Don't Touch my Nutz

At least twenty years ago, probably more, the man who started the Farm Side column and later turned it over to me when he got too busy farming to write it, brought us a bunch of Black Walnut seedlings.

We planted them....mostly I did...except for some that we gave to our farrier to plant at his place.

The ones I stomped down into a woodchuck hole because the ground was too hard and tangled with roots to dig in...unless you were a groundhog of course...thrived.

Today they are quite tall and make a lot of nutz, which I happily cede to the squirrels. Birds love those trees though and I get some nice ones there, like my first ever Yellow-throated Vireo a couple of years back.

And every couple of years contractors for the power company come by to trim out under the lines.

Well and good. It needs to be done! However, their definition of "under the power lines" is more than a little generous. 

Thus every couple of years I must defend my nutz.

This year we mentioned them to the advance man. And then we reminded him.

Twice.

And went outside and watched as chainsaws roared through Box Elder trees, which, alas, will spring back up by next fall despite them. 

They were quite nice and stayed well away from the walnuts, which aren't under the lines anyhow. Now I have a nice view from the driveway down to the river except for a few cottonwoods down by the Thruway.

Thanks guys.