What I Learned/Experienced While Planting Trees

Well...it's done...almost...1494 trees are planted...just a handful left to plant up by the house some day (personally, I'd be okay if they died before we plant them!). And I must admit, I am TOTALLY okay if I never have to plant another tree again!! It was rough, but I guess I did survive! Here's what I learned and experienced:

• It doesn't matter how many tracors you have or how big or small they are, when the ground is wet and soft they ALL get stuck! The first night, we hardly made it out to where we were going to plant and the big tractor pulling the tree planter got stuck. So we went to get the other tractor we have at our place to pull it out and even before we could hook it up to the big tractor...that one got stuck. Next option: hope we have enough chains to hook the truck up to the big tractor from the highway and pull it out going across the road and hope that there is abig enough break in traffic to do so - success. After we finally got the first 2 tractors stuck we got going planting trees (by this time the neighbor decided to come see what we were up to). We got a row and a half done and the tractor got stuck again...then the pull tractor got stuck as well...then the neighbor got his tractor...and got that stuck too...3 tractors stuck at once! We finally managed to get them all out, then decided to call it a night...at least, for the next day, we knew where we could and couldn't go!



• Skunks like grassy knolls! About mid-day on Saturday, while walking back to our pile of tools and extra clothes and trees, etc., I happend to notice a friendly little skunk who decided she wanted to check things out on top of the little grassy knonll! I wasn't too fond of that idea...next great idea: go back and get my .22 and wait for it to come out of its hole on top of the hill and take care of it. While Barney and his dad planted some trees by hand...I was on guard for our fragrent friend - no such luck. In the 1/2 hour I was waiting for her, she never did come back out...and I was getting sleepy sitting in the sun. So back to work I went and the skunk STILL is living!



• It's woodtick season! Once we started planting trees by hand I was constantly picking wood ticks off Barney & his dad & myself. And we apparently didn't get them all either because we keep finding them in the bathroom crawling out of the dirty clothes basket. Tuesday evening we found 7 crawling on the clothes pile...and they STILL randomly make appreances...ewe!



• I am out of shape! Sitting crouched over, stretching between my legs to stick the tree in the ground really took a toll on me. I was pretty stiff after sitting in that thing doing that thing for half a day! OWIE! And then with walking all over an dbending down sticking flags in the ground I was pretty sore and stiff Sunday!



• 1500 trees is A LOT of trees.



• MN weather is WeIrD!! Saturday morning we went out and we had jeans and sweatshirts on. When we came in to eat around 11, we were FREEZING! And it was looking like rain. So I put on some long johns, got out my winter/waterproof coat, put on another sweatshirt and grabbed a stocking cap as well...oh and left my sunglasses inside, too! Needless to say, about an hour back at it, the sun popped out and I had to shed layers. By the end of the day I was in a cut off t-shirt and short pants (yes, with my cowboy boots too...can you say, Sexy?! lol) and what do you know - SUNBURNT a little on the shoulders. And of course it happened a day after I was lecturing Barney for not wearing sunscreen at work...



• We have poison ivey SOMEWHERE in our woods or swamp! Barney ended up with poison ivy and is now on steriods to take care of that problem. Yuk!



• Prickly Ash is NOT something pleasant to have growing in your woods! My legs (from wearing short pants) are all cut and scrapped up from walking and driving the 4-wheeler through this crap. We are DEFINITLY going to be getting rid of that crap!



• There IS something that would drive me to drink! By the end of the day on Saturday I was SOOO exhausted and sore! We decided to go to the bar for pizza for supper...and I told Barney I was even going to drink!!! I NEVER say that! And once we were there, I even had some of his drink instead of him finishing mine!!



• My husband has a tremendous amount of stamina! As sore and tired as I was from working sun up to sun down on Saturday, I was about floored when we came home from eating and he says to me "I could probably go for a jog yet!" WHAT?!?! I am so thankful that he is in shape and can work hard! If it were up to me to have to work like that, we would starve! I wish I could have half as much energy he has!!