Great Wall and apples

Day 2 the semi delivered  the blocks for the wall

If you have seen my Facebook postings, you know that we are under major construction mode again with the back wall of Morrison being replaced and our stimulation to the local economy goes on.  Similar to every other construction project, once it is done it will all be worth it but mean time there is a dandy mess.  A new  highway appears across our back 40 carved by the man  on a Bobcat.  

He assures me  that after it is all done I won"t see a trace of it, so I assume that means it will be  smoothed, patched with seed and sod and once again smoothly green.  They apologized for disturbance of our once bucolic backyard, a haven for birds, fox and deer.  I can imagine the conversations amongst the critters in the evenings, "whoa!  What goes here..., the wall is down, what's up with that."  After day 1 I did see deer tracks along the dirt pathway.  That stymied their ascent up to the front so they detoured around the neighbor's who watched them hesitate from her sunroom.  She told us about this the next day, said it was very comical as three deer, a doe and two fawns ascended the back hill and began to observe almost quizzically before shaking their heads and taking another route.  This is the home where the deer...roam as long as it is not near to my roses.   

Block and dirt mover and road builder



These men work hard and have had two younger grunts at all times but the straw boss and the other seasoned man do not have a need for a gym at all, hauling and lifting 80 pound blocks keeps them in tip top shape.  The 50 year old did admit today that he did not know how much longer his body would continue at this labor.   That's the dilemma of those engaged in hard physical work, the physical labor takes its toll on the body and unlike politicians, bureaucrats and those who have sedentary jobs, the physical laborers usually have a shorter career span which raises their ire when talk of extending the retirement age arises.  All well and good for the sedentary but not so for the others and unfortunately the ones with the bright ideas know naught about hard exhausting work.  but that's another soap box.

At the end of  Day 1, much was torn down

  

Rut highway across the back 40

 The wall construction  has saved $$ on bird seed  because the birds have been discouraged  from hanging out at the feeders until after the crew leave.  This one chirping sparrow was not dissuaded.  Sometimes the cardinals fly by with an over the shoulder glance, but they are skittish about noises so they move for other quieter food, available at  neighbors feeders.  Te natural grazing is abundant in summer so I am not concerned that the birds are going hungry.  We usually fill our bird feeders twice a week but this week only once and you can see there is still plenty of seed in this feeder.  About 5:30PM the gold finches return in mass and fight at the thistle feeder, and the wood hatches and chickadees return and give dirty bird looks toward the house.  Angry bird faces are comical.  

The bird is called a chirping sparrow



Day 1 wall destruction  Tossing 80 pound blocks like bean bags



Day 2 making sure the drain lines are perfect and the walls are straight

One benefit of this nasty heat that has enveloped us along with the entire Midwest, while damaging the corn crops is that the apples seem to be having a go to town season.  We have two small apple trees in our back yard and have not ever before harvested more than an apple or two.  Of course we do not work these trees, leaving the apples to do their own thing and letting the squirrels and deer feed on the small round green globes.  But this year, weather aside we have a bumper crop of apples.  And they are delicious, juicy and just right.  When I was a child we had a huge crab apple tree in our backyard that hung  alongside the roof outside my bedroom window.  Before I developed an adult like fear of heights I would crawl out the window onto the roof and get crab apples which I tossed at the neighbor boy; I wonder whatever happened to Harry Roper.  He was older than me and if he knew I was doing that he never told on me.  I know because  my mother would have walloped my backside a good one.  So I like looking up into the apple trees these days and thinking about those antics as well as anticipating biting into  a juicy apple.  Notice that waspy looking nest in the tree something we did not see until I took this photo...

Just two of our great apples this year.  I am
very pleased with this photo, also on my
Facebook page

Clump of apples on limb



Apple tree with abundance



End of Day 3

It is about time now to photo the results of the end of Day 4.  They will not have this project completed until Monday but this shares on blog land what has been my Facebook focus this week...and  already I am considering what to do next, like the addition to the lower brick patio so that we can enjoy this wall....Jerry is not listening to  me.  We could come out that small back walk out door from the TV/rec room and sit and watch the fireflies out along the pine trees.

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