Outside is now on the OUTside!

Ken and our friend Spencer were busy guys last weekend... The temporary living room ceiling peak insulation was replaced with ventilation trays and properly installed insulation. Now it's toasty warm and ready for drywall! Thank you so much Spencer for your willingness to help us get this project to the next step and spending the day up there helping ken. Hey, at least the view was nice!

Gifts from the Orchard

The yield from the 2009 harvest of Kenny's peach tree was the most we have ever had! He picked a bushel for "show and tell" yesterday that beg to made into something yummy. Celebrating the Lord's provisions.

Recovery Gardening on a Shoe String

"Recovery" pertains to both the continued healing of the surgery foot as it continues to build strength and for the slow reclaiming of the gardens as Suzan is able to do more. Here is a BEFORE photo of our dividing hedge row in the back yard. Pretty scary, huh?


Mulch and woodchips didn't fit the budget this year, so making new friends in orange trucks were in order. Not premium product of course, but free woodchip/mulch and free delivery with a smile is not a bad thing at all. (photo not original... yanked from a google search).


After lots of pitchfork and wheelbarrow hauling, and Suzan learning how to back up a trailer (close your eyes and imagine the calamity), the hedgerow was reclaimed!

Wrangling Trouble and Relocating Spring Growth

MANY hours were logged-in this past weekend hauling loads of damp cat tails from the banks of the pond to the compost area, weeding, cutting back and thinning out dry grasses, major pruning of bushes and trees, re-directing climbing vines, and transplanting new residents.

Thank you to the Stonebacks for sharing your zebra grass and to Christine Sames for sharing all of your lilies! They have been successfully transplanted and are all taking root in Perkiomenville.

WOOT! For Working Parts

We no longer have to use scary electricity maneuvers to start the tractor. Thanks to Ken for having the patience to fix it and a BIG "THANKS" to Dennis for being an expert consultant!

Fab Weather and the Pond Lady

This weekend's weather made it possible for hours of yard work catch up. Mass post-winter clean up was accompanied by hose fun, sun burn, and yes, a broken lawn mower.

Sunday evening, Suzan finally had a chance to get into the pond and clear out some of the over grown cat tail plants. Just as she was heading out, Ken and the kids had spotted a 3' water snake. Ken double-checked the Internet to identify and make sure that the snake was harmless, which it was. So, fighting slithery snake phobia in an effort to teach her kids not to be wimps (even though she was freaking out on the inside), she decided to proceed with the mission. Then her hero jumped into action: Ken spotted the snake near the bank (with a frog in it's mouth!) and was able to capture it! The task was put back on track, and even though it was a bit unnerving rooting around for things unseen, with the help of the kids and metal rakes, a portion of the over grown plants were uprooted and cleared out.

Meadow Frontiers

For a few years, we have talked about putting camp sites along the path of our upper field, leading to the fire ring area. Today, Hayden and his friend Jonathan were given the task of planning the site locations. They set out with a check list, a google map of the property and flag markers. As you can see, they took the quest seriously (and yes, we are still pondering Hayden's choice of head safety gear). Morgen helped finalize the map after she got home from school. They came up with a solid plan that we intend to implement over the next month. We look forward to working on this project and sharing the meadow with our friends this summer.

Spring Activities Have Begun

Spring was celebrated at the Knott meadow this past week. Not only was it the official start of spring on the calendar, but we were finally able to have the lawn tractor repaired. "Inga" is running smoothly again and has her blades sharpened and is ready to go! We also trimmed back the zebra grasses and pruned up the cherry tree out by the pond.

Other signs of spring this week: a picnic basket lunch in the fort for Morgen + Hayden, the early purple and yellow blooms, and pond visitors— a blue heron and a mallard duck. Welcome!

Edible Architecture

This post is a worthy diversion from our meadow projects because it celebrates old traditions and gives an ovation to time-invested creativity. This Thanksgiving took us over the river and through the woods to Oma and Grandad's house. On Black Friday, while the masses were sleeping off tryptophan comas and dashing to early bird sales, Suzan's Mom was rolling out her famous gingerbread and helping the kids to construct their own edible wonders. As always, she was brimming with clever tips and tricks... AND THEN ... pulled out the magical box of colorful confections. Right down to the chocolate candy-coated rocks that they used on the chimneys. Morgen and Hayden probably clocked over 13 careful, detailed hours planning and pouring their creativity into these delightful creations. They are eager to share them with their friends, so, while they are still in-tact, they deserve a moment of fame.

Morgen's house is an awesome candy shop. Visitors follow the Necco wafer path to little awning-covered windows with merchants inside, ready to assist their customers. Hayden proved that all things confectionary do not have to be "girly". His hunting club is equipped with a turkey blind and a trophy bird. It also includes a quail cage and a big scary mystery (not allowed to tell) inside the house to surprise his friends when they eat down the house.

Thanks mom, for dusting off those custom made gingerbread cutters you created with a welding torch all those years ago. And for sharing your tips, your creative gifts and for reminding the next generation that it really is worth it to slow down and pour yourself into something once in a while, and to take pride in going above and beyond.

The Prairie Dog Town Grows

The efforts of Ken and Scott last week seem to have worked wonders, but it also brought us to the next step. Identifying that there is still significant clogging in the little seep holes in the laterals. Ken has been digging holes at alternate 6 foot intervals and drilling new seep holes in the pvc to assure that once it is closed up, it will function properly. Woodchip, the coolest kitty in the township, was on hand for inspection.

Septic Prairie Dogs

Hey- that would be a perfect name for a heavy metal band!

No, the prairie dogs on Meadow Lane, were two hard-working, patient men. To forge ahead with the trouble-shooting efforts of our mystery septic drama, Ken took a day off (w/out pay of course) and Scott sacrificed a precious vaca day to investigate and repair the backed up system. Ten accurately placed holes later, the junctions of the sand mound's laterals were exposed. A hand-held snake (in photo) was not enough to remove 20+ years of backed up glop, so we rented a bigger one for a few hours. Our high-pressure power washer helped to dislodge and clean everything out. Testing revealed a working system, so we will cap and seal the system, but leave the prairie dog holes as-is for a while until it can be determined if this actually did the trick. If not, the next step would be to dig out and drill new seep holes. If THAT doesn't work, we are probably looking at a major excavation and replacement. So for now, we'll celebrate the successful baby steps!

Thank you Scott for your time, muscle, expertise and friendship! [not to mention your tolerance of working on a nasty project]

TimBeR!

On Sunday afternoon, we took down all of the trees that were against the tall side (south) of the house. We'll miss them, but they really had to come out. Hopefully next weekend we can finish the job and cut and stack with everyone's helping hands. They are perfect firewood size!

Fishing With Snakes

Sorry friends, this is not a NATURE post, unless you speak of the NATURE OF ALL THINGS SEPTIC. The snakes I refer to are Plumbing Snakes.

The new septic pump ceased working this past week, so it was back to mega-conservative mode until Ken could take a jaunt back down the hole to assess things. The pump was removed and tested in a garbage can of water and it worked just fine. This told us that there must be a more DRAMATIC event happening between the secondary tank where the pump is and the sand mound.

Thanks to a borrow from Mike W., Ken fished the snakes in and there seemed to be no clogs. Measuring the supposed path of travel on TOP of the ground, the line did not stop until it made it all the way to the mound. So there just might be something wrong on that end that is causing everything to back up and stop the pump from pumping. yummy.

So, the mystery continues. The pump was returned back into its home in the hole and after a few days of water use, we will know if the snake activity jostled things back to order or if we will need to call in an expert after we plant that money tree.

IT IS WORKING!!

We are hesitant to let our guard down. However... BIG NEWS!

When taking a peek with a flashlight under the septic tank lid after a few days of almost normal water/drainage use, the level is far from alarming.

It is accompanied by the pleasant whir of something that is supposed to be working, that really IS working!!!

Hi-Fives all around.

Wireless in the Bad Place

Something is awry. It doesn't look like the new septic pump (or at least the activation part) is performing as it should be. It is not pumping at all and the tank is almost full. We'll assess things this evening and see what challenges or victories lie ahead. After this disappointment was discovered, Ken alerted of another unexpected obstacle: "MY CELL PHONE FELL IN THE HOLE!". Does anyone happen have an old Verizon cell they are not using that we can activate onto our plan?

Operation Septic Pump

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we now have a new WORKING septic pump!!

The new pump was ordered and delivered this week. Ken removed the old pump, parts and did all of the prep wiring on saturday. After a successful "phase one", while carrying the air compressor down the cellar steps, Ken slipped and bungled his wrist pretty bad. So, on account of Ken's injury (and to save Suzan from having to climb down into the fun-zone), on Sunday afternoon Scott came and was dubbed Master of Ceremonies. The project was completed successfully and we celebrated by having a Mr. Lee's Feast and Miss Morgen took the first INDOOR shower since the pump died over one month ago. Here are snapshots of the subterranean stink-hole heroes.

X-rays were taken of Ken's wrist today. We haven't heard from the radiologist yet, so maybe no news is good news.

The Outside Shower Moves

Kenny got into the spirit of things and moved our temporary outdoor shower and added a special feature just for Princess Morgen. It is now nestled into the bamboo grove with a wooden platform. The special feature?... HOT water! It is still 2008, right?

Our Tulip Tree Shower

Another home owner's hurdle presented itself this week. The septic pump, after 21 years of faithful service, slowed down to a little less than a crawl. We are going to try our hand at the budget route and replace it ourselves, so the weekend is being spent in conservation mode. Hand washing dishes and dumping the water outside, selective "camping" powder room visits, and of all things... a make-shift outdoor shower from the Tulip tree. We had some assistance with the super heavy rains and Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap. Afterwards, since we were already soaking wet, some stayed out for a heated game of "Hurricane Horseshoes".

Celebrating Evidences of Creation

We delight in the little things that can so easily be taken for granted. A child's discovery of a snake skin that has been shed at just the right time, and a humble little harvest from our tiny orchard. It is a joy to take pause in a busy day to celebrate such things!

Adding and Fixing

This summer, the trailer was slowly resurrected to be street-worthy (yes, it has occasionally been on the road without proper registration). So it underwent a face-lift and is almost complete. Here is a before and after of making the most of the old wheels.


Work was also done on the beams that divide the driveway and the lawn/pond areas. I especially like how Ken cut the end of one to merge with the boulder at the corner. It works well with the grasses and doesn't feel as "boxy".