My Poor Apple Tree (and Other Yard News)

There's an apple tree outside my bedroom window. Sometime earlier this year, I noticed that one of the branches has been reaching out into the neighbor's yard-- directly over their power cables. Not good. So, I've been trying to figure out what to do about it-- obviously, that branch needed to be hacked, but with something so delicate, I didn't think this would be a good time for me to learn. I mean, if I f'd up, the neighbors would no longer have power. Not good.

The other day while I was talking with Ro's husband, Cutter, who has been helping me revamp the yard, he noticed that the tree has split in half near the base. You know that branch hanging over the neighbor's wires? Yeah... Apparently, all it would take is a stiff wind in the right direction to not only bring down that branch, but half the damn tree.

Today, Cutter broke out the chain-saw and tar, and we put our heads together on exactly how to surgically remove the part that looked ready to break off. While we were examining the tree, we noticed that the tree had been split once before-- there was a big hole near the base-- and was literally rotting from the inside out. On closer examination, we found what looks like two separate trunks that grew together. One of them was completely rotten, and the other still had its trunk fully intact. At first, Cutter thought we could just remove the rotten one altogether, but because they had grown together, the healthy one was still leaning on what was left of the dead one.

In the end, Cutter removed what he could of the dead half, tarred what was still alive, and scooped out (with BARE HANDS, mind) most of the rotten wood.

Of course, I didn't think to take Before pictures. That would imply that I know what I'm doing. But here are the After pictures.

So, here's what my apple tree looks like now:


Close up of where it was cut. Notice the trunk itself had started to rot through.


Innards we scooped out with bare hands...


This half seems to still be healthy with a full trunk wrapping around it, even inside...


Here's what's left of the dead half. Anyone want some apple wood? I hear it's really good for cookouts. Fragrant.


In other news, I've had some work done on the lawn. Most of it was upkeep that should have been done years ago, but wasn't because A) Pop stopped being capable some time ago and B) because I didn't know it was needed until I started looking.

The brick flower box on the front porch was caving out. Once again, no Before photo. Here's how he replaced it with treated wood:


Cutter gave me some Marigolds from the store to put in the planter, and then I planted a bunch from seed. I think you can tell the difference.


Grandma had a rose bush here, right next to the driveway. Riiight where a passenger would get out of the car and get caught on the thorns. Honestly, I don't know WHY she planted it there. As a kid, I got caught/cut on that thing so many times.


Cutter helped me transplant it. No blooms right now. I think it's having some culture shock from being moved.


He also gave me a baby pumpkin that was randomly growing in his yard-- from the seeds from last year's pumpkins when the kids did jack-o-lanterns. It's still getting used to its new home and putting it's roots back down, but soon it'll be sending vines all OVER the bed!


And! Gratuitous shot of my foxglove. Again, planted by seed by me, last year and FINALLY! this year starting to grow. Hmm. Mebbe next year I'll get even more?


Another thing Cutter helped me with was to get rid of a bunch of (ugly) bushes my grandma-- or mebbe Pop?-- had planted in front of the house. Perhaps at one time they had been well shaped and purposeful, but now... they're history! Instead, Cutter got some (free!!!) lilac cuttings from his neighbor and planted them under both windows and between! Next year, when winter has finally passed and we can open the windows, we'll be smelling lilacs! You can also see the placement of my foxglove and pumpkin, as well as the recycled stones from the old front porch planter now used to line a flower bed!


And since we're on the topic of growing things, let me show you an update on my garden! :) But I'm not excited or anything. Heh.

I've got lots of corn. This is not “corn on the cob” corn-- not even popcorn, but the kind that you see hung on people's doors for Thanksgiving-- the multi-brown kind. Much better for grinding into cornmeal than eating straight. Apparently it has a lovely, nutty flavor. Can't WAIT to find out!




Here's my one sunflower! And more corn.


The tomatoes have finally started coming up. I'm going to have to stake them soon, so that they don't fall over and rot.


And some beans are showing up. I have no idea what kind.


My cabbages are starting to form heads! I hope I don't find any babies in there, but if I do, I'm sure they'll have a tattoo of Xavier Roberts on their butts.


And my lettuces are fully formed.


Check it out! Three heads growing together.


And finally, there's a Thing growing next to my grapevine. I don't know WTF it is, but it's already taller than me. Any thoughts?


Anyways, yay for my garden! You know, back when I started my Great Experiment, one of the things I wanted was lots of lovely plants for the faeries to play in. I think we're getting close, eh? :)

Peace.

Garden Squee!

Serenity came over yesteday and we looked at my garden. I'm no farmer, probably never will be, and this certainly felt like biting off more than I can chew. Still and all, I'm rather proud. Good job, Mi!

Pictures for your perusement:

This is my container garden, what I started with last year. Clockwise, from top left, I've got oregano, spearmint, thyme and chives. You can also see the aloe and rosemary peeking out:



Here is the rosemary I grew from a seed:



And the aloe plant that has survived years of neglect. (I think it was my grandmother's.):



This is the garden Pays helped me plant this year:



I've got broccoli:



And lettuce:



And a crazy mess of peas:



A ton of grapes!



Some... um... vine thingee. (I think it might be a loofa gourd):



Okay, I have no idea what this is, but it's growing a lot too!



Then, around the edge of the yard, I've got corn growing:



And one, lone sunflower:



Oh, yeah. I think I might have posted this story a while back. Here is the re-enactment, as portrayed by Youngest Monkey:



All in all, YAY for garden! :D

Peace.

The FOOD Network?!

Arcana asked me a few weeks? months? ago how my magickal studies are coming along, and guiltily, I admitted that I haven't been doing them, like, at all. A million excuses came to mind, but I'm getting better at recognizing the difference between an excuse and a reason. (Probably didn't stop me from telling her a couple, though. In all honesty, at this point, I don't remember, but I know myself well enough to guess at a general response.)

Whether or not she realizes it, the conversation has stuck with me this whole time. I mull it around, and every so often, I consider pulling down my workbooks. Hasn't happened in the almost-two years I've been here, but I've got some grand intentions. Anyway, today, I once more pondered this behavior, and what it came back to was my Great Experiment and the Law of Attraction.

See, as Oprah puts it, the Law of Attraction is simply that whatever you focus on, expands. Abraham-Hicks say that Law of Attraction is “That which is like unto itself is drawn.” Oprah's is less of a mouthful. :)

So why is my magick not expanding? Why is it that any time I consider doing it, it feels like pulling teeth? Because I'm not focused on magick right now, duh! I'm focusing on finding foods that are healthy and delicious (Read: foods that are healthy, and foods that are delicious-- okay, more emphasis on delicious, if we're being honest. I think I still have mental blocks about the two being non-exclusive.) I think a lot about the mental and physical state of The Mad Cow, about generally keeping costs down, and about things that will and/or do make me happy.

And here's what I've got.
1. Tons of newsletters for different organizations (health, environment, catalogs)-- but all of them offer free recipes!

2. A Great Big Book of Intake/Output for The Mad Cow. (This is the most organized I've been with him since I got here.) I also have a general knowledge of which behaviors mean “healthy Poppa” and which ones mean we're a step away from heading back to the hospital. (It can be difficult to tell, since the most information I get from him verbally is that he's not worth a nickel.)

3. A small pile of stuff that I've sewn after thinking, “I wish I could buy me a...” / “I wish they made a customized...” AND a garden growing in the backyard. (If you receive holiday gifts from me, chances are, you'll be getting something from one of the two this year, if everything goes according to plan.)

4. A small armada of techniques that, when properly applied, help me stay centered, peaceful and grounded. (The trick here is to remember to use them when I'm freaking out, but I'm getting better at that.)

And what does this tell me? :) My focus right now is very earthy. To use the terminology from Abraham-Hicks, I'm not vibrating at a level with high magick, which is why I'm not doing it.

The neurotic me, of course, started freaking out as soon as I realized that. “Why aren't I more magickally inclined? I need balance with ALL the Elements, not just one. I mean, is it okay for me to be earth-bound right now? Shouldn't I--” And that's where I stopped it. Shoulds and Shouldn'ts are holding less power over me these days.

The fact of the matter is, I'm in Earth mode right now, and that's okay. I'm the seed that's been planted in the earth's womb. All sorts of growing is happening, and when I'm ready to sprout, THEN there will be Air and Rain and Sun. For now, there's Earth. ... And manure to help me grow. ;)

On a related note, yanno how I don't watch TV? Today, after I put The Mad Cow to bed, I was working on sewing his (for lack of a better term) wheelchair backpack, and decided to have some background noise going while I worked. To my surprise, the MOST INTERESTING show I could find at that time was on the freaking Food Network-- a channel I have never before been interested in. Of course, once the show about how to make sticky buns and crepes ended and the one about getting voted off the kitchen island came on, I moved on... and found a movie (on another channel I generally avoid) that I've been thinking about for a while. Heh. Law of Attraction, baby. ;)

Peace.