I have mentioned that the longleaf pine I transplanted in the grass-stage was growing into the bottlebrush stage, but that earlier post might have included at least a little wishful thinking at the time. Now, though, it’s pretty clear that it really is moving towards the bottlebrush stage. The clump of needles is pushing upward, slowly but steadily, and the little trunk is finally visible. I had also mentioned that one side of the little tree was showing some dead needles, which I blamed on Zeke using it for a rest stop. I think that’s what caused it, but I think he just hurried along a process that was going to take place sooner or later. The longleaf will shed its needles as it grows upward. There is now a little mat of dead needles beneath the tree, a miniature version of the thick layer typical of longleaf pine stands. This development is very gratifying to me.
Here you can see the lengthening trunk along with the dying needles (Zeke’s work), and the beginning of a mat of dead needles.
A second development is encouraging in a way, but kind of disappointing as well. I have mentioned how foxes used to visit our driveway to eat food that Leah puts out for the outside cats. The foxes disappeared when some road work was taking place near where I think their den was, and not long after that one was shot by a neighbor who mistook it for a coyote. We didn’t see fox signs for a long time, but in the last couple of months we have been finding what looked like fox poop in the driveway. We were also finding cat food trays licked clean. Then a few nights ago as we returned home we saw a fox run out of the yard. That confirmed our suspicion that at least one fox has returned. It’s not the limping fox; I assume she didn’t make it, but it is almost certainly one of her kits.
I’m glad that at least one fox has survived. On the other hand, I wish it wasn’t eating cat food and pooping in the driveway. But I guess the one comes with the other.
A third recent development involves our thinking about moving. We have reached the conclusion that we need to sell, but we haven’t decided what comes after. I had been talking and doing some minimal research into the northeastern Georgia mountains or some places in the North Carolina mountains. I mentioned our potential plans to a neighbor who happens to be a real estate broker, and he suggested that we look at some property just down the road from us. I tried to walk it a few days ago, looking for a reasonable building site. I found at least one, but it was almost impossible to determine exactly where it was relative to the lot lines. I was using a GPS unit, but for some reason the location uncertainty was too large for it to be much use. But my initial look was encouraging.
This property has some real advantages for us. It would allow us to stay in familiar territory, which is important for Leah if not for me. We could at least start construction before selling our current house, and it would be very convenient to build a house within walking distance of home. We could probably do pretty much all the site preparation, well, septic system, driveway and such, maybe even footing and foundation prior to needing the proceeds from selling our current house. At that point we could probably live in our travel trailer on site long enough to see the new house completed.
I plan to walk the property some more, probably with long string as well as a GPS, to see just what building would involve. If it looks good, we’ll probably make an offer. The biggest problem is that the asking price is far more than we want to spend, given what we intend our move to accomplish. If we can’t reach an agreement, we’ll be back to looking again.
Nice to see that longleaf pine surviving and good to know that at least of the kits survived as well. That’s all good news. Interesting news about the local property for sale. I think the plan sounds doable, especially if you can get the basics done before you have to sell the place you’re in now. Having the travel trailer will make a move like this much easier. Why are you moving?
Mark: I had the same question as Robin Andrea: why are you considering a move? A smaller place? A place all on one level? It seems like quite a few of your posts have been about work you have been doing around your current house, and now you’re considering selling. Heck, even the longleaf pine won’t be yours to tend any longer! Tell us more…
The founder of our organization and a man who has become one of my best friends over the years is selling his place, too. It is an 8,000 square-foot 1960’s masterpiece designed by the noted contemporary architect Richard Neutra. My friend’s wife died 6 years ago and he feels like he’s “rattling around” in a place too big for his needs. It’s a beautiful glass-walled house perched on the edge of a quarry with spectacular views of my creek valley. Because the house was designed by Neutra, he feels justified asking $6 million. (It’s on 10 acres surrounded by permanently protected open space.) My Realtor friends say he’ll be lucky to get $2.5 million.
Kali and I are looking forward to our retirement so that we can enjoy some “new” scenery in Colorado, but I can understand Leah’s interest in staying nearby, too. Moving half way across the country is daunting and a little bit scary.
Robin Andrea — Leah and I have talked a lot about moving. Our current house is my own creation, from start to almost finish. But it’s way too big for us, and when I consider maintenance, I just don’t think it’s going to be reasonable for me. There is too much exterior, the decks are too big, the gables are too high (one end is 30 feet off the ground — I don’t look forward to painting that when I’m 70.) I feel some regret, but I think it just makes sense for us to move to something smaller and easier to maintain. I would like to move away from Rome for a lot of reasons. With the death of my mother, the last real connection to this town ended, and I would like to move somewhere new. Leah, on the other hand, feels comfortable in Rome and doesn’t look forward to learning a new place. The nearby property could solve our problems if we can get it at the right price, which is not a sure thing.
I would also love to move someplace where the summer humidity isn’t so high. Summers are pretty miserable around here. But even the out-of-state places we have talked about have high humidity in the summer.
Scott — As I said to Robin Andrea, it’s mostly a practical issue. Also, we hope that by moving from our too-large house to a smaller house we can realize a net gain, which would make our retirement a little easier. I do regret that I will have to leave the longleaf pine. I have been thinking of ways to try to make sure a new owner wouldn’t cut it. Maybe I can put a sign in front of it like they use in gardens to identify plants. I haven’t looked carefully over the property we may (emphasis on “may”) get, but there are almost certainly no longleaf pines there from what I can tell.
The owner of the property we are looking at paid more than he’s asking, but we think that was back when real estate was higher. I also think the owner, who is from the Atlanta area, paid a good bit more than he should have for that particular property. This may be a very nice place to live, but people are not lining up to buy property up here. Our hope is that he’s tired of hanging onto it and will take a loss.
I should also mention that Leah is not the only one who is hesitant about moving to a completely new area. Although I’m willing, and maybe even eager, to do it, I have to admit to some trepidation.
A colleague of mine (currently a professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ) was offered a peach of a position at Washington University in St. Louis, but his wife put the kibosh on a move there, claiming they had all their friends and acquaintances in New Jersey.
Kali and I, on the other hand, have almost no friends or links to the area where we’re living, even though we’ve been here for 26 years. Our move will be physically difficult but not too psychically challenging (I hope).
Scott — I grew up in Rome and have spent a significant length of time here or near here, but I don’t have any friends here. My friends are in Huntsville, Al, where I lived and worked for some years, or in New Mexico or Colorado. I feel no emotional tie to this area, and, in fact, would kind of like to leave. But Leah does not feel quite the same.
I remember my shortleaf pines having some weird looks early in their lives. (Now they’re being eaten again. Dammit!)
I understand your goals with a potential move. I have a house in suburbia and a cabin in the Ozarks, and one or the other is too much for me to keep up. I’m thinking townhouse in Santa Fe.
Pablo — It’s strange that something is eating your pines. I don’t think many critters around here find them appetizing, aside from some beetles, of course.
Santa Fe! I like the way you’re thinking!