Inspired by Wamboldtopia

BY SKEETER

Remember the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling in Asheville, NC? It was not that long ago and still so fresh on my mind. I brought back a piece of Wamboldtopia with me to incorporate into my GEORGIA GARDENS. Click HERE to see Wamboldtopia.

It was a sunny day when capturing my creation with this long shot. So a bit difficult to see within. I am adding this shot to show the location of this scene along the woods edge.  

Moving in closer, we can see my little creation much better. An Elm tree fell after a freak and rare snow storm in Feb 2010. Click HERE to read about this fallen tree. We were not able to remove this heavy stump so we left it in place all this time.

I knew in time, I would come up with something to make this stump look nice. Robert Frost Hosta, Samuel Blue Hosta and an unknown Hosta along with Purple Coral Bells and Creeping Jenny.

Krossa Regal Hosta, Tiramisu Coral Bells and Creeping Jenny. This Hosta was found and added after the Coral Bells were planted. It shall be switched with the Coral Bells when cooler weather arrives this fall.

Since this is my little piece of Wamboltopia, I had to add this Fairy found at the Goodwill store. The topper is not exactly what I was looking for but will work for now. I know in time, I shall find the perfect castle type topper to this enchanting area.

I added stone to keep with the Wamboltopia inspired gardens.

The Saint calls the stone work, a little Stonehenge. This stump has sat in this place for 2 years now just being a dead tree. After my trip to the Fling in Asheville, I have been INSPIRED BY WAMBOLDTOPIA, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

At it again!

By Skeeter Remember the 95 foot tall Oak tree the Saint and our neighbor/friend (Dee) took down in June, due to a lightening strike? (Click HERE to see). The trunk of the thing laid in our Georgia Yard until July 13 when the Saint found the time to cut it into smaller pieces. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture but I was snapping from behind a screened window upstairs.
Here you see the Saint hard at work cutting the massive tree trunk.
Here you see the cut up trunk still in place on July 27 as a spotted fawn comes into the yard to visit. Normally cut up trees in the yard would bother me but with the horrible heat we have had here in Georgia this summer, I did not mind the mess in the yard. I decided it would stay there until we got to it during the cooler days of Fall.
Here is another pile in the woods from another tree (not oak) we cut down way back in June also. With this mess scattered throughout our property, we had planned to cut down more trees this past weekend! We had the tall boom on order to rent for the weekend but around noon on Friday, the Rental store cancelled on us as the customer that currently had the machine, decided to keep it for an additional week. This customer was International Paper and a big client so we understood them canceling on us. They were to keep the machine a week beyond their normal rental contract when we would only be renting it for 2 days. Money does talk with such things...
Being flexible, we opt for "Plan B" and rented a wood splitter instead. This was an older model then we have rented in the past but it did the job and with lower motor noise then the newer model. Amazing how things use to be built in the past. Ha...
We have the wood shed full of oak wood which will smell great burning in our fireplace this winter. Not to mention, keep us warm and lower our gas and electric bills.
Dee (which gave us the free lilies back in spring) helped us split the wood. In return, he got a load of the wood. Plus, the Saint will help him cut down two trees some time this week. He and the Saint split while I loaded his trailer all by myself! Well, they did load about 20 pieces of wood while I was making us lunch!

We still have plenty of split wood after Dee took his share. We are giving some to our wonderful next door neighbor's and what they do not need, we plan to donate to a lady that Dee knows about. She uses wood to 100% heat her house in the winter months. Dee makes custom wood cabinets as a hobby and it was killing him inside to split this oak wood knowing it would be burn in our fireplaces. But since we do not have a $20,000 special piece of equipment or crane to lift the heavy trunk, (in order to process the wood) we had no choice but to use it as firewood. The stuff sure smelled great when splitting it. Sigh...

The process of lightening hitting this oak, us cutting it to the ground and cleaning up, has taken over 3 months to complete! I do believe this is a record yard task for us. We do plan to cut down more trees this coming weekend, if the boom is available. No, we are not glutton's for punishment but know these trees need to come down. They are interfering with the integrity of our asphalt driveway. Cheaper to remove the trees then to redo our long circular driveway. Don't worry, we are not loosing all of our trees. We have several hundred trees on our property so many more to enjoy our privacy and nature...

It has been super hot this year and even though the calendar says it is September, we are still having 90 degree temps. As we worked outside this weekend, it was 95 degrees on both days. Thank goodness for those sport drinks keeping us hydrated! We waited for cooler temps to split the wood but at 95 degrees, we were AT IT AGAIN, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden

Loquat; No More

By Skeeter The very first thing I planted in my Semi-Formal Flower garden, was this Japanese Loquat tree! I had never seen them before moving here to Georgia. Click HERE to see the post on how this tree got its start in my Georgia Garden...
The Loquat is very happy where I planted her, next to a bench.The Garden has changed over the past 6 years all the while, the Loquat was thriving with little attention. The Saint and I often sit on the bench in the evenings and enjoy all the butterflies, bees and hummingbirds swooping down on the beautiful flowers. During the winter months, this beauty is full of green for us to enjoy. In the spring time, she is full of new growth as you can see in this picture above, snapped on March 21, 2010. She survived the rare 7 inches of snow we had this winter. Look how her green makes the white fence pop!
I love this Loquat and her scented blooms in mid-October. I was hoping for her to bare fruit in time.
Imagine my surprise when I returned from a 10 day visit to TN to see this in my garden!
Yep, my once beautiful thriving Japanese Loquat is now dead! I have no idea what happen to her. One day she was fine and the next, gone! I have several things in mind.

1. The snow from winter damaging her. I find this hard to believe as she looked so healthy up until now.

2. A really hot spring until now. We have had the hottest Spring, Summer and early Fall in the 10 years we have lived in Georgia. But the Loquat has survived hot drought conditions for 3 of her 6 years with us.

3. A bug of some type may have gotten to her like maybe a Pine Beetle type bug. I do not see any signs of a bug but will investigate as I take her down.

4. A Vole eating her roots. I doubt this would happen but there are Voles in this area.

5. Maybe the main root found an air pocket in the ground. I am suspecting this as there were once 8 large trees in this area. I fear that the old roots rotted and left air pockets in the soil.

My Garden is full of mysteries this year. I will be taking down this once glorious tree and hopefully, I will get some answers. I am so sad about the LOQUAT; NO MORE, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden

No Mulch

By Skeeter

This past weekend was a work weekend in my Georgia Garden. The Saint rented a wood chipper to grind all the limbs from the trees he recently cut down. It was a hot, humid, steamy weekend and we really worked hard to get the limbs removed. We drank about 25 sports drinks to keep hydrated during this hot work. I had to call it quits by noon on Saturday as I dehydrated and got a terrible headache. I also lost my balance and fell over a railroad tie giving myself a nice bruise and scratches as I landed in the limb pile. Yikes, good thing I am a tomboy as it only hurt my pride. I do not know how people with outside strenuous jobs survive in the heat of a Southern Summer. They sure earn their money!

I revived over night and was back at it early Sunday morning. I was sure to take more frequent breaks and drink double the amount of drinks and this worked well with us both staying in the yard until 4:30. It was difficult work but it had to be done as I could not stand the thought of all those limbs laying around until fall. Plus piles of limbs attract frogs, mice, lizards thus food for snakes and we do not want snakes on our land.

I tried to load a video of the chipper doing its job but once again, Blogger does not want me to load videos. This is several times now so I guess for some reason, I will no longer be able to show videos. Anyone else having an issue with videos?

Anyway, in the video you would see how fine the chipper grind the limbs. It was to a powdery state thus useless as mulch in my gardens. I was really looking forward to some fresh mulch from this job, but there will be NO MULCH, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden

Calling All Clarksville Base Marines and Sailors for a Walk Down Memory Lane!

From In the Garden

Hello and welcome! Today's post is going to take you down memory lane if you were one of the elite few who were stationed at the TOP SECRET Clarksville Base in the 1950s-1960s. Now sit back and reminisce...

From In the Garden

"From 1952 to 1969 hundreds of young men stood in "pillboxes"--concrete style bunkers with nothing but a slit opening to peer through or to fire a weapon--to keep strangers out of the classified area in the woods of Fort Campbell." [Source: AP-Military Forum]

This year marks a big milestone in the history of Clarksville Base. There will be two-count them-two reunions here in Tennessee that involve Clarksville Base. The first reunion is scheduled for April 22-24, 2010 right here in Clarksville. The Birdcage Marine planners have all sorts of fun things in store for participants. Check out their link for more information.

The Marines provided the protective force for Clarksville Base during its heyday-days when nuclear weapons were stored there.

From In the Garden

The second reunion is scheduled for Sunday October 10th through Friday October 15th 2010 in Nashville. This reunion is sponsored by the Navy Nuclear Weapons Association and involves all members of that esteemed association, not just Clarksville Base alumni. Check out their link for more information.

The Navy nuclear specialists handled the actual nuclear weapons.

How do I know this information and why am I publishing it here? The main reason is that of late there has been tons of interest in my post titled "Clarksville Base Trail". Many folks come to this post when they Google this wonderful natural area. It is an area near and dear to my heart since I used to work at Clarksville Base. Even though I no longer serve there, I walk the 4.5 mile trail weekly-this is truly what is near and dear to my heart. The nature trail (as I see it) holds special memories for me mainly due to its peace and close ties with the native flora and fauna. Wild turkeys, deer, many birds, squirrels, river otters, beavers, and ground hogs make their home in this wooded area. In addition to the native fauna, there are tons of wildflowers growing all along the road and through the woods. This area is truly a gem for us here at Fort Campbell.

From In the Garden

"At our 2005 Clarksville Base Reunion, the Fort Campbell Museum Curator told us that newly available Russian documents indicate Clarksville Base was actually #3 on the USSR ICBM target list." [Source: Droppings, Issue Fall 2009]

This base is eligible to be designated a historic site on the National Register. Its intensely secretive reputation during the Cold War and even after have led to many stories, legends and lore surrounding it. It is called The Bird Cage because of the two sets of very high chain link fencing that surround the area. The interior set was electrified during the base's use as a nuclear weapon storage facility.

Between 1967 and 1969 at least one Clarksville Base trainee electrocuted himself at the high-voltage while going AWOL. [Source: Atomic Traveler] Check this link for more interesting and little known information about Clarksville Base.

The area also holds special memories for the alumni. One member contacted me recently to share his special memories from the early 1960s. I'm looking forward to meeting him when he comes down for the reunion and I just might take him for a hike along the trail. A battle of Army versus Sailors? We shall see!:) His name is Doug Rogers and some of you out there may know him. If so and you'd like to contact him, either email me or leave a comment here for him. So without further ado, here is a story from Doug in his own words about a not so happy thing that happened at Clarksville Base:

This incident took place perhaps in the spring or fall of 1960 or the spring of 1961, most likely 1960. The weather was cool, damp, and overcast. Place of incident was Marine Corps guard house near the main gate and the fire station.

I had departed the Administrative Building, #106 in the US Mail truck, sometime around 0800 hours (it was at the time for the change of the guard, whatever time that may have been) and was on my way to Fort Campbell Post Office and The Post Locator. I was, at that time, the Navy base postal clerk (PCSN, E-3).

As I began the approach to the main gate, some seventy five yards or so, I noticed a line of Marines being inspected for the morning change of guard. They were lined up along the guard house, which is directly across from the fires station, an officer was inspecting each Marine. Some had service 45 cal. handguns, others with M1s. As the inspecting officer stood in front of each Marine, made visual uniform inspection, then received the weapon, inspected it and returned the piece to the Marine, and then stepped up to the next Marine. I was finding it interesting to watch this very smart inspection as we Navy (at Clarksville Base) were operating much like a Club Med business. Life at The Bird Cage for the Marines was, to say the least, an unhappy military experience.

As the inspecting officer moved to the next Marine, inspected his uniform, then asked the Marine to present the weapon for inspection, which he did. The officer very smartly pulled the slide back, inspected the weapon and returned the weapon. I should mention that at the time, I was driving slowly, had the windows rolled up and the heater on, so all I saw was actions. As the inspecting officer stepped to the next Marine, the inspected Marine (had received the 45 back from the officer) placed a loaded clip into the weapon, released the slide, pointed the weapon forward and pulled the trigger. Of course, this is not the correct or safe way to handle a weapon!

Of course the young Marine knew the correct way to handle a weapon. I think he was under extreme pressure by the inspection so he reversed the handling procedure. The correct way of course is to release the slide, insert the clip, aim safely and pull the trigger and move the safety to lock. I saw the explosion of the round going off and knew immediately what had taken place. I was, at the time of the incident only feet in front of the discharge.

What then happened? Well, as I very clearly recall this memory some fifty years later, as the weapon discharged the bullet traveled across the road, through a window in the firehouse office (the windows were high on the north side), over the head of the Chief who was sitting at his desk, hit the opposite (south) wall and knocked a bulletin board off the wall. No personal injuries.

Immediately after the weapon discharged the inspecting officer very quickly reached back, grabbed the weapon out of the hand of the young Marine, and knocked him to the ground. All other Marines held formation. I continued speed and checked through the Main Gate and on to Forth Campbell. One wonders the fate of that young Marine. Perhaps someone who attends the Marine Barracks Reunions will remember the incident, perhaps some of the Civil Service firefighters will too.

Doug Rogers, 23 February 2010

I worked in these very buildings when I was in the Army (2001-2003). The buildings are still there and probably look the same as they did back in the 1950s. I once tried to get the windows upgraded to more energy efficient windows and was flatly told no by the engineers. It seems the buildings are historical and cannot be changed, though I have been unable to find a source for this mandate. I hope everyone who comes and visits Clarksville Base can see it for what it is today, a peaceful quiet wooded area full of native flora and fauna. It is an area that needs protection not only for its rich history but for the habitat it provides to the local base.

Don't forget about the reunions. If you are an alumni and are curious as to how to comment, it is really easy. Simply sign in using an existing email account (GMAIL works well) or sign in Anonymously. It is not difficult as Doug found out. Do look at the other Clarksville Base post as well.

"History never looks like history when you are living through it." John W. Gardner

in the garden.....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Lightening Struck Tree Trunk and Seed Swap

From In the Garden

I posted about my 'problem trees' on Monday and spoke of a tree we thought got hit by lightening. I have been trying to figure out if that was indeed the problem with no luck. All the information I can find on lightening strikes says the liquid inside of trees is instantly heated to an extreme temperature that usually causes the tree to explode in some manner or form. This was not the case with this tree. No instantaneous loss of limbs or explosion or even loss of bark occurred in a sudden manner. The tree did lose limbs and bark over a period of about two years but the first thing that was noticeable was the sudden browning of the full canopy of leaves. I just assumed it died due to the drought of 2007.

When the tree was finally cut down though I noticed an awful lot of charring in the center of the tree. It would appear the tree did take a lightening hit that traveled down the core of the tree to its very roots. What do you all think?

in the garden....

Dirt Princess at Trials and Tribulations of a Southern Gardener is hosting a seed swap. She is asking us to post on the seeds we have to swap then link the post back to Mr. Linky on her blog. I have the following seeds available to swap: cleome, nicotiana, orange cosmos, purple columbine, tall maroon hollyhocks, pink 4 O'Clocks, annual red salvia, and perhaps a few more I am not sure of right now. Sorry. I really need to label better. So if you all want to participate-all are welcomed not only bloggers-go check out Mr. Linky. My email address is located on this blog if interested in these seeds.

Tree killer

By Skeeter


We had to cut down a huge tree in our Georgia woods recently. The thing was rotting in the top and dropping large limbs on the driveway so time for it to come down. With the assistance of our neighbor and his tractor, he and the Saint got her to the ground. We cleaned up the mess the best we could and the Saint and our neighbor cut the trunk into lengths for firewood.

We rented a Log Splitter and spent one weekend splitting wood for the wood shed. Perfect timing as we had used the last stick of wood this past winter. While splitting the wood, we found the culprit to the trees death. Or what we believe anyway. Click on the video to see this scary thing crawling around.
See how large these creatures are compared to the Saints hands? They were like giant caterpillars that could saw a tree down!
Even out of the wood, their jaws were chomping as if trying to tunnel out of a tree! We plucked at least 100 if not more from the rotting wood. I contacted our County Extension Agent and he informs me these creatures are Sawyer Beetles. They are decomposers and eat dead or dying wood so they did not kill the tree. He says the tree looks to be an Oak and probably died due to the drought.
Here the Saint is busy splitting a small piece of wood from the limbs. Look at the size of the piece which formed the trunk of the tree that he is sitting on. The trunk pieces each made between 40-45 pieces of fire wood! The tree was really hard wood where it was not dying or dead. The Saint and I both worked as a team splitting the large pieces. He had to use the muscles to get the huge piece in place while I worked the levers on the machine. Together we got most of it split. About 6 remain in the woods where it will stay until it dries out a bit more. It was too difficult to split the wet wood while in such large pieces.

Yep, that was one huge tree to get to the ground then to get cut up into firewood.

We traded off splitting the small pieces of wood with the Saint splitting while I loaded my little red wagon and drove to the woodshed and stacked. Then I split and he loaded and stacked. Was a tough job and of course this took place with unexpected humidity in the air. Just our luck...We joke and say, "Yet another thing we can put on a Resume that we would never do for a living" Hard work I tell you and I admire the folks which do this to earn a living!

We stacked the good hard wood 2 rows deep in the wood shed and it should be ready for the fireplace this winter. We also split the rotting wood for easy burning in the outside fire pits. Will make some good campfires on cool nights.

It was probably the drought and not the strange creature that was a TREE KILLER, In the Garden...

Always trying to find the bright side of things, we have a shed full of firewood!