It’s hard for me to call it winter with all the buds, blossoms and leaves and pollen around here, but I’ll go along with it out of sympathy for you snow bound folks.
Pneumonia: I’m on my fourth course of antibiotics and still not totally out of the woods, but I am a lot better.
But I guess age does have some benefits because while I was sick the boys finished the first concrete dome, built a charcoal furnace, finished the septic/bio-gas project, planted the early garden, wired the teaching pavilion and the stove shed with lights, rebuilt the rear end in the Suburban, plumbed the irrigation system, rebuilt all the creekside pumps, taught 3 groups of university students, and did all the mechanic work that came along while I was down.
Makes a guy feel almost un-needed. haha
Problem is they will soon grow up and get married and then I’ll have to wait for grand children to grow up.
Some of us are heading to PA tomorrow for a missions conference. Some will stay here and get ready for the spring/summer program season…
At leaste the snakes wont get a. Apitite for chickens. Or did the fox get them.?I never raised chickens but eat mostly chicken eggs.what kind of animal kills all them chickens with out eating them, or was the animal going for the eggs.?
Almost ready to set my swarm traps in trees next month. I built these traps, and frames from poplar off the band mill. These are called Layens horizontal hives, frames.
Well, even with new snow just above me higher up in the hills Wifie’s early Spring flowers saying it IS actually springtime. Flowering tree buds and leaf buds swollen ready to pop given just a few warmer sunny days.
Springtime is clean up the woodshed of junk woodfuels portions.
Piles of shed accumulated bark slabs off of the woodsplits.
All of the splitting areas now have an accumulated 4 inch layer of small bark chunks, split chips and debris.
And . . . still too many dense pitch-y chunks left over. They get gooey sticky if left to summer over.
Ha! real trial woodstove burning up these problems portions.
It’s all good. Less daily heating needed with some days just a morning break-chill heat burst needed. And with just maybe 4-6 hours of woodstove heating in the evenings before bedtime.
Pitch splits get used up rip-roaring over airing the now two daily starting up fires. No fine split kindling used at all.
Couple of good solid wood chunk-splits to make a char bed and the bark gets teepee’ed burnt up 2-3 broken crisscrossed slabs at a time. Otherwise it heat flares out too hot. Leaves too much ash choking off the gasses exchanges and shielding the charbed. Doug Fir bark IS natures wildfire jacket for the trees. Really does not want to readily burn.
And the woodshed floor mixed debris get wood stoved in accumulated paper grocer sacks. Yep. Onto an alrady established char bed. One sack at a time.
Good thing I am retired and like woodstove sitting these difficult portions.
I just do not like to see wood wasted.
And as the saying goes; “Somebody has to use up all of the dark meat on a chicken! Only Fancy’s insist to only eat pure white meat strips and nuggets.”
Regards - and spring will come to all
tree farmer Steve unruh
It has been warm enough to thaw and dry accumulated bark in my all steel brown box trailer. Today before the rain I shoveled a bunch into the outdoor wood furnace. Each spring I heat my house for a few days with that season’s bark and bits from splitting and moving wood. At my property where I process the wood I will probably move a part trailer load of scraps home for a few fires.
I don’t burn much bark here. I grind some to mix in potting soil. I also use it for mulch. Not only in the garden but also in a shady area by the edge of the woods where the soil stays moist. It’s great for accumulating bugs and worms for chicken food. Then on to the compost or directly to the garden beds. The small splinters and such are used as kindling or charcoal production .
It seem it’ll be a while before any real spring gets here. Still -15C early mornings and just above melting point in the afternoon. Dogs love it though. They no longer have to rely on shoveled trenches for playing.
EDIT: Oh, and the wood business.
This winter has been colder than usual. I started burning next winter’s firewood supply already a month ago, but not a single btu of “artificial” heat has been added so far.
However, ever since I managed to free the the solar panels from snow, for the past week or so, they cover 25-50% of the heat needed. I expect to be able to shut the boiler down completly in a few weeks time. That’s when I start cheating a little bit and let the electric heater add a few degrees to the tap water on cloudy days.
I just got the last of the snow melted off the garden yesterday. Found some onions spinach and strawberries greening up underneath. Some beds the frost is gone. I e ven planted peas,onions , spinach and swis chard and covered back up with straw and clear poly. Soil temp 40 f at 8" depth. Most of the yard is still under 15" of snow. I have spread wood ash on the garden at the right times this spring to help the sun melt off the snow. I believe that the two feet deep rotted wood and leaves buried 2 years ago is still composting and helping here.
The weather but man is now threatening us with 6-10" of new snow tonight. I have a few tricks left to melt it fast if needed.magic black dust really works well.
Happy Easter to all. Mr Wayne it looks like your eggs are safe. I have to gather them a few times a day to protect from freezing. Easter egg hunt every day. The chickens think it is time to save a clutch for hatching. I am all for it but still a couple months early.
