You may have noticed, I haven’t been “blogging” lately.  It’s not that I don’t want to write the blogs (I love to write), but it’s the picture-taking part that I forget.  We’ve been busy working… and we’ll be busy working for the next decade or two, trying to reclaim overgrown land from briars, thistles, weeds, vines and poison ivy (yes, it’s still potent this time of year – I could show you a picture of THAT, but I’ll spare you the ugly details).

The chain saw, trimmer and chipper have been running non-stop on our days off, and so far we have pushed back the encroaching brush from most of the right side of the driveway to the property line (which isn’t that far from the right side of the driveway).  I think we are “cutting our teeth” on that side.  The left side of the driveway goes further than we will ever be able to clear in our lifetime, so we’ve set a goal of just clearing to where the small stream bubbles up from the spring house and trickles through the front yard.  Already we are making a difference – and adding to the wood pile as Chris cuts and splits downed branches and small trees.

But, it’s not just clearing the brush – it’s cleaning out trash.  It’s amazing what lies beneath several years’ worth of fallen leaves.  We’ve pulled out a rusty carburetor, barbed wire, a toy dump truck, an old metal tub (which had a mouse nest under it), a cane, empty Viagra packets (presumably belonging to the guy that lost his cane), beer cans and coffee cups – and we’re just getting started.

At the end of each day, we stand back and look at what we’ve accomplished, and at that point, I invariably say “Damn, I forgot to take before and after pictures again.”  But here are a few to give you an idea of “a fun day on the farm.”