Where Is Winter?

Pioneer settlers had to clear their land as a first order of business.  Hauling stone to what would become field's edge preceded planting.  Stones were likely heaved in a pile since there was no time to build walls.  Years later stone walls could have served as pasture fences.  A wall occupied less land than a stone heap and having the livestock walk on solid cleared ground was safer than having them slipping on slanted stone.  Here at field's edge traces of an old wall can be found among the rubble.  The new stone tower holds a string to define a straight wall edge.  Two strings, one high and one low, would clearly define the plane face of the wall but one will almost do.  A rubber hammer makes necessary adjustments without marking the face of the whacked stone.
  

Today's 50 degree temperature drew me outside.  This entire area was littered with stone.  Cleaning up the mess seemed  like a good use of this unseasonable day.  Frost still held the buried stone but a little time in the sun softened the duff.  Clearing the stone pile was the day's task.  Placing it in the wall gave me a place to git rid of the litter.  Disposing of the stone was the task.  Keeping the new wall solid would prevent me from having to pick them up again.  Artful tight stone placement would have to wait for another wall in another place.
  

The area in front of the wall is not yet ready to plant.  Much stone still lies beneath the surface.  Briers and roses have been uprooted but will likely stage a come back.  This season will be spent battling noxious weeds and levering out more stone.  Planned planting will have to wait one more year.

Last year we had more snow in February than I could handle with my lawn tractor.  Plowing pros were called in several times to clear the snow and remove nearly three hundred dollars from my wallet.  That winter was easier on the plants but I did enjoy today.

Match The Task To The Day

Usually snow madness has set in here by the first week in February.  Weeks of unrelenting snow fall limits outside activity.  That is not the case this year.  Once again we awoke to find frost covering the bare ground but the sun quickly melted that.  On the sunny side of this stone wall the ground is soft while the shady side remains firmly frozen.  A quick tap with a hammer releases the frozen stones so some wall building is possible today.  Most of the stones in this area have been thrown in a heap.  The farmer's children were likely given the task of picking these rather small stones from the field and they had no interest in wall building.  Putting this right made for an incredibly pleasant day.
  

One advantage to working stone in the cold is the lack of critter activity.  Snakes, wasps and spiders are dormant now.  Not so for this stone roach.  This creature may have a proper name but it is unknown to us.  We assigned the name stone roach to these numerous occupants of our stone piles.  Despite the removal of the roof from its frozen quarters, this guy moved quickly.  It was gone in a flash returning to the stone wall.  Another second and he would have been missing from this picture leaving just a cool and frosty fossilized stone.

The purpose of this wall is to consolidate the stone pile freeing up the ground for planting.  An attractive wall is unlikely given the poor quality of the stone.  All this wall has to do is remain standing for a few years.  Stone placement in the interior of the wall is the most important factor in building a stable wall with this rubble.  A great number of stones were handled today to build a rather short section of low wall.

Day's end found about six feet of new wall.  The dumped stone pile is shrinking.  If this wall is to continue to grow, additional stone will have to be brought to the site.  We have the stone but time for this kind of play is limited.  One thing about a stone wall it waits quietly and patiently  for the builder's return no matter how long that takes.

Finished Stone Wall

Six days ago none of these stones were here.  There was a loose pile of stones nearby.  Now the wall is done.  The setting sun still strikes the distant hill but the wall is in shadow.  From this vantage point none of the left over stone are visible and it really looks like the wall is completed.

This picture shows a more honest view of the actual situation. Every stone project always leaves a pile of unused stone. Some of these leftovers are misshapen difficult to use stones that went unchosen for good reason. When they appear at the site of the next project they will likely get passed over again. Eventually the leftover pile contains quite a collection of difficult to use stone. At some point they really need to be dumped over a bank.  Perhaps some of them will find a new home tomorrow.