Holly Trees

Holly trees seem common around my area.  Most are sharp-leaved.   A neighbor has a very old male one in the back yard.  I had a natural young female 3' one growing in the middle of my backyard (male, no berries; female, berries) when I first moved here 33 years ago.

The backyard was a wilderness of junk trees and vines and after a year, I set about clearing it.  I learned a few interesting things about my yard.  New places are SO fascinating.

First, there was a 10' wide clear path through the overgrowth and several of the junk trees on both sides had bits of barbed wire embedded in the bark.   The direction of the path was from a former farm above and seemed to lead to the swamp across the street.  I say "swamp" because it is mostly one, but there are pools of running water at the edges.  I think that was where a farmer led his cows to drink and graze decades ago.  And had strung barbed wire to keep them on the path to the water.

Second, when I started to dig in the backyard to plant crops, I discovered half was nearly pure sand and half was gravelly clay on one side, and loam on the other (where the trees and vines grew).  I concluded that my lot was once a stream overflow area.

Third, there was a gully (part of the old stream?) on one side of the yard, but it had been cut off when the county constructed a drainage easement along the new sub-divided lots on the new street I had the house built on.  I had the gully filled in with a truckload of "fill" soil (ironically from the former farm above, so the "fill" wasn't bad soil).

So back to the hollies.  It was such hard work cutting out the vines and junk saplings.  I used a chainsaw to cut into the roots in the soil.  Ruined a few blades, but it was worth it.  However, when what you are using is  chainsaw, everything looks like it needs to be cut down.  I managed to cut down my little female 3' holly tree!  All tree trunks look the same at ground level...

Amazingly, it survived.  There is a perverse law of trees that, if you want to kill them by cutting them to the ground, they regrow; and if you so much as "nick" a desired tree, it dies.  Well, this little holly chose a 3rd path.  It regrew with 4 trunks, giving it an odd look.  It is about 20' high today and I love it.

I have another holly in the front yard.  It was adopted rather like a cat coming to its Forever Home.  I had a friend who had an elderly neighbor (Helen) who wanted to renovate an area (she was elderly, but still active).  But she couldn't remove a fence partition panel that shaded the space.  My friend couldn't remove it either.

So he called me.  Ah the joy of "knowing how to do stuff"...

I found a large board in his basement and Helen had a piece of 4x4 sitting around, so I made a lever.  Soaked the area around the post holes.  We levered both posts up!  It wasn't like they just "came out"; we had to push hard.  But they did come up.

So one thing she didn't want was a small holly struggling to survive in the shade of the fence panel.  She wanted us to get rid of it.  Well, I'm a sucker for a struggler, so we dug it out with roots and soil to fit in a bucket my friend had and I planted it in the front yard.

It not only survived, it thrived.  And it has rewarded me with more red berries than any other holly tree I've ever seen.  But, like the Saucer Magnolia, it eventually had those drooping branches.  So I de-limbed it to 8' high.  And still there were drooping branches.  So I took my hedge trimmer, held it over my head and walked round under the tree until everything was 6' high.

It won't harm the tree.  Where I used to work, there was a row of holly trees on the south side.  The Building Manager had them all trimmed into positively unnatural perfect spheres each Spring and they never seemed to be bothered.

I have to mention something.  My friend tried some gardening when he moved in.  But let's just say his design tastes run to "simplicity".  After a few years, his yard looked like a doll house on a pool table.  I would say "sterile", he would say "clean".  But, in any case the friend's neighbor died 10 years ago.  The new residents agreed with my friend (former, BTW), and stripped out every living thing but lawn.

Helen's little 3' holly tree (now 15' high) is about all that is left of her long-time residence there.  I liked her.  She had the best clematis vine flowers I ever saw ("Bea's Knees" or something like that).  She (unlike my friend) liked to grow things.  So when I look at the front yard holly, I remember her by that.

I like remembrances...

Pruning Trees

After I finished the backyard Saucer Magnolia last week as high as I could reach with a stepladder, I decided to tackle the front yard Saucer Magnolia.  It needed it as it was more internally clutterred.  Well, I spend more time in the back and I don't landscape to impress the neighbors, so the front yard always comes last.

There were downward branches, crossing branches, and upright watershoots (sideshoots that grow straight up and produce few leaves - basically parasitic growth).  Took 3 hours of pruning.  First, I took out all the watershoots (I have NO idea why they are called that).  That part was easy because I knew I didn't want ANY of them.

Second were down-branches.  They had gotten so bad, I was brushing them aside just mowing the lawn.  No need for them either. 

The third group (cross-branches) was trickier and I had to choose among the competing branches.  I should mention that I planted the 2 Saucer Magnolias because I saw them in a small park next to where I worked once.  They had awesome Spring flowers.  But even more impressive was the way the City Arborists had pruned and shaped the trees into very open shapes with very twisty branches.  I've been trying to replicate that for years.

To try for that look, I clear out most of the internal growth, and prune the branches to take advantage of changes in direction.  The trees don't do that naturally.  Rather, Saucer Mangolias seem accepting of cutting off a growing tip of a branch and encouraging a side shoot to grow at a 90 degree angle for a few feet and then doing that again after a few years of growth. 

The trees I admired in the park are about a century old.  Obviously, I won't live long enough to manage that look.  But it is interesting to do what I can and I can hope that the person/people who move in when I am gone will have some idea about continuing that .  I plan on leaving a history of the house and landscaping, updated until I am too demented to continue.

Some thoughts about trees:

1.  An optimist is an elderly person who plants a sapling.
2.  The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second-best time is today.
3.  If I had had the money when I bought this house, I would have had the lot cleared of all trees and scraped clean.  I would have magnificent specimen trees today (sourwoods, dogwoods, and golden rain trees), shading out all the invasive vines (english ivy, wild grape, poison ivy, wild blackberry, etc that I struggle with today.
4.  Planting trees is the batchelor's version of fathering children.

Pictures of twisty Saucer Magnolias are hard to find.  This is the best of what SEEMS to be some.  The one on the front left hints at the branch angles.


And this is not a Saucer Magnolia, but shows what the idea of deliberately angled branches looks like.


And that wasn't the end of the pruning.  I have 2 holly trees (they seem to grow wild in my neighborhood).  But more about that next time.  This is about Saucer Magnolias...

Doing Income Taxes

I finally got around to doing my income tax forms today.  I had started in early April, but the software kept refusing completion.  Try as I might, I could not figure out why.  But knowing there was an extension, I dropped the matter intending to get back at it "in a few weeks".

Of course I didn't!  I my career, I was a natural self-starter and never needed a supervisor to ask "How is the X Project going".  And around the yard and house, I normally do stuff when needed on my own (like who else is there to tell me to do anything?).

But set a deadline on something I don't really want to do, and I will use all the time available to do things I think more pressing.  So here it is July 12th and taxes are due in 3 days, so I sat down to figure out what had bedeviled me in April.

I opened the existing Federal form and went through it step by step.  Everything seemed accurate.  This time, the software said a review found nothing wrong.  Well, that's because the software believes what you tell it.  I got to the end and realized it said my gross income was about $19,000.  Whoa, way wrong.

I managed (somehow) to miss the part about my retirement annuity!  No wonder the software was unhappy in April.  Why it wasn't bothered this time is beyond me.  But after I got all that part in, the results looked right and normal, and the software allowed me to complete the Federal and State forms, and print them out.

I owe, I owe, so off to the checkbook I go...

I need to increase my withholding slightly for both, but at least it isn't so much that I owe an underpayment penalty, but I think it was close.  My goal is to make it a tiny refund on both just so I don't have to bother writing a check to both. 

But I just HAD to tell you about the really silly mistake I made the back in April.  If you can't laugh at yourself, you have no right to laugh at others for any reason!

BTW, I did discover one sad fact.  I donated my old car to a charity a few days ago.  It turns out that, with new tax rules, the standard deduction is way more than my charitable giving.  Like by $12,200 (standard deduction) to $3000 (charitable giving) and the fair market deduction for the old car ($2,000?) isn't going to get me above THAT!  So the maybe $1500 I could have sold the car for is lost money. 

Well, in a financial sense, so is the $3,000 I gave to other causes, and I will treat it the same way.  Good deeds...  In fact, I think I will give more this year. 

At least my taxes are done for another 9 months!  And I don't mind them.  They (mostly) go to good purposes.

I'll add an image in slight jest, though...



And as long as I'm here and typing, I'll mention George Carlin about class and taxes.  He had one routine where he "explained it all".  Basically, the Upper Class doesn't do any work and runs off with all the money and doesn't pay taxes. The Middle Class pays all the taxes and does all the work.   The Poor are there to scare the heck out of the Middle Class.

Funny stuff, though I will say he ignored the unpleasant and hard work of the Poor.  No analogy is perfect...

OK, time to play with The Mews before dinnertime.  I wonder how Laz will react to wand toys and the Red Dot!

Goodbye Old Car

I have had mostly good luck with cars, new and used.  I even got good service from a used Chevy Vega hatchback and a new stripped-to-the-bones Chevy Chevette Scooter (How stripped was it, you ask?  Tires were nearly an "option").  No used car lasted less than 4 years, and my last 4 new cars lasted 40 years.  The new cars following the Chevette Scooter were a Ford Taurus SW and then a loaded Eagle Vision (nearest thing to a sporty luxury car I ever bought).  The last, a beloved Toyota Highlander lasted 15 years.

But last year, the dealership advised me that the timing belt and other pulley belts needed to be replaced just due to age, the charging system was unrepairable and needed a full replacement, the tires were suffering age fatigue, and a lot of tune up and such.  Probably $5,000 total work.  And the dents and dings and paint scrapes made it nearly multi-colored. 

But it only had 30,000 miles on it, so I considered a full do-over.  But then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and according to Consumer Reports (CR) magazine, TV news reports and radio car expert spots, car dealerships became desperate to sell anything to anyone at nearly any price.  I decided it was a good time to replace it.

I like SUVs for the driver-view height, and I do have to tow a utility trailer for mulch, garden soil, and lumber sometimes.  And I've mentioned the negotiations for the new Subaru Forester previously.  I would have bought a Mazda CX-5 if there had been a dealership near me, but the 2 are about the same in the ways that matter to me.

I'm mentioning this because I donated the Eagle Vision to a charity named "Vehicles For Change".  As I understand such things, most charity sites immediately sell a donated vehicle to a mass-auction site for just a few $100s.  Not much benefit to them for that.  Vehicles For Change (VFC) has a program where the donated vehicle is repaired as training for ex-cons and others needing jobs and THEN the repaired vehicle is given to peole who need a car to get to a job, to transport kids to day-care, or just to be able to shop for groceries out of the urban desert.

I'm not pushing VFC and I get nothing from them, but they seem "different".  And it is sure easier than selling a car yourself.

And one thing I have learned from previous trade-ins for new cars is, that by the time the salesman plays with the costs enough, you actually don't get anything for a trade-in.  So, my previous car went to Vehicles For Change. 

Yesterday, the old Toyota Highlander took the same route.  I was assured by several VFC emails that it would be repaired as training for mechanics and body-repair trainees, and sent through State Inspection before being donated to a needing family.  And I get to write off the full fair market value from my taxes.  That's not why I do it, but it helps.

The Highlander only has 30,000 miles on it.  I hate driving and carpooled regularly.  They even emailed me about "is 30,000 miles accurate"?  I told them I had repair tickets showing the gradual mileage to prove it.  They were thrilled.  In the car biz, that's called a "cream puff".

So it was picked up yesterday.  The associated towing company called 30 minutes before and arrived right on time.  The towing guy was experienced and checked my VIN and my title transfer and gave me a detailed transfer of ownership. 

So going...

Going...

And gone.

I hope some mechanic and body work trainees get good experience from renovating it and that a deserving family gets a benefit that makes life easier.  Sometimes good things come from the top down (like tax breaks and social benefits for those who need it) and sometimes from the bottom up (like a donated working vehicle).

May my old loved car be of benefit to many...

The Meadow Bed

Despite several tries, I just can't seem to get a good meadoe bed established.  The 1st year was good, though rather uniform..
It went downhill fast, with weeds and grasses taking over.  And mock strawberries.

So I decided to start again.  Tilled the soil and raked it so there were furrows.  Watered it deeply.  Then scratched up the soil again.  This time, I planted 3 circles of sunflowers, then scattered various annual seeds I had saved from some potted deck plants last year.

The idea isn't to establish a meadow bed this year, but to grow annuals that will shade the weeds out for a proper planting next Spring.  Lots of saved marigold seeds and leftover seeds.  It's late in the year, so I don't expect much.

But one never knows and a bed of marigolds and some random flowers is better than weeds and grass.

I saved a few Queen Anne's Lace that grew naturally.  And I also have some purple coneflowers growing in the garden paths to try to transplant (yeah, this is the wrong time of year for that, but I need to remove them from the paths anyway) and there are black-eyed susans all over the place so I wil try some of them too in clumps.

Here is what the bed looks like now...

It will be interesting to see what it looks like next month.  It may look just as dead or it may have some transplants surviving with new flowers growing.  We'll see...

That's the amazing thing about growing plants.  You never really know what you will get.

The Daylilies

Individual pictures of them are great.  But they don't show the whole of the row.

Left half...

 Right half...

And the whole of it.

I'm going to stick a color label at the base of each plant.  Because they are large enough to want to be divided this Fall.  I never object to free plants, and lilies are very hardy.  I think they will make a nice border along the drainage easement (think "artificial creek along property line") because they grow thickly enough to smother weeds and tolerate almost any conditions.

Pruning And Shaping

In 1984, I got a job at a new location.  Across the street was a very small park.  It had a reflecting pool and a statue.  And was surrounded by old Saucer Magnolia trees that bloomed in early Spring.  I fell in love with those trees.

The trees themselves were pruned nearly skeletory with the branches forced at odd angles.  So even when not in bloom, they were "unusual".  I immediately bought 2 saplings and planted 1 in the front yard and 1 in the back.  I have enjoyed their blooms for 3 decades.

But they don't naturally grow into the odd branch angles I also loved.  It takes an arborist's skill to do that.  And I am no arborist.

But I try to shape mine as best I can.  Every couple of years, I go at them with saw and loppers to remove the excess growth, clearing out deadwood and internal branches that "clog up the appearance".

I spent most of yesterday doing that on the backyard tree.  Here is the BEFORE pic...

Some branches were drooping so low, I couldn't walk under them.  Other branches were crossing each other or being shaded by others.  So I decided to make some major changes.  Loppers and an electric chain saw can do wonders!

I didn't do it fast.  Shaping a tree takes consideration.  Some branches were easy to decide to remove as they were all droopy and there were uprights that had no value.  I removed those first and then stood back and considered the tree from all sides.

After that, things went slower.  There was one branch in a low position that was in the right place, but had a cavity I knew would fail as the branch grew.  I used the chain saw on it below first and from the top after.  THUMP!  Clean branch collar cut!

After that, I started small, trimming upshoots and crossed branches, always removing the lowest ones.

The AFTER pics...

It looks better already, and I have a few new branches growing out at odd angles that will at least suggest the masterpieces at Rawlin's Park.  The lawn is covered in tree cuttings...

There is more to do higher up in the tree, but it was enough for the day.  It was hot out and close to dinnertime.  After all the gardening and some seed scatterring and raking around the newly-tilled meadow bed, I was soaked in sweat from hair tips to toenails.  It has been a week of 90+F with high humidity and another week of it forecast.  So (not to be indelicate but utterly practical), I stripped and stood in a hot shower to wash off all the sweat and salts.  I felt great after THAT!

And then fed the cats, made a nice dinner for myself (deboned chicken thigh cubed with whole mushrooms, shallots, and garlic over angel hair spaghetti with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil.  With a side of beans, beets, and a large tossed salad.  Then watched some MSNBC news commentary.  Good way to finish a day.

Next, I'll do the same on the front yard Saucer Magnolia. 

The Veggie Garden

Yeah, the Spring crops failed.  I was a slacker about watering.  Paid too little attention.  It SEEMED it was raining enough, but seedlings are so demanding.  And I was distracted by other concerns at critical times. 

So I focussed on the Mid-Summer plantings for Fall crops for once.  I normally don't, but when it is July and the veggie beds are mostly barren, why not?

The wide shot...

The first corn...

And a 2nd on the left

Cukes look healthy...

Flat Italian pole beans are growing up the trellis.  I actually have 2 trellisses of them.  You can't have too many beans!

This is a volunteer daisy.  I'm leaving it because it attracts good bugs.

The tomatoes are growing an inch a day in the warmth and sun.  I might get fruits in early September.  And for 2 more months after.  It stays warm here alost 2 weeks longer than when I moved here 34 years ago.

Leeks.  Good with cream of potato soup. I don't bother to grow potatoes anymore since my favorites (Yukon Gold) are in the grocery stores these days and taste the same.  Some crops are worth growing because they taste better fresh.  Potatoes are not one of them.

Yellow squash seedlings.  I'll select the best one and pull the other 2.  I have another close to there for cross-pollination.

One framed bed is currently dedicated to transplants.  This Knockout Rose has no smell but lovely flowers.  The insects don't bother it at all (because no smell, I assume).  I will take cuttings from it to multiply.

And I have discovered something odd about my camera.  It just won't focus well on solid red flowers.  I tried these on macro, normal and at a distance enlarged.  It all comes out the same bit fuzzy.  Same with the Maltese Cross flower - solid red and I can't get a sharp pic.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth Of July (well it IS the Fourth of July everywhere).  But in the US, that also means Independence Day.

I will do as I usually do.  Which means that I will stand on the deck and read the Declaration Of Independence out loud.  I'll have a rather "Americanish" dinner of steak, corn on the cob, green beans, and a tomato/cucumber/onion salad with ranch dressing.  And a pale ale instead of my usual red wine.

Later, I will watch (from home on TV) the fireworks display on the Washington DC Mall.


Whatever you all do today (celebratory or not) be safe!

New Car

Well, I spent yesterday transferring all the stuff from the old Toyota Highlander to the new Subaru Forester. 

The BEFORE pictures:

Cloth bucket seats.  The shift it automatic, but made to look like a stick shift.  I don't drive a stick, too much work...

Second row seats are split bench but effectively bucket seats.  Doesn't matter to me, I'll just fold them flat and leave them like that.

The back.  There is a moonroof, spoiler, and rails on the roof.  I have little use for those, but they came with the package.  

Corner view.  Never saw the rear lights split between the side and the tail lift before!  That little shark fin on the top is the antenna.  Good; I had to remove the Highlander antenna to go through car washes.

Driver seat view.  Overly complicated.  I do like that the sound system controls are duplicated on the steering wheel.  Cruise controls are there, too.  Also, I like that the headlight and wiper controls are virtually identical to the Highlander.  I also like that the display shows current MPG.  And there is a little display that shows compass directions ON THE REAR VIEW MIRROR.  But the A/C and fan controls are less convenient and the sound system selection is more complicated.

Front view.  The headlights are LED and adjust to turns.

Inside Back view.  

Enjoy the nice new uncluttered car.  It will never look like THAT again!

AFTER:

The bins are from a huge Daffodil order.  Excellent for loose stuff like bags of groceries.  I immediately folded down the rear seats and removed the cargo cover.  The gray carpet is from the Highlander.  I always cut an area carpet to fit.  Saves wear on the installed carpet.  It almost fits perfectly as is.  I will cut it more to shape later.

I keep plastic boxes on the floor behind the front seats.  They hold booster cables emergency kits, rope and bungee cords, gadgets (like powered tire inflator, flashlight, DC-AC power convertor,etc).

Passenger front seat holds useful stuff (tissues, N95 mask, coupons, and stuff I need to bring to a store).

I'll take a few more pictures soon when the car is in the driveway for better light and color.