Magic bean needed

R

Rickey

Active Member
Yesterday I was walking outside and told my wife I just don't have time for all this stuff. It sure gets overwhelming wishing I had the time and money to do everything I would like to do. I know there are many on here that feel the same. I did a decent bit of work yesterday and today. No rest for the wicked. Yesterday I said he hell with it and planted some trees I never had time to plant this past fall. I don't know if they will make it or not but I will baby them as much as possible. Everything started when the wife was complaining about the deer eating the tops of her pecans a few weeks ago. They had 4ft tree tubes on them so I ordered some 5ft tubes. We switched them out and put some tubes on a couple other tree's that needed them. Next thing you know I was planting trees. After that was a couple hours on the tractor. Today I was burning wood from trimmings and decided to burn part of the back yard, 1/4 acre or so. I figured it was easier to burn than rake leaves and spray all those wild onions.

What did not happen this weekend was I wanted to cut up some fall downs in the woods but they are probably better left where they are to rot. They are in the same area I want to hinge cut anyhow. Damn those hickories and sweet gums. I also wanted to get in the woods this evening for an afternoon hunt but it sounded like I was back in Iraq with all the rounds going off around my place on three sides. That's the bad thing about owning small acreage. What a neighbor does highly affects you.

I know. Ranting again.. I apologize. All I can do is all I can do and I just have to accept it. Patience is required but not always something I have. That magic bean sure would be nice.
 
If there was a "magic bean" we would all do it. Ain't no shortcuts to success.....all you can do is try to focus on my permanent and perennial type projects to reduce the annual work load.
 
J,
Yeah I was just ranting. I know that's all I can do. I just wish it happened sooner sometimes. I will plant as many trees as I can afford this year, start more than I can handle by seed, plant my plots, trim trees, cut as much sparkleberry, sweet gum, and hickory as I can, and still only make a small dent to what needs to be done. On the plus side though, these 6-12s may be coming to a close soon. I am working on something which may let me work a lot less hours and days though drive will change from a little over and hour to 1-1/2+ hr one way. I can handle that if I can get my weekends back. I am sure the better half could also. Working this many hours and trying to be a family man do not ways mix.
 
Rickey,

The habitat work should be fun and it should be productive work that will improve your land in regard to your hunting goals.

I could never spent time on the farm in my 30s or 40s. I was able to in my 50s and now I am retired and 63. I hope my health holds and allows me to enjoy what I love for as long as possible.

What you start - make sure you have time to finish. Each of us gets the big eye in regard to our habitat work. We think can accomplish more that we can actually accomplish. Enjoy your land and if that means you slow down some - then slow done some.

Always put family first because life flies by way to fast. Work is a necessary responsibility to provide for our home team. Habitat work is a marathon - not a sprint. Pace yourself and I bet you will enjoy it more.
 
Agreed and know. I enjoy all of my work also. I just wish I had more time and energy for it. Trees grow too slow, rain should occur nightly for about an hour, property lines should get larger with time, taxes should get lower, tractors should maintain themselves, and deer should only be on the other side of the property lines during the off season and at night during season. Oh, my beer fridge should automatically replace beer as I take it out.

Cowpeas... :)
 
Rickey said:
Yesterday I was walking outside and told my wife I just don't have time for all this stuff. It sure gets overwhelming wishing I had the time and money to do everything I would like to do. I know there are many on here that feel the same. I did a decent bit of work yesterday and today. No rest for the wicked. Yesterday I said he hell with it and planted some trees I never had time to plant this past fall. I don't know if they will make it or not but I will baby them as much as possible. Everything started when the wife was complaining about the deer eating the tops of her pecans a few weeks ago. They had 4ft tree tubes on them so I ordered some 5ft tubes. We switched them out and put some tubes on a couple other tree's that needed them. Next thing you know I was planting trees. After that was a couple hours on the tractor. Today I was burning wood from trimmings and decided to burn part of the back yard, 1/4 acre or so. I figured it was easier to burn than rake leaves and spray all those wild onions.

What did not happen this weekend was I wanted to cut up some fall downs in the woods but they are probably better left where they are to rot. They are in the same area I want to hinge cut anyhow. Damn those hickories and sweet gums. I also wanted to get in the woods this evening for an afternoon hunt but it sounded like I was back in Iraq with all the rounds going off around my place on three sides. That's the bad thing about owning small acreage. What a neighbor does highly affects you.

I know. Ranting again.. I apologize. All I can do is all I can do and I just have to accept it. Patience is required but not always something I have. That magic bean sure would be nice.
Click to expand...
If you're not 6 months behind on every project and working like a crackhead to get it done whats the point? I know your feeling and you just learn to live with it if you want to plant trees by the hundreds and do other habitat work. It drives me nuts and there is no time to stop, however what would we do otherwise? Sit on the couch and rot, nah not a habitat guy. My wife said the same thing to me several years back and I just laughed at her and explained it wont happen by itself. Keep it going, eventually we get to old to go wide open 7 days a week!
 
I've got a neighbor who has his house just perfect. Yard is perfection. Car is always clean and pretty much nothing to do. ....... That ain't me. I've been retired two years and got a "to do " list that keeps getting longer every day.
I don't know what I'm going to work on tomorrow. I'll decide after I get up ,drink coffee, read the paper, see how my back feels,walk the dogs in the woods, look at the weather and thank the Lord for another day and my family. I'll probably never get it all done, but life is good.
I would not change a thing.
 
I understand what you are saying just put in 18 Apple trees over the last two days with my dad that I grafted in spring of 14 plan to put in 12 more Friday. Life took over after having my son but he's old enough I can do some more habitat work again. I just hope one day he can hunt over the Apple trees we are putting at my dads place.
 
I think we all understand your frustration. How long have you been doing this habitat stuff?
Ive been at it 15 years, but really full swing the last 3 years. The one thing i can say with confidence is that every thing you do today, no matter how small, will benefit you later.
I look at the pin oaks and cedar screen i planted 3 years ago. Not much to look at, but this year i will be able to see that screen and its potential........rather than weeds.
Ive got a pine stand to thin. And we dont want tops around the house so once trees are dropped i have to shred them with the chainsaw. Tonight after work i got 1 tree down and mulched. Thats it. One less to do next time out.
And those oaks in the bottoms? By gosh i saw them peaking through the weed growth after the vegetation died this winter. So glad i sweated planting them in the spring years ago.
On a whim, i killed fescue and frost seeded switchgrass into a little area a few years back. That stuff came out of nowhere this year and i had pretty much given up on it. And the deer bedded in there all season.
A novel is written one word at a time. :)
 
Fish,
I bought this place end June 2015. The gentleman that owned it before did nothing with it but mow the field behind the house which is mostly fescue and will onion. I have maintained that same thing with the exception I sprayed it at the end of the year this year to plant a modified LC mix. This spring I will overseed it but not sure what with. I am thinking this would be a good year to spray it a couple times just to get a good fescue kill. I sprayed and killed the fescue but not long after I planted I had fescue again. I think the endless supply of seed already there will cause me problems for years. In the woods the only thing I have done was cleared an old logging road that was full of young pine, and made a small trail big enough to get my four wheeler through the woods. I don't hunt it much. There is not much to hunt now. I only had a few pics of buck all year and only a couple of those during daylight. Only one deer appeared to be 3 and I only got him once. The rest were all the same spike and four point. I could have shot the four multiple times but a doe easily fits in the pot as good as him. Maybe in a few years if he can live through the firing range around my house he will be arrow ready. I did take a doe this year off the property. It sure makes for a better feeling to kill one off the property I own and work on in comparison to the hunt club. We had a real good soaker last night. That will be good for those trees I planted this past week. Maybe they will do something in a few years. I don't know how long they will take to fruit but I can wait. Right now I just want to get debt free so work as much as I can. With that being said I also plan to plant many fruit and nut trees in the next few years. My daughter used to hunt with me but has girly girled up on me. That's fine. She is beautiful and will one day be raising her own family. She is 21. My son is 26 and lives in Missouri but wants to eventually move back to SC. Eventually one of them will make me a grandfather. My plan is to make this little place they will want to enjoy and take over. I get my inspiration from a lot of you. The family pictures you all post while outdoors, the benefits reaped from years of outdoor labor. That is motivation. It seems I am stuck in the Property Tours forum more than anything. I am glad I found it. I am amazed at what some have done. I hope to one day be able to post pics such as theirs reaping similar benefits.
 
You're definitely not alone. I can't add much to the already good advice laid out here, but I will repeat what some have already said. If it gets to the point where you aren't enjoying it anymore, take a break. It's not going anywhere.

The magic bean is contentment.
 
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