November 3rd, 2007

  • No raccoons. Not many birds. Very dry.
  • Found dead mouse on steps at house. It is a mystery about how it died. There was no blood and it had not been eaten.
  • Droppings imply evidence of feral hogs. Later study revealed the droppings were from a large older deer.
  • Collected mulch from Oak Wilt project and used on driveway
  • Watered new plantings

Tractor work:

  • Took loose rocks from the road to infill eroded road on the south side
  • Brought dirt from old pile near barn to fill new garden bed in tipi pasture that had been caliche bare spot for years. Added Natural Gardener amendment. Planted 1 pound deer resistant seed mix (from Native American Seed)

Caretaker’s note: Although the plants in this seed mix are mostly deer resistant, it was noticed that the seedlings do get severly browsed and so this area will need to be caged for best results until plants reach maturity.

October 29th, 2007

  • Used tractor to deepen natural pond in bobcat draw
  • Raked rocks from road to use for infill at road erosion on south side
  • Used extra dirt to beef up erosion control along road
road berms

October 28th, 2007

  • Watered all new plantings
  • Removed Johnson grass
  • Mowed trail and access to feeding area
  • Relocated 7 Leopard frogs from pond near house to river
  • Saw black snake with yellow stripe down the length of its back
  • Found snake skin
snake skin

October 20th, 2007

Deepened natural pond and used dirt to beef up and add berms along road

October 15th, 2007

Planted all plants and added 2 small packages of hummer and singer mix with Natural Gardener’s Hill Country Garden Mix throughout.