The forest was dazzling with fresh greenery and beautiful flowers, and along the way, the pale light pink hydrangeas and orange tiger lilies were dignified and beautiful.
As soon as we arrived at Honzo Haven, we were greeted by a heavy squall of rain to start the day. We waited in the car surrounded by greenery until the rain stopped, with occasional thunderstorms and the sound of the rain also bringing comfort. After about 30 minutes, the rain stopped with a snap and the sun appeared!
This time, the activity was to maintain the path to reach the 108 steps, taking care of various trees, and cleaning up the weeds everywhere. The spacious parking lot was covered with weeds, and we had to mow the lawn and weeds around the apple, plum, cherry, and peach trees planted in 2020, as well as the spiky bushes from where they came, but the trees were undaunted and grew well. To our delight, there was one small apple and few lovely cherries. To prevent deer and bears from eating them, we widened the netting around the trees. Drainage around the trees was poor in some areas, with wide puddles forming in some spots, so we dug drainage channels with shovels. It was a difficult task because not only soil but also weed roots were intertwined, and the more we dug, the more big rocks we found. It was quite hard work, hammering the posts into the ground to hold down the net enclosure, but strangely enough, being in nature made us feel light, and we all worked up a lot of sweat as we worked. During a break, we had a potluck lunch, which was exceptional, and the special new Japanese tea was brewed with cold river water and tasted slightly sweet and flavorful!
Lucky for us, we were able to finish the work safely that day, as it was only a one-time squall of rain.
A fun start to the summer!
We would like to thank everyone who has been supporting us, and keeping an eye on Honzo Haven's activities.
We hope to see you soon!
We hope you will continue to support Honzo Haven. Thank you for everything.
Please donate here:
キャッツキルに夏がやって来ました！
新緑が眩しい森と、花々が美しく、道中では、淡い薄ピンク色の紫陽花、オレンジ色のタイガーリリーが凛と綺麗に咲いていました。
Honzo Havenに着いた途端に、スコールの激しい雨のお出迎えで1日が始まりました。雨が止むまで、車の中で緑の中に囲まれて待機し、時々雷がなったり、雨の音も癒しをもたらしてくれました。約30分後には、ピタッと雨が止んで、お日様が登場！
今回の活動は、108段の階段にたどり着くまでの道整備、広々とした駐車場、あらゆる場所が雑草に覆われてしまい雑草刈り＆芝刈り、木々周りの手入れなどをしました。2020年に植えたりんご、プラム、チェリー、ピーチの木の周りもびっちりと雑草、どこからやって来たのか、トゲトゲのブッシュなどにも陣をとられてしまいしたが、めげずにすくすくと育ってくれていました。嬉しいことに、小さいりんごが1つ、チェリーも可愛らしく実っていました。鹿さんやくまさんに食べられないように、木の囲いのネットを広げました。
木の周りの水はけが悪い場所があり、ある箇所には広い水たまりができたりしていたので、シャベルで排水路を掘りました。土だけではなく、雑草の根が絡み合い、掘れば掘るほどに沢山の石、中には大きな石がでてきたり、難関でした。ネットの囲いを抑える支柱を地面に打ち付けたり、なかなかの重労働でしたが、不思議と自然の中にいると身体が軽く感じ、みんなで沢山の汗をかきながら作業を行いました。休憩を挟んで、みんなで持ち寄って食べたランチは格別で、特別な日本の新茶も川の冷水で淹れていただき、ほんのり甘く味わい深く美味しくいただきました！
ラッキーなことに、その日は、１回限りのスコールの雨で済んだので、無事に作業を終えることができました。
楽しい夏の始まりです！
Honzo Havenの活動を見守ってくださっている皆様に感謝いたします。
お会いできることを楽しみにしています！
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