Shed Roof for the Cottage Remodel

Dale made a SolidWorks model to try a roof configuration for the redo. The scary little house becomes a guest cottage. (The window scribbles are just scribbles.) Any comments?

Canada Thistle

Today we are going to get ready to visit all of our patches of Canada thistle. Now that most plants have flower buds, it is time to spray them with glyphosate (RoundUp).  We will mix solution today and spray tomorrow when it is dry and not windy.  We plan to mix dye with the herbicide so we will know what we have sprayed.    This variety of thistle propagates by seed and insidiously by rhizomes creating an elaborate and extensive root system.  We've pulled plants by hand using spading forks to loosen the soil and come up with all sorts of evidence, multiple plants off one root section, old dead plants leading to viable roots.   Rhizomes can extend 15 feet and vertical roots 6-15 feet.   Uncontrolled, the plants take over everything and and use up virtually all the resources.  Tree cover that eventually grows will stop them. 

 Earth Corps 'ground hogs' grubbing out the small blackberry from the wetland buffer zone.

This is the wonderful Earth Corps crew that spent three days with Dale, getting rid of mostly Himalayan blackberry. They have the patience and expertise to spare the native berries (GoodBerry) while grubbing out the BadBerry. They taught Dale how to take apart a thicket, how to defeat a holly tree, and showed him how to wield a Stihl brushcutter. Cora is transformed! The land is so much more open. The trees are prettier without HBB climbing the branches. We seem to have more property, we've reclaimed so much from bramble. Earth Corps has agreed to come back in the fall to help us with step two of BadBerry eradication, which is to cut new growth and daub it with glyfphosate.

This is the 21-foot Terry trailer where we spend the night on those weekends we can. It's cozy (small) but with all the comforts of home on a small scale.  We love it!