December 16-17, 2011

Sally was in Harrison, so she met me at the farm. I came the shortcut, and for the first time since Spring the Warm Fork was running -- crystal clear as usual. (We'd gotten more heavy rain mid-week.) I wasn't in 4WD when I entered, got stuck and stalled the engine. I was a little concerned, but once I got 4WD engaged it pulled on out of all that loose gravel.

Puller Bear

I bought this tool back in the summer and pulled up some trees around the house in town with it before bringing it out. Not wanting to struggle with it in any heat or dry weather, this was the first time I used it at the farm. This is the largest version this Canadian firm makes, and it is suppose to handle trees up to 2.5 inches in diameter. The claw/clamp on it can get around that size tree, but after using it I am sure there is no way I could pull up anything that big.

I took it out back to tackle the scrubs along the top of the bluff. Most had been lopped (or cut) before and had just grown back. I bought this thing so I could get the roots and not have this problem, and because I didn't want to use herbicide. But with these re-growths and the bigger stuff, cutting and herbicide will have to be the solution. The ones I was able to pull up had some extensive root systems. Some were longer than the tree above ground and larger in diameter below ground than above. Others just broke off where it clamped on to them. I got about 50 or so along the bluff and just up the hill. It was quite a workout, and I was glad to quit once Sally showed up around 5pm.

Frost Flowers

It was in the mid 20s Saturday morning and there was a heavy frost in the valley. With all the rain we had received during the week I figured there would be some frost flowers out. Sure enough I found them down by the spring and in front and behind the barn – all below the bluff the house sits on.

Weed Garden

Saturday morning Sally was kicking herself for not picking the bock chow and chard she had seen the evening before, because now looked frozen. Later in the day though, it seemed okay.

I pulled up most of the dead spinach and then turned the soil in that bed with the shovel. The weeds are really really bad now. I suspect because we have had so much fall rain. I filled up a bucket back in the SW corner, and took the shovel to the bermuda grass and mint in the SE corner. Those roots are so deep. Sally also let me pull up some huge wild flowers that have survived in her wild flower mound. Still lots of weeding needed.

Crack Walnuts

I got out the cracker and started in on some of this years black walnuts. They are very dirty, me just using my boots to hull them. But, I cracked over half a box and only had 3 bad nuts. Last year I there were so many I would count them and keep the ratio of bad ones to good -- sometimes running 20 to almost 40%. And the flavor was good! This is the first year that my entire haul has been off our place.

Lop Cedars

I got out my loppers and tackled the cedars back of the barn -- at least those that were small enough for me to lop. I had gotten almost 300 when I broke the loppers on the tree pictured. I guess I'm a pretty strong dude to snap steel like that. I was disappointed that this Corona heavy duty lopper let me down this way -- after all, it did run me close to $45. I need to find out if the company will make right by me.

Sharpen McCulloch

Before leaving, I got out the McCulloch and tightened and sharpened the chain so that it will be ready to go next outing. It is hard to start, but it has been quite a work horse for me. Bought it in 1982.

December 2-3, 2011

It was another gray and cloudy weekend. We drove through rain on the way out, but never say any at the farm. Friday it was up to near 60, but it only made it to 50 Saturday.

Mower Repair

I'd been searching the parts diagrams on the internet for the bracket that broke that supported the front of the mower deck, but could never see this particular piece identified. So on the way out we went by Ramos' to see if they could find it. The first fellow brought up the same diagrams I had been looking at and seemed to get a bit frustrated by my insistence that it wasn't identified there. But the second guy, after finishing with another customer, came over to help and knew exactly what I was talking about. He said that originally the bracket was welded to the front axle and thus part of the axle, but later they modified the design so that it could be replaced. However, you have to work the bracket up into the axle so that the two eyes hang down to receive the pin that connects the deck flange to this bracket. (I had wondered how I was going to get the replacement part inside.) He told me you had to bend the part of the axle where one of the slots was in order to work it up and inside – that little piece of advise was invaluable. He eventually found some reference that told him where to find the piece in his parts inventory and got it for me. (Strange that it was a Murray mower part that came in a Briggs and Straton box.) The piece is secured to the axle by two self tapping screws that go up through the axle and into the bracket. He sold me two of those as well since I couldn't remember if I had them. Everything cost me all of $11 with no charge for the advice. I love that place.

We didn't get to the farm until after three and it took me until after dark to get the axle bent/modified, the bracket inside the axle and hanging down, the self tapping screws threaded into the bracket (big mistake here, I should have tapped the threads before getting the bracket inside the axle since I then had to do it upside down with limited ability to apply pressure on the backside of the bracket), and the deck re-installed onto the mower.

More White Oak

Since it had been dry all week, I decided to go back into the pasture and continue working on these two huge white oaks. I first tackled the larger one, skipping the huge section where the trunk split. Using my McCulloch I cut three pieces off (working from both sides of the trunk with the little 16" bar) before getting to another big fork. These chunks were to big for me to lift into the truck but all three had a line dividing the two sides where it forked above, and I was able to split each along that line. This gave me essentially 6 big trunk pieces.

After those three cuts, I could tell the chain was already dulled, so I hit every tooth with the file. Being a bit tired and not feeling ambitious enough to go after the rest of that tree, I moved over to the other white oak and started on its trunk.

What a surprise when suddenly black liquid started spraying out everywhere. My first thought was that something had gone wrong with the saw and it was spewing oil. Then I realized it was stained water and sawdust. It just kept coming and coming. I had plenty of time to get my camera and take several pictures of this erupting log. This had to be one of the strangest things I've ever seen. The trunk was laying down hill with this hollow at its base facing up. There were no openings in the hollow trunk and the entire thing had filled up with stagnant water -- sitting there for years I presume.

The further down the trunk I got, the larger the hollow was. I think the wood will be fine once it dries out as it seems to be solid. All in all a very nice load of fire wood. I just dumped it in the barn to dry out and be split at a later date. I was a mess though with that brackish water and sawdust being thrown all over me. Sally said there was no way my clothes were going in to her washer. (I did throw out the jeans, which were ready for the trash anyway with numerous tears on both legs.)

Weeded the Garden

Amazingly, Sally was still able to pick some chard and lettuce. The garden's a mess though with weeds coming up everywhere. There is also a blanket of violas that have come back from seed. I leave them, but tackled the rest. However, I didn't get but half of it done.

November 26-27, 2011

Being a cold and rainy day, Sally decided to stay in town with Tender. Being a cold and rainy day, I decided to do some burning.

Burning

I had three piles of limbs over past the swing, almost all a result of the ice storm. Some of it was chinquapin oak, but most was cedar. I always leave the hard wood to rot, but the cedar takes forever to break down. So I pulled the cedar limbs out, lopped them to burn pile size, and threw them on. It had stopped raining by the time I got to the farm, but I did get a little light rain later during the burn. After I finished the cedar from the three piles, there was still some daylight left so I cut two medium cedars that were crowding one of the big chinquapin's. It took a little time to get those green needles going, but they burned (and generated lots of smoke). By a little after 4pm I was bushed and amazed at how the dragging, lopping, and cutting had worn me out.

Cleaned Floors

I have to admit that I neglect inside work and prefer to spend my time at the farm outdoors. But the floors were in desperate need of a good cleaning. I only tackled the core of the house, leaving the addition and the ceramic tile there for another trip. It took me over an hour just to pick everything up (chairs and rugs) and sweep. I then mopped it all down with vinegar and water. Then I went over it all by hand with mop and glow using a large hand sponge. It was noon by the time I was done, but they do look so much better.

Burn Prep

Knowing what I went through to get the cedar limbs cut down to burning size, and the huge piles I have down in the cedar groves by the pond needing to be burned, I decided to go ahead and get them cut up – anticipating another good burn day this winter. I took the Poulan down and waded through the mess cutting anything of any size. Now, almost three years later, briars and underbrush have grown up amongst the piles. Its a mess. And the Poulan continues to be temper mental. It had thrown the chain once the day before, and did it twice more Sunday. I'm not sure what that's about – other than its a little toy saw. It would also just die on me, a tuning issue I know, but something I hate doing (because I don't know what I am doing).

While in the area, I also cut some low hanging limbs from the big cedars. At one time I am sure Ben had the area looking real nice. You can tell the cedars were trimmed up, because there are no low limbs at the trunk but over the past 16 years the higher limbs have grown down and now hang almost to the ground. I need to cut more, but need a ladder to do it.

Haul Walnut Limbs

While there with my truck, I decided to pick the pile of limbs under this one walnut and dump them in the eroding area past Kathy's tee pee pad above the pond. You can just see it, already full of limbs, just to the left of the tree and down the hill.