My Hemlock Tree Nightmare, removed/solved/ended...

The hemlock pine trees in most the USA are dieing, or already are dead from some accidentally imported disease. Hundreds of their corpses loom, and fall to the ground all around the Luck Cabin... but one huge hemlock in particular has been leaning towards the cabin, with a straight shot to smashing it in. HUGE. And so even though i planned to have the big dead thing cut down before the snows came, i ran out of time.
Then it came. The nightmare that the tree came down on the cabin... it was less a dream and more a partially wake vision as I rose out of sleep to sit up out of breath, heart beating fast, choked... i saw & heard clearly the thing come down through the roof in my minds eye and knew it had to be cut ASAP when someone could get up this frozen mountain.
It's no easy task to take down a tree like this with snow and ice still on the ground.......
me and the animals made a good audience ( ft. Lady Grey the chicken, the neighbors dog, JuJu the donkey!).
(watch the video for the slow drama of felling a giant hemlock. It's kinda cool and scary.)



I counted the rings to see the age... i counted the lines (not the space in between) and there was 87 rings on this big guy! almost 100 years old.

Xoxoxoxo

Trees VS Solar

I have an sustainable issue that maybe ya'll can help me with...
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I moved into the forest, and there is only scarce amounts of sunlight coming to the Luck Cabin. While I would love to get off the grid entirely, when it comes to doing anything solar related... well the trees are blocking out the light. It seems crazy to me to cut down trees to have solar energy, but which option really is the most environmentally sound? I mean, how much is destroyed when I use up all the electricity... more then 10-20 trees?
I have a small hot water heater, run by electricity - it's small enough to fit under the kitchen counter. But I long to have a solar tank, that uses the sun to heat up the water. I have a stove and fridge run by electricity too... but I use maybe 30-40$ a month total, so switching to solar should be somewhat easy.
That is, if i had sunlight (and $).

I would love to open a discussion here where people can share their ideas of better ways to live Off Grid without using electricity generated by the electric company. Do I even need solar panels (sunlight heat), or is there a truly efficient and realistic way to live with no electricity year round without solar energy?
My suggestion box is open!
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Here are steps I have already taken to be sustainable::::

• Gravity fed spring water
• Organic gardening (planting fruit trees, herbs, veggies etc to feed myself)
• Using wood to warm the cabin (also can cook on the wood stove too)
• Building my gray water system, instead of a septic tank
• Composting toilet
• My donkey! (using her poop as garden fertilizer and I plan to train her to take long rides, carry pack saddles, hike etc...)
• Rarely drive a car (i have a bike too, but don't have the strength to ride it in my area)
• Wear only organic, vintage, fair trade, used, thrifted clothing and shoes

Xoxoxox

Debris Hut (part 2)

Yep... I am STILL working on my debris shelter. But I have a reason why this quick easy type of emergancy/survival shelter is taking me months - I was waiting for the leaves to fall off the trees this fall season and use them, cause I am not really in any hurry. :)
JuJu my donkey watched me gather wet leaves in a bag with great curiosity, and wondered why I was tossing them on top all these sticks.

She really started to think it was a cool project (and not just a big stupid scary bag of leaves) when i decided to see how hay would work, and used part of a moldy bale of hay in combo with the leaves. The hay was thicker, and more sturdy, it also held to the sticks better.

But JuJu kept trying to steal the parts of the hay that weren't moldy.... ;)

And I am still not finished this project.... (i know, it's taking way too long!)

I am thinking of covering it in one layer of hay, then one layer of leaves.

But what should be on top of that to hold the leaves down properly? Suggestions appreciated!!!

Xoxoxox

From Green To Yellow

It happened suddenly... but secretly and slowly. The trees gave hints here and there that they were going to change colors, that the hope of summer was long gone and the preperations for winter was all we should be doing. Then last evening I looked up into the trees as I tucked my animals in for the night... and everything had turned yellow.

Xoxoxooo

Animal Tracking: Black Bear Scat

One scoop of peach bear poop please! In a cup not a cone. ;)

Here is a blop of scat nobody coulda' missed while walking down the remote gravel road... it almost looked like one of those rubber joke poops, but upon a closer look I could see it had fruit skins in it (and not the usual joke corn).

Also it was very, very fresh and only the baking sun had darkened the very thin exterior.

The longer I sat there examining it, the more evidence that appeared - not just in the poop but on the wind. I smelled something strong and skunky... I tended to think it was a skunk, until my donkey's behavior began to change to something nervous and agressive, something frightened.

I broke the scat open to see it just fell apart, fresh, warm, and strong smelling. FULL of fruit...

10 feet away from the scat was a tall peach tree with tons of little half rotted peaches on the ground.

If I was a bear in the Fall season, I would stand guard near the last peaches of the year too. JuJu the donkey let me know under no uncertain terms that there was a bear in the area by looking up into the forested area over and over, alert, freaked out, and tried forcing me to run away with her by jumping, running back and forth, making huge eyes. When she realized i was not going to run she gave up on my stupid human self and she took off running alone! I found out where she was when i got a call from a neighbor that she was grazing their lawn.

Are humans less aware then they used to be... or are we that arrogent that we don't fear wild animals anymore, even unarmed? Why don't our instincts force us running, but instead thinking?

Xoxoxox

Lessons of the Twisted Twizzler Tree

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound? I think so, but who really cares if it makes a sound... the real question is if a tree falls in the forest, exposing all it's roots as it rips from the soil, can it not only keep on living but begin to grow many more trees on top, turn it's roots into twisted tree trunks and lift rocks? Yes, for realz. (I bet it made alot of noise when it happened!)

This twisted, braided, beaded (with rocks and knots) tree is close to the Luck Cabin, sitting in a wet bog like area where a few small creek & springs converge - creating an area of strange trees, trees that either fell and re-grew, or that look like 4 feet of ground dropped out from underneath.

Look below and you can see the original main tree truck that fell - it has even decayed at the top, covered in moss and turning into soil, but more trees grow straight up into the air from it.

Smaller trees...some dead, some alive wrap their roots in a hug on old roots and other new trees growing...

Rocks that had been in the ground, rocks that had intertwined with the roots were lifted and then the growth became tighter around them, till they were part of the twisted beauty, almost camouflaged into bark covered roots...

Some rocks sit loosely but never fall, they rest cradled up in the air.

These parts of nature inspire me... even if it's somewhat cliche' in my mind, the twisted tree shows the type of perseverance humans can take guidence from, it shows strength and adaptability--- and the sheer delight and beauty in the unusual, the strange, the handicap, the freaky. It's why I never turn my back on the rejected, the creepy, the lonely, the different things- they are life too, all exsistence is part of this mysterious cycle, all possessing lessons to teach. Lessons that make our lives easier.

AKA -

You hate homeless people, well Get Over IT!

You think that poor person should get a job or not be able to have babies of their own,well Get OVer It!

People in a wheelchair freak you out, well GET OVer IT!

Developmentally Disabled people scare you, GET OVEr IT!
That weird drunk guy who wont stop talking to you, He's got something to teach!

(I need not go on....the twisted tree has spoken ;) ....)

Xoxoxox

Planting My Dwarf Fruit Trees

I recently had to cut down some trees at the Luck Cabin in order to have a little sunshine, internet service and a spot to build my mini barn for the donkey and chickens. Can I just say no matter how hard I fought it, I felt terrible with every moment of every cut when the wintergreen smell of the birch tree's bark hit the breeze as it was chainsaw'ed into.... don't really care if they are renewable resources (and all other justifiable arguements like my big stacks of firewood) it still hurt my heart to cut them down.

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SO now I am planting some new trees to replace the ones I cut! I had already put in a white peach, regular peach and mulberry tree I brought with me here --- but then I read a Homesteading Book I got as a gift, a book that shows you how to make elaborate food gardens in a very small space...this book had me hooked when they mentioned Dwarf Fruit Trees! Yay! The perfect solution to my small spot of sun, so that they won't shade my veggie garden...

Introducing::::::

(above) My Tart Cherry Tree! This one is my very favorite, not cause of the fruity yummy cherries I will get next year but because when I was carrying her to the garden I had to lean my face against her trunk and all i felt was love.

The Pear Tree (below) was not happy about being put in a box and brought VIA Fed Ex.... but whatevs, he'll get over it. :)

Annnndd here is the lovely PEACH tree! mmmmm.

The rad thing about planting these dwarf fruit trees are they will be making fruit by next year! I don't have to wait 10, 15, 30 years before seeing some fruits - next season I will happily have just what I need (and ya'll know i love feeling like I don't have to depend on the stores to give me food!)

Xoxoxo

Whoa WTF Tree!

Yeah, it looks like a rock in front that large tree trunk right? From far away I knew it was part of the tree, but as I approached it I thought that HAS to be a big boulder....

WHat it is IS A TREE (not a rock), folded ova' like a piece of freakin' bread dough! Wowsers! I don't even begin to understand this one.

But I love it. I mean I love it so much that if it asked me to marry it, I would totally say yes and take care of this old man (knowing he will outlive me!) This is not only an awesome tree because of this weirdo circular appendage, but also it is one of the largest birch trees I have ever seen! The type of birch which smells like wintergreen & rootbeer in it's bark and branches.....mmmmm

You can see here the top of the folded bark 'boulder', and it's strange connection to the main trunk... what do you think? One time a root? One time a trunk? Wtf is it?

AnD here's Me ! On top the funny rounded stumpy! WiLd !

xoxoxxoo

The Dying Hemlock Tree(s)

I had heard about the Hemlock Pine trees in the mountains here dying out a few years ago, but had never really seen the damage, the reality of what was happening till moving here to Hot Springs, NC. Here at the Luck Cabin (and throughout the adjacent forest) there are scores of big HUGE old growth Hemlocks, and many smaller ones too - all dead or near death, falling down to the ground in piles, families of barren trunks, groves of up-turned roots.

I was told by an Old Timer neighbor that when the bark starts pealing off and shows this red color pictured here, it means it will soon fall to the ground. Another neighbor said after it's death, due to shallow roots, they will fall over within one year of dying.

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The impact is much more apparent when you are standing in the forest surrounded by dead trees - from the spot I took these pictures, in a heavily, dense wooded area I counted approximately 20 dead Hemlocks from where I stood.

""The future of the species is currently under threat due to the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), a sap-sucking bug accidentally introduced from East Asia to the United States in 1924. The Adelgid has spread very rapidly in southern parts of the range once becoming established, while its expansion northward is much slower. Virtually all the hemlocks in the southern Appalachian Mountains have seen infestations of the insect within the last five to seven years, with thousands of hectares of stands dying within the last two to three years. Attempts to save representative examples on both public and private lands are on-going. A project named "Tsuga Search", funded by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is being conducted to save the largest and tallest remaining Eastern Hemlocks in the Park. It is through Tsuga Search that Hemlocks have been found with trunk volumes of up to 44.8 m³ within the Park, making it the largest eastern evergreen conifer, eclipsing in volume both Pinus strobus (Eastern White Pine) and Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine).""

Under these giant dead trees are the young new sprouts, of tiny hemlocks - ones that looks free of the disease. One thing about the forest is it knows how to renew itself... the sucky thing is, we have yet to begin to understand what the impact of losing old growth trees has on the eco system. There may be some lag time between now and like, say 200 years from now when these can right themselves again. Then again, before recorded history I have to wonder how many times species were wiped out and no one would ever know about it now... if these things are part of natural life cycles, we call disasters?

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""A 2009 study conducted by scientists with the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station suggests the hemlock woolly adelgid is killing hemlock trees faster than expected in the southern Appalachians and rapidly altering the carbon cycle of these forests. According to Science Daily, the pest could kill most of the region's hemlock trees within the next decade. According to the study, researchers found that "hemlock woolly adelgid infestation is rapidly impacting the carbon cycle in [hemlock] tree stands," and that "adelgid-infested hemlock trees in the South are declining much faster than the reported 9-year decline of some infested hemlock trees in the Northeast.""
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What do I plan on doing with all my dead Hemlocks? One thing I can not do is burn them, because the pine would clog up my wood stove pipe and catch it on fire ... I can use the smaller branches for good kindling though. I am hoping to get a portable wood mill out here and turn them into lumber for building. Other then that I am not sure what to do except watch the Hemlock graveyards house the bugs and birds and slowly decay, while the tiny new trees reach for the light.

XOxoxo

Trees In The Woods

I went for a walk in the woods next to the Luck Cabin, here are the trees I saw that made me say WOW, neato, and DAng!

Xoxox

When I look Into The Sky...

...from the fallen tree I lay on, I don't see much sky. Mostly trees reaching their leaves towards a sun that only comes down into small blotches of light. The plants and animals don't seem to mind.

Things I thought of while laying on the tree trunk:

1. Taking a nap
2. All the creatures that have walked through that very spot
3. If I will fall off
4. What it's like to never have 'human' needs (like groceries or toaster ovens)
5. If what all the old people in the FOXFIRE book say about how people were happier back when they took care of themselves without using any money is true?

Xoxo

Spooky Tree: Portal To Another World?

The thing about nature is even the worst disease, the most scarred, damaged and dead thing in the woods is sometimes the most powerful, fascinating and attractive bit of beauty amongst the mundane. (Mundane, as anything we become accustomed to seeing.) Me and Bort found this giant melted, twisted, knotted, hollowed, mangled tree in the forest behind my cabin...
Seeing things like this always bring out the best of my imagination - if there is ever any glimmer of hope that things will turn out to be all multi dimensional (like it was in the Golden Compass book series) ... and just like in the movies you can just accidentally lean against a bump in an old tree to get to the other side(s) ---> finding things like this puts the spark of opportunity and mystery in my eye.
Bort began moving towards the other side of the tree first...
And then I followed to find a whole other realm of interest --- a blackened bark with knots following upward like a ladder made for critters and gnomes. ;)
With a big hole in the ground, which I stood in and tried casting a spell with a stick. Maybe it worked?!? But I lost my concentration when I realized I was standing in a wet hole, soaking into my boots. bye bye big spooky fantabulous tree.
xoxoxXooox