Grant Update!

First a little grant history. Back in July of 08, I was contacted by John Jackman, Directer of Emergency Management for the Town of Mansfield.

I must tell you about Mr Jackman. On Friday July 11 2008 I came home to find a note on my door and a message on my answering machine. The note and message from Mr Jackman was to inform me I might be eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) Pilot Program grant. That Friday night was a really sad night here because we had just told Jordan that her beloved kitten Charlie had died at the Vets. ( Jeanne told her, I could not do it) Jordan and I took a walk to pick a spot to bury Charlie when John Jackman pulled up eager to speak with me about the SRL Program. As he started to talk he looked down at Jordan a couple of times and noticed the tears. He asked if everything was alright and I explained her kitten had passed away. He told me what we were doing was much more important and he left us to continue our walk. He is a good man.

Well I attended the meeting the very next Monday evening at town hall and met with Mr Jackman, Doug Glowacki - Specialist with the Ct Dept of Emergency Management & Homeland Security and Sam Bell from Fema. These 3 men explained the program to me starting with the offer to buy me out, tear down my house and turn the property into open space. This was not a option for me so they explained the Elevation program. This is a 90/10 grant I have to raise 10% of the grant. This project will raise my house up above the 500 year flood line, approx 8'.

Well I signed up for this and all 3 gentleman have been great. Mr Jackman walked me from dept to dept at Town Hall and I spoke with Inland Wetlands, Zoning, and the Building Dept, all have been extremely nice and helpful. Sam Bell did all the paper work for the grant, and I heard this was a complex mountain he navigated, and Doug Glowacki has been the person I email with all my questions. He is extremely knowledgeable about the Oct 15 flood. He wrote a very informative report. you can view it at, http://ct.water.usgs.gov/data/octflood/DEP%20REPORT%20October%20Flooding%20of%202005.doc . Doug has been great and has made me feel comfortable asking the questions.

I recieved a update from Doug Glowwacki today. He said:

"Almost done. The grant award documents should be going out to the town within the next 5 days. Once the town signs and our Commissioner signs, you will be given the green light to begin the work".

We hope to start in the spring and the next time the property floods, Jeanne and I can sit on the back porch, smoke some cigars and watch the water go by.

Sometimes You Have To Just Look

Many times while driving past swamps and wetland areas in the fall and Winter I have taken notice of the breathtaking red berries of the Winterberry Holy - Ilex verticillata. I even spent time reading up on propagating the plants and seeds. I really wanted to grow some here. The bright red berrys contrasted against a Winter background is a beautiful sight.

The seeds are eaten by many species of Birds, Red Squirrels, Deer, Raccoons, and other wildlife.

The zig zagging berry clusters are prized by Christmas crafters, but over harvesting could become a issue.

While walking the South Forty I have found some very mature Winterbury plants here on the Homestead. I plan to take inventory of the Winterbury plants here and spend some time clearing some of the invasive plants that are starting to crowd them. They also tend to send out suckers that should be easy to transplant. I am very excited about this find and it shows that sometimes we just don't see whats in front of us.

I think everyone knows the unmistakable beauty of The Colorado Blue Spruce. Well here is a seedling I recently hatched. It starts out as fragile as a blade of grass and turns into a magnificent stately tree. I purchased some evergreen seeds from http://www.datreestore.com/ . Actually I purchased approximately 1500 seeds. Along with the Blue Spruce, I received,Rocky Mountain Juniper, Western Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Bald Cypress, and a tree that I have never seen except for pictures, The Dawn Redwood, metasequoia glyptostroboides. This is a truly fascinating tree that was once thought to be extinct but was found in a remote valley in China in the 1940s. Interesting reading can be found at http://www.dawnredwood.org/HISTORY.htm. I really want to grow these trees. You might say I am feeling a bit obsessed with the Dawn Redwood. I found a supplier of seedlings online, but I am waiting for them to restock.

A lot of work goes into growing a tree from a seed and I am quite sure I will not be around to experience the tree in all its glory. So why do it? I think it is part challenge, part I enjoy growing things, and maybe my impermanence and legacy. Now I do not know who planted the giant Fir Trees in front of my house Or the Red Pines nearby. Or even the mighty Hemlocks that once stood in a favorite place I used to hike daily. But I do, now and then close my eyes and picture someone from long ago putting those seedlings in the ground. Maybe one day in the future someone will look at a tree I planted and be thankful I did, even if they don't know my name.

After all we still remember Johnny Appleseed!!

Everything Happens For A Reason

October 15 2009 is the 4 year Anniversary of the 100 year flood that struck here on Saturday October 15 2005. On that fateful day I lost almost everything I owned, and was faced with a sense of hopelessness that is impossible to describe. Forty Five years of personal belongings suffered severe water damage, My Jeep was ruined and my house was a disaster. I did not even have a pair of sneakers.

With all that said, it also was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Because of the flood and for no other reason then the flood I now have Jeanne, Jordan, and Tommy to share my life with. I could not begin to imagine a life not shared with them. Every single day they bring more joy and love into this home. It is because of the 3 of them I have a reason.

The process of gutting the house and rebuilding was grueling. Ron is probably the reason I survived the many months of work that I don't think I could ever do again. He was always here to lend a hand and tested the limits of his back, and every other muscle in his body. He kept me going when I was spent. I think Ron is the only person that knows how destroyed this place was.

It was a 100 year flood and that means it has a 1 chance in a 100 it could happen any year. The folks that have lived in the area do not recall a flood that severe in their lifetimes.

On a average day like today October 15 2009 the Willimantic River has a flow rate of 76 cfs (cubic feet per second) and a gauge height of 2.5 feet. I believe 200 cfs is the ideal for canoe/kayaking. On October 15 2005 the river peaked at 12300 cfs and a gauge height of 14.61 feet.

I lived at Jeanne's house in South Windsor for the year it took to rebuild and she was brave enough to move back here Oct of 06 and that is the day this empty house became a Home for the first time.

My life changed that day in October and I am very thankful that Mother Nature brought that disaster my way. This is a Happy Anniversary.

"No Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"

I first must be big enough to concede the Great Pumpkin Contest to Willie and Peg again this year. I have not seen their prize pumpkin yet, but I trust they bought...I meant to say "grew one".
The picture shows this year's harvest. A disappointing year.
Now for my excuses..
First: I left my specially imported Giant Pumpkin seeds from Canada on the back porch and a Squirrel ate them.
Second: After I found some replacement seeds locally, I planted late because of the cold wet spring.
Third: The Deer ate most of my plants and I had to replant and then I put up a fence so that the Deer could jump it and eat the plants again.
Forth: The town of Mansfield has a zoning regulation that is quoted below.

Statue 14.386.1. No landowners with less than 236.7 acres of land will be allowed to grow any Pumpkins or Gourds in excess of 5lbs,6oz. Anyone in violation of this statue could face up to 18 years in Jail and a $786.423.11 fine for every pound over 5.6. Second violations could result in deportation to the Arctic region.

I think Will and Peg turned me in and the Pumpkin Police came a calling. I had to destroy fourteen 400 pound beauties.
I am sorry but I could not do the Jail time. Next year I will covertly raise my pumpkins up to world record size and sneak them out of town and regain the respect of my family.

And to Ken and Dale...........Wimps

The Band

From time to time we have music shows and although we have guitars, none of us know how to play them yet. Up until recently the great thing about this age is I can convince them that John Denver is the greatest and they believe me. When they were a bit younger they insisted on listing to "Thank God I'm' A Country Boy' over and over again in the car. They called it the Clapping Song.
Jordan no longer buys into this and she has moved on to Taylor Swift and others. She loves to sing along to her songs and writes her own songs to perform for us. Jordan knows all the words to Marshell Tucker's "Fire On The Mountain" and the boy tries..
I hope they love music enough that when the mood hits they belt out a song just because they feel like it.
So far it is working.

Mischievous

Its not the fact that he destroyed his Sisters Beanbag Chair. It has nothing to do with the 87 million little pieces of Styrofoam beads floating around. And it is not the clean up that is about to take place.

It is ALL ABOUT THE MISSING TRAIN HE CAN'T FIND.

Rain or, no rain, I think we will go Salamander hunting today.

Wayward Travelers

I have to tell the story about two young guys canoeing up the river. "Yes I said UP".

Last Summer I was sitting on the back porch when I heard quite a commotion coming from the river.

I walked over and observed 2 young men working extremely hard paddling a rented canoe upriver.

I asked them, "where are you headed"? At this time I noticed they had a large trash barrel strapped down in the center of the canoe.

They stopped reached into the barrel pulled out a beer and answered my question. "WE are heading to Mystic" my reply was "no your not" I believe they referred to me as Dude 47 times. They explained they were on leave from the Sub Base and they rented the canoe. They had been paddling hard for at least 2 hours after launching about 3 miles down river. They seemed bewildered when I explained they were paddling in the wrong direction and really should paddle down river for about 3 days covering 3 different rivers, the Willimantic, the Shetucket, and the Thames, then turn left when they reach Long Island Sound to reach Mystic. I did explain that when they reach Willimantic they need to take the canoe out and carry it around the waterfalls. They did not appear concerned, so I told them they would lose all the beer if they went over the falls. I think that hit home. They thanked this Dude, shook my hand and headed down river.

I wonder if they drive Submarines?

Tree Of Life

Thuja occidentalis - Arborvitae - (Latin for Tree Of Life) also known as Northern White Cedar, although they are not a true Cedar.

The Rustic Grey shingles on many of those charming shoreline houses are from The Northern White Cedar.

I am very excited about my seed collector I built. It is framed with simple 2x4 lumber with a old window screen attached to the bottom and a screen top. This allows for air flow. I found a large hedge of Arborvitae in Lisbon, jam packed with cones about to burst open with their seeds. The seeds are small, but my collector worked perfectly! I now have thousands of seeds to experiment with.

Gas Mask Needed

Kopper has been getting into the Chicken grain every chance he gets and now we are paying for this.
Jeanne and I suffered a terrible loss of brain cells last night. Kopper decided to sleep in our room last night and proceeded to fill the room with a toxic gas. My first thought was to light a candle but I think the explosion would have been seen in Ohio.

I do not think I fell asleep last night, I think I was knocked unconscious from the fumes. If the DEP showed up, they would have evacuated this end of town.

Kopper has always had a tough time with grain. In the past he was very prone to Ear infections, but when we switched his diet to "CANIDAE" which contains Rice and other diversified carbohydrates instead of common grains found in most dog foods, his ears cleared up. The ingredients sound better than what I eat during the day. The cost of the food is higher, but we no longer have the Vet bills that went along with the Ear infections.

Now we have to keep him away from the Chicken feed or we may be traumatized for the rest of our lives.