At home
Sunday, 2 January 2022
Before getting back to the fence, we had a stormy windy day at home, which was also Allan’s 69th birthday. (I find this age thing quite disconcerting. I’m only two years behind him.) Other than practical gifts like socks and pajamas, he was pleased with a full selection of his favorite candy bar from Our Kathleen and a couple of boating memoirs from me.


Skooter is a funny old boy. His latest favorite place to sleep is in the bathtub, which means he is inconvenienced when the water goes on. He will watch it with disbelief until it gets under his paws and then springs out in a huff.




The wind howled, the rain poured to the tune of 1.42 inches, the lights flickered, and I read a disappointing novel by an author whose first novel (Did You Ever Have a Family) I had loved. Can’t choose a good book every time. I kept expecting more.
Monday, 3 January 2022
Much to our surprise, and contrary to the forecast, we were able to work on the fence with only a small amount of challenging weather. Our order of lumber was delivered midmorning from Oman and Son Lumber.


The rain gauge showed our substantial rainfall as did water on every path to the willow grove.








We had, I thought, five posts to install to finish the south fence and, now that I am digging post holes, too, we moved along rapidly. Me getting the three foot deep holes close to done is certainly helpful. I don’t have a strong enough grip with the arthritic right hand to hold the digger handles open hard enough to get that last six inches of sand out.
High tide filled the fence post holes as we dug them.



We persevered through two heavy squalls of hail.









The sun came out and the garden glowed.


I moved a big sword fern that has been in the open center of the willow grove, in what is now the logical path to a new central gate.



Determined to keep the job ticking along, I dragged a couple of posts inch by inch to the work site. I cannot pick them up and carry them. Allan, who is only two inches taller than me, can. I find it amazing.

At three forty five, I felt the great sense of triumph that the last fence post had gone in. And then, to my horror, I realized that at the east end of the south side of the fence, we had not put in a post for the gate. I guess we had skipped it because we hadn’t figured out the gate size yet, meant to go back and do it and had both forgotten about it. We had a quick discussion about gate width; I took the biggest wheelbarrow to the opening and imagined wheeling it through at an angle, full of mulch, then started digging the hole. Allan took over because he is faster, and I took on the role of handing him tools: level, assorted tampers, and then shoveling sand into the hole. We were racing sunset. I kept telling him no one will know if the height of the post is not utterly perfect. However, he did make it perfect. (He realizes that level four feet off the ground is level across the top too, but, a level board across the top gives it that ‘ah-ha’ confirmation.)






There actually is one more post to install, a decorative arbor one, not part of the fence, to define a path back into the Bogsy Wood. I had tried to dig the hole for it earlier in the afternoon but gave up because the hole immediately filled to the brim with water. The water table is so high that all the poles backfill a little while digging, especially at high tide which does has an effect even though we are a block and a half from the bay. But the Bogsy hole was impossible, splashing in my face with every drive of the digger. I will peck away at it on the next fence day. If I fail, it can wait until the water drains out of the swales.
The rest of the south fence days should be much lighter work than those heavy posts: installing 2x4s, figuring out how to deer proof the three sections that go through the midst of willow tangles, and moving the fence wire panels and one gate to the new fence. The two end gates can just be moveable wire panels for now.
Have I mentioned that we are going to gain about 800 feet of deer-proof garden? The deer will eat almost any plant if hungry enough. I’m quite excited. I did love the feeling of going through the gate from Bogsy Wood to willow grove, from mostly civilized to mostly wild. Crossing the bridge over the swale will still give a feeling of change even without a fence and a gate. And perhaps Frogland will be saved from development. While I will certainly give my all to saving the frogs, I will soon be poised to landscape in any way necessary to keep our feeling of tranquility and to provide an alternate home for the frogs on our own southern front.
I’m always so amazed that the climate there allows you this much outdoor work in the winter. And a bit jealous! I’m in Northern Indiana and right now it’s 27 degrees and the wind is absolutely howling. 😉
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As a jobbing gardener, I often wonder how gardeners make a living in climates where you can’t garden year round. Back when I was more broke, we worked even in the winter, making new garden beds, mulching, or any other thing we could convince clients they needed done in January and February. It’s wasn’t fun but was possible. In a harsher climate, I figure maybe working gardeners do storm clean up and snow blowing but that doesn’t seem like enough to pay bills in the winter.
Our climate here at the coast is even milder than when I lived in Seattle, and MUCH milder than Portland, ORegon, which gets terrible ice storms almost every winter.
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Yay, yay, yay! I was especially heartened to read that perhaps frogland will saved from development. Again, a very happy birthday to Allan. John McPhee is one of my favorites, and what a delightful stash of Snickers to brighten the winter.
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Thanks for the birthday greeting. We don’t have any firm news about Frogland, just some rumblings of discontent from various directions about the non-nautical and non-fishing-industry nature of the proposed building. And the idea of putting a building for kids in a tsunami zone and built on “fill” is also causing some stirrings of dissent. We will be prepared for all eventualities. (Except for an actual tsunami, which other than flood insurance, “go bags” and knowing which direction to run or hobble, you can’t really prepare for.)
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Another Happy Birthday to Allan! Usually January here has a couple weeks of good project weather, but another big dump of snow heading our way tonight. Envious of your better weather! But I bet you will be glad to see the tail end of this construction phase!
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We will be SO GLAD. It has not been a restful staycation. Neither fence project were from a long term plan, both were circumstantial fence emergencies.
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If you do get some downtime, you may want to catch a short series of youtube garden videos from Cathy Lyon-Green who has a garden somewhere in the UK. Her garden reminds me of yours with your wonderful eclectic mix. Her “woodlanded” snowdrop and bulb mix shown in her Winter Gems clip would translate in your new reclaimed area. Anyways, food for inspiration.
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Excellent, putting it on my list along with The Driftwood garden (which I did find, haven’t watched yet).
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I’m amazed at the weather you two work through. The rain, wind and hail has been miserable here!
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Happy birthday to Allan. Great work on the fence from both of you.
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Thanks, Mr T!
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Happy 69th birthday to Allan! You both didn’t used to work for the post office, did you? Here’s a revision of USPS’s motto: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these fence builders from the swift completion of
their appointed fence and garden tasks.
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I hadn’t thought of that motto! The snow did stop us for three days though. 🙂
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You may be on Staycation but you are surely still working hard..the fence is looking good. I am feeling badly about the new potential giant building between you and the port. De they even have funding for this and if so , where is the $$ coming from? I can’t imagine there is a ton of revenue pouring in from such a small town though I expect the port is the biggest income source ?
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Belated Happy Birthday wishes to Allan! I am in awe of you two powering through the fence building in spite of the weather. The posts look great! Hope the remainder of the project goes quickly so you can be back indoors with the cats. Skooter is so funny in the bathtub.
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Thanks! We just wanna get done….Allan worked on gates today in his shop out of the weather.
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