Summer Starting to End on the Farm

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It has been good spending time on the farm. I really had forgotten how quiet and dark it is here. It can actually be a bit unnerving. The leaf doodle bug was put to work in the forest. However, it looks like the car will be going back on the road. We can say it failed field trials,but that would only be partially true. The better utility value at this point is more suited to getting a teenager back and forth from high school. The mycological aspects of the farm did not disappoint. The pics of these shrooms are not photoshopped. The coal stove (very heavy) is loaded on the truck. It will be rebuilt in Georgia if I can save it. Coal stoves are increasingly out of production. When they are gone they are gone. The small wood stove is now in its place. The pic of the red sky in morning was indeed a warning of weather. We had strong storms and tornados in Upstate NY. Although I was travelling much that day in the area, I missed the worst of it.
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medieval labyrinths - contemporary medieval

I decided on a pattern for my labyrinth. It is called the "santa rosa" as shown in the picture. It is a contemporary design based on the Chartres labyrinth in France. I specifically like it since it has a focal point that you view from four angles on the way in and on the way out. The design is 200 feet across which calculates out to be almost exactly 1 mile to walk in and then out. I am still deciding what the attraction points will be in the center and at the focal point but I know I will use water in at least one spot. Maybe a fire pot at another. The labyrith is crudely staked out now through the arrowwood viburnum. I am going to use the small tractor to mow it since I measure the holder turning radius at 12 feet. That is a tight turning radius for a 65 hp tractor but not tight enough for the switch backs on the labyrinth. I have to do all this work in the winter or spring while everything is dead so I can actually see what I am doing. I will spend some time out there today.

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