The Planting of the Trees
Just last weekend we spent the most exhilarating day planting trees with Mama and Papa Mersydotes. It was the right time of the year to put in their new maples and red buds- yipee! We drove out to their land through the newly harvested corn fields. After the wall of green all summer, it felt both barren and wonderfully freeing to be among the open and empty fields.
When we arrived at the property, we divided into teams. Mr. Mersydotes worked with Papa and Tio Mersydotes digging holes. I learned that each hole should be three or four inches wider than the root ball of the tree or shrub:
In the meantime, Tia Mersydotes and myself were in charge of mixing the freshly dug-up soil with compost and peat (so as to add acidity). Since we both have creaky bones, this was the perfect job for us, and we made a good team. Isn't this the most beautiful soil you've ever seen?
The greyish soil is what had been freshly dug up, the deep black is the mushroom compost, and the rust-color is the sphagnum peat.
All together, we had five wonderful dogs with us to keep us company throughout the day. They ranged in size from big and wolf-like to tiny and mouse-like, but they all got along great and formed the friendliest pack in the West!
Throughout the day, the wind was fearsome- continuous 30 mile-an-hour gusts! We had to stake the trees to keep them from snapping in half! In fact, the littlest of the puppies got too cold and decided to hunker down in our extra jackets!
And Penny decided that while Mama was filling in the holes, she would make a perfect windbreak!
It was such an exhilarating and satisfying day. There was a wonderful feeling that even though the natural world was preparing itself for its autumnal dormancy, we were adding new life that would quietly wait until the spring and then burst to life!
~Mersydotes
When we arrived at the property, we divided into teams. Mr. Mersydotes worked with Papa and Tio Mersydotes digging holes. I learned that each hole should be three or four inches wider than the root ball of the tree or shrub:
In the meantime, Tia Mersydotes and myself were in charge of mixing the freshly dug-up soil with compost and peat (so as to add acidity). Since we both have creaky bones, this was the perfect job for us, and we made a good team. Isn't this the most beautiful soil you've ever seen?
The greyish soil is what had been freshly dug up, the deep black is the mushroom compost, and the rust-color is the sphagnum peat.
All together, we had five wonderful dogs with us to keep us company throughout the day. They ranged in size from big and wolf-like to tiny and mouse-like, but they all got along great and formed the friendliest pack in the West!
Throughout the day, the wind was fearsome- continuous 30 mile-an-hour gusts! We had to stake the trees to keep them from snapping in half! In fact, the littlest of the puppies got too cold and decided to hunker down in our extra jackets!
And Penny decided that while Mama was filling in the holes, she would make a perfect windbreak!
It was such an exhilarating and satisfying day. There was a wonderful feeling that even though the natural world was preparing itself for its autumnal dormancy, we were adding new life that would quietly wait until the spring and then burst to life!
~Mersydotes
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