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.
