from a neighbor’s cattle grazing area.  Just as the vines bring down the mighty oak limbs, the falling limbs bring down the sturdy barbed wire fence.  So to keep our horses, as well as our neighbor’s cattle happy and in their proper pastures, it is necessary to try to clear out this tangled, thorny mess in order to keep the fence in working order. 

When vines pull down tree limbs,  as in the example above, or when other forces of nature conspire to fell a tree, I sometimes want to clear the debris.  In other instances, I may wish to clear a specific area for recreational or aesthetic reasons.  

What to do with all the limbs?  The chainsaw reduces the larger diameter limbs into firewood sized lengths, but this still leaves a lot of smaller branches and saplings to deal with.  Many landowners, where not prohibited,  choose to burn their land clearing debris.   I do not burn, and I am not particularly fond of the practice, because it all too often winds up resulting in the following types of photo ops from my front door:

When first confronted with the problem of what to do with tree refuse, given my reluctance to burn, I opted for a heavy-duty wood chipper.  After researching the equipment that was available in the price range that my budget allowed, I settled on the following product:

This is a Country Home Products 18hp DR Wood Chipper.  It has an electric starter, and can be towed behind my utility vehicle, allowing me to do the chipping anywhere the need arises.  It has been a great piece of equipment that has helped me out quite a bit around here.  But sadly, it will soon be put up for sale.  On eBay, that great resting place for all things no longer needed!

When working with a chipper, it is necessary to wear gloves in order to handle the limbs.  The gloves in the photo above are similar to gloves I donned to do a bit of limb chipping a few years ago.  There is a cord on the back that allows the wearer to tighten the glove firmly in place.  Unfortunately, the cord on the back of my glove managed to get snagged by a limb being drawn into the chipper, and my hand went along for the ride!

Oops-  that sure ruined what started out to be a perfectly good day!  One lesson to be learned is never wear anything that could possible get caught up in the machinery you choose to operate.  After this accident, I used the chipper a few more times, but had to abandon it because the “finger that was” became too sensitive to the vibrations transmitted from the branch being chipped.

OK, we’ve established that I’m paranoid about fires and burning, so that’s out of the question, and operating a chipper is no longer a possibility,  so how do I now handle all of the downed limbs and debris that continues to be generated each season?

I now have brush piles scattered in selected locations around the property.  By hitching a trailer to the back of the utility vehicle, I gather whatever plant debris accumulates and transport it to these piles.  Sure, they’re a bit unsightly, but I don’t have to burn and I don’t have to use a chipper any longer.  As an added benefit, the brush piles become coveted habitat for any number of ground dwelling creatures.  It seems to be a win-win situation, doesn’t it?

A post on this blog usually includes a picture every few sentences, perhaps because I feel I can tell a story better with graphic, rather than verbal imagery.  But it seems that my camera has up and left me, taking a much deserved vacation (along with Retta, of course).

 If I had my camera you would probably see a photo narrative about the most recent fire that threatened the area for three days.  Eventually, the Arkansas Department of Forestry extinguished the blaze, in the same efficient manner that they always do, but not before the fire caused some concern for myself and a good neighbor of ours. Thanks, ADF.

If I had my camera you would probably see what it looks like when a front suspension A-arm assembly on a utility vehicle snaps in two, and what it takes to remove the part in order to transport it to the local welding shop.  Perhaps you would also see the blue streak that emanated from my lips when I discovered that disassembling the suspension required a specialty tool that my tool chest lacked.  A sixty mile round trip into town solved that problem, which allowed me to extract the recalcitrant part.  Another sixty mile round trip back into town, and the broken part was now in the hands of a competent welder.  Tomorrow, another sixty mile round trip into town to pick up the part from the welding shop, and I can then put the utility vehicle back together.

If I had my camera you would probably see pictures of what a heat pump looks like when it malfunctions, causing the equipment to freeze up into a solid block of ice.  And what the basement utility room floor looks like when said block of ice melts!

If I had my camera you would probably see pictures of the lawn surrounding the house, which now looks more like a jungle than a lawn, due to the fact that a spindle assembly on my trusty lawn mower chose to commit hare kari the other day.  This will entail another sixty mile round trip into town.

But best of all, if I had my camera you probably would have seen pictures of the beautiful way in which early spring is expressing itself here in the heart of the Ozarks.  It is truly a joy to behold, but you will just have to take my word for it, as my camera has gone on vacation.

I guess it’s finally time for Retta and I to become a two camera family, so I had better start doing some serious research to find just the right camera to buy.  Easy to use, pocket sized, quick focusing, 6 mega pixel (or greater) resolution, and superior macro capabilities are called for - any suggestions out there?