More landscaping & more canning

Tom Frey goes after the stump on the south side of the studio. The marine locust is very hard wood and makes for slow grinding. We also uncovered a nest of black carpenter ants which was a suspected tenant.








While the machine was geared to throw the residue backwards, we decided an old thick mattress pad would be a good cover for the double door entrance. We had also dug out the area around the stump and had removed any stones that might become entangled.








Tom brought his eight year old son with him. He was a good worker and stood ready with his shovel to move the saw dust at the end of the job. We dug two more stumps elsewhere on the property, and he eagerly helped. Tom reported he was a real outdoor youngster and enjoyed any opportunity to work or play out of the house rather than play video games! Nice to know there are still kids so inclined.





Some whole tomatoes join our larder. We use these as a side dish at a meal or as ingredients in chili and/or soups. We canned 14 quarts today and still have other similar produce coming in the garden. It is hard not to find some use for this beautiful fruit.