More progress on the back slope today. I cleared the overgrowth out to the lemon tree, followed by application of Roundup to what I expect to be the warning track just beyond the future retaining wall. Clearing the overgrown grass, thistle and brush reveals how steeply the land falls off just beyond the lawn. I have nightmares of waves of water sailing down the hill, feeding lush overgrowth that will dry to beautiful kindling by the end of next summer. I am trying for as broad a defensive perimeter around the house as I can manage.
The remaining thirty feet of perimeter at the back slope should not be as difficult to clear. This summer I moved the lawn out and mowed part of that space. The overgrowth at the back of that space may however surprise me.
The birds love to peck at the ground I have cleared. I do not know what they find, but I seem to have created a bird feeder without knowing it. The crape myrtles are also an endless source of fascination for flocks of birds. As is the trim on the house where I bang on the window to chase the woodpeckers away,
Another glorious sunset with law cloud cover. The fall and winter sunsets tend toward the spectacular. Each evening now I look for the line of trees on the top of the ridge on the western horizon, in the distance beyond the pond.
A Year at the Snake 