Wasps in the Greenhouse

Today I took another carload of stuff down. I brought our dog Emmylou along for company, which thankfully didn't make me any more anxious about driving than usual. In fact my palms didn't sweat at all. Progress! Someday I may even drive on I-5.

I was also there to meet the wasp removal guy. He sucked them all up with a vacuum and destroyed the nest. I was prepared to deal with the nest myself, but I'm glad I didn't have to. And now I get to focus on the greenhouse, which is very exciting. Seriously, I've wanted one for so long, and we get a place that already has a huge one? Awesome!

I spent a little time removing some ivy from one of the walls, pulled up a bit of scotch broom, and deadheaded peonies, but quickly gave up. The time window for the wasp guy was noon to two, and I concluded it was a bit foolhardy to do yard work on a very hot sunny summer afternoon. More of a morning project, you know?


So Emmylou and I set off to explore a little on foot. The top of the bluff has been logged (done illegally by the last tenants to pay their rent!) so it looks how you might expect: big piles of logging debris are situated randomly, along with a few trees that remain standing. Obviously because they weren't good enough to sell, as they're pretty scraggly. These piles have been sitting for a while and a few things have happened that I have observed: everything is becoming covered with this creeping purple-flowered vine called vetch, scotch broom is invading, and there are a bunch of anthills. So nature is taking over, slowly but surely.


Between the property entrance/main gate and the house on top of the bluff, there's a long gravel driveway which winds through the forest and at one point crosses a creek. To the side of the bridge is a small cabin which has a caved-in roof from a tree branch falling on it. I explored inside quickly, but aside from maybe salvaging some things it seems in pretty poor shape.


The creek is flooded, probably due to damming by beavers, but it could just be a fallen tree for all we know right now. Our landlord told us this area right near the cabin and creek used to be horse pastures, but now it's a reed-filled swamp. Emmy lost no time in diving right into the stream, of course, and with that it was time to leave for Seattle.

Oh, Moving.

We are right in the thick of moving our stuff down to Yelm. Both places look like a tornado went through. I'm stressed, sore, and I can't find anything, but things are progressing. It looks like we may actually succeed in getting everything there in multiple small trips!

So, day before yesterday we borrowed RC's dad's gigantic truck to haul down a load of our stuff, and then our plan was to bring the old range to the dump in Lacey. (I wrote in the last post that it was  the old washing machine, but I was mistaken.) Well, that was the plan, and we tried quite valiantly to make it work but a combination of our unfamiliarity with the area and a dead iPhone meant that we arrived at the dump SEVEN MINUTES after closing time. Frustrating, to say the least! We were both pretty stressed and irritated, and it was rush hour, and we had a truckload of garbage, so we decided to borrow the truck for one more day, drop the garbage back at the house, and try again the next day. We drove back to the house - picking up corn dogs and Rice Krispies treats because it was that kind of afternoon - and waited for a few hours til traffic let up and we could go back to Seattle peacefully.

During that time, we got to chill out and experience our new home at dusk, which was of course beautiful. I also did a quick clean of the inside of the shed, which was adrift with shredded insulation, the work of mice and squirrels, and set some mousetraps. As an aside: it's kind of funny how long it took RC and I to figure out how to set them properly. Those things are not intuitive.

I also took a few photos. Just so you know, readers. . . I don't have the use of a proper camera at this time. At least, not easily. I have a manual Nikon but that's not really the best for blogging. I have an old Panasonic digital camera too, but I lost the cord and waaaahhh. So, it's phone pictures for the foreseeable future.

The shed is situated southwest-ish of the house.

Here is the shed. It holds the water pump, generator, inverter, batteries, and such. The part to the right is the woodshed. That pile of ivy and branches is my handiwork! I did that earlier in the week. Ivy was growing all over the shed, and I also began lopping off tree branches which blocked access to the exterior of the shed on all sides. It needs weatherproofing after becoming infested with mice and squirrels, as well as a padlock on the door. Mechanical and electrical things like this are completely out of my realm of experience. In fact, most of what we'll be doing (chopping wood? Building fences? Fighting beavers?!) is completely new to us. RC and I both spent quite a while looking on YouTube to find out how to light the pilot light on a propane refrigerator and water heater. It's making me feel quite zesty with anticipation/terror.

Cherry tree at the southwest corner of the house.

Small yet rapidly expanding bamboo grove.

For this photo I was standing near the shed facing north. The house is located off to the right. You can see the small red pergola and stone bench, which has become engulfed in bamboo, and in back you may be able to glimpse the greenhouse.

Fancy greenhouse.

This is the greenhouse, located sort of northwest of the house. It is such a nice greenhouse. It's one reason I fell in love with the property. Oh sure, there's a wasp's nest in one corner and it's covered with ivy and surrounded by weeds and there's holes in the roof, but underneath it's so rad! I can't wait to get it clean, beautiful, and functional.

There is a deer way back there in the middle. Can you see her?

I took this picture standing on the porch on the north side of the house. There is a sort of weedy area with some trees and bushes and one gigantic boulder, and then this big teardrop-shaped driveway with some more weeds and stumps and anthills in the center. The greenhouse is off to the left. 

Here's an overview of what's going on at the front of the house, namely, chaos. This is standing on the north porch looking west. Behind the greenhouse is the future home of the food garden area. It will have a tall fence to keep out deer. I kind of envision it like a food forest rather than strict rows. There will be fruit trees scattered about and then shady and sunny areas. Everything will be all mixed up together and grow in harmony and la la la permaculture! Oh yeah, have to learn all about permaculture too.

I love this picture, with the chicken coop bathed in the light of the setting sun. I'm standing on the east porch facing sort of southeasterly. The chicken coop is another reason I liked this place! It's quite sturdy and in good shape. We need to whack all the large weeds directly around it, fix the hinges so the door closes properly, replace some chicken wire with sturdier mesh, and build a fenced enclosure around it so the chickens can go outside. It also needs a little door just for the chickens to go in and out, but that can wait. We have three chickens currently in our little backyard, but I want to get more! Nothing like fresh eggs. Seriously, I think my life will be weedwhacking and cutting wood by day, making and eating souffles by night.

In between the coop and the house is a large flat area of rocky soil and weeds and a giant pile of dead wood and dirt that used to be a tree. Obviously we won't do anything drastic while we are still renters, but if we do end up buying the place, I like the idea of a stone patio over there. It would face the bluff, and I could see a firepit in the middle, or perhaps I could even do something crazy like a Zen rock garden. In fact I spend a lot of time dreaming about the possible future of the top of this bluff, and one idea I have is to gradually turn the whole thing into a Japanese style strolling garden, like at the arboretum, but with yurts or other small dwellings scattered about for people to stay in. We'll see. I think I'd need an army of volunteers to be able to realize that particular dream, at least in my lifetime!

The view off the bluff from the south-facing porch.

Okay, I'm going to close with this last shot facing south. RC and I were sitting there eating Rice Krispies treats, and the light on the trees across the valley contrasted with the shadows created by the house were so beautiful. And really, that is the main reason we are so happy to be moving here. We are so glad to be in a beautiful, quiet place, where, if we put in the time and effort, we can live almost self-sufficiently. I would also like it to be a place we can share with others who want some time out of the city.

Well, I could go on and on about my dreams, but what I'll do instead is finish up the more prosaic story of the old range and the trip to the dump. Remember that story? We drove down there again the next day with another load of our belongings, dropped them off in the house, reloaded the range and the garbage (all left over from the previous occupants, gross) and drove it to the dump. It was a very satisfying errand completed since we had failed so hard at it the previous day. Of course, now I am so sore I can barely move, but it's done!

The Parental Visit

Before I start with the actual story, I have to tell you something about myself. I am 31 and I didn't start driving until recently. Like, a year and a half ago, maybe? And during that time I have only driven within the city of Seattle. So, driving RC's car 70 miles down to our place by myself was a new and nerve-wracking experience. I think that's the sweatiest my palms have ever been.

Okay, so, yesterday I already felt pretty triumphant for making it to Yelm and back without freaking out or getting lost, then on top of that it was really nice to show the place to my parents. Oh and no, I didn't have them in the car with me. One step at a time!

From when I was born til age seven, my family lived in a Victorian farmhouse outside of Ithaca, NY. My earliest memories involve our three goats, fruit from the trees and bushes in our yard, and the big garden full of flowers and herbs. They had also done this for many years before I was born. My parents will be a pair of unstoppable founts of information on chicken husbandry, caring for fruit trees, plant and animal identification, and figuring out the right tool for the job.

I know I'll need all the help I can get when it comes to taking care of the more cultivated, manicured area to the east of the house. The greenhouse and garden are suffering from some serious neglect. The trees and shrubs directly outside the kitchen door are choked with weeds and most need pruning badly. The garden appears nothing more than a lumpy patch of weeds halfheartedly surrounded by a chicken wire fence, and the poor greenhouse! Ivy growing all over the front and creeping inside, holes in the roof, and a pretty sizable wasp nest in one corner, but there's so much potential. Potential and weeds.

Next time we go up will be Wednesday; we have to bring the old washing machine to the dump and pick up the new one and deliver it to the house. I am also going to try to clean out the shed (which houses the inverter, batteries, generator, water heater, and also a whole lot of mice) and hopefully remember to take some pictures.

Hello there!

 My name is Harriet, and together with my boyfriend RC and our pets, I am starting out on a brand new adventure in homesteading. We're a couple of creative weirdos who both dreamed of living off the grid and growing our own food, and we have recently found a promising new situation that can help us realize this!

Yes, after a year spent uber-micro-farming in South Seattle, we are heading out to live in a big strange-looking house on 24 acres outside of Yelm, WA. It's a wonderful property, full of character and natural beauty, but has been neglected for years and needs a lot of work. The potential is huge though, and RC and I have so many ideas for it! Intentional community, artists' retreat, music studio - what could this place end up as? That's far down the line though; right now it's more about weeding, outsmarting beavers, and getting over my intense fear of wood chippers.

We move in on July 1 but are already going down there as often as possible to clean, bringing a carload of stuff each time. Next time I am there, I will take pictures so I can give a tour!

Thanks for reading my very first post, and stick around, okay? I think this will be a very interesting adventure.

ETA: here is a picture of the house which is a few years old. It doesn't look quite this nice anymore.