Back on the Road Gang

Does everybody know what time it is? Tool Time! That's right its time to pick up those tools and rake, shovel, dig, and pry. And what would you need to perform these various tasks on? Why the yard of course! One of the things that we discovered in the whole process of building, is to make sure you are clear on what work is going to be done. Since this was our first time buying raw, undeveloped land, there were a few things we missed when having the land cleared. Clear expectation would be the most prominent.

We had originally contracted to have ~ 1 acre of land cleared, including tress, brush, etc., and seeded. Initially we had hope to clear the land in 2008 and then build something in 2009, but we opted to build early. We did not express our desire for our new "yard" to be of golf course quality. Instead we trusted it would be just that. So in comes the logger, chopping trees down, removing limbs, and taking out the good wood, then next was stump removal. As part of the stump removal process, the topsoil is stripped off, piled to one side, the stumping and grading is performed, and finally the topsoil is put back on. Then seed and hay is applied to begin the new yard.

Well, as luck would have it, we did not get a clear definition of this process, and so we ended up with a lot of "extra" in the yard, mostly in the form of roots, limbs, and rocks. It was expected rocks would be there so I can't say I am too surprised about their presence, but the limbs were kind of a shock, and roots are, well, a pain to put it simply. You kind of expect some roots too, but the amount of them are turning out to be overwhelming.

We started working on the yard this week, now that just about all the snow is gone, and is there a lot of work to do. In the fall, they seeded the yard, and spread hay, but shortly after it got cold and quickly snowed, so the yard still has a bunch of hay as well as the the previously mentioned roots, rocks, and and limbs.

As you can see, there is an assortment of debris in the yard. So raking, digging, shoveling, and prying were in order. We took a couple of days to go up and work on the yard a bit. The first day was very cool, so we opted to work a little on the outside, but tended to more chores inside. Since the garage door opener was finally installed, it only made sense to replace the extension cord tacked up as a temporary power source with a dedicated circuit.
And needless to say I had the perfect person for that job. I also decided to run some network jacks, as you never know what may happen down the road. (we are hoping to maybe set up a web camera someday) And of course I had another volunteer for that as well.
What a wonderful volunteer he was too. The next day was warm, but breezy, and we worked mostly in the yard with the above mentioned implements of choice. We work for several hours at a slow pace, since every time you hit a rock or root, you would stop and dig it up. Initially we were dumping roots and straw out back, and the rocks were tossed into the moat. The we decided to just dump the straw and pile roots to cut down on the trips. This is but a small sample of the things we were pulling out of the yard. Upon closer examination, you will see that some of the "roots" were a little bigger than others.
We plodded on until early afternoon, and after our backs signaled it might be time to stop, we headed off to a late lunch and Daddies Toy Store (Home Depot) in Littleton NH. This is the closest (~20-25 miles) and less expensive than the local hardware stores. We picked up a few things and ate, and we had the opportunity to catch a spectacular view of Mount Washington from town.We returned with our purchases, and cleaned up a little, and called it a day. The next day was a little sketchy and raw so we didn't get too much done. We shopped a little and did some exploring, finding places we had only reached by snowmobile in the past, and being amazed how close they were by car versus by trail. And as always when an opportunity pops up, a little photographic wonder causes a pit stop. Although the snow it mostly gone, there still remains some residual ice on the highway rock walls. Well one tumbled off and broke into pieces so close to the edge of the road, it was too inviting not to stop. Those who know me know I am not the smallest person, so using me as a measuring device will give you an idea how big the chunks of ice really were. And yes I am standing up. Finally we headed back home with a side trip to my sisters. Ryan stayed over for a few nights to hang with his cousin, and do whatever kids do these days. We stopped in Otis at the Poultry farm and picked up some goodies, and passed by a nice covered bridge down the road that spanned the Farmington River.



Spring is coming rapidly, and the closer we get to our house the greener things are becoming. UP in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, things are still that dusky color, but signs of spring are there- and occasional flower popping up, green patches of grass scattered about the lawns. We still have a month of Sundays left to clear the yard up. Hmm..... Maybe we should have a yard party???