Gardening Hokkaido Style

 

Horticultural Shenanigans

[ This is serious business ]

It was time to admit that the weeds were actually coming for us. The heat, the humidity, and the unchecked growth of wild grape vines and unknown giant leafy foliage had been creeping closer and closer to all sides of the house since Tom and Wiley left in late July. 

[ Flora looming ]

[ Wild grape vines gone mad ]

The local farmers had already gone by our house three times with a giant blade extending from the side of their tractors to hack back the stuff growing along the ditch at the edge of the road. I was starting to have nightmares about getting trapped indoors by a jungle of vines and large scale bug wildlife. It was time to do something. It was time to go to the local hardware store for some rubber boots and Dickies. 

[ Let's get this party started ]

I have to say, I was really excited about my outfit. However, looking back on it now I am noticing that Norah looks like she is preparing for an instagram shoot and I look like I belong on a WANTED poster for a Slender Man sighting. 

[ We tried to recreate American Gothic ]

We did get down to business eventually. Norah took the dangerous job of cutting back the brush with a very aggressive weed wacker that has a jagged steel blade. She steered that thing around the perimeter of the house like a pro chopping back all manner of four-foot stalks of large leafy predators. 

[  Taking back the car park  ]

In the mean time, I was relegated to pulling weeds around back and wading knee deep into undergrowth that could possibly house large beetles and a poisonous snake. I used all available tools in my hand-to-weed combat. 

[ Okay, I went too far and pulled out all the plants ]

We worked for a few hours until the sun made the situation begin to feel untenable. We got enough done that I think we are good for at least another month. We wheelbarrowed piles of greenery down over the ditch at the back field hoping that we did not get the weeds too close to the farmer's soy beans. 

[ A friendly gastropod ]

I did not come across any snakes in the end, but we did relocate a pleasant little snail who was not pleased by the reckless weeding that I had done to the back garden. 

Green Acres is the place to be!

Farm living is the life for me!

Land spreading out so far and wide,

Keep Manhattan just give me that countryside!