Clearing Some More Branches

This post is long overdue.  A couple of weeks ago, I continued to clear out fallen branches from the backyard.  It appears to have been several years since the yard has been thoroughly cleaned up, and even then, there are piles of branches in a few places around the yard.  In the photo above and the following three photos, you can see a downed tree that I worked to clean up, removing many of the branches.  (These are "before" photos).

I'm working on framing the walkway by the creek with downed branches:

Here's a pile of branches after I roughly doubled its size:

And here are some "after" photos of the downed tree after I'd stripped the smaller branches off:

The larger branches will require a saw, and I'm saving that job for another time.

Of course, there's still a lot more to clean up: more downed branches and trees, thorny plants, brush.  Here are a few photos of some of the areas that still need some work, sooner or later.

More Work on the Flowerbeds

I spent a little time today weeding and cleaning up the flowerbed on the other side of the house.  I removed the ratty looking flowerless rose plant in the photo below. 

Here are a couple of "after" pictures.

Now there's lots of room for more flowers...but I have to wait about a month, until after the last frost, to plant them.

More Flowers in the Yard!

 I noticed some more flowers in the yard today.  Anyone know what these are?  Please leave a comment!

Weeding the Flowerbed

I had a busy Saturday. but I got home with enough sunlight left to get outside and clear out the one of the flowerbeds in front of the house.  I've found that some flowers were already planted.  The crocuses have already bloomed. but now they're bent over:
  

I simply mixed up the soil and removed the weeds, as in this patch:

Here are a few "before" pictures:

And here are a few "after" pictures:

And finally, here's all of the trash and weeds that I managed to remove:

Turkeys in the Yard

Sunset in Freeville

Tonight's sunset in Freeville, shortly after 7:00, was incredibly striking, with hues of orange, yellow, and purple.  Here are a couple of snapshots.

Spring (Yard) Cleaning

Thursday was a gorgeous day in Ithaca, sunny and warming up into the lower to mid-50s.  I had a little time to get outside and continue my spring clean-up of the yard.

There is junk scattered all around the yard, and now, before the vegetation fills in with the spring, is the time to get it cleared out.  

Embedded within the thorny plants on the one side of the yard were several pieces of wood.  To haul them out, I had to push the thorn-covered shoots out of the way.  In all, I retrieved about a half dozen objects that might eventually be of some use around the yard or the house.

There was smaller, less useful pieces of junk, like pieces of cinder blocks and bricks.

For now, I'm keeping the stuff piled in out-of-the-way parts of the yard, adding the smaller pieces of junk to my pile of eyesore.

And to close the post, here's a look at the expanded pile of eyesore:

Freeville Tour: Genung Nature Preserve (Part 3)

This is the last post from my rainy visit to Freeville's Genung Nature Preserve.   The photo above and the photo below are from the patch of land across the creek from my house.  Maybe on a future trip I'll venture off trail and see if I can find my dock on the other side of the creek.