{"id":1347,"date":"2017-05-07T11:08:27","date_gmt":"2017-05-07T11:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sixthelement.org\/wordpress1\/?p=1347"},"modified":"2017-05-07T11:23:42","modified_gmt":"2017-05-07T11:23:42","slug":"2017-a-cold-and-wet-spring-in-carlisle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sixthelement.org\/wordpress1\/2017\/05\/07\/2017-a-cold-and-wet-spring-in-carlisle\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 – A cold and wet spring in Carlisle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring so far has been a bit disorganized for me – which has been mirrored on the weather front as well. \u00a0Since my last post, we had a least one late snow & ice storm and several cold fronts of rain blowing in. \u00a0But grass is growing, trees are budding and planting is going on.<\/p>\n

In terms of planting, I have been working with John Bakewell of Carlislearboriculture to put in a traditional English hedge along my property line with the Kimball’s property. \u00a0See my prior post here<\/a><\/p>\n

John arranged for Rototilling and in April I helped him plant the Hornbeam, Hawthorn and Arrowwood. \u00a0Yesterday I planted the Blueberries, Grapes and I also planted my four American Chestnut seeds.<\/p>\n

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  1. Twenty Five seedlings of Hornbeam<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Twenty Five seedlings of Hawthorn<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Twenty Five seedlings of Arrowwood<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Six seedlings of Concord Grape<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Six seedlings of Frontenac Grape<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Six potted Blue Berrys<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I stumbled across the American Chestnut Foundation<\/a>\u00a0a few years ago somehow and I joined last year as a Chestnut Leaf Sponser, which as a benefit, allowed me to get 4 chestnuts for planting. \u00a0The ACF is attempting to get around Chestnut blight and re-establish the American Chestnut tree into the North American forest. \u00a0Before joining, I had never realized that Chestnuts made up 25% of all trees in the US forests and in some places, fallen chestnuts could be a foot deep or more. \u00a0When you think of today’s forests, they are out of balance from what they used to be – the calories inherent in the chestnuts are missing.<\/p>\n

    The four chestnuts that I have planted are the property of the ACF and I have to report back regularly on their progress – a neat way to participate in something that could be very transformative of the countryside in the coming decades!<\/p>\n

    Speaking of transforming, my Dad and I are working on reconstructing his workshop and decluttering it of equipment and stuff that he is not regularly using. \u00a0For his birthday, he received a new sander. \u00a0I am taking his old sander out of the shop. \u00a0We are also looking at getting the wiring re-done and a lot more lighting that is also task focused. \u00a0My birthday gift to him is building a customized workbench for the new sander. \u00a0In the picture below, you can see the shop at maximum clutter – now thankfully already being reduced<\/p>\n

    Plenty of projects still to go!<\/p>\n\n\t\t