We've kept a journal of everything we've done so far...and here it is:
May 13-16, 2022: Cash and Jen's first trip to Paradise after the Camp Fire.
End of May through June, 2022: Matt, Jen, Cash and Lucy made multiple weekend day trips to view potential properties, an average of 15-20 per day on top of the 7-hour round trip
Jen & Cash spend at least three more day trips viewing 15-20 properties per trip, through July and August, 2022.
Found The Garden of Eatin' in late August 2023; put in an offer sight unseen the next day, then drove out to see it.
Septic inspection, Sept. 2022 (passed!)
Closed on The Garden of Eatin' and it's flag lot on October 31, 2022.
October 31, 2022: Matt sees The Garden of Eatin' for the first time ever! Just a day trip this time.
November 23-26, 2022: Thanksgiving trip to work on the Garden for the first time; stayed at AirBnB in Magalia.
Matt spent hours in the mud cleaning out the culvert
Started hacking out blackberry bushes in the creek by the "dog wash station"
Chainsawed extra wood lying around
Pulled out a gazillion t-posts, melted sprinkler lines, started the "garage pit" pile to be organized later
Jen identified some plants using the "Plant Net" app
Started coiling random patches of bailing wire
Moved the piles of FEMA fencing and scrap metal to the "house pit"
Found plastic rake head in the road in Magalia near the AirBnB turn off (this was important to Matt to include)
Had Thanksgiving in Magalia, cooked in advance and warmed up leftovers
Had breakfast the next morning at Debbie's and ate in the car in the parking lot of Hilltop Cafe in Magalia
Jen's kidney surgery to occur two weeks later
December 2022: A big storm toppled the Western Red Cedar along the street; Town of Paradise chopped it and moved it aside for us, as it was blocking the road and took out a communication line -- the neighborhood was without internet for a bit
January 20-24, 2023:
Trimmed redwoods, some oaks; trimmed fruit trees
Fertilized redwoods, fruit trees
Pulled more t-posts; bailed wire
Shoveled creek past pond and underpass
Moved some fallen trees around
Chainsawed large fallen cedar; brought wood back home
Moved giant cedar pieces to "garage pit"
5-gal Home Depot bucket got sucked into the culvert
Neighbor "S"volunteered to pull up large stump with backhoe (he just appeared with the backhoe!)
Neighborhood-wide search for Matt's pickaxe, which was hidden behind the stump "S" pulled out -- Neighbors A & N found it while out walking that evening
February. 7-11, 2023: Matt stayed by himself at an AirBnB on Del Mar; Jen, Cash and Lucy showed up on February 11th and stayed until February 14th in Little AirBnB.
Used a treble hook to retrieve the lost Home Depot bucket; Neighbor A provided some pipe, and Neighbor N brought snacks. All went to lunch at Meeho's and hung out tinkering in A's garage while it rained.
Installed the front hose bib with bits and pieces from Neighbor A's stash
Fixed cedar fence around pond
Cut rebar out of pathway to orchard
Brought solar lights
Lots of pond work
Swam in pond with Neighbors L and the kids, PDawg1 and PDawg2; met PDawgs' Mom
Cut trip short (left in early am) due to incoming snow storm
March 24-26, 2023: Jen and Cash only! Escaping the wintry vibe at home. Spring is coming!
Took a drive through Magalia into Stirling City -- Cash blissfully hung head out window
Dyed pond blue due to algae growth
Propped up some of the front redwoods -- slightly damaged from heavy rains
April 2-9, 2023: Matt only, in Little AirBnB; April 9-14, 2023: Matt, Jen, Cash and Lucy -- in Big AirBnB
Matt's friends P & N stopped by
S & D showed up and stayed in the Little AirBnB for a week; celebrated Jen's and S's birthdays; Jen baked cakes (too many cakes -- had to give some to the neighbors) -- Lavender Lemon and Strawberry Rose
Cleaned weeds out with weed eater
Repaired culvert a little bit
Made and burned burn piles; met with Fire Inspector for permit for the first time
Cleaned off brick patio by the redwoods
Spread 25 pounds of New Zealand White Clover on the flag lot of The Garden of Eatin'
Matt encountered Giant American Bullfrog in high weeds between middle redwoods and enclosed garden area near Sawmill Creek, near where Irises are
Made trip to Surplus City and bought green shovels
Fertilized grapes
Moved columnar basalt chunk from middle of property to the front by the address marker
May 5-7, 2023: Matt, Jen, Cash and Lucy stayed at "The Old Folks Home"AirBnB on Canyon View Dr. for the first time
Rained cold and hard
Learned about scythes and asparagus growing
Had our first taste of asparagus! <3
First loquats appeared, along with Irises
First trip with DR Field and Brush Mower; mowed everything except the orchard/ meadow
Moved sticks and rocks
Brought a truckload of wood back
Matt got poison oak/ivy rash on his arm
June 14, 2023: Backflow device installed by Paradise Irrigation District!
June 24-25, 2023: Matt, Jen, Cash and Lucy stayed at the Big AirBnB
Moved FEMA fence in anticipation of free PG&E fill dirt, now that we're on the waiting list
Mowed everything with the DR Field and Brush mower again
Ate loquats for the first time on this trip (tastes like bubblegum!); PDawg2 didn't want to try them, but PDawg1 thought they were great
Hollyhocks and catmint were in bloom
Pomelo tree coming back
September 3, 2023: Jen & Cash made a day trip (via Susanville, Hwy 36 & 32)
Picked apples -- 90% were perfectly ripe
Tried pears -- 100% not ripe
Grapes -- 85% ripe, but mostly eaten by deer (lucky deer!)
Asparagus fronds just barely turning brown -- female plants went to seed (red berries = poisonous to humans and animals)
Sawmill Creek still running! Waterfall still running! (Matt had previously plugged the pond, so the creek beyond the pond was dry)
Figs just ripening (as we drove up, a squirrel picked one as big as his head from the top of the tree and tore off toward the oaks with it)
Carolina Allspice bushes healthy and in bloom
Weird weeds tall and creepy low weeds (bindweed) widespread; but grasses low and dead
Bay leaf tree coming back via new shoots from stump
Olive tree coming back via some new shoots from stump
Pomelo tree looks awesome
All berries gone from blackberry brambles, but the brambles are a deep, healthy green
Nandina shrubs thriving
Some redwoods are a deep blue-green
Oaks looking good -- front Douglas Fir may be okay after all
September 10, 2023: Jen and Cash day trip (also made a September 3rd day trip) to meet with arborist to evaluate trees -- most are okay and/or won't grow much beyond where they're currently at
Pines are getting a bark beetle infestation due to the fire damage and drought; sap pushes out the beetles if the trees are hydrated enough to create enough sap
Ideally, pines would be getting 24-hours of water once per week when it isn't wintertime
Exposed inner bark with callousing is not a good sign
All burned oaks in the southwest corner are basically gone, despite what they look like on the outside
The Douglas Fir along the creek/street is okay; clean up the dead stuff, but don't expect much more from it than where it's currently at
The redwoods near the street/front of property need thinning
Middle redwoods are okay; 75% needle loss each year is normal for redwoods
Side and rear corner redwoods need selection and trimming
Remove suckers from redwoods year-round; they're normal, though, and not a sign of a dying tree
Remove some of the oak shoots along the front of the property
Early apples (oldest tree) are nearly past their prime; rear apple (later variety) just reaching ripeness
Pears starting to ripen
Figs are ripe
Grapes are ripe and almost gone
Peaches are getting ripe and changing to a deeper orange-yellow, but hard as a rock!
Asparagus ferns still green!
Creek is still running and pond is full; waterfall is still going
Squirrels everywhere!
October 2, 2023: Arborist from All Things Trees trimmed trees early; Neighbor A sent pics.
October 14-16, 2023: Jen and Cash's weekend trip to pick up branches from tree trimming (saved $600 that way!)
Asparagus still green -- can't trim and fertilize yet
Had little helpers, PDawgs 1 and 2
Pears and mid-season apples still on tree
A few tiny peaches left
Creek still moving; stopped up near redwoods due to silt from house across the street
Stacked branches by size, PDawgs helped
Lots of green near stream
Pomelo tree looked great, so did bamboo
Leaking backflow device; called PID
Planted 20 pounds of tillage radish near front redwoods
October 19, 2023: Had Paradise Sanitation replace melted septic riser and lid
October 24, 2023: Had first informational meeting with architect, Alex Lowden of Lowden Architecture
October 31, 2023: The Garden of Eatin' at Sawmill Creek's re-birthday! Held second meeting with architect, the Preliminary Budget Meeting; plan to start drawing plans up in Spring 2024.
November 23, 2023: Thanksgiving and our 7th anniversary! Stayed at the Big AirBnB.
Unloaded cedar posts Matt picked up from the old ranch in Idaho
Cut oak trees
Moved oak stumps to "garage pit"
November 24, 2023:
Picked up more sticks and logs
Moved fertilizer
Gave Christmas gifts to PDawgs 1 and 2
November 25, 2023:
Oak tree trimming & pick up
Moved big stump with truck -- scary -- Jen thought Matt would lose the truck's transmission
November 26, 2023:
Moved greenhouse area burn pit stuff
Little oak trimming
More oak log cutting and moving
November 27, 2023:
Burning branches and piles of sticks
Cut whole asparagus patch with scythe!
November 28, 2023:
Burned more sticks, pine needles and weed piles -- Jen got a piece of marestail weed ash in her eye and couldn't see for days
Had pizza delivered and ate by the burn pile
Giant orange moon low on horizon
December 1, 2023:
Burned remaining piles
Got crooked oak off of pine tree in southwest corner; splintered into the ground
December 2, 2023:
Cut large, leaning oak tree
December 21, 2023: Matt only trip -- stayed in Neighbor A's trailer through December 23rd.
Drove with ATV in truck -- drive was pretty!
Finished cutting down the "widowmaker" oak tree -- 100 feet + tall
Chopped up oak, dragged to terraced area (where the cold frame was)
December 22, 2023:
Tore apart ATV accelerator and fixed
Loaded trailer wth oak branches
Gave PDawg 1 and 2 ATV rides around the property
Burned all of the burn piles
Cleared out culvert so water could move
Fixed/wired trailer lights
Worked until 10pm
Ate store bought sandwiches, which "sucked"
Swore off Taco Bell
PDawg 1 helped with various tasks
December 29, 2023:
Brought ATV trailer in truck bed
Brought trailer with railroad ties in preparation for fencing project in spring
Brought spare tires
Brought 4X4 posts
Brought small roll of fencing wire
Unloaded stuff and unloaded trailer
Brought ATV over from Neighbor J's place
December 30, 2023:
Pounded t-posts and marked perimeter of future fence
Rained off and on
Got DR Field and Brush Mower off of Neighbor A's place
Mowed berry bushes along south fence
Found giant steel cable and pulled it out
December 31, 2023:
Pulled out and straightened old fence on south side
Straightened t-posts
Limbed up redwoods and oaks
Chinese food for dinner
New Year's Eve!
January 1, 2024:
Moved boulders with ATV
Moved stump in berry bushes on south side with truck
Cracked giant boulder in half
Finished DR Mowing berry bushes
Matt got poison oak on forearms somehow
Jen excavated stone steps and flower beds near rock retaining wall by septic
January 2, 2024:
Brought DR Mower, tarp and gas from Neighbor A's and put on trailer to take home
Visited shed place to see about buying a shed
January 4, 2024:
Purchased a 12x10 shed at Old Hickory Sheds on Clark Rd.
January 9, 2024:
Shed delivered and set up in old "garage pit."
January 28, 2024:
Drove to property on Hwy 70 until Greenville Wye, then on Hwy 89 due to mudslides (again) on Hwy 70/road closure.
Brought gates (except vehicle gates), fencing, tools, etc. and started to organize shed. Creek flowing, pond full.
Green grass and clover starting to emerge. 70 degrees!
Found that trailer hitch pin was about to fall out (i.e., lose the trailer on Hwy 70).
Gave Neighbor A a replacement sewer line for his trailer.
February 5-6, 2024:
Lost top of remaining Douglas Fir along the front of the property in El Nino atmospheric river storm
February 10-11, 2024:
DR Mowed entire property
Unplugged waterfall
Planted 25 pounds of New Zealand White Clover on the main lot
Trimmed redwoods in southeast corner
Fertilized redwoods and fruit trees with considerable help from PDawg1
PDawg1 covered exposed Iris tubers with more dirt
February 28, 2024:
Matt left for property fence project, brought Lucy
Stayed at Little AirBnB
Jen and Cash couldn't visit due to snowpocalypse
March 15, 2024:
Matt, Lucy and Old Neighbor and Friend G went to Sacramento to buy Matt a new car to simplify long road trips
March 15-16, 2024: Jen and Cash visited -- break in weather (finally!)
March 18, 2024: Drip line installed around perimeter, hose bibs in corners of the property (the guys at Ace Hardware on Clark and Pearson Rd. rebuilt with various parts). Fence finished and gates installed before Jen and Cash's visit on March 16th (this was a surprise -- Matt said nothing about it)
March 23, 2024:
Jen stumbled onto old pictures of the property and house prior to the Camp Fire on Redfin
Matt resurrected sprinkler system around pond
Matt checked out of Little AirBnB and went to Old Folks Home due to storm until March 31st (snowpocalypse)
April 7, 2024:
Went to the property for the day to pick up Matt's new car
Went there and back through Susanvillw(Hwys 36/32) to avoid snowstorm on I-80 (good idea)
Re-organized shed
Bought more tools at Ace
Asparagus just starting to pop through
April 23-29, 2024:
Jen and Cash escaped a blooming, pollen-filled maple tree at home; Matt and Lucy joined on April 26th -- stayed at Little AirBnB for one night, then moved to Old Folks Home and stayed for 2 nights.
DR Mowed and weed ate
Trimmed oak trees and other shrubs
Tried to save polliwogs in house pit
Burned 2 piles
Clover grew to over a foot tall!
Wildflowers everywhere
2 ticks only!
Stapled down drip line with landscape staples from Amazon Vine program
Stapled down some drip line around some of the trees
Met with architect for site tour
May 1, 2024:
Sent in deposit for topographic survey to W.G. Gilbert and Associates Engineering
May 7, 2024:
Topographic surveyors on the property this date!
May 11, 2024:
Jen, Cash and Lucy made quick trip to spread clover seed in the newly mowed area with the poles in the garden
May 17, 2024:
Topographical survey/map complete!
Defensible space inspection passed this date, too!
June 2, 2024:
Jen and Cash make spontaneous trip to the property -- most weeds grew to 2-3 feet tall
Water in creek and pond are full
Polliwogs abundant
Loquats set
Asparagus bolted
Grape vines full (but no grapes yet)
July 3, 2024:
Scheduled to go to property, but Thompson Fire in Oroville was uncontrolled and had evacuation orders for much of Oroville; decided to stay home, watch and wait.
July 4, 2024:
Left for the property, as the Thompson Fire was more controlled and burning away from Paradise. Stayed at Big AirBnB for the last time, as it has been rented out to a longer-term renter ($2750/mo!).
Could not use power tools this trip due to Red Flag Warning and 110-degree weather
Matt used machete and weed eater in pond area
Jen limbed up Big Leaf Maples, bamboo and front redwoods
Tried to get ahead of weed seed pods by removing those one by one with pruning shears
Harvested mullein stalks for PDawgs' Mom to make "hag torches" with
Apricots bursting off the tree for the first time -- tasted like jam hot off the stovetop!
Siberian Apricot fruited for the first time, too -- Matt's new favorite fruit!
Matt cleaned up pond and let sprinklers run for two days to catch up & help the wilting maples and redwoods
Had porta-potty on property for the first time (Johnny On the Spot)! Brand new, at that!
August 27, 2024:
All Things Trees completed tree work, trimming all of the remaining burned and dead branches from the center three redwoods, the East side redwoods, and the South side redwoods, along with all of the fruit trees.
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