Spring in Springtown

Before the spring really kicks in we spent a lot of time in the garden. Eight Point Construction can't start in the basement as it is too damp. They have removed the boiler and the oil tank so the basement is empty, except for the sump pump that is working over time.

After pulling apart the porch to leave only the vertical supports, Daniel and I started clearing the front of the house and the north side. This was a jungle of bittersweet vine, poison ivy (judging by my arms) and dead trees. We started cutting all the vines and then removed them to a pile. We then piled all the branches on the piles too. Before we knew it there were piles of wood everywhere. As we worked along the wall we discovered what looked like the remains of a small shed. Under the debris was a well head, with a big bluestone top.



There seems to be a pipe in it running down through the water suggesting the well is quite deep. We wondered if the structure around this may have been a spring house. We tried to find more information on the Internet about spring houses but there is a distinct lack of information.

Daniel was stuck up in Stone Ridge last week, waiting for the car to be repaired. (We hit a rock on Mountain Road and took out the oil pan. Ouch!) Ryan Petit continued the clearing all week. One day when he was there one of the neighbors came over with a map of the orchard on the North Side of the house. The map, a photocopy, was meticulously drawn and named over 30 varieties of fruit baring trees that had once been on the grounds. Each tree drawn and labeled. The photocopy we have is very bad quality so it is hard to read but includes peaches, pears, cherry, paw paw, persimmon, apples and many more. Most of these trees are dead or have fallen over but there are a few that look like they may still have some life in them.

We finished off a little of the north side this weekend and you can now see the North Side of the house...this was impossible just a week ago.

Other activities this week. Having trapped the beaver there has been no more damage of the trees. We got our permit to trap for the rest of the year and permission to remover the beaver lodge at the base of the willow tree.

We also cleared out the stream from the spring and the exit stream under the big willow tree on the south side of the pond. We had an appointment with The Pond Connection who advised us how to treat the pond so it stays clear and more inviting to swim. This regimen includes a bacterial agent to clear algae and a black die that reduces the UV. All organic and creates a wonderful deep, dark shimmery pond effect.


We also cleared the fallen tree from the pond and started removing the brambles from below the solar panel. More piles of debris...bring on burning season!!!