Good Morning Oppo

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 03/31/2020 at 07:43 • Filed to: None

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The view from my “office” window this morning is decidedly gray. I’m hoping for some sun this afternoon and temps close to 50, that’ll be nice. I’ve found that my most productive hour is 7:30 - 8:30 when my kids are full from breakfast and well-rested, so I’m able to sit down nearly uninterrupted and check in with work, maybe even accomplish something, all before most of my colleagues are “in.”

In car-related news, I ordered a floor jack from Harbor Freight last night, it’ll be my first HF purchase ever! I went with a low-profile, rapid pump model; not the aluminum, because I just don’t plan on moving this thing all that much. I have another little jack that’s always worked fine, it just doesn’t really have the height to lift the Volvo properly, let alone my truck. So I can carry that little one when I need to bring a jack somewhere farther than my driveway. I was going to change out my snows for my summers on the Volvo but now I’ll wait until this thing comes in. Besides, the Volvo is just sitting now anyway.

Side note: you can tell in the picture how I’ve been saving evergreen trees while cutting lots of deciduous. I’ve always loved the feel of an evergreen forest, and it’s easier to keep the brush down. Plus if there are things we DON’T want to see in our view (there are), they will block those things nicely year-round. I’m planning on planting lots of various evergreens on the lower part of the clearing on the right side of the pic.

The biggest hemlock in the picture, just to the left of the shed and the only one whose top is way above the distant horizon, I’m afraid isn’t going to last. The logging road cut through a bunch of its roots; I was crushed to see that. If it dies, it’ll expose a VERY tall poplar to the full brunt of the northwest wind, especially in light of the new clearing, so I think that’ll have to come down too. However, that’ll put the trees that are even closer to the house, directly into the line of fire. So we’ll see. That’s a few years out anyway, I think.

Back to work! 

Thomas Donohue > functionoverfashion 03/31/2020 at 07:51

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Don’t forget to rake the forest floor.

pip bip - choose Corrour > functionoverfashion 03/31/2020 at 07:57

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excellent view

functionoverfashion > Thomas Donohue 03/31/2020 at 08:03

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Rake America Great Again

These are amazing, by the way (link)

Thomas Donohue > functionoverfashion 03/31/2020 at 08:19

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lol....some of those are classic.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > functionoverfashion 03/31/2020 at 09:04

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That is a great view! Evergreens are nice but I like a good mix of needles and leaves in my view. I’ve done pretty much all my work since the quarantine, despite a historically high pollen count, and I love it. Not much of a view but the fresh air always helps me concentrate.

Something along the lines of this

functionoverfashion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/31/2020 at 09:28

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I agree, and I do have a good mix; it’s just that the evergreens take much longer to grow, so I try not to cut them as I cut hundreds of tall, skinny poplars around them.

Your woods looks beautiful! It’s been great to have all this time (even if mine is in small chunks) to work on the land. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > functionoverfashion 03/31/2020 at 09:37

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Well they aren’t my woods. They belong to a nearby national park. I kind of jumbled my words but I meant to say I have been working outside in a suburban home. The woods near me though are absolutely beautiful, and illustrate my preferred mix of evergreen and deciduous.

The upside to pine trees is that they form their own border of needles, which saves a lot of effort in curating a lawn. 

functionoverfashion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/31/2020 at 10:58

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Ah, I gotcha. Re: needles on the ground, it’s one of my favorite things about evergreen forests in general, the forest floor is soft and quiet, and it’s really nice for making trails.