Okie Dokie

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds....    James 1:2

I know that the context of this scripture verse is primarily a lesson in perseverance and faith. I've read that verse countless times, sat through messages, studied the commentaries. Even reading the entire chapter in its entirety and I still cringe when I read it, probably because, if I had my druthers, I think most of us would like life to be easy or at least easier. It just strikes that nerve. What?... are you crazy?

For some reason, I googled okie and dust bowl and the picture of this guy came up, so I used it. I heard a story about a guy like this. What I liked about this picture was, it captured the look of a guy who pretty much saw everything that was laid out around him, not much and pretty bleak. That's just the way is. "If God brings some rain, maybe we'll make it, if not... jeez, I don't what we'll do... California maybe... I got some kin out there... I hear there's the land of opportunity."

The forest is rich with life around here. Sometimes I become so acclimated to the surroundings that all I see is the task before me. Usually, it's maintenance related. One of our goals is to clean up the property and assist in some kind of restoration effort of native and unusual trees for our zone region. I saw the trees, the forest, the task but, I never really thought about the opportunity. This is a private affair after all. This will be our home. It's general housekeeping.

Yes, that's a scuba diver in the picture. Well, not actually a diver but a mannequin in a wet suit nailed to a tree. It's Russel's opportunity, one of many. An "underwater" reef in the middle of the woods. I'll do more on the reef later but I do admire his quirkiness at pursuing opportunity. We saw a corn field, he saw a forest. Everyone else saw a forest, he saw beneath the seas. We see lemons, he sees lemonade.

I like the thought of seeking out new opportunity. This place is a great resource and harvesting from it would be rewarding. I knew I had to get some assistance. I've often had a tendency to learn the hard way on a lot of things.

I start poking around in places and before you know it...

lesson learned... from experience.

Life's trials are tough enough and I don't have the time at this point in my life to experiment too deep and do things over, so I decided to bring in an expert and get their opinion.  

Last month, I called the Indiana DNR forestry division. A forester named James, assigned to our geographic area, came out at the beginning this month and we proceeded to walk the property. The weather was perfect, clear, cool and comfortable. The trees and shrubs hadn't leafed out yet and it was easy to get around. We talked about what Katherine and I wanted, examined what was existing, the pluses and minuses, courses of actions, etc. I liked James. We could relate easily to each other. We're both from northern Illinois, both went to state schools, both worked for lumber companies and other similar interests and experiences. There wasn't too much either of us hadn't seen in terms of garbage and junk sites. I asked about emerald ash borer and the prospect of timber harvesting. Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of quality logs for the hardwood market, pallet lumber at best. The trees have never been thinned and are spindly and crowded. The ash borer will most likely come someday and kill the ash, it's just a matter of time.

"The honeysuckle has to be controlled, that's number one," he told me. "eventually, the trees will die out, the honeysuckle will take over and you'll have a forest of it."

Gads, I can barely control the little area that I've got, it's so pervasive. 

"You know how you can tell a walnut from ash?" With that, James pulled out a knife a scraped the bark of a tree to reveal the chocolate brown layer beneath on a black walnut tree. Ash and walnut bark look similar in appearance and apparently, we've got a lot of it. It's not worth much because it's all locked in the tightness of an unthinned forest, thin, spindly and choked with honeysuckle. Sometime in April, I'm expecting to receive a report from James as to conditions along with his recommendations.

Prior to James leaving that day he remarked, "If I were you, I'd plant black walnut, you've got the perfect place for it."

I've been thinking and researching it. It sure seems like we've got the perfect place for it. So now, I'm thinking a lot, without letting my head get too big. I think I may be able to make this work, maybe a few acres, a walnut plantation. Purdue #1, genetically superior for timber harvesting. Finally, the place, the product, the time. The downside, I'll probably never live long enough to see it harvested. Maybe that's a good thing. I guess I could just enjoy the beauty and trials of bringing this venture along my leg of the journey.  Lotta maybes.

I guess I never really knew what I had under my feet until I started poking around a little and asking questions. The resources were there all the time.

Kinda funny, kinda humbling, kinda satisfying.

   

Oh yeah, the old guy. I heard he stuck with it. He's squatting on a million barrels of oil.

I heard he did o.k.