The forecast for Friday looked so good, i couldn't resist. I took that day off from work, the 2nd day off in my 3 months at the new job. I only get a stingy 2 weeks and 2 personal days, but it was soooooo worth it. This weekend was picture-perfect weather.

Friday's project: do something about the many branches, either dropped during storms or pruned, accumulating in growing piles along the perimeters of the my property. I always figured, well, they'll decompose eventually. Surprise! They don't! Not in 13 years! And the place was looking more and more like an impenetrable jungle and tick haven.

So i began dragging out the larger tree branches and cutting them into manageable 3 foot lengths with my bow saw and loppers. I put a giant tarp in the trunk of my car and crammed as much brush in there as i could, then made 1 trip to the transfer station.

Went back home and continued in this mindless, but satisfying vein until i had built up 3 more pilies of 3 foot long tree branches. I'll plan to bring a load with me each week when i make a trip to the transfer station.

Yesterday a.m. at 7:30 a.m., a guy and his brother came over to take the rest of my cut up black locust as firewood. I had posted an ad on Craig's List saying i wanted to barter for a wheelbarrow in good condition.

He wrote back saying he didn't have a wheelbarrow but would be happy to buy me a new one. COOL. In a later email, he said he'd gotten my wheelbarrow. Then when he showed up, he said he didn't have it but would have to wait til the hardware store opened. I became instantly suspicious, thinking he was going to try to just take the wood and not come back. Besides, he had told me in the email he had already gotten one for me. Oh, it had a bad tire, he said, and i want to get you a new tire. Hmm, i thought. He said he was buying a new one so how could the tire be an issue? As a precaution, i took down the license plate of his truck as he was loading it. They made 3 trips here to load up wood, so i think he got a good deal. Anyway, they left me a wheelbarrow. It wasn't new, as it turned out, but it's perfectly fine, and what i'd asked for in the 1st place so i'm happy.

Old BF T. called to ask me if i still needed the dead apple tree cut down. (He wants the wood.) I said yes, so maybe he'll be up next weekend. At least with smaller trees, it doesnt' seem too hard to get the work done becus everyone's interested in firewood these days with the cost of heating oil. Maybe next time i can barter some wood for a pair of wire cutters. My neighbors still have old barbed wire running along a stone wall separating our property, and i don't like it there. An animal could get snagged on it; it's really a hazard.

A little later yesterday, friend M. came by and we did a 5-mile hike nearby. It took me several hours to recuperate from that, but i managed to rally and by 4:30 p.m. i was out in the yard again, this time mulching my giant rhodie and sweeping the debris left over from the wood in the driveway, etc.

Today's mission is to get out of here in just a little while (it's only 7:15 am) and run a few errands, mainly getting a crateload of annuals for all my pots and to get a retractable clothesline from Home Depot. The one i've had for about 5 years now ripped off the house under the weight of 2 wet quilts. I love that clothesline.

I am going to plant a vegetable garden. It was like an epiphany. I have 1/5 acres and in 13 years have never had a decent veggie garden beyond a few potted tomato plants!!! Why, you ask? Mainly becus of resident woodchucks, who are just as bad if not worse than deery, IMO. But after a large evergreen on the north side came down in a storm and a drainage pipe was put in that area, the secret woodchuck den was uncovered (with a front door and a back door) and the whole area, which was hidden by brush, etc., is now fairly exposed. So i don't think he or his ancestors who living there.

that means that perhaps a fenced garden could thrive here. And do you know where i'm going to put it? Smack dab in the middle of my sunny, sunny front yard.

In the past i'd tried veggie gardening in my picket fence garden, which is already protected, but i'm a little leery of continuing to do that because it's very close to the house, about 10 feet away, and i'm worried about paint chips that may have settled in the ground there. If i'm going to go organic, and that is a large reason for my own garden, that and the rising cost of fresh produce, i should make an effort to keep it healthy. So the front yard it shall be. The front gets a ton of sun and it's a good 30 feet from the house, so no paint chips.

It'll be narrow and rectanngular so i can easily walk around for weeeding purposes. And that way, too, if i want to continue to elongate the garden over time, i can do so. Nothing too crazy...snap peas, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, stringbeans. the hardest part will be digging up all that sod. Better get going.