Getting things done. Small victories add up.

In the new TV show Fallout there is a great line.  "The Golden Rule of the wasteland is thou shalt be distracted by bullshit every single time."

I've never played the game it is based on but the picture shows the two newest distractions in my life.  We have taken care of our former neighbors barn cats since he moved out nearly a year ago.  Long story short the mama cat gave birth in his barn that we we given access to.  We found four little black long hair kittens and decided to take them, as it would probably be the only time we would be able to catch them.  

Much to our surprise after a day or so the mama came over and started to milk them laying on our kitchen floor.  She's comes in, feeds them and then goes back outside.  Once they are mature enough to have them fixed we are planning on doing so and then they will go to a good home.  

That's the plan...but plans have a tendency to change as one or two of them are finding a way into our hearts.

Recently other distractions have been work, writers block - and the fact that Sparky, one of our adopted cats, wants to lie on the keyboard as I attempt to write does not help either.  A cluster of birthdays and celebrations and events have distracted me.

There has been a whole host of other issues that I will not bore you with.  I did find myself with the first weekend, plus an extra day, in May off.  As I write this in the early hours of a Saturday evening I can honestly say that I've accomplished something with much more work to do.  

Even though we are not planning on a garden this year I've managed to get some bee balm, horseradish (container only - it is a highly invasive plant but with a flavor I enjoy), grapes, blueberry's and Jerusalem Artichokes planted.  All of which - except the horseradish  - are native to western PA and are part of the edible yard that I plan on creating.  I even managed to get a trellis built, although honestly I'm not happy with the one I bought and will probably make my own soon enough.

I still have to finish getting some plants in the ground and power wash the house.  The driveway needs re-tarred.   

Overall it's more work than I will get done in a single weekend.  

Generally however I am satisfied with what I have accomplished so far.  Western Pennsylvania in the spring is full of life and I have seen more bees in the last few days than I've seen all of last year.  I even added a new project where I am thinking of creating a bee hotel from old soup cans.  Or better yet maybe I'll just use a old piece of wood I have from the trees that I had to cut.

I don't consider myself a crafty person or even much of a DIY guy; but county life does something for you.  Simply relaying on others isn't always possible.  Nor is it always cost effective.  I've touched upon the costs of time and distance elsewhere in this blog and with increasing costs everyone is feeling a bit of a pinch in the pocket book.  

Something like this is rather simple to do and will create an area where several solitary bees can nest.  While all bee species are under threat due to climate change, solitary bees seem to be a bit more adaptable then honey bees.  Therefore anything we can do to encourage them is a benefit.

Something else also happened in the time since my last post that got me thinking.  I found Prunus Avium, or wild cherry growing in a shady area next to my house.  Thanks to the size of the leaves and woody stem I think it's managed to avoid my gaze for a bit.

The good news is that I love cherries and was happy to have found it.  The bad news is that technically it is an invasive species and way to close to my house.   So much so that it could eventually damage the foundation if the plant continued to grow.

Cherries are also considered a toxic plant to most animals and other then the fruit seems to have no other value that I can see.  Even though I would love to forage some cherries, it's got to come out of the ground.

 However I did compromise on one thing.  The wonderful woman in my life loves the snowball or Viaburnum bush.  However I found a lovely re-blooming dark purple lilac that will look lovely in our yard and is another favorite of hers.  

Yes, it's another non native species but unlike the cherry tree it should be easier to manage.  Lilacs have both edible and medicinal purposes in addition to attracting pollinators.  It can live up to 100 years and is often found near the remains of old homesteads as well.  

Am I breaking one of my own rules considering what I am trying to do?  Yes, yes I am.  At the same time however these invasive species were brought to America for a variety of reasons.  The dandelion, the cherry, the lilac have all served a variety of purposes throughout time and although I do believe in a greener and better future, I think we have to serve history as well. 

I'm starting to think that maybe, just maybe we should be reconsidering how we approach the invasive plant.  However I understand that I have much to learn and that I started way to late to make that much of a difference.

We are however trying.  That alone is a small victory.