Wednesday, July 23, 2014

This past week has been hot and mostly dry, so Stephen has been moving sprinklers around on the lawns trying to keep the grass alive, and Kyle has been continuing the daily watering of the driveway trees.  Connie has put in several days maintaining and augmenting garden plantings.  There have been several weather alerts for thunderstorms in our area, but we have seen and heard several storms move around our particular niche of the geography, either just on the other side of the ridge to the north or to the south of the property.  Stockton Creek is as low as I have seen it--all it takes to cross it at the moment is one step on a stone in the middle, or perhaps a little hop across; a sure sign that it's been a while since we had any substantial rain.

The stonemasons have completed re-grading and replacing the cobblestones around the fish pond, and this week have also worked on the brick sidewalk that leads away from the fish pond and into the south lawn.

Bobby and his crew continue their excellent restoration work on the siding and trim work of the Estate House.  Stephen has coordinated with several area wood workers to have special trim milled or pieces made in order to replace pieces that cannot be repaired.

North portico

Kevin is making progress on refinishing the shutters.  Because the old paint is lead-based and needs to be stripped before the shutters can be repaired and re-painted, he needs to wear hazmat equipment to protect himself from inhaling or absorbing any of the debris while removing the old paint.  The extra equipment has made for some really hot days for Kevin over the past two weeks.

Geo has been on site several days since last week, and he and Kyle perform a number of routine maintenance tasks each day.  Their work keeps the lawns clear, the edges neat, and gradually, is creating more cleared space where the woods have encroached over past years.  They have also helped split and stack firewood in preparation for cooler weather and cozy evenings at the hearth of the outdoor fireplace on the north lawn.

Ned and Abby, the couple who were staying in the Carriage House all this week, have been travelling to see local sights from Monticello and downtown Charlottesville to Waynesboro and Staunton, and yesterday, they asked if there was any work they could be doing to help out on the farm!  As there is always a little more to do than there are hands to do it, Stephen quickly accepted their kind offer.  Abby weeded and cleaned up the herb garden in the greenhouse area, while Ted stacked firewood in the wood shed.

Geo had begun stacking, completing the left and back portions,
 then Ned finished by filling the right side.

Stephen mows almost every day with the big tractor and its super-sized mowing deck.  This has kept the front pastures looking lawn-like, as well as providing access to all the fields by creating pathways around all the perimeters.  I noticed these grasses (below) growing along the west edge of the north field last week, and it struck me that all the grass in the fields would probably be this tall if it weren't for Donnie making hay and Stephen mowing around the edges.  It's hard to get a sense of scale in this picture, but I'm guessing, based on my own height, this grass is about 9 feet tall.

The multitude of wild blackberries in the hedges and fence lines on the farm began to be ripe last week, and there are still a number of them "in progress."  They ripened a little later this year than we have seen them ripen in the past, so we are guessing it must be due to some variation in the weather since they last bore fruit.

Some of the trees are producing nuts, preparing for fall.  The walnut tree behind the Farmhouse has clumps of walnuts, some of which are already falling, and in the woods, hickory trees are revealing a healthy crop of nuts.  The Ramsay squirrels will be happy!

A recent morning walk across the creek and around the north field resulted in a few pictures taken from vantage points I hadn't seen before.  No matter which way you look, it's beautiful!

Looking north-northwest

Looking west

Venerable poplar tree, a sentry for the Stockton Creek crossing