FARM WORKDAY

Mike & Clint at the burn pile

Sons Murray and Clinton joined us at the farm on Saturday (March 28) so that we could push forward on the project to clear the yard of tree debris. They raked and then hauled to the burn pile by means of the 4-wheeler trailer. They did us a world of good, and we appreciate it.

After lunch, a neighbor met us at the bottom of the lane with his heavy-duty wood splitter with which he commenced to split the big pine rounds from the tree that fell there. Murray and Clint rolled the wood to the splitter and tossed the resulting firewood to Mike who stacked it in the back of the pick-up. It was heavy work, and again, we appreciate the help. We probably have yet another load of wood waiting in the lane not to mention the tree in north field.

This salamander on Clint’s fingers is the second one I have seen this spring, and they are both the first that I remember seeing in the wild. A couple of weeks ago I found one as I was digging in the orchard behind the house. In fact, I inadvertently injured it, but I recalled that they can reproduce their missing parts, so I apologized to it and left it alone. Clint found the one in the photo as we worked in the wood at the bottom of the lane. My research indicates that the presence of salamanders is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. KW