Big Blue

   

One of the first things we bought when we moved to Shenandoah Gateway Farm was a Kawasaki Mule.  It was great for hauling tools, debris and trash cans down our 1/3 mile driveway to the street for pickup.

If you search this blog you can see the many ways in which we used it on a daily basis. In addition RJ LOVED the mule.  He liked riding in it.  He liked running along with it.

   

When we downsized to a 6.5 acre property, we figured that we wouldn't need the Mule. And Lee really didn't want to make an extra trip to our new place for one more vehicle transfer.  So we sold it to New Freedom Farm at a vastly reduced price, because we believe in the work they do.  This is an organization that seeks to help veterans.  They do that with horses, in particular they are rescuing Mustangs and using them to help rescue the veterans. Check them out and donate if you feel moved by their mission.

   

On many days I have missed that Mule.  I started looking around for another one. I could find used Mules and other UTVs, but none of them were close to us.  Or they were trashed. We have taken care of our Mule and I really wanted it again.

   

So I found a local Kawasaki dealer and went to check out the Mules.  They had a BLUE one. it was so PRETTY. The new ones can also be fitted with a roof and a windshield.  I can't tell you the times I had to go out in the rain and snow and wished for both of those things.

When I finally decided I NEEDED to get a Mule, we got the other accessories along with it.  I love it.

   

So does RJ.

Between A Rock And A Flagstone

I have wanted to finish the entrance to the B&B.  It originally had some flagstones that were widely spaced with red dirt in between.  This made a bit of a mess when it rained.  It rained over 50 inches last year.  That's a whole lotta mess.

We asked a local contractor to build a covering over the doors and he did a nice job.  Now it was our turn to finish the path.  He would have poured concrete for us, but I worried that there may be water issues with concrete.  I wanted a more porous surface so water could drain, yet have a hard surface for people to approach the front doors.

 

We decided to shift the flagstones closer together and so we needed more of them to fill in the spaces left behind.  We leveled them without using sand, a level and screeding under the flagstones because we are lazy.

 

Next we dug around the flagstones to allow for a few inches of crushed rock.   We placed treated 2x4s along the sides of the path to hold the rock in place.  Lee cut and pounded in some wooden stakes to hold the wood in place and then screwed the stakes to the boards.

 

We went to the Landscape Store and got a ton of crusher run (also called crush and run) in the back of the pick up.  You heard me, a ton.  So no wondering why my hands are hurting this morning.  Crusher run is crunched up rock of various sizes, all the way down to powder.  This allows it to compact and get quite hard, yet it allows water to soak through.  It is frequently used for driveways. 

 

Lee filled the Mule and drove to where I was waiting and dumped it a small load at a time.  The truck is too big to get through the gates.  The dump bed on the Mule is a great help in these kind of projects.

 

We had enough leftover to spread around the water room door and the flagstones we put there.  When we bought the house there was nothing in front of the water room door and dirt splashed up on it every time it rained.  We hope this will make it dryer and cleaner in there.

 

We may add another ton or so to the side path.  We hadn't planned on it as it isn't the main entrance, but now it looks like we forgot something.

 

This project took three days, what with driving back and forth to the Landscape Store for stones and crushed rock.  But mostly because we had to stop and go volunteer at the library for a few hours, give blood in the bloodmobile there and ....wait for it...prepare for our second group of guests!  Yay for Airbnb!

We still need about 4 truck loads of mulch around all of the gardens and we may plant some flowering plants around the entrance..

Any suggestion for flowering plants that thrive on poor soil and benign neglect?

Snow Is A Four Letter Word

 
Snow is beautiful.  It covers brown dry grass and makes any winter landscape starkly simple and more gorgeous than the exposed winter vegetation. 

 

I love the look of it resting on branches and trees.

 

I love the view of our stream and bordered with snow. 

 

I love to see the tracks the deer and rabbits make after a snow fall.

 

RJ loves, Loves,  LOVES the snow!  He loves running in it and leaping in it.

 

He WON'T get in the Mule for a ride and he will stay out as long as we do.

 

I hate the vehicles that start to slide in the snow for no good reason and end up in a ditch.  I hate digging them out only to have them slide deeper into the snow.

 

We called a few people we know and asked if they knew anyone with a snow plow and CHAINS to come clear our drive.

Nope.

So now we sit and wait.  Cancel the dinner reservations and wait. 

 

We did clear a parking spot (by hand) at the bottom of the hill for our daughter to use.  When she gets here we will drive down in the Kawasaki Mule and bring her up. 

Lee was able to make one pass with the tractor and the scraper to start to clear a path.  Then, when he took it out after the second snow fall, it was just that much too deep and the tractor slid off the road and stuck. 

So now we are using the technique my friend Rena espouses.  "God put it there.  I can wait for Him to take it away."

So we are waiting.  Unless you have a snow plow and want to make some money????

Deja Vu

There was  big snow storm in 2009 here in Botetourt County.  It dropped 18 inches and we were snowed in for about three days.  We have three 4-wheel drive vehicles, a Kawasaki Mule, A Ford 250 and a tractor.  All three slid into the snow and got stuck at various spots on the drive.  We would dig one out and it would drive for a bit and then slide off another side.  We did this over and over for three days.

We vowed that the next big storm Lee would get out and plow in the middle of the night so that we could see the road and not plow BESIDE the road.  And to keep the snow build-up from lifting the vehicles so high there was no traction.

 

Last night another big storm dropped about 10 inches.  Lee went out and plowed about 7:30, but it was only a few inches deep at that time.  He thought he would put out wooden stakes to mark the curve of the drive, but it was dark and cold and they were only talking about 8 inches.

 

Eight inches is no different than 18 inches if you are stuck and can't move.  Except it is easier to dig by hand.   And we got ten inches.

 

So now his tractor is stuck at the bottom of the drive.  The first part of the slope is steep and although the drive is cleared, he can't get traction.  It's too icy.  I drove down in the Mule to pick him up, but it slid off the curve.  Lee couldn't see the drive in an ocean of white and plowed on the side of the drive in a few spots, the curve being one.   The pitch was too great for the Mule.  It slid in the ditch.  I started digging and Lee hiked up the hill and we dug it free.  About 5 times.

 

We would dig and then Lee would try to get going.  The Mule would get stuck and we would hop out and dig some more.  It seemed to work a bit better when I was in the Mule with him, but he was kind enough not to point out that my weight assisted with the traction. Smart man. It's why we are still married.  Don't make stupid jokes that you can't take back, my free advice to the recently married.

 

So now I am on the computer and Lee is trying to see if he can get the truck going.  My thought is that we will soon have two 4-wheel drive vehicles stuck at the bottom of the drive.  Lee wants to see what he can do to get the tractor up.

The good thing is we don't have to be anywhere  anytime soon.  It is supposed to be about 47 tomorrow and that should take care of a good portion of the snow.

The only hurry to clear the drive involves a reservation at First and Sixth, the restaurant in the newly renovated Patrick Henry Hotel in Roanoke.  Tomorrow is Valentine's Day after all.  Also, our daughter, Tara, has a few days off from her Physician's Assistant program at George Washington and is coming to visit for a few days. And she will need to get up the drive.  Or park at the bottom and have someone come and get her.

Uh-oh.  It's snowing again.

 

At least the truck was able to get back up the hill.

So now we wait.

Almost Finished

It stopped raining last night.  Today is beautiful and clear.  It seems that Buchanan will have a good turn out for the Civil War weekend.  We are going to go to the breakfast fund raiser.  We also hope to put up some fliers in town for the horses.  Maybe a cavalry officer wants a new horse!

                                        

After the long boards were secured, we took the Mule to the shop and collected all the 2X2s.  The bed was muddy so they got to ride shotgun. 

                                        

We had to determine how much space between each board and how much the overhang would be.  Then Lee cut a board to use as a guide.  It is a lot faster than using the measuring tape over and over.  Plus you could push the boards against it and it would hold them in the right place.

                                         
                                         
We started in the middle and then worked to one end.  Then we went back to the middle and worked to the other end.  The sun was coming in at an angle, but I could still find a nice shady spot.  I think it turned out pretty good for a couple of amateurs.  And no, you can't hire us to make one for you.  We would have to charge you more than someone that knew what they were doing!

                                                                        

   

There are a few spots that will need a touch up on the paint and we still have to paint the posts.  It shouldn't be more that an hour for primer and an hour for paint.  So, parts of two days.  I may wait until Monday or Tuesday.  Lee will be gone most of Tuesday, so that and starting the garden will be a couple of good projects.  Lee is the library courier next week so I requested a bunch of books from the library.  Library books delivered to my door.  How special is that?

So I'm filling up the back of the mule with hay to drive it into the field. Then I put the muck buckets in the back of the mule and drive to the compost pile. They are really heavy ( part of my weight lifting for health :) ) so instead of lifting them off, I back up to the pile and tip them out. If there are left over bits I sweep them out with my glove.

And now I'm thinking, do the horses mind that bits of their pooh may touch their food? I know that I would mind. I would mind a whole bunch.

If they DO mind, how would I know?? They can't stop eating it because there is no grass right now. Well, I suppose there is grass, but I haven't seen any of it for weeks, 'cause it is buried under all the snow. They dig down and nose around, but it can't sustain them. And the hay is gone when I next come out.




I certainly don't wash the mule between jobs. Even discounting the time that would take, in this weather the mule would be an icicle. It will be in the 30s all week and hasn't been above 40 since forever. In the summer I only used the mule to transport me and pooh. They ate grass during the day and hay in their stalls at night...no need for the mule.

OK. Here I must digress. I really want to name it something fun. I'm not all that enamored with Saki....don't tell Mom. I can't really call her Molly, because I may offend Molly in Laguna Niguel. She's red and I got her for my birthday. I have considered Roja, but I like Ruby better. I have thought of Ana for compleanos. I thought maybe a Tongan or Hawaiian name because I have lived in both places, but I can't think of a short, cute name that fits. I sure wish I could get some cute ideas. I think of it as a girl, so if you give me a suggestion, make it a girl's name. I have started calling Lee's formerly Red and White truck, now Orange and Whitish, that has a bunch of rust holes, Rusty. Actually Trusty Rusty because it has gotten us up and down our hill in weather that none of our other newer and more expensive vehicles has. Rusty and Ruby would be cute, right??


Anyway, back to the pooh issue. Can I consider the fact that they eat the food and ignore the fact they have have no choice? I think I have to for now. I guess if it doesn't bother me, it won't bother them. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.