Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

glenn kangiser · February 19, 2011, 03:19:38 PM

Thanks, Betsy. Just kind of shooting a few random pix - nothing special. I was going to go out and get a few more since so many liked them but the snow is going away fast. Down to about 3 inches now and the ground is pretty wet.

Here are a couple more I took this morning.

House roof/garden and distant valley from the solar panel roof.

and another shot of a tree while out chasing the cow....

Shawn B · February 19, 2011, 03:29:42 PM

Reading some of Sassy's post from a few days ago I thought it was spring at your place. She mentioned warm weather, gardening, etc. I guess I don't understand the Sierra foothills weather system?

When I lived in Montana we got snow up to mid June or so.

February 19, 2011, 04:32:01 PM

Absolutely.... last week was 60's in the day and near 50's at night some nights. We can have spring weather then turn around and drop right back into winter snow nearly up until June. You never know.

We still always have enough winter vegetables that will handle the snow and freezing weather pretty well though. Swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots - stuff like that. Much of it is volunteer - reseeding itself and spread by us spreading the extra seed stalks around to different areas, so some are not great examples, but still edible.

Texas Tornado · February 19, 2011, 04:35:48 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on February 19, 2011, 02:43:55 PM
It will be on it's way in a few seconds, TT.

Thank You Glenn!!!
Having pictures from nature help me achieve a more realistic tree

And my tree is under 10 INCHES tall!!
It is a Kingsville Boxwood and many years old...

jeramiez · February 19, 2011, 04:48:30 PM

Thanks again Glenn,
Your posts showing the excavation are very informative and educational....

As for the snow... Bah Humbug!!! but I guess I should really start getting used to the idea again!!! LOL

We had a powdering here in San Antonio about a month ago... The kids loved it, I just kept the shades closed, spent the day indoors, and acted like it didn't exist!!!! LOL

February 19, 2011, 05:02:03 PM

Very cool tree, TT and it looks quite like the twisted oak trees.

Thanks, Jeramie. I hope to get back up to the project soon and post more detail ...soon as it dries out a bit, then I will get started on the French drains and the piers.

At least I got the Bobcat out of there before the rains started in again. Lots of very steep road with heavy machinery. First gear most of the way out down hill, just to keep from losing my brakes.

glenn kangiser · February 19, 2011, 10:35:49 PM

So, TT, what kinds of things do you have to do to the tree to keep it small like that? hmm

I assume start with a small breed of tree, then twist it's little toes, grafting and wire its little arms and stuff? .....

Possibly we can get a short Bonsai education worked in here too.

Texas Tornado · February 19, 2011, 11:59:57 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on February 19, 2011, 10:35:49 PM
So, TT, what kinds of things do you have to do to the tree to keep it small like that? hmm

I assume start with a small breed of tree, then twist it's little toes, grafting and wire its little arms and stuff? .....

Possibly we can get a short Bonsai education worked in here too.

Glenn,
Bonsai (bone-sigh) is an art form not any different than any type of art, except ours is a living plant styled to appear like a full grown tree that you would find in nature. There are many styles as well as species that Bonsai very well. The major difference in Our trees and what you would find in nature is the extreme care that is taken with regards to their health. Yes, we at times wire them but the care that is taken with regards to the health of the tree is first and foremost in our minds. Bending a branch or trimming the roots or wiring the tree are each a different level of stress to the tree, and I tend to only insult any tree just once a year..

Many of my trees are what is called Yamadori (straight from nature and collected in the wild).
This Kingsville Boxwood is well over 35-45 years old before I got it and I kept it a full year in my location for it to adapt to my climate before I even considered how I would style it.
I have loved the Old Oak trees for all my life and decided the branching of the Kingsville Boxwood would style well in that old oak style. I am pleased that it reminds you of the oak trees. It has always been my intention to do as little to the trees as possible and to search for trees that will lend themselves to thriving as a small tree in a small pot without to many insults to them..My first love is nature and all her glories..
This ends lesson #1 from me...You have many Bonsai teachers in your area and I would be honored to send you a list of them if you so wish..

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 12:17:35 AM

Thanks, TT. I don't know if I would get time to do it but it would be interesting to see who is doing it around here.

After reading your information, I was reminded of some other information I read long ago when I was trying to find out what a Blue Oak was. It is a member of the White Oak family I found out.

What was even more interesting to me was that there are many variations of oaks and that the little oak trees around that never seem to get bigger... they are not baby oak trees, but another of many types of oaks that will likely never get too much bigger than they are. Others are apparently crosses between the small oaks and some of the larger ones.

One of these naturally smaller trees might be a good type for a Bonsai tree.....maybe...... ?

February 20, 2011, 12:37:08 AM

Yes it most likely would....It might be what is called a "Coastal Live Oak"..
Bonsai teaches patience

Many times I lose track of time while I am working with my trees...I get into a Zen state of mind and am so at peace with nature..
I will see who is near you and post it here...

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 12:49:51 AM

Thanks, TT. That would be cool.....

Sassy has a Zen window that she often gazes out of while bicycling and looking at the trees, and sometimes before I know what happened to her I have to go and retrieve her mind all the way back from Sacramento...

Sorry about that TT... I was just rattling her cage a little....

I know what you mean though ... interesting hobbies... gardening,,, running the Bobcat and destroying things... they all tend to put you at peace.

The other day we were out watching the cows chew their hay after we fed them.... we remarked how it was just like watching TV... happy cows..... chewing and chewing and chewing and.....

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 01:04:01 AM

OK there are lots of folks near you Glenn

Let me see who is available... I will post a link to this page for them...

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 01:05:59 AM

Thanks, TT - looking forward to it.

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 01:30:40 AM

http://absbonsai.org/bonsai-club-directory/usa#CA

Man you are in the heart of Bonsai!!!!! Can I rent a room for a year or two?

February 20, 2011, 02:07:44 AM

I could dig another hole for you.

Of course , drop by if you need to come out this way.

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 02:10:11 AM

Dig a hole for me $:-\$ that does not sound good.....

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 02:11:51 AM

We live in a hole in the ground... there is a foot and a half of dirt and horse manure over me as I speak. Don't worry... it is a good thing...

Fresno is close but so is Modesto... this one even has a bit of a website.

http://www.modestobonsaiclub.com/

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 02:17:58 AM

Most excellent one!!!
Mary Miller is one of my facebook friends and she does some awesome bonsai!!!!!

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 02:24:38 AM

Cool - it is about 75 miles to Modesto or Fresno.....

That is considered close out here in the West. [ouch]

Digging the hole for you would be for a longer term stay - short term, we'd just stick you in one of the tunnels or passageways here..... actually it doesn't seem a lot different than a regular surface dwellers house...except for the cool factor...

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 02:28:34 AM

LOL Distance is not an issue here in South Texas either...300 miles is a nice day trip for dinner

I PM'd Mary with a heads up for you..I asked her to take you under her wing.

February 20, 2011, 02:30:09 AM

Very cool, and I do get up that direction once in a while.

In their links I found this site that is educational for anyone who might be interested in learning more.

http://www.bonsaiprimer.com/

Texas Tornado · February 20, 2011, 02:38:14 AM

Not a bad first start

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 02:55:35 AM

I'll read up a bit on it, keep it in the back of my cluttered mind and then as I learn more about it and the right tree presents itself, who knows?

Maybe it will become another feature at the underground complex. Thanks for the information, TT.

I see Oak is a species it can be done with.

glenn kangiser · February 20, 2011, 12:45:34 PM

Moooo.... MMOOOOOOoooooooo.... outside the bedroom window this morning as close as the fence would allow them to come to it anyway...... maybe a hundred fifty feet away.

Just how smart are cows anyway? hmm

As soon as I told Sassy that the cows were outside mooing at me for breakfast, they heard me, knew what I said and started walking down the hill to go around the house and fruit trees to the corral........nearly a 1/4 mile of walking.......they knew I would not hear them if they stood over there and mooed.

Cow surveillance while I'm sleeping.... what will the government put them up to next....

I hightailed it over there and got right after fixing breakfast as I had been commanded to do... dang...now I gotta look that one up....

Quote"To hightail" does indeed come from the behavior of animals in flight, many of which raise their tails in alarm as they flee. A citation from the journal American Speech in 1925 explains the phrase thus: "'High-tail'" comes straight from the plains where a mustang, when startled, erects his tail in a sudden, quick gesture and runs like the wind. So to make a sudden departure is to 'high-tail.'"

I know Clown is spying on me.... he doesn't trust me....

Probably with good reason... he will be dinner in a year or two...

Breakfast time at the Underground Command Center...

Everyone is happy now. For your viewing pleasure, a short video of cows chewing. Put in on an endless loop video player and you can be entertained all day. Click the pix for the short video.....

On the way back from the morning feeding ritual, I snapped a couple more pix.

The 1919 Dodge Bros. waiting for me to take enough interest in it to pull it out and work on it....

and a pix of the fog in the valley below...

PEG688 · February 20, 2011, 01:01:35 PM

Seems the cows have you trained pretty well. They see the lights go on and know you'll be headed down to the feed station. dairy cows are similar , they know when it's milking time and head toward the milking parlor ahead of time, well way back when I worked around a dairy and the cows where put out to pasture to feed, that's the way it worked.

The heifers and bull's didn't play the same game as the hadn't been conditioned to being 'hand fed'.

Must have warmed up some , your snows about gone! We might get a couple of inches this Tuesday and Wed. , we'll see what we see later this week.