The final day of Elderberry Fest 2010 was Sunday, October 17. It was early when I got up, so I decided to use up the elderberry juice I had thawed by making more jelly. Having learned a few things -- and this time working alone -- I knew I could quickly finish the process, and I did. I guess this was the closing ceremony.
Hallie was interested in pruning bushes and trees. Recommendations are for spring rather than fall pruning, but the trouble is that we aren't here in the spring -- mud season -- when we should be doing that. We decided to go ahead and prune out the old pear tree anyway. I expect it has long outlived its life expectancy. If we lose it because we pruned it, we've only forced something that was coming.
See how foggy it is -- cold and clammy.
While Nick climbed into the pear tree, Hallie and I load the trimmings. [Hallie says I have quite obviously mis-identified here: Hallie is in the tree; Nick is on the ground.]
When the fog lifted it was a decent day. Nick and Hallie did some research on rose hips and we picked a couple of quarts of hips off the old wild rose bramble bush. Mike and I have ignored it because it is so "stickery," but it is so overgrown that the roses are small. So while Nick and I picked hips, Hallie pruned a bit. Mike considers the bramble good game bird habitat, and indeed, I have seen the quail enjoy its protection. I believe we can prune it a bit and still have good habitat.
Nick and Hallie left after lunch and Elderberry Fest officially closed. It was such a lovely afternoon that I decided to accompany Mike and Nellie on their farm hike / hunt. I got some good photos of the property. I also located more wild rose bushes. We got what we wanted from the hunt -- a bird to augment our supper.
Here's one that got away. See the deer in the center of the picture. Nellie and Mike scared her out of a draw while they were bird hunting. (This photo looks east from a high point on June's place, if that means anything to you.) Mike seemed nonchalant about this event.
Monday morning I arose early to get ready for the return to town. Mike decided not to get up to deer hunt, thinking it was useless to do so because of a bright moon and the apparent absence of the deer. Sitting in the living room I heard some sort of expletive from upstairs. As Mike sat up in bed he saw a big doe sauntering across the north field. KW
The final day of Elderberry Fest 2010 was Sunday, October 17. It was early when I got up, so I decided to use up the elderberry juice I had thawed by making more jelly. Having learned a few things -- and this time working alone -- I knew I could quickly finish the process, and I did. I guess this was the closing ceremony.
Ha ha! Based upon what I know about shoes, stances, and butts, I can tell you that that is MY butt up in the tree! Nick and I coincidentally wore identical outfits both days. I really had to scour that photo--an easy mistake to make.
ReplyDeleteThe tree knows that we were sincere in our pruning. She won't die. I'm going to try to make it there in early spring to prune the live stuff from the rose bush, though. You can trim dead stuff any time of year (I'm pretty sure).
Too funny about who was who. Or is that who was whom?? :-) Anyway, looks like much was accomplished and a very good time was had by all. Great photos!
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