Tiny Garden Finally Takes Shape & Island April Work

Añadido: 2026-05-05

[00:00:09][music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Oh.

[00:01:51]Almost without fail, she's after the socks.

[00:01:56]Every single thing I've ever seen written about Maltese poodle mixes is that they are obsessed with socks.

[00:02:05]Obsessed.

[00:02:06]I think she has a stash somewhere because I am missing so many socks.

[00:02:11]Good morning.

[00:02:13]It was so cold out, but supposed to be better tomorrow. Tomorrow we're sailing for the island.

[00:02:19]Um since I got the back divider pretty much sorted, it'll be finished in a little while.

[00:02:28]But, since the frame is in place and the legality has been established, ah, it's like a huge weight has been lifted off me, and suddenly I'm really excited about getting that back space finished.

[00:02:43]I did some planting yesterday.

[00:02:46]Oh, yeah, I got to start. And it really got me excited about getting going. I cannot do more until I paint the back wall.

[00:02:55]Um there's just no reason to get any further along until I get that back wall painted.

[00:03:01]I am thinking of the whole project very differently, mostly because of finances, lack thereof, and also because of the way the water's coming off of the roof, I I'm going to move towards the edges, and the plants will be a little bit lower down than I had expected them to be, so that the water drains into the beds.

[00:03:26]Uh and yeah, we'll see what happens later in time, but at least this way I can get the planting started, and uh and start to enjoy this space.

[00:03:45]Okay.

[00:03:46]The cat's in her box.

[00:03:49]The dog's wondering what's going on.

[00:03:56]And the house is very organized, so that when I return, I return to a super clean house.

[00:04:09]And I'm just going to go out and water the plants one last time.

[00:04:13]I hope they're going to be okay. I think the weather's cool enough that they should be fine for this first 9 days.

[00:04:28]I continue to add on layers, like a nice hook here for towels. There's one down in the front room as well.

[00:04:36]Just as I realize what I need, I start to incorporate them.

[00:04:50]The car is so packed.

[00:04:52]I mean, for what is going to only be 9 days with the two animals and their beds and their food and my food and the craft projects that I want to do for Easter an extra um down comforter cuz I am determined not to be cold this time.

[00:05:16]Anyway, it occurred to me this morning leaving this house that I have the same feeling of melancholy that you usually have when when vacation is over, which is so amazing because that's my home.

[00:05:28]But, I do have at least 4 more years of work before I can retire, so I got to get over it.

[00:05:35]I'm going down to ferry now.

[00:05:38]Got plenty of time, and uh >> [gasps] >> I'm going to hit the ground running in GA.

[00:05:47]I need to go up the hill to the farm, empty the car, get the animals settled, and then go back down and measure and mix about 250 kilos of acorn cookie dough.

[00:06:01]So, to be continued.

[00:06:03]Okay, it's not quite as bad this time as it has been in the winter time, January, February, and earlier this month.

[00:06:12]It's still cold and damp in here, but it's it's doable. It's definitely not a situation that is so dire like it was in the past.

[00:06:22]I can go to work and come back and light a fire in this evening, it'll be fine.

[00:06:39]I mean, it's not a huge patch, but boy, I need to figure out what I'm going to do about this.

[00:06:48]It's waist high.

[00:06:56]This oak tree here at my place is about to burst into bloom.

[00:07:02]There are a couple places where the leaves have already broken through.

[00:07:12]Whole thing will be a beautiful light cabbage green in a bit.

[00:07:19]So, I now see that this almond is probably salvageable with a good hard prune.

[00:07:25]And this one maybe the same or could be eliminated. But, there's definitely going to have to be some clean up this year. I already did a lot of clean up last year, but there's going to have to be more.

[00:07:35]And as for weed whacking and getting it fireproof, I don't even know where to begin.

[00:07:42]I guess I'm going to wait for another month, otherwise it'll just grow right back. It is incredible. There's another storm moving in in a couple days.

[00:07:52]This rain is it's it's relentless this year, relentless.

[00:07:57]I have really bad news about my acorn storage. Most of it is uh for the garbage.

[00:08:04]Uh luckily, I have enough of a buffer zone of acorns that it's not going to jeopardize my business, but it just means that the entire harvest or let's say 80% of the harvest uh is going to have to be burned.

[00:08:21]It has molded in storage.

[00:08:25]Such an amateur mistake, but this year was a kind of an extraordinary year because I really needed to leave in November in order to finish my house on the other side. I just couldn't leave it any longer. It had to be done.

[00:08:39]Next year, or this year actually, 26 coming up, I will stay. I'll stay all the way through until I am sure that the acorns are cured enough before they go into storage.

[00:08:50]I knew when I was putting them in storage that it was a high risk situation, and they looked great until last month, but this month in particular has been even more wet than than the previous month. It's just been, as I said, relentless, and this valley is so wet. I mean, it's a natural spring, so of course it's wet.

[00:09:16]So, big challenge, um big disappointment, uh lot of work for nothing, and now I got to get the damn things up out of that storage room and crack them as soon as possible and salvage whatever is salvageable.

[00:09:30]But, you know, when you're working with a wild harvest and you're trying new methods, um this is the kind of thing that happens.

[00:09:37]And like I said, I've got enough tannage in storage, in a deep freeze actually, where they're pretty safe, um to keep me going until this year's harvest.

[00:09:49]So, now the big question is, what will the harvest look like this year? Because last year looked like a mast year. If we hadn't had as much rain as we've had this year, I would expect that there wouldn't be many acorns.

[00:10:00]But, let's see. And I have been also observing that the the cabia, the caterpillar, the oak moth, acorn moth, whatever you want to call it, that usually infest these trees around this time of year is nowhere to be seen.

[00:10:19]Probably due to the very lower than normal temperatures and the rainfall.

[00:10:25]So, let's see. Every year is different and that is the big challenge of revolving your livelihood around a wild harvest.

[00:10:34]Ruby, what's going on here?

[00:10:36]Ruby?

[00:10:38]I can't wait to see those white paws.

[00:10:44]What you doing, Dickie?

[00:10:46]I heard you talking to the birds.

[00:10:55]Look at you.

[00:10:57]You're a disaster.

[00:11:02]Look at those paws.

[00:11:04]Is this your hole?

[00:11:06]Here?

[00:11:07]Is that what happened?

[00:11:10]Supposed to be in charge. What the hell?

[00:11:12]I heard you yelling at her. I'll give you that.

[00:11:16]All right, Dickie. Good girl.

[00:11:20]Look at the baby.

[00:11:22]It's a baby cow.

[00:11:24]Hi guys.

[00:11:32]Wow, he is enormous.

[00:11:36]It can't be a he. It must be pregnant.

[00:11:38]Oh, yeah. She's so pregnant.

[00:11:41]Morning. The hour changed last night.

[00:11:44]We're just going to get to work early cuz I've got so much to do.

[00:11:48]So clear today.

[00:11:51]Sure I can see my house if I look for it.

[00:11:59]It's in that village right there.

[00:13:40]Good morning.

[00:13:42]I was freaking out about the whole weed situation here. Usually I'm not all freaked out about weeds, but this year they're shoulder high and it's only the end of March. So, I got good old Freddy to come help me with the weed whacker and we'll see how much we get done today.

[00:14:02]Seems to be going pretty well and oh, it's just such a relief because it was just so so damp besides the fire hazard later on this year. But, weed whacking this early means it probably will have to be done at least once more.

[00:14:16]So, already this whole area is clear which is nice cuz this is where Ruby was getting so wet.

[00:14:34]Wow.

[00:14:58]So, he's going to do this terrace here and around the threshing circle over there by the drying area and downstairs at the entrance of the storage area.

[00:15:13]Downstairs is a It feels like ten steps. There are no stairs, but down on the lower level where the entrance to the storage room is, that definitely needs to be cleared out. And then with whatever time remains, we start on this side of the house and start plowing back the shoulder high weeds from there.

[00:15:37]Supervisor.

[00:15:41]Wow.

[00:15:42]I have never seen a moth this big.

[00:15:48]I think if it spreads its wings, yeah, it's about the size of my palm.

[00:15:53]What?

[00:15:55]Don't think this moth is very well. Actually, I want to I want to have a better look at him.

[00:16:08]Look at that.

[00:16:14]That's 14 cm across.

[00:16:19]That's incredible. I've never seen anything like it.

[00:16:27]Oh, you're so miserable after your bath, aren't you?

[00:16:30]You're so miserable.

[00:16:33]Go sit in the sun. Go on.

[00:16:38]So, I started planting the lavender today. Got a couple in and I think I'll bring two more.

[00:16:46]This is getting so much sun I anticipate it will come all the way out to about here within two or three years. This will be all one huge bush.

[00:17:25]You can imagine what a relief it is to get that done. There is no way I was going to be able to do that myself. I played with the idea of buying the actual weed whacker, a good one.

[00:17:38]I just There's no reason.

[00:17:40]There's no reason.

[00:17:41]It's pushing it would mean spending energy on that rather than something else.

[00:17:49]So, so glad Freddy was available today. I just asked him yesterday and boom, today he's here.

[00:17:59]I'm so over that dark damp kitchen that I decided to bring it out here.

[00:18:11]Such a beautiful day.

[00:18:25]That looks nice again.

[00:18:56]Dickie?

[00:19:15]Freddy's still at it. It's been about six hours.

[00:19:18]I'm just going to go tell him to stop because I need to go down and do a full day work at the kitchen this afternoon.

[00:19:26]What a difference a day made.

[00:19:29]Really.

[00:19:33]I think he accomplished more than I actually thought he would.

[00:19:40]Scraped the whole storage room is clear in front and around the back.

[00:19:46]That will help keep things a little bit drier.

[00:19:50]What's going on?

[00:19:53]What happened here?

[00:19:55]Huh?

[00:19:56]What exactly happened?

[00:20:00]Ruby?

[00:20:03]What happened?

[00:20:05]Huh?

[00:20:08]You just lost control?

[00:20:11]What the heck?

[00:20:14]And then you came in and jumped on the bed?

[00:20:18]Ruby?

[00:20:22]Hopefully the suflaki sticks will keep her out of the dirt. Ruby?

[00:20:30]Ruby?

[00:20:36]All of this big pile and a big pile behind me of this rampant weed, what do they call it? This thing.

[00:20:49]It just takes over bushes.

[00:20:52]It was completely suffocating the cactus up to shoulder height, suffocating it.

[00:21:01]Yesterday I thought it was dead, but I don't think it's dead.

[00:21:06]It's gone through some kind of crazy trauma and I'll have to look up and see what I should do.

[00:21:21]But there are signs of hope.

[00:21:23]There's this.

[00:21:26]One, two, three.

[00:21:28]This looks quite healthy.

[00:21:33]And behind there.

[00:21:38]This one is fine.

[00:21:43]And there's a new one there.

[00:21:45]I'm guessing I need to cut them off at this point.

[00:21:49]Maybe they're just completely gone.

[00:21:53]That one's going to fall off soon or maybe they fall off by themselves.

[00:21:57]I'll have to do some research.

[00:21:59]Unbelievable.

[00:22:01]That top one is literally 5 m tall now.

[00:22:08]Wow.

[00:22:09]What a What a monument.

[00:22:15]Oof.

[00:22:19]Yesterday when I saw it looming so high and white yellow from the drive I really thought it was dead.

[00:22:37]I actually think it's ready to be moved.

[00:22:40]I think that's what's happening here.

[00:22:42]I think all that height and grandeur is going to dry off and drop off and what's going to be left will be very easily transportable.

[00:22:59]That's what it looks like to me. She got herself ready for traveling.

[00:23:06]What will remain will be about that high.

[00:23:09]Good morning. I'm on what will probably be the last ferry for 3 days.

[00:23:14]I finished up cookie baking yesterday.

[00:23:18]My original plan was to keep going and do another round, but it's I made more than enough for the time being and the weather is miserable and it's not fun in that house up there.

[00:23:33]It's far too cold and wet and small for the animals. So I just decided to hop on the AM boat which is about to leave.

[00:23:42]It's about 6:20 right now.

[00:23:44]And um yeah, finish up.

[00:23:52]Ruby, what do you think?

[00:23:54]Hm?

[00:23:55]It's actually quite a relief to be on this boat and get home to a nice dry warm house.

[00:24:06]It's so funny getting back in my house.

[00:24:08]It's so funny.

[00:24:10]And um I'll be back here in exactly a week.

[00:24:16]It's just us up here.

[00:24:18]A few people inside, but not many.

[00:24:21]This is Easter week for everybody except for the Greeks, the Orthodox.

[00:24:26]Um and usually it's quite busy with loads of Europeans and Americans for Holy Week here, but not this year because of the war. It looks like it's going to be a very very quiet springtime.

[00:24:41]I think the season's going to get started a lot later than normal.

[00:24:45]And um yeah, planning accordingly.

[00:25:03]It's 8:15 and we're back home at the big house.

[00:25:10]I just got a fire started and as you can see everybody's right here.

[00:25:20]It looks like I'm not alone in feeling a lot more comfortable and a lot more relaxed in this home than the place we have on the island. It'll be fine in about a month's time, but the last six nights felt like 15 again and it's funny. This is the first time the cat did not complain at all. She strolled into her box, didn't make a peep, didn't drool, didn't, you know, wasn't upset and then strolled right out of her box and into her bed.

[00:25:52]>> [laughter] >> She's like thank you, I'm home.

[00:25:57]And that was nice. It's It's very dark outside. You can see the windows. It's very dark and cold and foggy and windy and apparently a by 4:00 p.m. this is going to be a really ferocious storm.

[00:26:14]And here we are all nice and tucked in.

[00:26:16]I've got the um I've got the underfloor heaters on, the wood burner started and I just turned on the hot water so I can have a nice hot bubble bath. I am I am so happy and it's so nice to be in such close proximity to to the island and my work.

[00:26:37]For me, one of the main issues is not just the fact that it's so cold and damp and there's no proper heating in the house, but that it's closed off and you're you're completely closed off from nature and light. It's dark in there.

[00:26:50]Uh on a day like today it it would be I'd have to just stay in bed. That would be the only way to get through the day.

[00:26:59]And that this is going to last for 5 days.

[00:27:02]So yeah, that's what we're doing here and I will go to yoga tonight.

[00:27:10]Yeah, I know this is the best of both worlds. I feel very blessed. It really is the best of both worlds. I'm not complaining about the island. It's just the wintertime that's a bit difficult, but I'll figure that out as well.

[00:27:21]The really cool thing is that Freddy worked two full days at my little farm and got all of that waste and shoulder height dense weed growth that we've had this winter. He he got that down. It's going to need it again later this summer, but it was it was something else. It I mean, you couldn't pass through places. You you would just get soaking wet. So that's taken care of. It's already started to turn beige brown.

[00:27:54]It's crazy. Within hours it lost its its really bright green hue on the ground.

[00:28:00]And Ruby was thrilled because, you know, she could run around without getting absolutely soaking wet and freezing. So and he got the oak tree cleared out underneath.

[00:28:10]Yeah, that that was great. I didn't expect that to happen in such [clears throat] a timely manner because I guess it's just this year if you're a if you have a weed whacker and you want to go and work somewhere out here in the islands and and you know, Southeast Saugatuck, it's the same thing.

[00:28:30]Everybody has to get rid of their weeds by May 1st. I mean, that's the law for fire hazard. And um and the burning season ends on May 1st.

[00:28:40]So that's another big thing for for any pruning and stuff. And there are not enough people. Obviously, there are not enough people. So if you're a if you're a weed whacker, you've got plenty of business this year because the weeds are unbelievable. They are out of control.

[00:28:57]I've never seen anything like it. What is usually knee high at the most is now shoulder high.

[00:29:05]And getting control of that situation, especially around the houses, that that really is has set my mind at ease that the house is is in better shape to to move into the spring and summer.

[00:29:20]So this morning I'm just um reassessing my costs, my ingredient costs as prices rise so rapidly.

[00:29:30]I just realized on this dark morning that I have never actually turned on all the lights in the house.

[00:29:37]I grew up during the '70s energy crisis um and I just, you know, I'm super super frugal with lighting. With having all the lights on.

[00:29:48]But, today's a perfect day to showcase them, because it's light enough Anyway, let let's just walk around the house now that I've got it all lit up.

[00:30:53]Thanks so much for being here, and I'll see you soon. Don't forget the hype, like, comment, subscribe thing. Thanks so much.