An Unfinished Basement II

The last corner of my multi-decade basement project appears below. It's come a long way from the loose fieldstones and rusted steel windows when we purchased our home. My spouse assisted me in stapling upside-down Tyvek onto the floor joists,  and clean ceiling. Installed glass block create a bright spot. Note the buttress walls added almost a century ago.

Almost Squirrel-Proof Growing Space

It takes quite a bit to deter a red squirrel. By hook or crook they can get into almost anything. I believe deterrence is our only hope. I decided to try to grow ginseng in a semi-natural setting. It needed a modicum of protection from the marauding red squirrels. I have observed them dig bulbs up simply for a brief examination. They leave half-eaten nuts inside my art studio. The trick is to bore them until they leave the space or area alone. Also, a multi-layered defense is recommended. The open air structure created has layers of steel fencing and plastic mesh. Thus far they appear to be ignoring my precious ginseng!

 

 

 

An Unfinished Basement I

All of us have seen fancy basements. When I was a child in the 60's they may have had a pool table or a bar and were sometimes referred to as "Rec. Rooms". Dis-spell any notion that the basement at our house has anything in common with these visions of loveliness. One hundred and eighteen  years ago (1901) glacial rocks delivered by farmers were used to make the foundation. With pipes and ducts the ceiling height is under 6 feet. Luckily, my gal and I are not tall enough to have to worry about hitting our heads! For the last 25 years I have been sporadically repairing, sealing and painting sections of these walls. Below is a completed section. I will complete this post when the task is completed.

Pinelands Rascal

 Rascally Invader from the Pinelands

I have always generally enjoyed squirrels. Even while marauding birdfeeders, their antics are amusing and often comical. I grew up with the Grey Squirrel which can be jet black. Since eighteen the larger Fox Squirrel has been a common and mostly pleasant neighbor. However, our current home has a less friendly member of this rodent family watching over it incessantly. This American Red Squirrel  (tamiasciurus  hudsonsonicus) clucks at us furiously with a somewhat rude stare. It also chases away the Fox Squirrels, makes a racket whenever it sees a cat, tears leaves off trees, eats baby birds and sometimes drops parts of nuts a little too close for comfort. Seemingly indignant at our presence,  I have now made it clear that it's habitat is supposed to be forests of spruce, pine or fir and not our backyard. We are currently in the midst of an uneasy truce, but the rocking bench (pine!) on the front porch continues to experience an increase in chew marks. A judge in Georgia in 1954 ruled that squirrels are not "vermin",  so I am trying to stay respectful.

Invasion of the Condos

Due to a zoning change a developer was allowed to build a snake of two condos extending through the entire backyard next door. He then created fenced-in "pens" (mock yards). Catastrophe! One day a guest said "At least it's a nice fence" and I smiled- holding my tongue.   The Hapless team mobilized and bought 20 six-foot Arborvitae "Green Giant" trees for 50$ each and sprang into action. Sadly, the Love Arbor swing and a small shed had to go to one day create a living fence 80+ feet long . One hundred feet of soaker hose was laid out curvy-like and covered with 3 inches of mulch to facilitate watering and reduce evaporation. We are now ready to kick back and watch them grow.

Post Invasion Preparation

Remedy Eventually

Roofs and their Dangers

Roofs are elevated locations. Falls from said places generally result in injury. Although I sometimes partied on roofs as a teen, I am no longer indestructible. I saw a man working on a roof right after a rain recently. This is an obvious no-no unless one has a very large life insurance policy. One time I was wire-brushing bits of moss off my front porch roof. A new neighbor yelled "Don't fall!" at the top of his lungs. I steadied myself, got my bearings, took a deep breath and thanked him for looking out for me. I was rattled for approximately one hour and I'm considering performing this task at night in the future. I know several people who are very nonchalant about walking on roofs. Apparently there is some bravado involved and I stand mute when I observe it to avoid possible wraith. However, ask yourself: "Do I have a body like a squirrel?". Nature gave us bipedal motion, not hyper-tree jumper motion. Think about it- especially in wet or winter conditions. Apparently the man below did not.

Nature does its Own Thing

People talk about "training" plants- please!  I planted Clover seeds under a tree 20 years ago. None came up there at all, but to this day, cute little baby clovers are still coming up in flower beds all around it. Ever notice how well a clump of grass grows in a spot where you don't want it? How it rhizomes out underneath bricks and what have you- ignoring the bare spot in the other direction? (Don't worry that insidious evil known as turf grass will get it's very own post in the future). What about the Clematis that grows better up the gutter than the nice trellis you bought it? Human efforts to "train" flora do not inspire any gratitude in most species. A "climbing" rose that prefers a drunken lean over the driveway tore my shirt a couple days ago. When I turn my back, our tomatoes grow sideways to elude the fancy red hoop cages we thought they'd like. Forget-Me-Not is one of the few fun rebels, springing up in a surprise locale seasonally. Lastly, I will turn to my efforts to grow vines over a passage next to the garage.  Despite years of cajoling and pruning, the wild grape and Virginia Creeper prefer the roof. Adding insult to injury, they now grope my gorilla sculpture, who recently had a squirrel steal one of his eyes.

Maligned Great Ape

Forget Me Not