What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
While TS and I do our grand yardwork ((((if you’ve visited our site, you realize the scale of our “backyard”)))… …. we enjoy our wild non-human neighbours. To keep these 5 things happy (and by extension, us happy) we act out the following ways:
- TS’ activities are based on ecologically-sound permaculture practices.
- My chainsaw activities are planned out and conducted to reduce environmental degradation (example: I use biodegradable chain oil, refueling is done on the gravel-stone parking lot to prevent fuel from seeping into the watertable [yes, it evaporates into the atmosphere… an issue], unsellable timber [for firewood] is used in hugelkulture and the base of raised garden beds, branches and twigs are shredded for mulch and soil operations).
- We own 25 acres of mixed forest, and are developing about 2-3 acres of it for human use. The rest of the lot is for the birds, bugs, forest chickens, turkeys, bats (gotta get some more bat houses installed), deer, and small carnivores-omnivores.
- 5 things… … … … …
- Moss? I love me some moss, growing in the shaded rock outcropings. I’m aware that the more canopy I remove, the moss will die off. I see first hand a forest experiencing ecological succession. Protect my moss — give them alternative habitat. I give my non-root plants places to grow and thrive!
- Trees? I have a lifetime of deadfall, widowmakers, whipable pole saplings to clean up on this lot. TS and I agreed to leave up a percentage of dead trunks up for habitat and nesting locations.
- Birds? We bird-proofed our DAY USE ONLY AND 100% FREESTANDING PAVILION that south of our house. Until the custom-cut storm windows arrive, we enshrouded the pavilion with bug screen and Tyvek. No nesting opportunities this year thankyouverymuchyoulittlestubbornbastards. I put some nest anchoring screws about the underhang of our garden shed. Of course, the hummingbird feeders have already gone up (and we’re obeying the guidelines published by the Audubon Society about feeder sanitation).
- Frogs? Our raised garden beds have overturned pottery pieces about nearby trees. Those are some nice toad holes, yes? We have NO LAWNS on our property and don’t rake away leaf litter in the spring. Give the local polinators a place to do their thing, right? I’m pretty certain there’s a vernal pool just east of our septic system, somewhere in the bush. Go spring peepers and leopard frogs!
- Cats? These housepanthers give us joy and a fucking mess to clean up daily.
MAY 24/26 WORRISOME TREE UPDATE!
The widowmaker (House Killer) was successfully felled today, according to plan. The tree species was a poplar or aspen (it’s also related to cottonwood [link to species information]). The species’ wood is notorious for being brittle and can do all kinds of nonsense when being cut (barber-chair-effect, bilaterally split, its heartwood often rots out). This tree was far too close to the home (unsatisfactory site preparation) and half its canopy was killed off by the 2025 ice storms.
FIRST STEPS = THE PLANNING AND SITE PREPARATION. TS and I removed the underbrush from our south lawn. That fucking tree had grown on top of a pile of boulders and moss. I’m amazed the poplar lived as long as it did.
THE CUT = I asked my neighbour (experienced dropping big dead elm trees) to check my preparation before I proceeded to fire up my MS261 chainsaw.
As predicted, the heartwood of the tree was degrading, with black cavities forming at its core. I think the only reason it remained standing was that the adjacent tree roots provided an anchor over the strata. This timber will be split up for firewood sales (and it will get mixed up with superior species [alder, ash, maple, oak, ironwood, paper birch] for long-burning campfires).
Obviously, this worrisome tree has a backstory and represents all kinds of fears I’ve been harbouring since we moved into our forever home at LR40 (its project designation at Evolve Builders Group [EBG], Guelph, ON). TS and I knew that tree was going to be a problem the moment EBG poured the concrete slab and began framing. We told our construction manager about our concerns. He smiled and assured us that it’ll be fine… and if not, he could have an excavator knock it down. He didn’t monitor the construction site adequately — he was too focussed on the build & ignored the outer construction zones.
TS and I were onsite, acting as unpaid assistant construction managers throughout the building process. If we can secure financing, and plan out phase 2 of our build (so that we can get the B&B legitimately online), we plan on having a frank conversation with EBG about job scope, management, accountability, and oversight! Yes, the construction manager for our initial LR40 project has left EBG.
The worrisome tree is felled and another chapter in our home project ends. Nice. Fucking A-1 awesome and good!
MAY 25, 2026 UPDATE = We came home from visiting my cousin in Kincardine today. As we drove up our driveway, I immediately saw what was missing behind the house — that fucking poplar. Nice! Our next project is installing the bear bin.
Our first step will be to clear a spot near our driveway entrance, close enough for the garbage truck operator to access it. Then, we pour a concrete foundation with preinstalled carriage bolts pointing up from the surface (embedded with steel straps entombed in concrete). Fit the bear bin in place and screw it down. Eventually, smear those carriage bolt threads to prevent bad actors from stealing the bin!
BCB&B, neemtree, bdb, and blog 