This time last year, we were busy working on a vegetable garden. We ripped up the sod, put down fertilizer and planted the seeds.
Our efforts were rewarded with lots of healthy plants, but that was before the local wildlife got a crack at them. I spent the balance of the summer trying to outwit these predatory herbivores, eventually creating an elaborate fence system designed to keep them out. I also deployed a trail cam for better intelligence regarding their numbers and capabilities.
In the end, our harvest was meager: a couple of green peppers and a tomato. I think we got part of a squash. The animals ate the rest.
This year I'm planting something different: trees. These aren't from a nursery, either, but saplings that are sprouting around the yard, usually in planters. I'm really just transplanting them to a single area. They are mostly maple trees: box elders, silver maple and a red maple. These are common in the neighborhood, so I know they'll grow here.
In doing this, I'm following the lesson of the wild raspberries, letting nature by my guide rather than trying to impose my will on it. Some of the saplings have already been eaten, others are struggling, but a few seem to be doing well. That's all it takes.
My writing has ceased for the moment due to some other distractions, but that's also okay. When the time comes, I'll have something to say.
Chateau Lloyd 
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