November 8-9, 2013

Sally and Tender staid in town, so I was solo. I decided to come out the shortcut, and in spite of receiving some rain early in the week the Warm Fork was dry. I was right about the fall colors, they had peaked the previous week. It was still beautiful, just not as brilliant overall. I thought this snowball bush looked great with the dying sun coming through it. Temperatures were 70, 50, and 65 -- very pleasant.

Rye Grass Seed

I stopped at the Clifty General Store on the way out and picked up 50 pounds of sunflower seed and 50 pounds of annual rye grass seed. My first project was to spread the seed on the road. I just stopped at the bottom of the hill and unloaded the bag on the way to the house. I came back with a bucket, filled it twice and made two trips up the hill covering each side of the road. The rest went on the road leading down the hill from the house, some behind the house, and the rest of the trail down to the barn. It is always interesting to see when the seeds actually sprouts. I am certain some I spread last fall just sprouted within the last couple of months.

Lop Cedars

With it getting dark so early now, I wanted something to do outside that would give me some exercise. So I grabbed my loppers and worked my way around the bluff in the back, up to the ridge top, and back down the slope above the house. It was getting pretty dim by the time I got back to the house, but I had managed to find and cut 400 cedars and a few elms.

Burn

Not being completely dark, and not needing light to burn, I started a fire to get rid of the scrub tree limbs I had cut over the past two weeks. It went pretty fast since I had already lopped them into smaller pieces. They sure generated a lot of ashes, and the pit was still warm when I left the following afternoon.

For Sale Sign

Would you believe it, someone had stolen our sign and brochure box that was out by highway. They even took the fence post I had driven into the ground to secure it. So Saturday morning I decided to go into the Berryville Wal-Mart store and see what I could put together. The signs were all small, but at least this one was metal. No official brochure box, but I figured this plastic file case would do. I wonder how long this setup will last? No one had stolen the other For Sale by Owner sign that is up along Rockhouse Road. I also got a second sign and tacked it to the gate by the cattle guard, something Sally had been wanting.

Insulate Well House

With freezing temperatures approaching, I went ahead and pulled out the ragged insulation I've been using for 10 years and spread it in the top of the well house. I need to plan to get some fresh for next year.

Re-seat Roof Screws

I went up on the roof with my cordless drill and some silicone caulk. Any loose screws I found (they back out for some reason, but only on the south side) I backed out, applied a little caulk to the threads, and drilled them back in. It did not take long, but I felt a bit of a groin pull brought on by all the sitting down and getting up again.

Garden

I re-worked the back corner with a shovel and planted 11 garlic cloves. I did some weeding and picked what kale and chard there was. I also picked a little of the summer spinach and some mint (for Sally to make tea). These roses have been great this fall. I cut the flowers and many buds and took them back for Sally.

Truck Ramps

I had ordered some ramp kits and finally got around to mounting them to two 2x8s I had previously cut. This will make any future mower loading/unloading go better -- and is probably cheaper than replacing the mud flap I tore off getting the Craftsman unloaded.

Walnuts

I thought I was going to have to go down into the valley to find enough nuts, but the tree right out back had dropped all of its remaining fruit and it was thick below the bluff. I decided to get a count, and ended up hulling and picking up 600. A bucket holds about 500.

Rain Barrels

I drained one into the garden and just let the other drain out on the ground. I then removed the screens, dumped them, and put them upside down in the back of the garage.

Load of Wood

I split the last of the big hollow white oak and loaded it, and all the rest of the 24" logs I had, into the truck to take back to town. I now probably have 7 or 8 truck loads stacked at the house. If that doesn't get us through the winter we will be burning the 18" logs I cut for the kids. There has been little demand for those, so I have a surplus. I want to get down into the SE corner and cut up the tornado downed oaks – a great job for a nice cold winter day.