GRASSES PROVIDE WINTER INTEREST

FOUNTAIN GRASS, VERY EFFECTIVE FOR WINTER INTEREST

PAMPAS GRASS JUST NORTH OF WASHBURN ON HWY 13

Tuesday, 9:00 AM.  33 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky overcast and it is snowing and sleeting, the humidity 94%.  The barometer is steady at 29.87". The ten day forecast calls for more of the same with a few sunny interludes, the temperatures in the twenties and low thirties.  The roads are slick and won't improve very fast.  I put on my Yak Traks this morning so I could stay upright.

   Tall grasses, such as the ornamental grasses above, are very effective in the winter landscape if they reach above the snow.  They can be very architectural, and often retain their flower heads as well for winter interest.  I am a little rusty on their names but there are a number of them that are readily available.  They often provide good fall color of dark browns, tans, even purples and reds.  

   Native prairie grasses can also be used to good effect in the garden as they are clump forming and usually don't escape and become aggressive, as some ornamental grasses do. 

Native grasses are usually better used in restoration work and larger landscapes, although tall grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass can make a statement individually in the garden.

   Pampas grass can be very invasive and should be used with caution, as it can spread by seed and compete with native vegetation.  I remember driving along California's coastal Route 1 and seeing pampas grass taking over large areas of  the California coastline.

BAYFIELD DEER

DEER ON HWY. 13 JUST SOUTH OF BAYFIELD...

...LOOKED NOURISHED AND FIT

Monday, 8:00 AM.  Wind calm and variable, sky overcast, cloudy, and it is snowing, the humidity 71%.  The barometer is beginning to fall, now at 30.07".  More snow is predicted for tomorrow, and the forecast calls for a continuation  of our current spate of weather.  Global Warming may be winning the climate war, but it is loosing the battle in Bayfield these days.
   I am scheduled for the first therapy session for my shoulder today and am hoping it goes well, as I slipped on black ice while walking the dog yesterday morning and fell on it again. It was so slick I had to crawl to the side of the road where there was some grass to get myself upright. Damn!

  Yesterday, a little before dusk, I encountered four deer just south of Bayfield on Hwy. 13.  They looked well nourished and fit.  One bounded in front of the truck before I was able to take a photo of it, but the remaining three posed for quite a while, as traffic whizzed by me from both directions, oblivious as to why I was stopped.

   Deer have become rather scarce in many areas of the north woods, as several severe winters and overly generous hunting seasons decimated the herd.  But this milder winter and less snow has given the deer a break, and if the bucks were able to find all the estrous does last fall, and it is a good spring for fawning, their numbers should increase substantially this year.

A COOL WAY TO TRAVEL

HUDSON RIVER ICE BOAT, 19TH CENTURY

CHECKING THE ICE BOAT OUT

Sunday, 9:00 AM.  25 degrees F at the ferry dock, 22 on the ba porch.  Wind S, mostly calm with light to moderate gusts.  The humidity is 87% after several inches of snow fell last night.  The barometer is rising, now at 20.72".  The next ten days is predicted to be more of the same; temperatures in the twenties, mostly overcast and cloudy, with snow and snowflurries.

   The ice of the big lake is usually a rough affair, full of ridges, bumps and cracks and probably much too rough for most ice boats to sail over, but the recent melting and refreezing has left it much smoother than normal.  So, out will come the ice boats on the lower Bay at Ashland, the one pictured being the first I have seen this winter.

   When we lived in New York big ice boats were often seen on the broad Hudson River, where they could go full speed, and with room to maneuver, even tack into the wind. Ice Boats have been around on the Hudson since 1790.   In the days before railroads ice boats carried passengers and freight on the frozen river.  They can travel at breakneck speed in a good wind.

   Talk about a cool way to travel!

BAYFIELD'S GHOSTLY WIND SYMPHONY

THE GHOSTLY ORCHESTRA...BAYFIELD'S SAILING FLEET

THE INSTRUMENTS...THE MASTS AND RIGGING

 Saturday, 9:00 AM.  16 degrees F at the ferry dock, 14 up here on the bluff.  Wind variable with light gusts, sky overcast and it is snowing, the humidity 80%.  The barometer is steady, at 29.96" of mercury.  The forecast calls for temperatures in the twenties, and a wintry mix of skies and weather for the next ten days.
   Yesterday morning I was awakened while it was still dark by an ethereal, moaning, dirge-like  sound, rather like a ghostly orchestra tuning up.  I had heard that sound before, but it took a sleepy moment to remember what it was.
   Which was, of course,  Bayfield's own wind symphony, the sailboats at the marina, playing the music created by the wind rushing through their masts and rigging. 
   They were indeed tuning up for a bravuro musical performance that would last all that windy day, and perhaps today as well, as we we are the recipients of the northern edge of the massive storm now slamming most of the Plains States and the Midwest.
   Who might the composer of the symphony be?   Perhaps Njord, the old Norse wind god; and the conductor? Likely some ancient mariner, lost in a long ago Lake Superior Nor'easter.

OUR BAYFIELD HOME IS FORSALE:3

OUR BAYFIELD HOME IS FOR SALE: 2

LIBRARY AND FOYER

GREAT ROOM

LIVING AREA

MASTER BATH/JETTED TUB

BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM/SITTING ROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

2ND BATHROOM/LAUNDRY AREA

GREAT ROOM

KITCHEN AREA

APARTMENT

APARTMENT FULL BATH

APARTMENT KITCHEN

Thursday, 9:00 AM.  32 degrees F at the ferry dock, the same on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky overcast but clearing, humidity 77%.  The barometer is rising, now at 29.96".  The prediction is for much colder temperatures with highs in the twenties, and a wintry mix of skies and weather, including more snow.  It snowed and sleeted a bit last night and the roads have a lot of black ice, almost impossible to walk on.
   Joan and I retired to Bayfield in May of 2000.  It has been a fine time, that we have enjoyed immensely.  Bayfield is a very special place, that I often refer to as a "civilized wilderness," with all the amenities of a small community, but on the shores of the planet's largest freshwater lake and surrounded by streams and forests filled with wildlife.  It is an idyllic place for the sportsman, fisherman, sailor, photographer and gardener (zone 4b) .  At one point or another we have done all of that.
   Now, however, it is time for us to move closer to children and grandchildren, and our home, built in 1999, is for sale, and we are posting it on the Almanac in case any readers are interested in owning a Bayfield residence, either full time or vacation home.
   Today's post features photos of the inside, following yesterday's post of the outside, and Friday's will feature the gardens and views.  Our residence at 236 South Tenth St. is 2000+ sq.' The lot is 80'x120', large enough for gardens and outdoor activities but small enough to be easy to maintain.  It has an attached two car garage, and a large covered porch and a side deck, and a front deck off a sitting room attached to the master bedroom.  The main living area is open in concept, combining kitchen, dining and living room, with wood burning fireplace.  It has a separate library with gas fireplace, antique mantel and built-in book shelves; a foyer, three bedrooms and master bath with jetted tub, and a three-quarter bath (shower) with washer and drier and wash sink all on the main level.
   A completely separate efficiency apartment, with full bath and kitchen, electric fireplace and washer and drier area occupy  the lower level.  It has a separate entrance and patio with lake and garden views and two legal parking spaces. it is currently rented by an elderly tenant who would like to stay, but it would also make an excellent mother-in-law or guest apartment, or marvelous rec room.
   All floors, upstairs and down, are either tile or wood laminate.
  The house has city water and sewer, natural gas heat, cable TV and internet,  whole house fan, and ceiling fans in every room.
   Almanac readers who are interested may contact us for more information at aode@charter.net, and will be opted out of the realtor's contract at purchase, which renders a 6% discount.

OUR BAYFIELD HOME IS FOR SALE:1

 FRONT (west)

FRONT DECK

SOUTH

EAST (apartment lower level)

NORTH DECK

LIBRARY

COVERED PORCH (two patio doors)

Wednesday, 8:00 AM.  36 degrees F at the ferry dock, 34 on the back porch.  Wind variable, with very light gusts.  Sky mostly cloudy, humidity 93%.  The barometer is mostly steady, now at 29.93".  There is a chance of rain today, then becoming much colder for the week ahead, with a wintry mix of skies and weather.
   Joan and I retired to Bayfield in May of 2000.  It has been a fine time, that we have enjoyed immensely.  Bayfield is a very special place, that I often refer to as a "civilized wilderness," with all the amenities of a small community, but on the shores of the planet's largest freshwater lake and surrounded by streams and forests filled with wildlife.  It is an idyllic place for the sportsman, fisherman, sailor, photographer and gardener (zone 4b) .  At one point or another we have done all of that.
   Now, however, it is time for us to move closer to children and grandchildren, and our home, built in 1999, is for sale, and we are posting it on the Almanac in case any readers are interested in owning a Bayfield residence, full time or vacation.
   Today's post features photos of the outside of the house, tomorrow's the inside, and Friday's the gardens and views.  Our residence at 236 South Tenth St. is 2000+ sq.' The lot is 80'x120', large enough for gardens and outdoor activities but small enough to be easy to maintain.  It has an attached two car garage, and a large covered porch and a side deck, and a front deck off a sitting room attached to the master bedroom.  The main living area is open in concept, combining kitchen, dining and living room, with wood burning fireplace.  It has a separate library with gas fireplace, antique mantel and built-in book shelves; a foyer, three bedrooms and master bath with jetted tub, and a three-quarter bath (shower) with washer and drier and wash sink.
   A completely separate efficiency apartment, with full bath and kitchen, electric fireplace and washer and drier occupy the lower level.  It has a separate entrance and patio with lake and garden views and two parking spaces. it is currently rented by an elderly tenant who would like to stay, but it would also make an excellent mother-in-law or guest apartment, or marvelous rec room.
   All floors, upstairs and down, are either tile or wood laminate.
  The house has city water and sewer, natural gas heat, cable TV and internet,  whole house fan, and ceiling fans in every room.
   Almanac readers who are interested may contact us for more information at aode@charter.net, and will be opted out of the realtor's contract at purchase.

RED OZIER DOGWOOD

RED OZIER, OR RED TWIG, DOGWOOD...

...CORNUS  STOLONIFERA, ALONG STAR ROUTE

Tuesday, 8:30 AM.  38 degrees F at the ferry dock, 35 on the back porch.  Wind SW, mostly calm with light gusts.  The sky is mostly cloudy but clearing after .1" of rain last evening, the humidity 86%.  The barometer has begun to fall, now at 29.95".  The forecast continues to predict much colder weather, with mixed skies and 3"-5" of snow on Friday.  Yuck!
   While in Ashland yesterday we saw a pickup truck and two fishermen out on the ice several hundred feet from shore.  It was raining and the ice was covered with water and slush.  I was aghast at them being out on the ice in the rain after more than a week of warm weather. I had to drive around the block to get back to take a photo, which I thought would be valuable for their obituaries or at least a story on the disappearance of the truck, but then I discovered I had left the camera battery in its charger at home.  I would have labelled the photo "Dumb and Dumber," but ended up being the dumb one myself.
   The red twig, or red osier, dogwood shrub, Cornus stolonifera, in the Dogwood Family (Cornaceae) is particularly beautiful and useful in the native landscape.  It usually occupies wet areas but will grow in drier conditions as well.  The species name, stolonifera, refers to its growth habit of spreading by stolons, or underground stems.  This characteristic makes it very valuable for stabilizing stream banks and wet hillsides, but also renders it pretty invasive in the smaller landscape.  
Fortunately there is a horticultural selection of the plant, Cornus 'Baleyi' that does not spread and can be used to good advantage in the home landscape.  The red osier also flowers and fruits very nicely, and thus offers year-round visual interest.  There is also a yellow-twig dogwood of European origin, Cornus alba,  which is a nice contrast to the red in the winter landscape..
   The Dogwood Family has a great number of important horticultural and economic species, including the beautiful flowering dogwood of eastern and southern North America, and even another European species, Cornus mas,  that bears large,  large edible berries.  The Japanese dogwood tree, Cornus kousa, has large, attractive flowers, somewhat similar to our native flowering dogwood.
   There is even an attractive, flowering and fruiting ground cover dogwood,  the native bunchberry, Cornus canadensis.  All dogwood species produce berries that are valuable as wildlife food, but most are far too bitter for human consumption.

MAPLE SAP IS FLOWING!

SAP COLLECTION BAGS AT THE BAYFIELD OLD COURTHOUSE

TRADITIONAL SPILE AND BUCKET SAP COLLECTION

ANDY LARSEN AND HIS SUGAR SHACK, CIRCA 2009

ART AND OLD DOG LUCKY...OH, TO BE 70 YEARS OLD AGAIN!

Monday, 8:15 AM.  42 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch, a relatively rare occurrence. Wind variable and calm, skies cloudy and humidity 79%  The barometer has begun to fall, now at 29.95".  The much predicted rain has not arrived and may not, from the looks of things.  The forecast calls for warm temperatures into the low 50's through Tuesday, then dropping back into the twenties, with a wintry mix of weather.  Old man winter is stubborn, but each mild day is one day less of him.
  The sap is flowing in the sugar maples, and it is time for "maple sugarin'" once again. This is an early sap flow, but upcoming cold weather will probably shut it off again.  Flow can start and stop anytime, according to weather conditions, from mid February through mid April.  Sap flow typically stops completely when trees bud out.
   I have enjoyed helping friends Andy and Judy Larsen with sugaring for a number of years, on their property out on Hwy. K, but they no longer can do the work. My maple sugaring days are pretty much over as well, as old friends pass away or are no longer able to participate, and as I have issues of my own that preclude tromping through heavy snow or mud, and carrying buckets of sap.  As they say, "Life happens." But, to bring Almanac readers up to date:
   Sap flows upwards from the roots of maple trees (sap is collected mainly from sugar maples, Acer sacharum, but also flows similarly in red maples, Acer rubrum, and some other maple species) much earlier than other tree species, and is uncharacteristically sweet.  Sap also flows early in birch trees, Betula species, which are also sometimes tapped for their sap (Scandinavians make a beer from birch sap). For a very understandable explanation of the technicalities of sugar maple and similar sap flow, see The Botanist In The Kitchen post of March 16, 2013.  Search this blog for further information and photos as well.
   There are a number of theories concerning maple sap flow, but the process is complicated and none of the theories seem to be foolproof.  In any case, sap flows best when warm, sunny days follow cold nights.  Warm nights usually stop the flow of sap.  Some seasons are much better than others, and maple sugaring is often a hit-or-miss proposition.  Some seasons are very productive of sap, and others are hardly worth the trouble.
   The trees are tapped and a spile, a spigot that the sap flows from, and the bucket or bag is hung from, is inserted into the tree.  Nowadays the holes for the spiles are often drilled with a cordless drill, but an old fashioned, hand-turned carpenters brace and bit works about as well.  The drilled hole is shallow, just deep enough to hold the spile in place, since the sap flows in the xylem conductive tissues just under the inner bark of the tree.  The shallow wound heals easily during the growing season and does no harm to the tree, nor does the collection of sap itself.
   The sugars in maple sap are very dilute, and it takes about forty gallons of sap to make a gallon of maple syrup, or ten gallons to make a quart.  Traditionally, sap is boiled down over a wood fire, or on a wood stove, and it takes a lot of split and seasoned hardwood to make syrup.  The whole process is very labor intensive and laborious, although commercial operations have devised a lot of labor saving devices, and sap can be boiled over any heat source. Some big commercial operations collect flowing sap from trees directly to the boiling pot with tubing and suction pump, and tap hundreds of trees.
   American Indians collected sap and boiled it down to sugar long before the arrival of Europeans in North America, collecting sap by cutting a "v" in the tree bark and using birch bark buckets.  It was an important part of their lifestyle and diet and remains so in our Ojibway region, although they now use modern tools and methods.
   On balance, maple sugaring is an activity best thought of as something one does to productively pass the time from late winter until spring finally arrives.  But the product, maple syrup, is the very best and uniquely flavored condiment for pancakes, ice cream and other treats.  And the sugar shack, where the syrup is made, is traditionally a fun place to be with friends and relatives, where jokes are abundant and laughter and  good will abounds.
  The plastic sap collection bags pictured above are beginning to take the place of the metal or plastic buckets often used.  All things considered, the bags are easier to handle, do not collect insects, are not as likely to spill during the collection process, and are a lot easier to store during the off season.
   The above photo of collection bags were taken yesterday at Bayfield's Old Courthouse (now Park Service headquarters), which has a lot of good sized maple trees. The sap collection is part of a Bayfield school project.
   For some late winter fun, find a sugarbush to volunteer to work at, or tap a few sugar maple trees yourself; it's a great way to connect with people and with nature.
    It's maple sugarin' time again!
 

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

MADELINE ISLAND MID DISTANCE, MICHIGAN AND THE IRON RANGE IN THE FAR DISTANCE

CEMETERY SHADOWS

Sunday, 10:00 AM.  38 degrees at the ferry dock, 41 on the back porch. Wind calm and variable, sky partly cloudy, humidity 81%.  The barometer is steady, at 30.04".  The forecast calls for rain tomorrow and again on Wednesday, with temperatures falling back to the twenties thereafter, and with skies again a wintry mix.  it ain't over 'till its over, but if this weather keeps up the bears will be roaming through town taking bird feeders down.
   It got cold enough last night for the ferry path to freeze, and the first boat groaned through the ice, the sound reverberating up the bluff.  I saw two crows evidently in mating mode this morning, more evidence of spring

   Yesterday was clear as crystal, the less humid atmosphere offering an unimpeded view of Michigan and the iron ranges from Hwy. J.  Seldom can one see that far.

   It was also a great day for shadow and sun, offering this study at the cemetery.

   Yesterday I ran into friend Heidi, who told me that her father had passed away the day before at the age of 100.  After I expressed my condolences, she told me what he had said to her only last week: 

   "The first 99 years were great.  The last year, not so much."

   Attitude is everything.

MOUNT ASHWABAY

THE SKI LIFT IN OPERATION AT MT. ASHWABAY...

BEAUTIFUL WEATHER YESTERDAY, BUT FEW DOWNHILL SKIERS

MORNING IN THE WINTER WOODS

Saturday, 8:15 AM. Wind SW, mostly calm with light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 79%.  The barometer is rising, now at 29.62".  The forecast calls for mixed skies with temperatures in the 30's and 40's for the week ahead, then falling back into the twenties by next weekend.  Rain is still predicted for this coming Monday.

  Yesterday was Joan's birthday and we celebrated by going to dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Village Inn in Cornucopia. On the way there in the late afternoon we stopped to see what was going on at the Mount Ashwabay ski hill.

  We also saw deer in an open field just outside of Corny; a somewhat rare site these days, but the mild winter should increase the deer population this coming year. 

  There was not much downhill skiing going on, but lots of cars in the parking lot indicated that a lot of folks were out on the cross country ski trails.

   Mount Ashwabay was begun back in 1948 and has been a cornerstone of area youth winter ski recreation ever since.  It has also been the summer home of Big Top Chatauqua, a unique home grown  summer music venue featuring a mix of local and big name talent.  In 2002 it was reorganized as a non-profit community recreation organization, and expanded to over six hundred acres .  It offers summer and winter skiing opportunities, including skijoring (dogs pulling a skier), as well as snow shoeing and fat tire bike trails.  In summer it offers hiking and nature activities as well as Big Top musicals.  In early spring there is maple sugaring.  Its clubhouse is open for both seasons.  It has a web site listing activities, events and admission prices. 
  This is a fine facility, which with some tweaks and proper promotion  could be on a par with many a large state park.

MORE APPLE ORCHARD PRUNING, AND "..TRUTH TWISTED BY KNAVES"

"HOW'S THAT LOOK?"

"MUCH BETTER NOW, BRO!"

Friday, 8:45 AM.  28 degrees F at the ferry dock, 29 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, the sky clear. Humidity 81%.  The barometer is still falling, now at 29.6".  The week ahead will be in the 30's and 40's, with mixed skies and significant rain on Monday, which hopefully will clean up the muddy roads.
   Doves were calling plaintively this morning, it must be close to mating season.  I have heard nothing of maple sugaring, but if this weather keeps up the sap will begin to flow soon.

   The mild weather and disappearing snow has orchardists out in force pruning apple trees, which are beginning to look ready for spring.
  During President Trump's epic news conference yesterday I couldn't help but recall these lines from Kipling's poem "If" which we quoted in yesterday's post:
 
   If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
   Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools

Sounds like those words were written for the press (the knaves), who set their traps for fools (their unwary readers).

TOM BRADY, RUDYARD KIPLING, AND GARDENS

ODE GARDEN, MAY 2016

Thursday, 8:30 AM.  23 degrees F at the ferry dock, 21 on the back porch.  Wind calm and variable, skies overcast, humidity 76%.  The barometer is falling, currently at 29.88".  The next ten days should be warmer, with temperatures in the 30's and 40's, mixed skies, and rain on Monday.  We will still get bad winter weather, such as the mini-storm last evening, however we are through the worst of it (but watch out for March).
   Boston Patriots Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady likes to quote the British poet and author Rudyard Kipling's poem "If", that ends with "...you'll be a man, my son."  It is a favorite phrase and poem often quoted by football coaches as it regards coming of age, and being a man.
   The poet, famed as the greatest of British poets of at least the modern age, is also vilified by many Twenty First Century critics as being sexist, an apologist for colonialism and more, and perhaps he was some of those things.  But he was a great poet nonetheless, who eloquently spoke the truth about many things.  Here is the full poem:
  

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
  Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
  If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
  And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
  And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make a heap of all your winnings
  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
  And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
  To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
  Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
  If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
  And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Kipling was also a great gardener, or appreciator of gardens, and my favorite garden poem is as follows:

The Glory of the Garden

OUR England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by; But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.  For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall, You'll find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dung-pits and the tanks, The rollers, carts, and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks. And there you'll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise ; For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds, The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words. And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose, And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows ; But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam, For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come. Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made By singing:-" Oh, how beautiful," and sitting in the shade While better men than we go out and start their working lives At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives. There's not a pair of legs so thin, there's not a head so thick, There's not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done, For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one. Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders, If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders; And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden. Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray  For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away!And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away !

MEMORIES OF THE "ELEANOR"

AN "ELEANOR"  OWNED BY THE McCLENNONS, OF ATCHISON CO., KANSAS (copied from Capper's Farmer web site)

Wednesday, 8:30 AM.  15 degrees F at the ferry dock, 13 on the back porch.  Wind variable with occasional light gusts.  The sky is mostly cloudy, the humidity 77%.  The barometer is starting to fall, now at 30.06". The forecast for the next ten days calls for temperatures in the 30's, mixed skies, and rain by Monday.

   I just read in an article on public sanitation in The Wall Street Journal that hundreds of millions of people in India are without any kind of sanitation, and that the Indian Government has a program to provide them with modern toilets.   Evidently the porcelain toilets come mostly without attachment to sewer systems.  It is easy to understand the frustration and mystification of the recipients.  Sounds like a government program, alright.

   Add to them more millions of folks without basic sanitation in Africa, China, South America and elsewhere and we easily have half a billion and more humans on the planet without even an outhouse, and who just walk off to the nearest field or public space when nature calls.

  Sounds a bit humorous, until one thinks of a typhoid epidemic. Or polio.  Or dysentery.

   Anyway, it made me think back only sixty or seventy years, when outhouses were still common on farms and even in cities (look around, you'll still find some out there).  I remember them well, as country relatives still used them back then (as of course did I).  Nobody thought anything much about their presence, and some were rather imposing, or at least quit elaborate structures, what we referred to as "Two holers" with two toilet seats, or even three or four. A country schoolyard would typically have such an outhouse, one each for boys and girls.

A truly advanced model of later years might even have an electric heater.

   Properly vented,  constructed and maintained they were perfectly sanitary.  The Sears Catalog provided both reading material and toilet tissue, and a box of lime with a scoop served as the flush.  When necessary a new hole was dug, the old one filled in, the outhouse moved and the cycle started over.

   I remember well the "Eleanor" that stood on an uncle's farm, an outhouse delivered one summer day by depression era WPA workers and set up on a 4'X4' concrete slab.  8' high in front and 7' high in back with a metal roof, it had all the necessary bells and whistles for comfort, convenience and sanitation. Even a coat hook on the door.
   That Eleanor was seldom used, as the modern farm house already had indoor plumbing by 1945 or so.  The Roosevelt Administration began the outhouse campaign (the structures popularly named after the First Lady) in the mid to late 1930's in response to a devastating typhoid epidemic.

   All of this seems rather quaint today, but I sincerely believe we would be better off encouraging the governments of the world, most of which do not like us very much and with whom we don't get along,  to supply outhouses for those hundreds of millions of squatters, than continuing to blow the hell out everything we don't approve of.

WE ARE TREATED LIKE CHILDREN

CALIFORNIA'S OROVILLE DAM AT RISK

BUDDY, BACK AT THE BEACH

Tuesday, 9:45 AM: 34 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Wind WSW, mostly calm with moderate gusts.  The sky is mostly overcast but it is starting to clear, the humidity 75%.  The barometer is rising rapidly, now at 29.71".  The week ahead should be in the 20's to 40's,with the skies from overcast to partly cloudy or clear, and rain by the middle of next week.  Looks like an early spring.
   Yesterday was pretty nice, and Buddy and I went to the beach for the first time in weeks, as my shoulder is slowly getting better and I am feeling up to more activity.  He had a great time running up and down the strand, and I got some badly needed fresh air and sunshine, and even a little exercise.
   The news media is truly incompetent in so many ways, and not just about politics. We were all caught up yesterday in the drama of California's Oroville Dam, at 750' the nation's highest, as it threatened to collapse and inundate several hundred thousand people.  Today, nothing.
   As though tens of thousands of people were not evacuated.  Nothing.  I was particularly concerned about relatives in Oroville, so perhaps I was more sensitive to the situation than most. But the fact remains, the news media sensationalizes everything, wrings all the news out of it for as long as it can until something more sensational replaces it, and then it stops reporting on it entirely. Everything for sensation, little for information.
   We are treated like children with an attention deficit disability. 
 

IT'S TIME TO PRUNE APPLE TREES

APPLE ORCHARDS ARE PRUNING THEIR TREES

AN ORCHADIST PRUNING APPLE TREES

ESPALIERED APPLE TREES

Monday, 9:00 AM.  25 degrees F at the ferry dock and on the back porch.  Wind WSW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 85%.  The barometer is falling, now at 30.07".  It is a gorgeous morning, the week ahead predicted to be mostly in the 30's to low 40's  (except for a cold snap midweek) with a mix of partly cloudy and clear skies.  Sounds great, but March looms ahead!

  Bayfield orchardists are pruning their apple trees.  Bayfield has been growing apples since its inception, so many of the apple trees are very old.  Well cared for and properly pruned apple trees can produce almost indefinitely.  I have read that the apple tree that inspired Newton to write the theory of gravity over three hundred years ago is still producing apples.
   Most apple varieties will grow naturally to be quite large.  A standard apple tree will make a good shade or screen tree. But most apple trees one sees are not very large.  This is because of two factors: the trees are pruned regularly to keep them short; and, more modern trees are grown grafted on dwarfing rootstocks, such as those of crabapples,  that limit the size of the tree.
   Apple trees are also pruned not only to limit the size of the tree, but to improve the apple crop and make the apples easier to pick.  Pruning apple and other fruit trees severely will grow fewer but larger apples, which are easier to pick and ship than a lot of small apples.  Trees are also pruned to allow more light to reach the ripening fruit.
   Every orchardist has their own pruning style, but in general apple trees have a low, spreading profile, no main leader and several strong branches reaching out from the main trunk several feet up from ground level.  It should be noted that there are other, more complicated and labor intensive methods of pruning apple and other fruit trees employed to good effect in European and other countries.
   The basic factors in pruning apple trees are simple, and somewhat similar to any tree pruning.  

   Step one: remove sucker branches that grow from the roots and from the base of the trunk and from large branches. 

   Step two: remove any branches that cross each other and rub together.  

   Step three: remove any dead wood.  

   Step four: prune to let light into the tree to ripen the fruit, and prune to keep the apples easy to pick.  

   Personally, and for aesthetics as well as ease of picking, I like apple trees pruned to have over-arching branches that nearly reach the ground, in a rather weeping shape.  There are other considerations, such as encouraging the growth of fruiting spurs, short branches on second year and older growth that bear numerous fruit buds, but that is too difficult to deal with here, except to say that in general  apple flower buds grow on second year and older growth, and pruning back sucker wood and tip growth will encourage flower and fruit production.
   Growing fruit trees as espaliers, i.e., trained to grow flat against a wall or on a wire fence is an old method that has come back into practice as a modern means of heavy production of fruit in a confined space.  Properly done, the fruit is easier to pick from espaliered trees and the fruit ripens better.  It is a very nice way to have a few fruit trees on a small property as well, and is very decorative.  The trees are grown rather like grape vines.
   Pruning tools should fit the task, and a good quality bypass hand shears should be used on small diameter branches, a lopping shears may be used on those over 1" in diameter and a pruning saw (not a chain saw) can be used on larger branches.  For the best results, trees should be pruned every year in late winter or early spring.  Touch-up pruning can be done during the growing season.  Fall pruning should be avoided as in can stimulate unhardy growth, and wounds that don't heal over for a whole winter can cause problems.
   Pruning apples in Bayfield can be a real chore if the snow is deep, as it usually is in late winter, and orchardists regularly plow lanes between rows of trees, and sometimes must don snow shoes to do their work.
   Apple varieties come and go in popularity and it is a real challenge for apple growers to try to stay ahead of the popularity contests, but many of the old fashioned varieties are as good or better than the new ones as far as taste and appearance are concerned.  Where new varieties are most important, in my estimation, is in selecting for disease and insect resistance, as that will eventually lead to growing apples organically, which is a very important concept, as apples must be sprayed many times during the growing season to render them marketable.
   A return to the growing of apples for apple cider, apple wine and hard cider is an encouraging trend, as those were the primary reasons for growing apples in years gone by, and a good hard cider is as good a libation as beer, and a good way to utilize and store the nutritional value of apples.
   The apple genus, Malus, has as its epicenter Kazakstan in central Asia, where the original wild species still grow. Earlier in my career I met and worked with a Kazakhstan horticulturist who was from the city of Alma atta, which means "Mother of apples." 

    Apples are genetically a very malleable genus, and new varieties are constantly being produced, both in nature and in horticulture, and the prospects for further development of the apple fruit for flavor, keeping quality and for juice are very bright.