Day 120

After our run in with neighbors, we knew we had to better define the boundaries we shared with other property owners. We also knew that the undeveloped land directly adjacent to us would soon be home to even more new neighbors so we felt compelled to better define that as well.

Luckily, we had access to equipment that would not only be able to do this  but help create our trail as well. In restoring our land and doing various odd jobs around the farm, we’ve come across multiple pieces of heavy duty machinery and equipment. Dump trucks. Front end loaders. Tractors of every shape and size. One favorite piece of equipment that was especially enjoyable to witness in person  was the brush hogger. Combining the power of a mow and bulldozer, this impressive vehicle cleared the brush in our backyard when we first prepared the land for restoration. Unfortunately for me, only my better half was able to see the vehicle in action. I wanted a turn. So when we had made the decision that defining property lines had become a higher priority, I knew just who to call.

When the time came for our farming friends to join us with the brush hogger, I was excited to see more of the “junk vegetation” areas cleared. It gave me a better sense of the canvas I had to work with. It also was a perfect time to make the primitive trail I had created with my push mower that much more defined and widened. 

First, he cleared the area in the backyard previously inhabited by a collection of rocks, dirt piles, windows, and rotten fence posts. It was amazing to see the land change, but seeing this area cleaned up was especially important as I felt it would be an important part of my plan for a native prairie. What was previously ignored and left to be covered in literal trash would soon be a bountiful garden of delicious vegetables and herbs and a beautiful prairie of colorful and habitat-friendly native wildflowers.

But that would be in the future. It was time to live in the present. It was time to build a trail.