Winter Storm Clean Up

After what seemed like weeks and weeks of bad weather, we were finally blessed with a sunny weekend day. So with no excuses left, Dad and I spent a good 2+ hours today down on the secret path, working on storm clean up. We started at the entrance along the driveway and worked toward the bridge. Most of the cleanup along this section involved cutting back blackberry canes and cutting down small limbs and branches. We did encounter one fallen tree but thankfully it wasn't too large. 

Eventually we made it to the bridge. I raked the bridge free of fallen leaves, so that it could dry out. It was still slimy and slippery even when that was completed. I had Dad whack back a bunch of brush growing on the left, right before the start of the bridge. Many, many years ago, Dorothy planted Bearded Iris here. Each year they return, but rarely bloom. I think the area is generally too shaded for them. I hope this removal of competing brush will allow them access to more sunlight which will hopefully lead to more blooms for us to enjoy.

After crossing the bridge we hit the stretch leading to the Big Garden. Thankfully a crew hired by Lane Electric had already been through here, clearing access to the power lines. They had cut down, but left on the ground, at least one fallen tree and piles and piles of black berry canes. While I worked on picking up that mess to clear up the path, Dad started work on the large fallen tree still blocking the path. After only working on it for a few minutes, the chainsaw started acting up. I took that as a sign to quit for the day. While we still have 20-30 feet of path that still needs cleared, we got a ton accomplished.