the woods - early spring 2011

Today, the high is supposed to reach all of 40 degrees. Hard to take when last weekend it was well into the 60s. But, such is life in the spring around here. It's a contant volley between the end of one season and the beginning of the next.

Last weekend was gorgeous, though. Saturday, especially, was just so lovely. It was just a tiny bit wet from recent rains, but not sopping. The perfect day to burn all of the bramble that had been drying out since Sam cut it down last fall.



And, happily, we've finally gotten to the point with this property that the children can play back here without fear of being impaled on rebarb or getting tangled in the masses and masses of age of old huneysuckle. (ooooooh, that honeysuckle!)



As an added bonus, the recent rain had left a decent amount of water in the "creek". So, it was a work day, but it was a play day, too. That's nice :)

I've tried to give you all an idea of our cuh-razy topography before, but it's sort of difficult to explain in words. Well, unless you use words like, "precipice", "hazardous", and "perilous".

Just kidding. It's not really that bad. It does have some pretty serious inclines and declines, though. Do you like my little drawing? On the left you have my depiction of the picture before this drawing - the cliff that leads from the backyard to the flat portion of the woods. The flat part is pretty big, really, but the kids think the incline going back up into the woods, after the "creek" (which is only there when we've had precipitation), is the best part.

These two squirrels are on the flat part of the woods in this photo. The creek is directly behind them and you can see the bottom of the trunk of the large tree I drew (Cottonwood) in the background. Yes, it's surrounded by honeysuckle. Does that help you orient yourself? Well, if you went up the incline that begins just after the creek and just to the right of that honeysuckle, you'd wind up gaining height rather quickly. After a short walk...

... you'd get to SweetP's lookout/house.

Here's the view from the edge of her little home. This gives a good idea of how up and down everything is. On a side note, our kids are relatively used to being outdoors and have a good sense of what is and is not dangerous. They (generally) aren't ones to try to jump from a height like this or anything too risky. That being said, this photo also makes it look a bit steeper than it actually is. If they jumped or fell, they could potentially break an arm or something, but the most injury they'd likely encounter would be some bruises & cuts. A little danger isn't always a bad thing. It can help kids develop good judgement and a clearer understanding of consequences. So far so good, though.


From the same location at SweetP's lookout/house, you can see that our neighbors to the south have their lots almost completely cleared and turned to lawn. I think this must have been the way their homes were graded when they were built (?). At any rate, ours is one of the wildest lots ;)


But, it's coming along. It's coming along. We aren't planning on clearing it into a lawn or anything. We just want it cleaned up a bit so the space can be used and enjoyed to the fullest :) When we first moved in, you couldn't even see down here from the house. Or get down here without a machete.

Okay, no one used a machete, but the undergrowth was thick.

We've got to stay on it all spring to keep it from taking over, again, though. It's really a good thing that we got this headstart. Two points for us. Maybe even more.

Have a great weekend, y'all. I think I might just have to make the most of the cold and make one last batch of hot cocoa. Maybe if we start to embrace Old Man Winter, his cantankerous old self will try to spite us and leave.