Clearing brush

10 hours today digging up what was probably an exotic garden, 15 years ago. Since I moved in 6 years ago it's been an overgrown mess. I would periodically attack it, unsuccessfully. Now I have the tools to do it, and I found some interesting things.

4 3'x15' rubber matts, embedded into the ground. Some decaying came up in pieces, some came up whole. They were about 3/4" thick, and quite heavy.

7 concrete blocks, 6' long by 6"x8", give or take. They were quite heavy.

3 rain barrels, rubber and about 3-4' tall.

126 bricks, of assorted color, size, and type.

15 or so metal stakes, just waiting to go through a tractor tire, or worse...

10 or so rotted 8"x8" logs, ranging from 3-6 feet long

3 2'x4" steel plates, will be good under cars and tractors.

I wish I'd gotten a better before picture, but I was a bit eager to attack it this morning. It's the area behind this old trailer.



Started with the oliver to dig up 3-4 tree's and various root systems, and get the big stuff out.





After that, the mess got cleaned up by the ferguson with grader blade and bucket. Got most of it smoothed out, just in time for the horrific rain and wind that hit around 5:30pm here in eastern PA.



When I finish, it will be landscape timbers and 4 ton of stone to make a nice pad for the shed so it's a bit further from the house.

Those trees look like planted Italian Cypress. Really old!

They're arbor vitae. They provide a great barrier between property, I have 60 of them on 3 sides. Their down side is snow, they are fairly weak because they split at the bottom to make multiple parallel trunks growing together. As a result, it's not uncommon to lose a large chunk, or half a tree. I've been fortunate thus far, but those are very large for their type.

Well, ya best git yer ask in gear afor the ol lady gits home or SWMBO is a gonna have a hissy fit when she sees that mess ya made in HER back lawn.....

She's still out of town for another week, so I can get as dirty as I want, for now.

She wants the shed down there, so I can build her a 15x30' pavillion on the slab the shed sits on now, complete with brick fireplace and stove. There's a water line there, just not sure where it goes, or where it comes from.