Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Happy Face, Sad Face, Happy Face

Putting on the happy face because I was able to take our very first lettuce harvest of the season yesterday!


I suppose it would have to be called "baby leaf lettuce," but it was welcome and yummy all the same.  Also plucked the first of our radish crop from the wet soil.


Putting on the sad face because Papa Pea started cutting down a cluster of nice birch and shrubbery.  It made up a view I've always liked.


He had good assistance from our "summer intern" pictured above (aka dear daughter) who is helping us out a couple of days a week this summer.

Putting on the happy face because the clearing is being done to make room for the construction of a winter house for the ducks and geese.  This is desperately needed and I won't miss the trees when the waterfowl are comfy and cozy all winter long.

Changes, changes.  Nothing stays the same except change.  It's all good!

15 comments:

Susan said...

Boy, isn't that the truth! I love birch trees, myself, and have watched my favorite one slowly die and now become a hazard. It needs to be felled before it fells itself. Your lettuce looks wonderful! Nothing tastes as good as your own!

Michelle said...

We had our first big harvest of lettuce yesterday, too. Before that we've picked a few leaves here and there for sandwiches.

I just HATE cutting down trees. Men don't seem to have those feelings....

Rain said...

Sad to cut down trees, but it's necessary some times! I think cutting down the birches is for a good cause, but I feel for you. Before we moved into our current rental, the previous tenants cut down 6 large maples, without permission, to use as firewood...now that's a sad face. But we are very blessed with lots and lots of other trees on the property so that's a happy face :)

Dawn said...

we have lots of tree cutting to do sometimes it just has to be done to make things better

Mama Pea said...

Susan - No more trees died today as the weather was just too nasty. Plans for tomorrow are to shred/chip up all the small limbs and branches from what got taken down yesterday.

Finished the last of that first picking of lettuce for din-din tonight. Hope there's enough out there for another harvest tomorrow. Does lettuce grow without sunlight? In the rain?

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - The thing with cutting down trees is that they can never be replaced! Not really. Sure, you can make new plantings but they will never get as big and lovely (at least not for 30-40 years!) as those cut. :o(

Mama Pea said...

Rain - I actually gasped when I read what you said about tenants cutting down six large maples to use as firewood. What idiots!!!

Mama Pea said...

Dawn - You're right, of course. And also ones that are too near buildings that could go over in a wind storm. And they say we need to keep a clear perimeter around our dwellings because of possible forest fire danger, too. It's hard to decide on that happy medium.

Rain said...

I know, it's a crime in my opinion, they were the loud drunken trouble makers of the village. They stopped paying their rent 9 months before the landlord could kick them out and they got their utilities turned off so that's why they chopped the trees, to burn green wood for heat...the village breathed a sigh of relief when they left!

Laurie said...

Be sure to grind those limbs and branches into wood chips. Yay for lettuce and radishes.....add a little oil and lemon juice and that's dinner right there.

Vera said...

I love birch trees and brought several saplings with me when we moved from the UK to France. Unfortunately some are dying though, which is sad.

Sue said...

I always hate to lose trees, but you definitely have a good reason. Looking forward to seeing the construction project...including your smiling face as you work work work. Teehee!!
Maybe if I cut down some trees here, a GREENHOUSE will appear????

Mama Pea said...

Laurie - Putting the limbs and branches through the shredder/chipper is on the schedule for today!

There are many, many meals during the summer when we have a big salad as our meal. Can't be beat!

Mama Pea said...

Vera - Something (a tree disease) is taking many of our birch trees, too. The old-timers say it's a cyclical thing, but so sad to see so many of them dying.

Mama Pea said...

Sue - If you had a greenhouse in which to grow things, it would be totally scary what you could do! I might have to stop reading your blog then because you would make me feel totally inferior as a gardener, and I'd have to turn in my green thumb! ;o}