One other thing that I noticed is that some of the stalks that I had previously killed are seemingly springing back to life. This stalk was all brown all the way to the ground last week. Given that there were a lot more sprouted stalks than I have seen in weeks (I just got down to only needing one fill of my 2.5 gallon sprayer last week), this is disappointing and makes me wonder if the lack of rain is hurting them more than the chemical warfare. Either way, I am out of glyphosate again, so I will be making a Tractor Supply run this week.
While I was down at the bottom, I checked to make sure that the rain hadn't washed out or eroded the smoothing I did in the front. It all looks good. I also saw some rather odd deer tracks. The fawn was really good at stepping where his mother stepped apparently. I saw a half dozen that were perfectly overlaid like this one.
They have been down there quite a bit. Which makes me wonder: do deer eat grass seed? Most of the grass seed I put out this year mysteriously vanishes and never sprouted. A little bit in the back is all that sprouted. The rest vanished.
At that point I was roasted. After the sun went behind the trees, I did some mowing. I have managed to get my mowing down to a hour and a half. I am now mowing it as fast as I used to with the Cub, despite this only having a 42" deck., which is a good testament to how effective the yard leveling and smoothing work is helping. I also pulled the tractor out afterwards, but only got a couple loads of dirt spread out in the back before I called it a night.
Sunday I finished up the smoothing in the back in the morning.
Like Saturday, I spent most of the hot part of the day inside. I did get a little restless after running out of indoor things to do (more on those in a minute) so I did some other smoothing and leveling in the afternoon in short bursts. I did notice that apparently my woodchuck isn't afraid of the tractor.
I got the back corner all leveled (or at least it is a constant grade now). This didn't take nearly as much dirt as I was expecting.
While I was using the tractor to compact all the dirt, I may have "accidentally" ran over the dead smaller trees that were in there, and the bucket "accidentally" ripped them out of the ground. This area is slated to be cleared eventually and become part of the back yard.
I decided to do that corner instead of this area, where I have been putting the spare gravel, since I am reasonably sure that this area would require more materials than I have on hand to complete. I might still put the rest of the dirt in there though, since I am running out of quick hitters and have more dirt left than I expected. I paid a lot for the dirt, so I am going to use it.
I also did a few other smaller spots up by the septic tank. I might take a couple of buckets and just redo this whole area. Maybe re-bury my septic tank lid as well.
The steep slope on the far side of the septic tank had a channel carved in it, which is now filled in. I found out two weeks ago that if you don't straddle the channel perfectly (easier said than done when the depression was as wide as the tractor) the deck hits rocks. I didn't plant any grass seed up here, but I am still considering redoing the whole area. I am actually running low on grass seed too, but I don't plan on buying more. I am also considering letting the lawn naturally spread back into it, since my yard is mostly clover which is (in my opinion) superior to grass. It doesn't grow as tall (I only have to mow every other week), looks nice, and it gives the honey bees (I have a lot of them around) something to eat. The back and far side of the front are mostly just weeds, which is why I have been planting grass there.
While I was inside during the hotter portions of the day, I finally got around to installing and trying out a little clip on drawer that I picked up for the camper. This one isn't very big (they came in various sizes), but it is just a clip on to the shelf already in the fridge. While I clearly don't need it in my fridge at home (thus the empty shelf above above it), it would have been useful on the last trip for storing things that I don't want jostled around while towing, or more importantly stuff like eggs you don't want drinks and whatnot jostled on top of.
I apparently forgot to bring my sketch pad in to work to scan it, but I also toyed around with a few ideas about building something in the back of my truck. While gas prices have started to recede, I am still toying around with the idea of building something into the back of the new truck as an alternative to buying a camper when Dad retires. With an 8' bed, it should be better suited for that purpose. A not-quite 6.5' bed just wasn't long enough. I got everything to fit, but it will be tight.
I have spent a few thought cycles on the future methods of travelling so I guess that technically is has begun. It is kind of a "when I don't feel like doing anything" task at the moment. I called the guy at La Valley on Saturday, but he never called back. I need to run to Tractor Supply anyways to get more weed killer, so I will stop in. I think at this point though, I would definitely use a different location when I get the garage put up though; the Walpole location is apparently staffed by an unreliable noob. There are others in the area though.
Summer projects:
Prep truck for trade in- Determine house plans (modular vs mobile vs stick)
- Get my power service upgraded
- Shed floor
- Shed doors
- Concrete shed supports
- Anti-mouse the shed (seal it, maybe spray with pepper spray or something)
- Eliminate pile of crap in the back yard.
- Level the yard.
- Investigate retaining wall construction.
- Install windows in the shed.
Fix/sell the utility trailer.Driveway round 5- Get building permit
- Determine the future method of travel. Build prototype?
- Come up with garage plans
- Clear walking trails on lot.
- Build a bridge over the creek
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