A little overcast in advanced of some rain, but Maine is finally greening, blossoming and growing some grass. No, not the Willie Nelson variety. That is a different part of the state. The Japanese maple probably needs to be trimmed, but it is full of songbirds and they are quite a source of entertainment when viewed through the office window. Definitely need to relocate the rose bushes. As yet not sure where.
The shop, while no longer home to firearms, makes for good office and hobby space so it does not go without landscaping. I used to worry about barnside wood oxidation. It darkens, but does not deteriorate and it kind of fits the setting. Just goes to show what Lowes, fifty-seven bags of mulch, an old Chevy truck, and an old guy can accomplish with breaks for naps.
Are trees considered crops?
A property lumber harvest begins Tuesday. It only took twenty-five years or so to make that decision. You may have noticed I am fond of trees and too many forest management operations tend to see trees only as going to pulp or dimensional lumber at Home Depot. Make a bad selection of foresters and you have eighty acres of clear cut, tall piles of branches, damaged streams and stone fences, and property of greatly diminished value.
My original guy drove me crazy. In the business all of his middle-aged life, he could not find boundaries, he misidentified tree population and density and he could not put together a plan for the parcel. He basically hired small logging operations, held the inventory, then paid out only after a sales and he had taken his 20%. His last effort was trying to convince me there was no access anywhere except through my driveway, and the only trees worth cutting immediately surrounded my house. Old Maine. Some people think it still exists.
My new forester is twelve-year-old Chloe. No, of course she is not twelve… maybe twice that age, but I tend to see people below the age of forty as kids. Out of college and a licensed forester for at least a couple of years, she works for a large company with lots of equipment and knowledgeable resources. Turns out the parcel of land is dense in a wide variety of timber, which probably explains why I get branch face-whipped, tripped, poked, and jabbed wherever I roam. She also found my deed contains a private road that offers access to all.
With heavy equipment that drives up to a tree, cuts it off at the base, turns it sideways, limbs it and cuts it to measured lengths, cutting will be selective with negligible collateral damage. Thirty-five percent of all will be cut, the weakest of each species, with streams and stone fences protected. A hundred foot buffer around the house and driveway will assure continued privacy. The forester tags trees and directs cutting. The harvest plan at the onset specifically identifies tree type, market price and schedule for start and completion. As a byproduct of the project, all of the property boundaries have been blazed, a future plan for the property will produced and my Maine Tree Growth application will be updated.
I feel good about being my age and still having a willingness to not be dismissive of young people. There are too many young men and women in my life to not grasp their value. Actually, that is true of young women, the men are a bit sketchy. The young ladies are smart, articulate, with engaging personalities and striving to be excellent. The world is in good hands as soon as this lingering crop of old farts get out of their way.
Fighting the resistance
When you’ve owned the same car or truck for a period of time, you get to learn a lot about its good characteristics, as well as the bad. If you own a 1967 – 1971 performance Ford Mustang with a top loader 4 speed, clutch swing peddle replacement bushings are useful. If you own a 2003 to 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500 Work Truck with manual heat and AC control, a spare blower motor resistor is useful. The symptom of such a part failing is the five position blower switch becomes four positions, then three positions, then two positions, then one position, then it is time to change the resistor.
ACDelco PN 22807123, not 22807122; ask me how I know. Same circuity and components, different mount. Why did I buy famous Marsflex replacement parts? $25 for the right part, $16 for the wrong part and $58 for the ACDelco super star. Why am I so cheap that I install my own parts? $200 in labor plus $58 at my very good mechanic’s place, but zero labor cost in my garage.
My bare bones pickup offered a bonus, evidently, the fancy versions of the truck include a cover that houses the heater and AC under dash components, shields wire harnesses and keeps feet off of the electronics. The work truck assumes the driver is a financially strapped contractor, with no coworkers or friends that will ever ride shotgun and put their feet under that side of the dash. Subsequently, no cover to struggle with on replacement. May not be a direct profile match but, in the broad strokes, it works for me.