March 15-16, 2013

Twas a very nice weekend with a high temperature of 80 both Friday and Saturday. (Turned cold, windy and drizzly all day Sunday.)

Garden

Sally did it all, planting more seeds and watering once again. Nothing we had planted has come up, though we thought we saw sign of some spinach sprouting. Without consistent rain (or watering) the seeds just won't germinate.

New Kenkel

They did send a replacement, a whole new cracker which arrived on Thursday. Free! It was also accompanied by some instructions and hints for cracking: adjust the height to half the size of the nut and allow the shell to fly away while cracking. Those, plus the fact that this unit just worked better yielded good results -- bigger pieces and less crushing of the nut meat. After filling the bird feeders, I immediately mounted the new unit to a board and tried it out. What a nice difference.

Spring

With such warm weather I began de-winterizing. I drug out another hose and hooked it up, took the insulation out of the top of well house, and setup the hammock stand. We had a very nice hour or so in the hammock on Saturday.

Trim Cedars

I took the Stihl down to the back of the pond to continue trimming off the limbs of what I believe are the last two cedars blown over by the tornado. The first lay right up the draw coming down from the cave. The other was across gum creek just before it feeds into the pond.

I left the limbs lye where they fell on the first, but I didn't want the others to wash into the pond with a heavy rain, so I drug them up the hill toward the huge oak. I hate dragging cedars.

Ticks

With the mercury reaching 80 I was not at all surprised to find a couple of ticks crawling on me. Sally found the same number on Tender.

Cow Pies

Jeff has still not done anything about the fence, so his cows were occupying our pasture the whole day Friday, though they did not come back across on Saturday. They had also been back up around and behind the barn, though not as bad as the week before. I shoveled some of it, but never got back of the barn.

Tender Bathed

Being warm and Tender needing a bath, we gave one to him using the hose. It was warm enough for him to get mostly dry outside.

March 8-10, 2013

Tender and I came out for the full weekend, Sally being in Denver. Very mild Friday and Saturday, with a cold front and rain coming in Saturday night into Sunday morning. I am guessing we received over 2 inches of the much needed liquid. The creeks were roaring Sunday morning and the culverts in the dam were really putting out.

Garden

The soil in the garden was bone dry and nothing we had planted had come up. We had some rain since the day of the tornado (Jan. 29), but not much and nothing recently. Friday I did some weeding, which was very easy because the soil just crumbled off the roots. I then watered some so that I could honor Sally's request to plant kale and spinach Saturday -- which I did.

Burn Honeysuckle/Scrubs

I had a big pile of stuff to burn by the fire pit, so I got it going and feed it slowly while cracking nuts.

Crack Walnuts

I had almost a full bag left and none cracked at home, so I wanted to fill my box. But two thirds of the way there I felt a change in my Kenkle Hard Nut Cracker. One of the pins holding the moving parts together had sheared off. I'm done cracking nuts for awhile. After I got home I sent Kenkle an email trying to see if I can get new pins or servicing. They responded wanting my home address and wanting to get my 'work station ship shape again'. I think that means they are going to send a replacement, but I am really not sure.

Jeff, Kerrie and Logan

While cracking nuts I heard a vehicle coming up the road from below, which could only be Jeff. He was in Ben's 4wd Kubotu buggie. He wanted to know if he could bring his wife out Saturday to look at our place. While helping him clean up after the tornado I had mentioned that we were going to be selling and he said he was interested. Every time I have seen him since he has brought it up. First he wanted to trade using a house he has been fixing up in Eureka (to be rental property). But suddenly it looks like he has a buyer for his home, which is on 10 acres and much closer to town.

So late Saturday afternoon I was showing him, his wife Kerrie (sp?), and their youngest, 4 year old Logan, around. We actually walked up the trail, across the upper pasture, and down the backside. Tender didn't want to follow and I found him waiting for me at the trail head we had taken up. The poor guy just can't get around as well as he used too.

Jeff is a builder and he has all kinds of ideas to enlarge the house and improve the view to the south. Kerrie also seemed excited about the idea. This is a singular piece of property, and I have had a feeling of sadness with the thought of letting it go -- maybe very soon.

Cow Pies

With the fence down Jeff has just left the gate open at the bottom of the hill. Saturday morning I counted 25 cows in our field. I don't mind the cows but can't say the same for what the leave behind. They had been up and around the house, and even walked around the bluff side of the barn to get into the back. Since Tender is attracted to the stuff for some sick reason, I shoveled it all up. Dumping some into the Humanure compost bin and piling up the rest under the pear trees (which I hope will benefit from it).

Vacuum Leaves

Every winter the oak leaves are blown up to the north side of the house, garage and garden. I brought out my blower which can be used to suck up and chop the leaves. I vacuumed them up and bagged the product for use in the garden

Cut Cedars

Saturday morning I took my Stihl back down to the tornado felled trees back of the pond. I finished trimming the limbs off of one, and then addressed this huge one laying across a draw. There are at least two more I need to tackle. I also piled up some of the limbs and found another pine that has been laid on top of for over a month -- but it sprang back up.

Picnic Table

Sally had directed me to take our redwood picnic table from town (given to us by her parents probably 35 years ago) to the farm and burn it (I haven't yet), and bring back the narrow picnic table we use to use on the porch but was currently unused and sitting in the barn. It was all faded and not very attractive, so I used some Red Wood stain that was on hand and spruced it up. Sally will probably say that was a waste of time, but I think it looks pretty sharp.

Rive Boards

I was splitting off shakes with my froe when Jeff, Kerrie, and Logan arrived. Since I was at the barn I didn't hear them drive up, but Jeff could hear me and got my attention from above the bluff. I started riving on a new log and it was not going very well. I guess I should just chunk it and find one that cooperates better.

Burn Cedars

Sunday morning with it still raining I went down and burned the circle of cedar limbs I had formed in the grove just above the pond. I didn't like driving the water logged road, but I didn't want to walk. Later I'll have to see how bad the ruts are I left. The burn went well once I got it started (lots of newspaper). I could pile them on as fast as I could go and it never got too big. Glad to get this cleaned up. Now there is more of the same to do further back of the pond, lots more.