Husband Pieter Finished Restoration Work on our Bridges on Wood Trail

When we purchased our lot in 1990, both of us were still 'young' enough to handle its size.

Over the years, as we both age and decline in health; it has proven to be more than big enough!

BUT we still take pride in our Estate:

Photo taken on May 3 and our lawn is nice green again.

This is the bridge closest to the road where Pieter used vinyl picket fence parts, that got damaged from the tree cutting.

Our center bridge restored and wood treated.

Our 3rd bridge that Pieter managed to complete on April 30.

Yes on the day that we had his Birthday dinner in the evening...

Just walked over JIT = Just In Time before it was DONE.

Yep, a 93 year old + 1 day...

Okay, let me take you back into the wood garden after the tree crew cut down several ugly ones or those that were not so healthy.

We let them decompose naturally and it will take but a couple of years.

This was on March 23, just for the oversight of our wood trail.

The trail makes a kind of |_|_| through our wood garden, towards all 3 bridges.

The creek is very calm here and it is forever changing over the years.

We look towards the road, standing on the 3rd bridge and you see the center bridge and the one closest to the road with the vinyl picket fence.

Now looking towards the house and gazebo...

Also on March 23.

On April 30, our Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold was once more at its best.

Each spring the new leaves are golden.

Yes, even live oaks do shed their leaves and renew in the spring!

Our palm trees are growing fast and to the right you see the White Oak towering tall over the more compact Grand View Gold.

Such a perfect day with blue sky and here, you see the Grandview Gold seen from the front.

On May 3, we walked the Wood Trail over the bridge closest to the road and when we bend left, we come past a damaged mailbox that Pieter used for bird house, with a hole made in the pull down lid.

When I opened it, not knowing that it was occupied, a Carolina Wren flew out!

There are 4 eggs but a bit strange that there is one white one...?

Looks like a brood parasitic bird has been in action here.

In certain areas there are short bridges on the wood trail... This one is the first after passing the bird house.

Those are now all repaired and treated in order to preserve the wood.

There were initially ditches dug for letting the water flow down towards the creek, so here is another bridge for walking over.

One can tell that it has been quite windy on and off and blossoms fall from trees down.

And the next one, passing over a former ditch or area where it can be wet in winter time.

This section used to be wet and had a bridge but Pieter is not replacing this one as there is no longer a need for.

A short section.

And now were coming almost out of the woods.

Our gazebo is visible and to the left our house.

But 3 days later, on May 6, this happened in that corner at our neighbor's yard!

We were for 7 hours without power as there were lots of trees down in our area and we had a lot of wind gusts, no tornado warning but a severe storm passed through.

Scary when you see such a giant being toppled!

We're grateful for having cut our weaker trees down early November last year.

Related link:

Bridge and Underbrush Clearing | previous post from January

Our Bridges a Constant Battle with Mother Nature | previous post by me

Protecting Ducklings & Dinner for Uncle Bo Whaley

Having  your own property with Backyard Wildlife is at times complicated...

It is heartbreaking to see some 40 ducklings vanish within days, from a long row of 13 to 3 and then 0...

Kwekkie the Mama duck, never gave up and started all over.

We have raccoons, hawks, owls, snapping turtles, foxes...

We both speak Dutch in video, but you can use the YouTube version and find the clickable points written below, with English text. 

We always sent my Parents this kind of written letters home, so they could see and hear us.

Kwekkie happily on our pond with 7 of her ducklings... I've seen that the big Eastern River Cooter did pull down one of the tiny ducklings while they were eating cracked corn near the pond's edge.

Eastern River Cooter ←click link

Yes, they occasionally eat other things then just aquatic plants.

Sure, they ate all our water lilies and lotus flowers too.

River Cooter Diet and Nutrition - older turtles may occasionally seek prey as well... ←click link

River Cooter Pseudemys concinna - diet ←click link

The species P. concinna is highly omnivorous and will eat anything, plant or animal, dead or alive. Diet seems to be determined by available food items. While some writers feel that this species of turtle will not eat meat, predatory behavior has been observed.

Yep, I've seen it with my own eyes!

Let's forget the nasty killing... No fun to do and while patrolling early morning at 6:00 AM that was not a happy start of the day for me.

But in the evening I cooked us a good dinner and dessert I still had plenty left from our High Tea two days earlier.

Uncle Bo Whaley and Delores viewing some of our photos in the veranda, after dinner.

Fond memories!

Miss my Uncle Bo and he's already 15 years in heaven...

The Polka Dot cotton pique skirt pants I'm wearing is one of my own sewing creations.

This was an empty whole milk plain yogurt container with cream on top...

Pieter's brother Toon, the ex Marine, shot through and next his brother Pieter (my husband) an ex Military guy shot through the very same hole!!!

Vedders are sharp shooters and don't mess with their wife either... 😏

Several years later, Pieter shot a huge snapping turtle that constantly knocked down the rocks from the island, that Pieter had built for placing the fountain inside.

On the video from Middle Georgia Magazine you could see it in working.

Related links:

Our Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | video showing fountain on rock island on our pond

{White Waterlily Nymphaea odorata in our Pond} | showing the big mama turtle

{TURTLE} | Showing the big mama turtle

{Ducks in Our Pond} | previous post by me

{Our TURTLE KINDERGARTEN} | previous post by me

High Tea Prepared and Baked by Me | previous post by me and from which we had dessert left over...

Cleaning Our Pond and Fountain | previous post by me 

{DIY Squirrel Proof Bird Houses}

Having such a vast property with gardens and trees, results in having lots of birds. 

Since we received our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate, we always have provided shelter for our garden residents.

But HOW to make Squirrel Proof Bird Houses?

DIY Squirrel Proof Birdhouse built from Scraps.
Since squirrels love to gnaw at the in-flight opening and ruin it, this PVC pipe is the solution!
Front of Bird House is a Natural Red Oak Plank, left from our Office renovation last spring.
Sides, top, bottom as well as back is made from other scraps.
Perch makes it a luxurious New Home for our Feathered Residents!

Husband Pieter created this one, for some of those Birdies that preferred to Go GREEN...
You can see our Wood Trail to the right.

No House NUMBER...
Do you like them?

Related link:
{Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997} | previous post by me

{Cotoneaster Lacteus | Colorful Berries for the Birds in Winter}

• Wintertime is the hardest period for birds to find food enough to feed on. 
• We have lots of provisions for the many bird varieties that live on our property. 
• After all, it is not for nothing that in August of 1997, we did receive Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate; see link of post below. 
• That's why we also planted a huge shrub of Cotoneaster Lacteus or Pyracantha.

• Colorful Berries for the Birds

• Plenty of Cotoneaster Lacteus Berries to feast on for the birds... Shrub is also called 'Fire Thorn'...
• By the way, these berries are poisonous for humans!

• This is still only part of the entire shrub; it is huge. 
• Pine needles are hanging everywhere as there is a tall pine tree nearby.

• As printed in Southern Living magazine, listing several birds that feast on the Cotoneaster or Pyracantha. Here it are mainly the robins and the cedar waxwings that strip them in almost a day. See more links below with further info. 

• Do you have special berry producing shrubs for your birds in winter?

Related links:

{Birdie Berries in our Wood Garden} previous post by me
{Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997} previous post by me
Winter Ruby Red Berries from Southern Living Magazine with the above section: Do it for the Birds...
What a Bee Wants – Cotoneaster showing how early in the year the blossoms benefit the Bees.
Robins eating Cotoneaster berries in a day Youtube video showing Robins eat Cotoneaster berries in SC
Robins eating berries photo showing the Robins eating Cotoneaster berries
Cedar Waxwings eating berries feasting on the Pyracantha (fire thorn) in Dutch 'vuur doorn'... click previous & next image also for spectacular photos!
Northern Mockingbird pair - sharing Pyracantha berries Youtube video

{Birdie Berries in our Wood Garden}

• In our Wood Garden it is hard to keep invasive weeds at bay. We never knew this type of berries till this winter. Turns out they are the Chinese privet Ligustrum sinense Lour and this one obviously escaped its death penalty... 
• They are also labeled as a Southeast Exotic Pest Plant. Nevertheless, I'd like to show you the dark purple to black berries which are resembling little grape bunches in mid-winter. 
• Photos are taken on January 13. We love having them for our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT as food for the birds!

• Chinese privet was introduced into the United States in early 1852 as an ornamental...
• Now an invasive weed! BUT; heaven to the birds! Look here at: Cedar Waxwing Privet Berries where Cedar waxwings feast on them!

• Even the leaves of the Chinese privet remain green in winter...

• Don't you think they look like grape bunches?

• As it was rather windy and difficult to photograph on the shrub, my husband Pieter held this up for me against the wall to show you the leaves and the berries.

• Yummy Birdie Berries...

Related articles

{Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997} previous post by me

{Our Diospyros virginiana L - Eastern Persimmon}

In our wood garden we discovered for the very first time lots of fruits on a tree we have had for many years. It appears to be a Diospyros virginiana L or Eastern Persimmon. When ripe, the sweet fruit of Persimmon somewhat recalls the flavor of dates. Immature fruit contains tannin and is strongly astringent. Persimmons are consumed fresh and are used to make puddings, cakes, and beverages. American Indians made persimmon bread and stored the dried fruit like prunes. Opossums, raccoons, skunks, deer, and birds also feed upon the fruit. Principal uses of the wood are for golf-club heads, shuttles for textile weaving, and furniture veneer. The word persimmon is of Algonquian origin, while the genus name Diospyros, from the Greek, means fruit of the god Zeus. For more info just click on the hyperlink in the name above of Diospyros virginiana L.

October 13 shows perfect fruits and as we tasted them, they indeed somewhat recall the flavor of dates. They do have several stones so there is not that much fruit-flesh left to eat from. We leave them totally to the wildlife for snacking on.

This was on November 10. They kind of cling to the branches with no stem on the fruits. You see the leaves turning pretty yellow already.

This and the next images are from October 13 with still green leaves. Someone is also snacking on the leaves...

It will ask for some skill for getting those fruits off. We had a hard time doing so...

Maybe a raccoon or possum will get to them easily?

Providing Food & Shelter for our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT for which we earned our certificate: Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997

{Our Bee Happy Magnolia Restaurant}

• Up until a week ago we still had a few of those huge double flowers on our fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno'. It has been a true feast for the bees, thus making it into a 'Bee Happy Magnolia Restaurant'.
• You can read my earlier post about this tree here → {Our Fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno'} Have a look at one of those huge and Bee Happy Blossoms...

• A perfect picture taken by Pieter at 10:30 AM.
• By the way, in the post mentioned above, about this special double flowering and Fragrant Magnolia tree, there was one comment asking about its age. 
• We did plant this huge tree in 1996. But as you can guess, with our tropical summer temperatures, all trees grow very fast here.

• Don't worry; BEE HAPPY!

• As a reply to some questions about the crapemyrtle post from yesterday, if bees do visit it.
• Surely they do, we have plenty of bees in our garden and that almost year round.
• That's why we do have our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate since August of 1997.
• Look for that in my previous blog: {Our Backyard Wildlife HABITAT Certificate from August 1997}.

Hope this did answer any questions left.

Thanks again for your visit!