# Discovering my freedom in Minnesota
**URL:** http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460
**Category:** Homesteading
**Created:** [March 16, 2015, 12:09am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460 "2015-03-16T00:09:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 85
### Author:  [@tcholton717](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/tcholton717)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 11:31am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1681 "2022-09-01T11:31:19Z")
What Kristijan calls Lime is also called Linden and in the states it is called Basswood. I wish I had some on my land. Kiln dried lumber has only been common practice since the early 1900’s. I have encountered old houses built from green oak that dried in place and became so hard that you could not drive a nail into them. My father was a cabinet maker and he would only work with air dried wood.
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### Author:  [@madflower69](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/madflower69)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1682 "2022-09-01T18:32:16Z")
> [@tcholton717](#):
>
> I wish I had some on my land.
If you are thinking about planting it, these guys are in Free Soil, which isn’t that far from you. I would check pH requirements, the american variety doesn’t do well in alkaline soil. And rabbits will girdle small trees so put a cage around it.
> **[Wholesale Basswood Trees in Michigan | Cold Stream Farm](https://www.coldstreamfarm.net/product-category/deciduous-trees/basswood/)**
>
> Cold Stream Farm in Michigan offers a large selection of Basswood Trees. Our trees are available for wholesale and retail purchase.
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### Author:  [@tcholton717](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/tcholton717)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1683 "2022-09-01T20:54:06Z")
Thanks for the link Sean but I’m 75 YO. I’ll be lucky to see the little pine I planted get to be Christmas tree size.
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### Author:  [@madflower69](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/madflower69)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1684 "2022-09-01T23:25:19Z")
You are only as old as you feel. 🙂 It always feels weird planting something that will live longer then you… On the bright side, they grow fairly quickly. 🙂
I am rolling with silver maples just because they spread by themselves. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Wayne](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Wayne)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1685 "2022-09-01T23:31:03Z")
> [@madflower69](#):
>
> You are only as old as you feel.
Sean
I don’t take the risk of buying green bananas anymore 😐
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### Author:  [@madflower69](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/madflower69)
#### Post date: [September 1, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1686 "2022-09-01T23:52:32Z")
> [@Wayne](#):
>
> I don’t take the risk of buying green bananas anymore
I don’t either!!! Holy smokes I bought some that were green and in a late night snacking binge, I ate one. They didn’t taste good. I’m not risking it again! 🙂
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### Author:  [@giorgio](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/giorgio)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1687 "2022-09-13T15:30:56Z")
kristijan, lime is very exposed for insects and foulness… for sculptures is good, look at old sculptures in museum and churches how much insect holes are inside…
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1688 "2022-10-12T12:28:57Z")
Life has been busy. Also, with my two blown disks in my lower back, I can only work 4-5 hours per day with frequent breaks.
I’ve been working on the new building and also received a new granddaughter.
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### Author:  [@Wayne](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Wayne)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1689 "2022-10-12T12:40:48Z")
Congratulations Bill .
She looks very much like you 😊
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### Author:  [@Pelletpower](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Pelletpower)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1690 "2022-10-17T21:01:37Z")
What a beauty. Life is good
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2022, 9:27pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1691 "2022-10-29T21:27:48Z")
Finishing up making siding on our new building. I’m taking all the scrap lumberand making charcoal in a 55 gallon drum at the same time. I’m hoping to have enough charcoal for the winter to run the generator when im done. Pushed over a bunch of trees to give the building some room. The logs will be used to make syrup and the branches will be for charcoal.
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### Author:  [@Norman89](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Norman89)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1692 "2022-10-29T21:31:24Z")
Looks awesome! Love following along and look forward to seeing it all come together for you Bill
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [October 30, 2022, 1:45am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1693 "2022-10-30T01:45:24Z")
With my back as bad as it is, I can only work about 4-5 hours a day on it. Fortunately winter is slowing it’s arrival. The shell should be done with a few more days of work.
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2022, 11:44am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1694 "2022-11-03T11:44:57Z")
All the siding is done and now to get the stain on before it gets cold. We are fortunate winter is on hold for now.
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### Author:  [@don\_mannes](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/don_mannes)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1695 "2022-11-03T13:37:32Z")
Nice job Bill! I like your woodsy color scheme.
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 10:45am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1696 "2022-11-04T10:45:57Z")
Thanks Don!
I’ve been blessed with decent weather until now. It’s been in the 60’s so I stained as much as I could. I have a few siding boards to put up on the top to seal this up. I can do that in colder weather. I chose to at least get some stain on the last side up to the snow level instead. All the screens are on and will put up plastic over the screens this weekend.
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### Author:  [@JocundJake](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/JocundJake)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 11:51am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1697 "2022-11-04T11:51:27Z")
Looks great!
Bill you might have already said this but what are the dimensions of that building?
what kind of lumber are you using for siding?
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1698 "2022-11-04T12:47:46Z")
The building is 16x36. 16x16 is a screened in porch. All the lumber is rough cut red pine.
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### Author:  [@BillSchiller](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/BillSchiller)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2022, 12:41pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1699 "2022-12-22T12:41:45Z")
I was having issues with the skid steer not staying running last weekend while trying to clean up our 30" snow storm. I was able to get everything around our place done but I was working on the ½ mile road to our new neighbor.I got about ¾ of the way finished parked the skid steer for the day. The next next day i woke up to work on the road. It was below zero that morning. It started up but the issues became more of a problem. The machine ran for about 15 minutes and shut down. I was getting no fuel. My only guess is there was some water in the fuel tank. I’m using #1 & #2 off road blend. My guess is condensation has built up in the tank and is now more than what the water separator could handle.
Yesterday we woke up to -20⁰F. After being unsuccessful in getting the skid steer in the garage the day before, our new low temperatures made it even more difficult. The engine didn’t even want to turnover. I didn’t have a torpedo heater handy. The bucket of coals only heated up the skid plate under the engine. So I came up with this.
I used sump pump flexible discharge hose to direct the exhaust directly to the oil pan of the engine. In two hours the oil was warmed up enough to get the engine to turn over well enough to start the machine.
Now it’s in the garage to thaw out so I can drain the fuel tank and change the oil with thinner oil.
Yeah my garage is messy. I was emptying the back container to build shelving in it before the snow storm. So I made just enough room to get the skid steer in.
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### Author:  [@Bobmac](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Bobmac)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/discovering-my-freedom-in-minnesota/1460/1700 "2022-12-22T18:22:56Z")
With all the snow frozen and sticking to your skider you might have a flood in your garage when it all melts. I hope and pray the fuel and oil change will fix it.
You all are getting a white deep snowy winter up there where you live. We are at 5°f with the wind chill way below Zero degrees when the wind blows. Only 14" of snow on the ground now that it has packed down.
Bob
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