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.

Immovable Stone Versus Irresistible Forces

This week began with a visit to my Primary Care Physician.  A focus of our discussion was the condition of my lower back.  For the first time the doctor uttered the words back surgery.  My age and  past choices of activities have left their mark on my lower spine.  My passion for building walls with native fieldstone was identified as a possible contributing factor to the back pain.  Later that same day I discovered this beautiful rock at the edge of the woods.

Where our fields approach the remains of the bedrock ridge, the torrents of glacial melt water cut a shallow ravine.  Occasional springs are now common there so the area is always interesting.  A break from garden work found me looking down into this depression.  At my feet was a rock of unusual beauty.  A quick hand check revealed the massive nature of this stone since it would not move even a tiny amount in response to light carefully applied pressure.

Stones this large are seldom the cause of injury since it is obvious that just man power will have no impact on them.  I returned with a pry bar and a block of wood to see just what was at hand.  A cautious 90 degree rotation showed just how massive this rock is.  There was no way that I could move this one.

Closer inspection revealed a crack that extended the entire length of one face.  Past experience indicated that a clean split of the rock into two pieces was within my skill set.  The resulting thin piece of the stone did not appeal to me since the charm was its massiveness.  Various options for moving it intact were considered.  All involved big machines that could be rented or coerced from a neighbor.  I am more of a do it myself kind of guy.

Careful work with the block and pry bar created a narrow opening under the stone where the end of a log skidder cable would pass.  The cable was attached to the hitch on my trusty Ranger.  A journey of one half of a mile moved the stone into my woodland bower near the road. The path of the stone left quite an impression.   The skidding cable suffered serious damage rubbing against the lane surface but the stone shows only a single mark from its contact with the cable.  A new replacement cable will be here in a couple of days since  the frayed cable will injure the hands that hold it.

A disconnect was required to move the truck to the far side of the bower trees.  The distance between the rock and the truck required three cables and a section of rope to pull the stone near its final position.  The rope only broke once and my knots of the moment could be easily untied.

Here the treasured stone has found its place at the edge of the woodland garden.  The nearby stone displays about the same surface area but it is just a thin slice that was moved by hand.  Rolling it on edge  probably caused more injury to my back than the effort made to move the much heavier neighbor.  The only time that my hand touched the monster was to push it over into the hole dug to receive it.  Perhaps a couple of Jacob's Ladder plants would look good planted near this stone.  That leaves space behind and at both ends for other plants.  Time trapped inside this winter will be spent finding just the right woodland plants for this spot now made special. 

Stone Dance Day Two

This problem area has been waiting for action for thirteen years.  The house was set lower than necessary and we have been trying to figure out a solution for years.  Last fall a professional with power machines was given the option of completing this job but he never returned.  We needed a series of steps to make a stable transition down this slope.  Unsure on how to proceed, the task remained ignored.  For reasons that are elusive, we decided that now was the time.

Four stones in the foreground have been placed.  Three stones arcing out from the corner of the house are where they will remain.  One stone has been set in the second wall.  The third wall has a stone that is out of place.  It fell into a hole and was finally worked to the top of the stones meant to be there,  When its turn comes, it will be moved to a different location.  The jumble to the left is the stock pile.

We need to tie in the ground near the stone patio with the sloped planting that will develop in front of the house.  Behind the three stones at the corner of the house, ground level will approach the top of the stones.  When the newly graded area reaches the front of the patio, there will still be a slope from the lawn to deal with the extra height.  This slope down to the house is what discouraged the man with the power equipment.  Standard practice does not direct water toward the house.  The house is perched atop a deep gravel glacial deposit. The drainage is such that there is no water to run toward the house.  We have been free of water in the basement and will remain so when the regrading is finished.

The pile of stones to the left were dropped off above but near their final resting place.  The trick now is to limit the number of unnecessary moves while placing stones in their final resting place.  We would really like to finish this job before winter takes hold.

Dancing With The Big Stone

I have been waiting in breathless anticipation for this performance.  The weather is perfect and well it should be.  Doing these kind of moves with a partner that is very heavy, a dead weight in fact, is not often attempted.  I am thrilled to be able to catch this on film!  Ed is feeling good and is in great form!  He deftly prepares the spot for the final move with his maddock while his partner waits in stony silence.

Note Ed's unusual move with the side of the potato hook.  It is not often seen, but Ed is a master with his tool!

Now the real dance commences. This lift requires grace and pry bar leverage with a partner that is so dense.  The mud and stones are all prepared  to make a successful landing possible for this incredibly complex move.

The stone missed the landing ever so slightly.  This will require delicate maneuvers on Ed's part.

Ed positions another stone while his partner rests in anticipation of the final landing.

What an exciting move!  Ed and his pry bar are poetry in motion and the unwieldy stone has made an almost perfect landing.

This one leg in the air move is unprecedented, but really paid off.  The big stone is almost exactly where Ed wanted it!!

He places stones at the base of the big stone so that it can remain solidly in place.

Now it is over.  The stone is perfectly placed and Ed is still looking terrific.  What a fabulous performance!  Bravo!!!!!!  What can Ed possibly do for an encore?   I can hardly wait!