Yard work

I was not planning to do it this week end, but got a call from my friend Dave, Saturday morning, to let me know that he was on his way with his tractor.  Some of my friends still works so, you just have to work around whatever opportunity.
When they say, they are coming with their tractor, you just don't turned them down.
So we got to do some earth works in a few spots.

First up was to flatten an area on the side hill in prevision for a greenhouse to be installed at a later date. Was suppose to be this year hence why I previously mentioned it to him, but instead I'm paying the taxman Grrrr...

The top of that hill need to be flattened before I can install a greenhouse on it

This is Big John brother to my smaller John Deere.

And yes they also comes much bigger

Heck of a lot faster than by hands for sure... :-)

Any soil left over got used to back fill a depression in the back of my lot.

Flat enough for a future Greenhouse, I can work with that.

Depression filled. Left over soil will be put to use somewhere else.

Maybe we will use this patch as a garden plot, lots of top soil in there.

Once done, the last thing was to flatten another area in the yard for a future cabin.

Flattening an area for an outdoor dining room/gabbing area. 

Was quite a slope, don't want to build on still !!!

This is what we have in mind for that spot.

About 14 ft X 14 ft.

Make it with removable panels to close it in the winter.

All the while I was supervising outside sweating buckets, I felt like I should be wearing a white hard hat. You know the one that identified the one I.C. (Insane Certified, or In Charge) on the work site?

Meanwhile poor Dave was sitting inside an air conditioned cabin, with stereo sounds.

He says in the winter he snow blow in T-shirt inside the heated cabin :-)

So yes, that definitively make me the Insane Certified :-)

And done. Got two flatten surface and a depression filled 

Ok so we are a bit early, but when a friend says he is coming over with his tractor, you make room in your busy retirement's agenda and social calendar :-)

Next, soon, will be the removal of a few big trees, either in the way or infected by some virus.  Not to worry, they will be replaced.
Norway maple (Silver maple) are not native to our region, they have been introduced as a decorative tree. Unfortunately, here in Nova Scotia they are all currently affected by the same virus, courtesy of Juan Hurricane a few years back.

This Norway maple is getting too big, too close to the house. 

Will be replaced by an arbour entrance way and a fence.

That one is near the forest line and growing outwardly toward the open space.

They look fine right now, as they do every year at the start, then by mid summer they will be totally infected by the tar spot virus.  It does not seems to harm the tree except, it cut shorter its life span :-(

Probably will replaced them with a hardier Sugar maple.  (Maple syrup anyone :-) but in slightly different locations

Now, just have to wait finish paying the tax man grumble, grumble...

That tree by the deck has to go.  In the way of a bigger deck.

I would had cut it years ago, but Heather was adamant we save it. The poor thing had a very torturous life, and it shows. In the winter, it bend down to touch the deck, then spring back up as the snow load melt.

The tree in question, this past March

Probably because it had a rough life, Heather got attached to it.  I have been wondering how I could work around that dilemma until a good friend of Heather and I, suggested that I grew a sapling's from that tree.  Once established, I could then cut down that tree with peace of mind, knowing that it survived.

So Jean and I did just that, transplanted a sapling last year.

It survived the frost and is doing well

Thanks to its protectors

Angel Heather holding Rudy

Once those trees are gone, the deck and fencing could go on. Oh, and I need a side road on my land to reach the back yard with construction material. Yeah, all that to say, not cheap. Will take me a little while, in between tax bills.
There goes a big hole in my tool budget, Oh Well!!
Thankfully I have a few tools in reserve to go over that period of drought :-)

I know... Still considered myself lucky to be retired and doing my things.

Meanwhile the garden is recovering nicely.

Should be able to deploy my drip irrigation system soon.

 Surely, we are done with frost warnings??

Bob, whose great life plan is to moved out of our house in about 10 years when our landscape is mature and go to some sort of independent retirement community... near an hospital :-)

Cause as you get older and the grands kids grow up,  to be nearer to an hospital, becomes more important than being near your love ones :-)

Bob, back from doing a plumbing job at Dave.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I got the numbers of physical planes and computer records to be within two extra (records), down from 6, and a few still unregistered tools in various category. Getting there...