Plum tree project pitched to City Council

Plum tree project pitched to City Council

Pics of Washinton Street Sept 30

Where Jerry scratched around the stumps and a few donated dirt piles,every little bit helps.

Look at the size of this trees roots,they are bigger in diameter than the tree was,they were also more plentiful than the trees branches!

Friday Sept 30 New Street

Spent 5 hours on the brush piles and wood cutting in preparation for tomorrows burn day.I know it wasn't enough time to do everything but it will have to be good enough.Hopefully volunteers will show and help tomorrow,then we will have progress.

sept 29 Adams,Washington,New

I cleaned up the sidewalk on Adams,Petty mowed the ditches on New,and Jerry dug around the stumps on Washington as I cut roots and hauled brush from the alley.Their just isn't enough time being spent working or I am not working hard enough to quell the sense of urgency I feel to get trees in the ground.So much so I may try to plant the Washington street orchard real soon.With most of the front of New street to follow.I say the front because of the dozer work needed.Also I believe I will work harder and longer until I feel the urgency has passed or I get on the right path again which is sometimes the issue as well.Thank you Lord for all the help and God bless the ones You sent to help.

A thin layer of stump grindings and dirt applied to Red Adams site to protect the fresh grass seed

It took 9 hours with a wheel barrel and a shovel to spread all the lot.A very long and joyous day.

sept 27 New Street

 Awesome I left a few standing but mostly I laid them all over for Saturday, burn day.I am trying to line up volunteers to burn a pile on Saturday.If we can get and keep many piles burning we can "knock out" a lot of the brush.I need to get the front of this place able to be planted within the next 4 weeks.Remember the twenty trees,two thirds of them are here.One third is on Washington Street.

Stop it.Burning produces ashes(if energy can never be destroyed,what hasn't dissipated into the atmosphere is trapped in solid form and should be redistributed into the land).

Sept 26 Close up of cover letter

best pic I can get of the cover page

Sept 26 final draft of Rose Street Plum Project

Sept 26 seeded grass in the rain on Adams

Took the day and fixed some tools(2 sledge and a pic-axe).

I forced them upright to pour a little resin in the tops to get a good seal.

sept 25 I missed a window

If I would have got out there and seeded the Red Adams site and put a very thin layer of stump grindings on it ,I missed the window.However my day was fruit full,recycling and cleaning is time consuming and best if shared with others.It sure feels good to finish a project like my stepsons room(who is coming home for a few weeks this winter,we hope)and to spend time with my lady.Its hard not to try to rush because I get so little time inside the house or not at the orchards.It always amazes me how much can be accomplished in such a short time when people work together or even just work.So much time is spent in front of tv sets its scary.I love my lady,and she wants the same as me enough to say we are good together.Good.We are in a good spot all the way around,but it is a tight spot if we are going to try to plant this year.Im not sure if I may plant an entire diverse orchard to showcase our versatility to future donaters as well as provide instant revenue in all fruit tree "fruit" markets,at least in a small scale.

sept 25 bing

sept 25 black tartarian

sept 25 rainier

sept 25 north star

sept 25 evans bali

What a day sept24

 After a full days work,no wood or brush only stumps and small rake piles.

Our new marker posts and a little bite of the alley was taken today as well.Ok a big bite.I need a bulldozer or money to hire one for 3hrs plus several loads of dirt at $75 each so about $1000 should do it.Help if you can.

Kewanee High School bonfire donation

Yea  it was a honor to donate to the the school.I got to meet a lot of new people whom I hope will produce a lot of new friends.We can all work together and MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our community.This town is full of persons who want a cleaner/greener future and that's what it takes,people wanting and willing to change.I tell you that its amazing to see someone cleaning up an area and others soon follow suit.Its only a few bad apples folks,most people don't litter.This is good news,it means we start busting litterbugs and we get instant results.But I hear we are laying off police men,I think we should try to get the litter bugs and see if it will help us keep some police on duty.

sept 23 washington street

 Yesterday was a zero day.Today with some help from "Petty" I was able to unload some brush(three trailers).

With a little help from Jerry I was able to "log" the remaining timbers.The trees may be rotten but they are heavy.Jerry also drilled some holes for some poles or corner posts to mark the lot lines,maybe some day in the future a split rail fence can be installed.

2 hrs on washington sept21

 I feel horrible that I was unable to continue today,even though I had a late start I "fell out" because of many issues.I have gotten awe-full beat up over the last few days.

With Jerry's help I was able to do a little.Load up our three trailers part way in anticipation  of a new day tomorrow.

now you see them now you dont washington street

 Yea I did get a little done thanks to Jerry.A notch and a push and.....

They all fall down!This site will need dirt and layout as well as some stump carving and will sit the winter and be planted full before spring fully hits.Estimated total cost of  7940 plus some money for the "grave marking system"I could see it running 10,000 easy.Donations so far =less than 1% of that.Actually 10 trees have been sold.And I will but another 10 for my family and pets,so 20 total.It is what it is.I have faith this number will grow exponentially.Especially with your help.God bless you either way.

not bad sept 20

Its always nice to have a treasure like a good sidewalk.And a good stiff edging produces lots of excess dirt,and we need lots of dirt.As a matter of fact a good 10 tandem loads would do it(12 to 15 tons each)and lots of wood chips to mix into the dirt(clay)to save money.Clay is 75 dollars a load and black is 195.Yea its a lot of money I don't want to spend.I think its going to be a long road of thriftiness,I'm in. This lot on Washington should hold 80 trees,at 25 ea.I hope I get some help because New Street is going to hold 130 trees,and I want more.I want the big wooded area that's the flood plain on West street about 2 blocks from me(150 by 150 on both sides of the road) yea 631 each.Please what a tax right off.Call Compton  accounting and learn how to get tax credit for a donation to Black Horse Cherry Orchard,its easier than you think.

on the campaign trail for rose street

This is the variety of plum tree I have selected for Rose Street.As you can see it is a very heavy producer,and they are already producing.I hope we can get 61 (plus) of these trees in the ground this year.This will be so beautiful and bountiful for 2012.

I spent most of the day gathering info and handing it off to Jim and Paula for preparation and marketing.Paula's design team who also introduced me to Melaleuca products.What a busy day.

another dead one on washington

I cant say it enough,all the trees are brown and the sky is gray! Urban tree management =lower taxes ,lower insurance,less power outages,no more "C" cut trees!Most of the trees are dead,its just a matter of time before it becomes relevant to the rest of the town.Every town did the same thing,protected the mature trees and discouraged the growth of new trees.The drought we had years ago is surfacing.I hope to ask the council if their is something we can do.Urban Forestry Management?

washington site alley way

 donated fill to level an alley that was destroyed prior to my land puchase

20 foot towards the camera is the alley area and the connection of the new street and washington lots.Yes it is my only access at this point and will be likely that way in the future.It will be fine .

another one down on washington sept16

New stump grindings for the cause.(making dirt)

another one down on washington street

 After Chad and I planted trees at BHE,with Jerry's help I cut down a tree on washington.

It was dead inside as I suspect every tree in the lot is as well as most trees in town that have more than one trunk.Time to manage our urban jungle and remove the dead and prepare to get a new generation of trees in the ground.

upcoming water feature on red adams

This huge pile of nasty poison ivy plus junk and rubble came from this old foundation which may even be an old scale.

It is quite large and may have sides and a bottom.I will do some probing and find out.This would be an awesome water feature with a fountain and a solar pump and some real fish to feed and breed and water for the trees and frogs and you get the picture.

the bat mobile or tree truck

 I was loaded up for an opportunity to get some publicity from the round table discussion on the"re branding of Kewanee campaign"Which was being finalized today Sept 22.

I just don't understand why my mission statement and program cant be the brand.Re educating the public on a cleaner/greaner way of life. Ill be interested in the committees finding to be delivered Friday at 3.

Black Hawk East

 Thank you Jerry for saving us several hours of digging with a pick ax .Thursday sept 22.

Six trees put Chad behind on his mowing cost me a meeting but brought a new fella that will surely further our reach.His name I cannot yet mention,but he said "Im in" and in a big way.

Abilities Plus

 Chad  mulching the first of four trees we planted in the rain(drizzle) on Wednesday.

The finished product.If you have never been to Abilities Plus,I will warn you the"5 cent tour"will bring you humility like you have never known.I can hardly think about it without my eyes leaking and my heart aching.I can say no more.