Way Too Much Gravity

It was yesterday at about 11;30 AM.  The weather was was sunny and calm. Not a leaf rustled in the stillness.  When the loud cracking sounds reached my ears, my first thought was of fireworks. It was not one big bang, but a whole series of  loud noises like the finale at the end of a fireworks show.  I have to admit I was angry at the thought since the sound was so close to the garden and the house.  When I looked toward the source of the sound I actually saw what seemed to me to be a gaping hole where there used to be a continuous line of tree tops.  I used to think that trees were permanent features of the landscape.  Living here has taught me that change can be slow, but it can also happen in the blink of an eye.

Today Ed risked life and limb to get pictures of the Red Maple tree that was responsible for all that noise.  The tree is large, perhaps several feet in diameter, and is growing on a steep incline.  Climbing that steep slope presented challenges for someone who is losing his sense of balance.  For some reason Red Maples send out branches perpendicular to the trunk.  When that branch reaches sunlight it turns and grows vertically toward the sky.  How can a huge unsupported mass like that exist for years?

Clearly there was way too much gravity pulling on the branches and leaves of the tree and 11:30 yesterday was the tree's breaking point.

A closer view of the broken branch shows the source of all that noise.  Every crack, every split and splinter of the wood as the tree branch fell to the ground made itself loudly heard.  It would be interesting to count the rings to see how long the tree has been holding that branch in the air like that but lumber jacking on that steep hill is not in our plans.  I am really happy that the main trunk of the tree seems undamaged.  So to answer that old question about a falling tree making a sound  I would have to say indeed it does and it sounds just like the fourth of July!

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Today was another day sending mixed signals.  The sky was clear and the sunlight appeared strong but the overnight temperature fell into the low 20's.  Frozen ground was everywhere and we simply had to find something to do outside.  Periwinkle is a nonnative ground cover that has a certain appeal.  Amy and I have encountered it while hiking in the forest.  Its presence there marks the former location of an early settlers cabin since it was common for them to bring along something from their former homeland.  Ours lies between the border marking stone wall and the driveway.  Briers have invaded and some were cut away today.  More remain for another day.

Only the moss covered surface marked the location of this stone.  Exposed to sunlight it had warmed the surrounding soil and it did wiggle a bit in response to my prodding.  The maddock and my hands were able to coax it out of a fairly deep hole.  The wheelbarrow was placed on its side and the stone was rolled in.  That move sent the wheelbarrow falling toward my legs but once again luck kept me from being injured.  The down hill move to the shade garden was incident free.  Before we started down the hill, I planned to simply release the wheelbarrow if it started to move too fast.

Two other moss covered stones were also discovered and a second trip brought them easily down the hill.  We are trying to copy the look that the glacier left behind where numerous forest stones are surrounded by wild flowers.  Ten thousand years of rotting plant growth has nearly buried those stones and duplicating that look is a problem.  These shade providing trees have roots that extend outward just below the soil surface.  Cutting the roots might kill the trees so we fill around the stones with forest soil and ground tree leaves burying part of the stone.  A close look at the monster stone will reveal the presence of cracks.  This stone was formed from layers of sediment and will likely split nicely into pieces.  If all goes well, the two pieces will be placed with the newly exposed surface down leaving only weathered worn surfaces exposed.  The thinner profile will improve look that we are trying to duplicate.  For now these three new stones are in storage awaiting their final placement later.

A position close to the ground was necessary to capture the above photo.  Kneeling now comes with its own challenges and I sat before any thought was given to what had to come next.  Fortunately Becky does not use the video capability of her camera.  I know that my move to a standing position was anything but graceful.  Once I managed to get upright, the wheelbarrow, tools and I completed the move back up the hill.  Next will come some heat applied to angry muscles followed by some stretches.

Temporary Stone Pile

Here you have one of Ed's temporary stone walls. He just has to lay them up into a wall. Throwing them into a pile is not his style. This wall has had some stones taken to use in another wall somewhere. It has left some of the stones cantilevered in an interesting way. You would think they would tumble down, but the weight of the rock on top, combined with the way stones fit so closely together makes it stay where it is. Gravity is the force that holds a stone wall together. Of course it is also the force that makes a wall fall down.

I love this wall and don't like to think of it as temporary. But, I have it for now and sometimes temporary can be pretty permanent.