We had a busy weekend of out-of-town guests and outings, but we squeezed in some outdoor work this afternoon. Now that we've identified "the road" we can peck away at clearing as time allows, so that's what we did today. There are a bunch of trash trees that have cropped up-- mostly Norway Maples 1-4" in diameter. All are very tall -- re-e-e-e-aching up to get some sunlight under the canopy of the more mature elm and oak and ash.
Interesting finds:
- Several piles of dirt and rock debris roughly the size and shape of snowplow leavings. There are lots of flat patio-type pieces of slate and bluestone in evidence. Wondering if there was an outdoor living area or formal garden somewhere around or below the pool at some point. Thinking maybe we'll take up a collection and see if we gain critical mass for some future project. Happy to recycle!
- Lots and lots of past-prime firewood dumped in the old barn foundation and in the woods. The bad news is the previous owners (and their family and neighbors and realtors and landscape-labor) did a lot of dumping in the woods. There are areas where the debris is too rooten to move and too big to chip -- basically a big mound of mess. The good news is that I have identified some older dumping zones where the grass clipping and leaves have made gorgeous compost. Happy gardener over here!
- And, the pies de resistance, was more archealogical. Hubby found an old bottle on the ground. He was excited about the antique glass. I was excited about what was inside. There was a little bit of dirt and 3 or four different kinds of teensy weensy plants growing in there along with a small population of visible worms and bugs -- all in miniature. It reminded me of that scene in "Men in Black" when Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) found a universe in a train station locker. Truly a stop-and-think existential moment.
 |
| Hood's Tooth Powder, Lowell, Mass (circa 1880s) |
 |
| Microscosm complete with soil strata, multiple plant varieties, plus worms and insects -- all in miniature. The weather in "Hoodville" was cloudy with a chance of rain today. |
At my dad's farm, the woods are lousy with garbage piles. It's just how people disposed of things - 100+ years of garbage piles, including old appliances, etc. all throughout the woods. I would always scavenge them when I was little, but didn't save much. But my dad's best friend, who bought a corner of the property and set up a homestead there, goes out all the time and has a collection of over 200 really cool and unique bottles. He has them lining the top of this room in his house and it looks really cool. Every shape, color size. I love seeing what they were used for. Various tinctures and potions and fun things. Keep scavenging - you never know what you'll find. :-)
ReplyDelete