Here’s a better look at our NEW RECRUITS! Adorable!

A few minutes after taking the above pictures, I witnessed something else. Hurrah for Mrs Wasp! She just caught a horrid caterpillar off the plum tree and is devouring it with a vengeance! Good job!

I have a special place in my heart for these next beloved allies. I found an Eastern Milk Snake here about four feet long once. They are usually very tame and fun to play with, but while I’m asleep at night they are working to rid me of some of my worst enemies: meadow voles!

Speaking of fun, this little critter serves for entertainment whenever it is needed. Lay them on their back and they pop themselves up into the air in order to get them selves right side up again. Click beetles or “skipjacks” come in many sizes and colors, but by far the most common around hear are the little brown ones that are easy to find hiding near the tips of shoots. I’m not sure if they do as much practical good as some species do (like the Eyed Elater which dines on harmful pests) but they don’t do any harm either, so we get along just fine. (The damage you see on the shoot tip was done by a leaf-roller caterpillar.)

I must mention the lady bug. They are often hated for infesting houses in the fall, but if you like apples, or anything made from apples, or even wheat for that matter, don’t be too hasty in your condemnation. Aphids are very destructive pests that spread disease and stunt growth of important crops. Ladybird Beetles hunt them down and chew them up with splendid voracity!

There are many other highly beneficial friends that work along with me in the orchard that did not allow me to take their pictures that day. Wonderful birds like the Nuthatches and Brown Creepers, and countless spiders and pollinating insects and soil-dwellers, who do more than I could ever thank them for to keep things in balance. It’s an amazing place to be!

“O LORD, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.”
Psalm 104:24

Thankfully the temperature did not quite dip down to freezing, and even our hardy kiwi’s new growth was unharmed by the snow! There had been some freeze damage earlier in the year, but thankfully nothing additional due to the snow. In the afternoon the snow was gone, and the next day the hillside was sparkling with buttercups again and the bees were buzzing as if nothing had happened.

He sendeth forth His commandment upon earth:
His word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes…
He sendeth out His word, and melteth them:
He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Psalm 147:16 and 18

The problem was that it would take him at least eight days to finish by himself. You see, frame building would be a long, tedious process and each box needed four coats of paint in some places! It would certainly not have worked to start any earlier, for we had not yet received the pieces to put together. Fortunately, Michael was able to foresee the problem and present it to the rest of the Staddon brigade a month in advance. This gave all the willing workers time to prepare for the blitz.

When the time came, Dad, Mom, Donald, Esther, James, Jonathan, and David helped Michael knock out the giant project with a servant spirit and encouraging smiles. Good Job guys and we will look forward to sharing the rewards of harvest!

“In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court last month settled the dispute over ownership of streambeds and stream banks, ruling that landowners, not government, are the rightful owners. President Bob Stallman said farmers and ranchers prevailed with the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of landowner property rights in the case PPL v. Montana. …It was further noted that this decision helps ensure farmers and ranchers will not have to pay the government for use of land or water from streambeds that run alongside or through their property. This ruling is for farmers and ranchers nationwide and all private property owners.”

Secondly, “The  court recognized that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was arbitrary in assuming that any increase above pristine nutrient levels is harmful. …To further reinforce landowner rights a U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, has ruled that the EPA-imposed numeric nutrient criteria for Florida streams and unimpaired lakes are unlawful because they are arbitrary and have no scientific basis. This good news was reported in the FBNews, March 5, 2012.”

With all freedom comes responsibility. It is farmers’ and ranchers’ job to go to any length necessary protect the quality of the water that so much depends on, both on the farm and beyond.

They stood on the edge of our property near a road. Thankfully both trees leaned inward, towards our property, one slightly downhill—that would be a simple cut—the other slightly uphill—that would be a different story.

Soon the first one was down. It lay facing the southeast. We would have quite a few mulching chips from its branches! But that was only half the job. The second tree, approximately the same size and height, had its branches growing all towards the northeast. If it fell that way it was in danger of destorying Michael’s walnut saplings or a young elm that we wanted to keep. (They’re a rarer species now.) More than that however, if it fell in that direction, the one cutting it would be put in a tight spot between the falling tree and the fence. The only escape route was down a steep hill. And, what’s more, the wind was against us.

Our goal then was to fell the tree as far southward as possible. Michael was the one cutting. First he notched it on the southeast side, about 90 degrees perpendicular to the way it was leaning. Then he began his cut from the back, coming from the north so that the bark remaining in tact on the south side would tend to pull the falling tree in that direction. Would it work?

About that time, Jonathan came out for a shift. He had come at an interesting time and would be a witness to the things that happened next. At about this point something amazing happened. The wind, which had quieted, now started to blow from the north—in our favor. I had never thought of that! We had prayed before the operation. We had asked God to bless us with safety and give us alertness. But we had never thought to ask Him to change the wind! Almost as quickly as I thought these thoughts, the wind reversed itself and blew very strong from the south. I picked some grass and sprinkled it in the wind. It flew almost horizontally the breeze was blowing so hard.

But then something else happened . . . the chain saw sputtered and stopped. Just stopped! At that point, it did not seem to us that things would go the way we hoped. We had cleaned the air filter on the chain saw earlier so we checked the gas and the sawdust around the sprocket. No problems there. Patiently and deliberately, Michael retrieved the second saw from the back of the truck. It roared to life and we repositioned ourselves. Michael stood on the north side of the tree with a good angle on the blade. I stood uphill. As soon as I saw the tree leaning to one side or the other I would signal to Michael. Jonathan stood directly behind me.

The morning sun shown from the other side of the towering maple. The wind blew. The cut on the back of the tree deepened. But the tree did not fall. Michael paused and looked up at the tree trying to discern which way it would go. A truck passed.

Jonathan and I were praying the Lord would either change the wind or cause it to subside. Finally we cried out for the Lord to change the wind again.

The saw blade width was now entirely within the trunk of the tree. We couldn’t go farther. To completely cut through the bark on the south side would free the tree to fall in any direction. We had done all we could. I remember Michael waiting there for a second or two at the base of the tree. Then all at once I realized that the wind was coming from my left, from the north, ever so gently but unmistakably real and steady, and the tree was falling. Hinged perfectly, and aided by the breeze, it slowly tilted, fell through the air, and landed in almost perfect parallel with the tree that had gone before it! There it lay.

Praise the Lord! He had given us one more instance of His delight in hearing and answering us. In every aspect of life He works according to His ways and waits for us to lean on Him. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths” . . . and thy trees’ paths as well!  (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There is one hurtle to jump in growing Rosemary here. Other than that, I have found our ‘Madeline Hill’ hardy Rosemary an easy-to-care-for herb. No pruning needed, or fertilizing, or watering even in drought, and no disease or insect problems. Harvest is easy, and as a seasoning, a little goes a long way. It even dries quickly for preservation and has a lot more flavor than the who-knows-how-old stuff from the store.

Winter protection is the mysterious hurtle. Protection from constant dampness may be more important than insulation from the cold and wind, at least to a degree. The tag that came with our Madeline Hill plant said it would survive –15 F, and I have seen it survive –3 F without protection. Plant it on the south side of a wall or foundation – and if the eves protect it from too much moisture, that is all the better.

If you feel you will need to insulate it, just watch the forecast for dangerous temperatures… and when they have arrived, put a support over the plant and drape something over it like several layers of burlap or blankets. I would recommend a final waterproof layer. It is nice to uncover it in warmer sunnier weather, and it is not too much work to cover it up again once or twice during the winter if needed. I would insulate any rosemary plant in its first winter if the temperature goes below +15 degrees F.

I hope you give it a try!

Yes, our original ‘Madeline Hill’ plant is still thriving, and we have a 2nd one now. If you are interested, here are some details on winter protection  and survival experiences since the last update…

In 2008 I layered three stems to create three additional plants, and as of April 2009 they had all survived their first winter (with burlap insulation). The coldest temperature was –9 F. All three remained connected to the parent plant underground even though they had developed their own roots. They were severed in April 2009 and grew well through the summer. Two of them were transplanted to new locations.

In the winter of 2009-2010 was a very wet year, which may be one of the reasons that one of the new plants died, despite being insulated from the cold. It appeared fine all winter until March, at which time it just dried up. In 2010 all three remaining rosemary plants did great.

In the winter of 2010-2011, I insulated the old established plant a little differently. It was so big that I didn’t have a way to cover it completely, so I packed burlap in and around it, leaving some of the shoot tips exposed. Interestingly, the leaves and young shoots in the center of the plant “protected” by the burlap died, while the exposed shoot tips survived! The coldest temperature that winter was –3 F. My hunch is that dampness is as bad for rosemary as cold. The burlap packed around the plant became wet from melting snow and stayed wet (and probably frozen) most of the winter. It was an odd-looking plant come spring with tufts of living shoots at the tips and a big empty middle! The shoots that survived best were those closest to the brick wall. The thicker woody branches in the center remained healthy but never sprouted new growth to fill in the center of the plant. The plant only grew at the ends where the younger shoots survived. Unfortunately, a second one of the newer plants died that winter, leaving us with the old established plant and one “new” plant. The one that died was the one that was not transplanted; it was crowded by the parent plant, hugging the ground, too wet through the winter, not enough light and air I suspect. In 2011 both surviving plants grew well.

This winter (2011-2012) has been unusually warm. I covered the younger plant once so far and have not covered the older plant at all, and they seem to be doing great, even though the weather has been very wet. We have had frequent warm days and it has not been below 10 F yet!

I had read that ‘Issai’ was slightly less hardy than the typical “hardy kiwi” and sure enough, those two vines failed to survive the winter. However the fruiting vine and its pollinator have never had any trouble with winter survival. In a few years the vigorous vine had spread out over the trellis quite nicely and now the two ‘Issai’ kiwi vines have been replaced with two other cultivars. We hope to report on them in the future.

2011 was a special year! Although hardy kiwi can easily survive our mountain winters, they are ready to break dormancy in the spring as soon as they sense warm weather. As a result, our “Anna” vine would always leaf out in early April, get hit by frost, and have to start over again. Even a light frost would blacken the leaves and shoot tips. In past years, whenever the vine bloomed, the flowers were always misshapen or partly black. But in 2011, the vines narrowly escaped all threatening frosts. Apparently the vines were elevated sufficiently on the hill to allow frosty air to drain away from them just enough that they were not affected by the light frosts that occurred occasionally throughout the rest of April and May! The bloom, which began around May 25 was thick and full and fragrant!

One more problem. Due to a setback the pollinator vine had almost no flowers on it this year. I could see no way for the fruiting vine to be pollinated well enough to produce a good crop. I did not expect any fruit at all. But as time progressed through the spring and early summer it became obvious that there was going to be a harvest! How was this possible? Could this vine have been self-pollinating? On August 22 I found the fruits full of little black seeds, just like fuzzy kiwi. They were still very hard and far too tart to be edible.

Finally came the day of September 12 when I made a quick check of the kiwi vines and noticed that one of the berries was wrinkled like an empty sack. “Must be rotten” I thought. I picked it and some green liquid oozed out. “I wonder what rotten kiwi tastes like.” I touched my tongue to it. Then I licked it. “Wow” I exclaimed, “that’s not kiwi! That’s lime candy!!!” I just about did cartwheels all the way back to the house. I could not wait for everyone else to taste them. When they did, they were amazed at the level of sweetness and flavor “like a mix of grape and kiwi” they said. The skins were a bit leathery with a reddish blush, matching the description of the ‘Anna’ cultivar perfectly.

With the help of Donald, Jonathan, and David, most of the fruit was harvested on September 28. At that time most of the fruits were still hard, but became sweet as they softened at room temperature. Squishier usually meant sweeter. Refrigeration seemed to slow the ripening process so that we were able enjoy them over a long period of time. October 10 was the date of the last harvest, when most of the fruits remaining on the vine had become soft.

Kiwifruit is an astounding source of nutrition (more links here and here) and we praise the LORD for making kiwifruit a possibility for our climate… “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s” – Psalm 103:5

Are you reveling in the joy of having peace with God; of freedom from the world and its pride and its lusts? Are you resting in the promise that He will come again and receive you to himself? Are you receiving the grace and the power that he gives to enable us to do His will? “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day.” Deuteronomy 5:15 Your deliverance from spiritual Egypt is what I mean by spring, for “he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12.

It was hoarse whisper. I was flat on my face, in the grass on the hillside. My left hand grasped my single weapon and I kept my head low. Advances had been made, but the enemy, thoroughly aroused, now swarmed through the area. I had been hit once but thankfully it was a minor wound.

Outnumbered by over a hundred to one, there was only one recourse: the PrAir Force! A “flare prayer” is an urgent petition to God that comes directly from the heart in a desperate situation. In this situation I knew that rain would be the only force guaranteed to drive the enemy forces back into their barracks. And even a brief couple of minutes would be enough time to complete the mission before the deadline.

That morning, my rising time was 3:30. At 5:05 it was time to gear up. My boots were not of military material, just second-grade farm boots. Goggles and ear plugs were enough for head gear. My “weapon” was the weed-whacker, well-fueled.

A few steps up the hill I realized something was wrong. My left boot had a hole just large enough to let in generous amounts of moisture from the dewy grass. I made a quick turnaround, secured boots first-grade, and remounted the hill. Would it be too late? Several minutes later I arrived at the enemy outpost: the far beehives, shrouded in overgrown weeds. It was the weeds, not the bees, that were the actual “enemies” in this scenario. But the bees could be enemies if they wanted to. And if they sensed disruption they would want to. I hoped they had not yet begun their morning drills. It was about 5:30, half an hour before official sunrise. Dark clouds were gathering, all but obscuring the morning sunlight. The deadline was 6:30.

It was barely light enough to see. Lightning flickered in the south. Gingerly I worked my way below the hives to see if there was any sign of activity. To my dismay I saw a blanket of bees covering much of the hive’s front. According to Michael, they are often on the alert early, or even all night long, during the longer summer days. I could hear them too. They were poised for action, itching for enough light to begin their flights. Stooping down so that the silhouette of the hive’s entrance showed against the sky, I discovered that very few were flying. I had a little time.

Mission One was priority: trimming around the hedge of holly bushes. Eleven of them semi-circled the hives at a distance of about 8 feet. Everything was gray but I could make them out. With the weed-whacker humming I circled the first one cautiously. Success! The second one was smaller and harder to see but soon it was done. Three. Four. Now I was directly in front of the hives, in the bees’ flight path, trying to keep low. At about bush number eight it became necessary to stop and cut away some netting from one of the bushes. That took some time. When I finished the hedge it was well past 6:00.

Mission Two. Wearing Michael’s elbow-length bee gloves and encouraged by a light sprinkle of rain, I decided to advance inward and do around the hives themselves. I kept repeating Michael’s words “Those hives are the more gentle hives”, “Those hives are the more gentle hives” . . .

In the same counter-clockwise motion, I began a sweep directly in front of the hives, tilting the weed-whacker to keep the clippings from spraying the hives. I passed the first one then the second—the big one—and the third. At around hive number four came the first sign of trouble: a bee caught in my hair. This can be a harmless occurrence and it is harder for a bee trapped in your hair to actually sting, but it does make that bee angry and it’s a sign that there are probably other bees going into defense mode at the same time. I crouched lower and sped up a little. It didn’t help. I felt a couple more “dive-bombers” hitting my scalp, then a sting on my right leg. I certainly deserved it. To escape I crept away from the hive slowly and flattened myself on the ground. The sprinkle had not been enough! Looking up against the dim sky I could see the ever-present clouds, but also now, dozens of bees. They were not running their simple back and forth flights, they were buzzing about seeking the source of their disturbance. It was hard to believe I had been standing there where the bees now swarmed.

What now? Surrender and go home? This job was for Michael. And a sting or two was to be expected. I might never get another morning to take care of this job, let alone an early morning with a chance of rain! If only it would rain! The time was about 6:20. If it rained now there would be enough time to finish the job.

It was also a time to reevaluate my motives. I was confident that if my motives truly were one of a servant, I could trust the will of my Commander in Chief. This was His operation. Certainly He could send help from above. There in the grass I remembered that the success of the mission depends upon my relationship with the One who sent me on the mission.

That is when I prayed “Lord, please make it rain NOW!” A bolt of lightning added quite the dramatic affect. My expectations “brightened”. But then I realized that with the bees in an agitated state it might take a particularly hard rain to dissuade them from pursuing their target. I hadn’t thought of that. So I added: “Please make it rain now, HARD” and then breathed an “Amen”. Hardly was the word out of my mouth when there came another splendid bolt of lightning. The drizzle turned into rain, huge drops of rain, and the rain into a downpour—a downpour you would hardly believe, a downpour I would hardly believe! He did it! He really did it! For me!

I stood up, I picked up the weed-whacker once more and completed the mission. I trimmed behind the hives. I finished in front—their very doorstep! The bees had gone inside! The field was mine! Even “Mission 2” was complete! The last weeds fell. I gathered the netting scraps and jogged home. Inside, the clock read 6:32.

How often in these past months the same scenario has presented itself in various ways. What a different, frustrated person I would certainly be if I didn’t have the smile of the Commander in Chief Whom we have chosen to serve. He finds so many ways to put meaning in our tasks. He transforms the to-do list into a treasure chest of stories: sometimes a wild adventure, sometimes a sense of peace, assurance, and fulfillment. Either way, we may encourage our heart in the Lord, as David did when the going was tough. (See I Samuel 30:6.) The Lord is worthy of our loyalty. He is worthy of everything we have. On His side we can continue our advance, moving onward and upward in the battle.

Activate the PrAir Force in your family. Make prayer a regular thing. Then as you go into the day “Keep your powder dry and a flare prayer at the ready” for any kind of surprise situation may arise. (Do keep your flares in a different pouch than your powder though.)  Remember your Commander as you complete His mission. He is in charge and He is ready always to send help from above.

“As free . . . but as the servants of God” (I Peter 2:16).

Like the Vireos, Warblers are small treetop birds better identified by voice than vision. And today’s elusive Tennessee Warbler was a first for me! At first it was only a voice in the woods. But, as He loves to do, the Lord answered a specific prayer and brought an excellent view. It was exactly what was needed for this species. I was able to see it from the right angle and make a positive identification. Then after about half a minute in the open it darted away never to be seen or heard again. It was great. There are some other potential firsts which we have only heard and not seen including the Chestnut-sided Warbler(?), but maybe that will make another story for another time. Every day can hold a surprise in the Wave of Warblers.

All in all, it appears that the Raven, Barred Owl and Field Sparrow are year-round residents—as well as the good old woodpeckers of course.

Departures: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Slate-colored Junco (last seen April 13). And now, the . . .

 Arrivals to date: