Island Time - 28 April 2022

Keats Island is located in Howe Sound, just north of Vancouver, BC.  On the northern side of the island is Plumper Cove and we have a cottage there.  The US-Canadian border is now (generally) open to vaxxed people, so we went up for the first visit of the season on Friday, 22 April (Earth Day 2022), and returned on Tuesday, 26 April.  There are several special chores to process in this season that go beyond the usual maintenance and chores.  The weather was the usual unstable mix for the springtime season in the Pacific Northwest (Pacific Southwest for the Canadian perspective):  episodes of sunshine, clouds, and rain in sequences.

Normal chores include restoring the water system, mowing the lawn, pruning some of the shrubbery near the house, cleaning the paths by the house, and general cleaning (cobwebs and dead mice).

This year, we have some added chores.  One of the bathrooms developed a stench, just a plain old funky stink.  It also appears to have developed a leak on the water feed.  Both require further diagnosis.  At the end of last season, I did some major tree-trimming that I need to finish up this year; in particular, I need to remove a large stub branch from a cedar tree that I trimmed.  I also have 2-3 large cedars to remove that will allow sunshine on the cabin in the mornings.   These trees are nestled in and around the switchback trail that goes up behind the cabin; one is a concern because it could take out a power line if it falls astray, and another is a concern because it is big and parts may reach to hit the cabin.  I have trimmed this tree before, but not for 20 years.  I want to remove two standing stumps, one from last year and the other from a decade ago (left for obscure reasons) - both are 8-10 feet tall.  I want to regravel the trail up to the cabin from the boathouse.  To reclaim the picnic area (rarely used becaue of shadow), I need to get the large rounds of cedar up to the woodhouse.  After two years of enforced neglect (COVID), I need to do a lot of pruning to free up trails.  Finally, I want to revitalize the lawn and recall it from a mossy takeover.  

In summary,

1. Renew my fishing (crabbing-prawning) license for 2022.
2. Bathroom fixes.
3. Remove large stub branch.
4. Remove two tall stumps.
5. Remove three cedars.
6. Move cedar to firewood house.
7. Restore the lawn.
8. Prune, prune, prune.

I have been thinking about the bathroom stench and came up with a theory.  The situation is more complex than it may seem and a precise diagnosis has been difficult.  After some thinking, I decided that the wax sealing ring had failed in the heat dome (110F temperatures hit the area in the summer of 2021) and that we were smelling the septic tank, leaking past the now-spoiled wax seal.  When we got up to the cabin, I removed the wall-mounted toilet bowl expecting to find a sagging wax ring.  I had a replacement ready to go.  Imagine my surprise when I found that European-designed wall-mounted toilets do not have wax rings.  They use a close-fitting pipe junction with some sealant.  I have since ordered some sealant and will apply it at the next opportunity.  However, I am not convinced this will solve the stench problem.  While the toilet bowl is off, we have a 4-inch open pipe leading to the septic tank - and no stench.  Perhaps the organic load was processed over the winter and the septic tank is now smelling minty fresh (I exaggerate), but I do not quite believe that.  I expect a residual aroma, at least, but there is no significant stink.  I temporarily boarded over the black-water hole and more experiments are required.

I did remove and cut up the large stub branch.  I was going to cut it in two pieces from the tree, but I could only find one safe place to put the ladder and that allowed only one cut.  In the photo to the side, it is difficult to make out the branch, but it is pointing toward the viewer from the large, warped tree above the wood shed.  The cedar tree was topped years ago (40?) and this triggered the branches to grow.  This is a typical pattern in cedars that are topped; the surviving branches compete to become the new top, so they sweep out and then grow up.  These sweeping branches can also grow suckers that are easy to see in the photo - slender shoots that go straight up from the branch.  Because of the way this one had been topped, the side, swoopy branches grew thick to support tall "subtrees" that were trying to become the new top (leader).  the branches needed great girth to support the mass of the upwards growth.  The target stub was about 4-5 feet long, about 12-18 inches wide, and about 2-3 feed high to support all that weight.

As I mentioned, my original thought was to cut the stub in two pieces.  The branch was about 10 feet in the air, so I needed a ladder to reach it.  Because I could not place the ladder safely except leaning against the trunk, I was forced to cut the stub in one piece.  It was a monster.  In retrospect, I will guess it was a half-tonne or a full tonne (wet, living cedar is heavy).  I made a small undercut and then went at the main cut.  It took a while, maybe five minutes, and the stub started to fall under its own weight.  The timing was great and the undercut worked as planned - the stub came off cleanly.  And then it bounced down the hill to rest against the wood shed.  One of the bounces was unfortunately against the wood shed.  Fortunately, although there is a crack in the wall, the shed was well constructed and survives in fine shape.  I will patch the crack from the inside, but it is cosmetic.

I would like to remove the cedar tree, or trim it in a major way, but it is a privacy shield between us and the neighbors, so it shall remain.  After dropping the stub, I spent 30 minutes or so cutting it into more manageable pieces.  This is not really "splittiing", but it got the pieces small enought that I could pile them in and around the wood shed for further drying.  This created a lot of sawdust and I burned through a full tank of gas for the chainsaw.  You can see some of the "chunks" in the photo.  

I trimmed the tree in the first place (last year, especially, but also in prior years) because it had adopted a very unhealthy growth habit that would eventually cause it to drop limbs on top of a trail and on the passers-by using that trail.  The recent trimming left an odd stub that, at first, I was willing to tolerate, but became uglier over time (the opposite of "grew on me").  The tree now has a large, oval scar, but the growth habit is improved (still not great, far from it, but if I cut much more we will start to lose the privacy screening capability).

The tall stumps will be quicker to remove.  One, not far from the tree in the photos, will take 30 minutes or less.  I left it because I did not want a trip hazard for Graham on a trail he used often.  But Graham's days on the island have become few and so I will cut it now and cut it as low to the ground as I can.  The other tree is by the corner of the deck on the cabin.  It will take longer to cut, mainly because it is on a severely sloping hill and steady footing is hard to find.  But another 30-45 minutes.  Both will end up in the wood shed, although I may try to take some lumber from the long-standing stump.  It could become a kayak paddle if the wood is in good shape.  Maybe.

The lawn is a mess.  It has been battered by two summers of neglect, one of which included the famed heat dome, and not even a trace of fertilizer.  The winters have been perfect for moss (as measured by the results in Redmond), and moss has really taken over.  I plan to use a water-vinegar spray to kill or stun the moss.  Then I have to remove it, somehow - I hate the idea of raking it but I also do not want to take the dethatcher up for a small job.  So - raking it shall be.  Then some grass seed and some hope.  Given the water supply at the cabin, I do not plan to water any grass.

I am ever optimistic that I will catch crab and prawns.  I may even try some hook fishing for finfish.  Therefore, I need to renew my saltwater fishing license for BC.  This can be done on-line, I just need to remember to do it.  I am old-fashioned enough that I feel I should have a paper copy and not just an electronic copy; and I need to get some bait.  Finaly, I shall also check for a senior-citizen discount.

Chores are calling.