Landed in Oregon I

June 2007

In the beginning was a word. If I am going to start to write about something then I need to name. Naming. In the beginning was a photo: Sharon might use her camera instead. Later, they called it defining. And if I were cool, I might use a GPS system. In the beginning was GPS. I will name.

Our initial email handle was Markpark. We thought of this land as a refuge or park or something peaceful. We are still trying to figure a name for this chunk of land. By writing I hope to bring alive the property by giving it some history. Maybe we can arrive at a name.

In 1995 Sharon and I bought this land. It included a house, an old barn for small animals, some sheds, a pump house, and some fenced land. (One time we shought another bid for fire insurance. A young agent came out. He thought our pump house was an out house.) There was an electric pump, near the creek, used for irrigation. We had looked for something to buy for at least three years. The Ashland side of the valley was preferred, but the prices for property there kept rapidly climbing and less and less property was available. Of course we were looking beyond a subdivision to a little land and maybe a stream. Our search stretched to the boundaries of the valley, and one day Sharon (clearly excited) said she wanted me to look at a house and land she had found.

It is about seven acres. This area is zoned in five acre parcels. However, for some reason, we have a 2.2 acre parcel also with building rights. You cannot see the neighbors upstream or downstream. A creek runs through the property.

As I said, we have not found a name yet. Primarily, it is The Refuge -- for us and other critters. It came with Barney, the pot belly pig, and Curly, the Angora goat, Andrew, the rooster, and Wilber, the rabbit. So, then it was The Farm. Maybe, Old Folks Farm.

It is eight miles down river (the Rogue River) from Grants Pass, Oregon. It is on Lower Pass Creek Road. Our home is about two miles from the Rogue River. On Pass Creek Road, instead of turning left and driving to Friendly Bend (a renown fishing hole) on the Rogue, turn right and go onto a single lane dirt road across the bridge and through our gate. (We have now replaced the bridge with another bridge and replaced that bridge with a culvert.) From the highway to the gate is about 100 yards. This road is part of the property. If one stays on the highway, it is about three miles to Wild Life Images. At that point there is a “Y.” To the right one goes to Merlin. To the left one crosses the river at Robertson Bridge and then circles back to Redwood Highway on the other side of the river.

We moved from Sharon’s home in Ashland in February of 1996. Lots of people volunteered to help. We had a big rented moving van. I remember Curtis Cooter from the Applegate, my grand nephew Rob Duncan from Talent, my sister and Rob’s grandmother Dolores Duncan from Medford. I helped very little. At the time I was recovering from hernia surgery. I was totally overwhelmed with the beauty of the place. Truly, it was the gift of an angel.

I can remember thinking that one of the first things I was going to do was inventory all the trees on the property. Then I looked and looked and realized it would never happen.
There were all kinds and all numbers of trees. I would have spent all my time inventorying trees. What a crazy thought. Certainly, a feverish thought.

Our neighbors to the north are Bonnie and Jim. They recently moved from California. Bonnie is a nurse. Jim, right now, does maintenance for a property management firm in Grants Pass. He was in Vietnam. Our neighbor to the east (up creek) is Kathy, a retired railroad worker who went to private kennel owner. Our neighbor down stream is Gary. Gary is a native Oregonian. He is a mason.

Naming the property. On the west side of Pass Creek and to the north is The Upper Pasture. (It crosses the creek and borders Kathy’s dog kennel. Down creek is The Lower Pasture. (It also slightly crosses the creek.) To the west of the Lower Pasture are some pasture, barn, and several pens we together call The Goaty Boys’ Pasture. The lower pasture bordering the creek was scrapped bare. Down stream we then arrive at home and the gazebo which is close to the creek. To the west of the home is the two car garage and chicken pen. To the west of that is land we call The Scar. Our predecessors logged the area and when we arrived not a thing was growing on it. Down stream (south, sort of) from the house, is the Pump House and Madrone (several madrone trees), a few apple, plum and pear trees, we call The South Forty. The creek then turns to the west, making a big “S” and cutting deeply into the bank. We call the cut The Cliff.

The east side of the creek is less defined. Across the creek directly we had the road and the eight or so people who lived up creek came by daily. They could see into our living room. We waved a lot. Then high water washed out the road . It was too expensive for them to repair. We gave them use of the land farther up the hill. Now we have The Washout and Hill Road. What was the Road is now the Path. And with the road further away, our passing neighbors cannot see into our living room. We would probably wave if we could see them, but we no longer can. I am grateful.

The high water also took out that pump used to get irrigation water from the creek. There was/is an underground electrical line from the barn to the old pump’s location, but the pump itself is gone. I do not know if the underground line could still carry electricity.

The Scar is now filled in with trees and flowers and grass, but we still call it The Scar. And the scarred Lower Pasture is filled in with grass and trees and a few graves. See the following.

Wilber and Barney and Andrew and Curly have all passed on. Cuddles, too. Tiger came from Ashland with Cuddles and he would not stay. MIA. Then we got the goaty boys, Brat and Houdini -- free from people a few miles up the highway. Gift Goats. ‘Dini has moved on now. Can Brat be far behind?

The house has been painted twice. A sun room was added on the south side. Also the Gazebo and garden. A wedding. Cement floor in the garage. This past year we replaced the bridge. All kinds of flowers (learning their names seems to be one of my lessons here). Many new trees.

We have the trees I plant and Sharon plants and we have volunteers. There are all kinds of volunteers -- fir, pine, oak, and all kinds of trees along the creek. I am partial to evergreens. (Though this spring I did plant a Dawn Redwood. It is a primitive tree that sheds its needles.) Sharon seems partial to a variety of trees, but wants them all close to the house.

We have chunks of ground that we still have not walked on.
Here, one learns about the seasons. Fast, slow, hot, cold, wet, dry, sweet. Here, the wildlife studies us far more closely than we study it. One can hardly go along the creek and one or more birds silently comes along to see what we are up to. The goats were the same. They were far more entertained by watching us than us watching them.

June 18, 2007

A month ago the Rock Roses started blooming -- in time for our anniversary. On the road the Wild Roses -- white and pink started. Wild Lilac -- slow when compared to the domestic lilac -- started abut the same time. The Wild Lilac is slowing down. Wild Peas are coming on. Meanwhile the Rock Roses and Wild Roses are doing fine.

With some unusually warm weather, the Madrone (Sunset would call it Madrona) have started shedding their leaves. At the start of the hot weather the Madrone sheds some of its leaves. Come August, or thereabouts, the Madrone will start shedding its bark. That’s another story. It does not shed anything when leaf trees are getting ready for winter.

Skunk Cabbage, one of our earliest flowers, has now bloomed and faded. Wild Iris, later, has bloomed. Rose Campion, so vivid it lights up shadows, has started on both sides of the creek. For several weeks now we have had explosions of white blooms on the creek. We think it is Mock Orange.

There is enough Mock Orange and enough Wild Lilac that, walking the property, it perfumes the air.

The border along the Lower Forty has sizeable stands of Shasta Daisies and a variety of Sweet Williams.

At first we had a handful of California poppies down on the South Forty. We tried planting them on the upper pasture. Nada. Then one year a few volunteers showed up around the house. Many now. They sleep in the morning and on cloudy days. Now we have a cluster of volunteer red oriental poppies.

The first time in memory, this year the goats’ have not by now mowed their pasture close to the ground. ‘Dini passed on to that Great Pasture in the Sky this past winter and that has left Brat to do the mowing. He is not up to the job.

June 20, 2007

Chicory. The Wild Peas are deep rooted. They are competitive, even with blackberries. They start early and will produce blossoms throughout the summer. Queen Anne’s Lace also is deep rooted, has yet to start this year and will finish in the summer. Another deep rooted plant is Chicory. It is just starting to bloom. It will continue into the fall. I enjoy the color of Chicory in faded light -- just before the sun rises and after it sets.

June 24, 2007

Thirty-eight degrees this morning. The expected high is in the high seventies. I cut poison oak near the gazebo, put up some tomato cages. We have several tomato plants with fruit. Last week we had our first artichokes and should have another four this week. One raised bed I had in peas and snap peas. (There was also a volunteer potato.) The peas are done. The potato was done. Today I spaded the bed. Last year the bed was in tomatoes. There is time for another crop of something this year. Fiona the doe was in the mulch pile this evening. When I made her nervous, watching her, she shifted to the creek side apple tree. Last week, in the morning, we caught her tipping the bird feeder (sun flower seed) and catching the falling seed in her mouth. We had thought the seed was disappearing rather rapidly. Given a choice of villain, we surely would have guessed the squirrel.

June 25, 2007

Thirty-seven degrees this morning.

June 28, 2007

Mystery solved. About a month ago, a zucchini (the only one we planted because, you know) disappeared. Simply gone. Not even an indentation in the ground. Gone. So, we had been on a trip and our house sitter said a turkey had flown over the fence.... Maybe. So, I bought another one. It was bigger because the season was more advanced. It settled in. It did fine. Yesterday, it was gone. Same as the other. Gone. I couldn’t quite believe it. I looked again today. Gone. had to be a gopher. I got a trowel and poked around. Yes, a gopher. I don’t know what to do about it, but I now know who.

Brat, sometimes, when he stands, has a limp. After he walks a bit, it goes away. I know all about that. Me too.

I’ve started watering Brat’s pasture. Mowed it some. The cut grass will act as mulch and shade for the water.

Been doing a survey of planted evergreens for purposes of determining if I should water them. They are doing okay. Did find one that was parched. More are finding they are losing the competition for light. I did trim some brush and grass away.

The path to the gazebo is over grown. Who would have guessed those little trees would grow? Surveying other locations for a path.

This spring, at Saturday Market, Sharon bought several dozen pussy willows. She put them in water and a couple of dozen sprouted. These I planted in several locations along the creek. The planting difference -- with a willow -- is that at the edge of the creek in the mud using a shovel one simply creates a slit and plants the willow in it. Most have survived and are doing fine.

I think I have a volunteer English Walnut. I need to get Sharon’s opinion.

Our plum tree has leaf curl infestation. It was affected new growth. I trimmed much of it. We might have to spray!!!

This is my first close experience with a rabbit. Annie, like a beaver, is an engineer. Except, she works with dirt. She has tunneled under every object in her cage. She has created random dips and mounds of dirt. She has tunneled out of her cage three times. It is easy to sympathize with her. If she wants freedom that badly, shouldn’t we simply turn her loose? Out here where coyotes and owls and hawks and other carnivores would dine on her? Meanwhile, she keeps digging. What to do?

We are expecting a little rain tomorrow and Saturday. A little cooler. Yesterday, it was in the nineties. The front preceding that rain is now coming through. When the wind hits the Madrone there is a rustling and an explosion of dead dry leaves.
June 29, 2007

It did rain. Off and on. One time 16 ¼ drops. Another 18 ½ drops. I figure, altogether, we received, maybe, 55 drops. The air is fresh. All signs of a rain were gone by ten a.m.

July 1, 2007

We are expecting 100 degree heat on the 4th. I leave you with a mystery. Where are the hen turkeys? Where are the chicks? I have never seen a hen setting. I have never seen an old nest. One of these days one will come by with her kids -- half grown. It is a mystery.

Happy Fourth of July

Sharon & Marc