Foggy Day

Lake Esau in the fog.

Today started out foggy and a bit chilly — which is not unusual along Lake Huron — but by mid-morning the fog had lifted and a weak sun was pushing through gray clouds.  This kind of weather, along with trees brilliantly turned out in their fall finery, reminds me that winter will not be long in coming.

After mulling over this coming Sunday's sermon and Bible study, I adjourned outside to finish up the critter barrier.  This involved blocking access to the underside of the porches at the corners and steps.  Hardware cloth is quite stiff, and my supply is exhausted in any case.  So, for this task I used chicken wire.  It's easier to cut and shape into these awkward spaces.  The openings in chicken wire are larger than hardware cloth, but it should still keep unwanted visitors at bay.

A rock helps block access at the back porch stairs.

Chicken wire wraps around the corner post for the screened
porch and seals up this point of entry.

All that remains is to haul in a few additional rocks to weigh down the lateral runs of hardware cloth and make digging under more difficult.  I can also start turning up the soil in preparation for planting next spring.  The north side, with the service porch, is in deep shade all day.  I'll have to find plant materials which are shade-tolerant and deer-resistant, i.e., not hostas.

The birch (far right) is restacked, and a new wood chip
pathway links the house and Firewood Central.

On the south side of the house I've restacked the birch firewood, and I've also put down a pathway of wood chips from the house to the woodpile.  Now I won't have to walk through mud in order to fetch wood!  How this path will stand up to snow is a question, but it's the best I can do for now. •••