Homesteading

[DeepseekerADS]

God bless you and your mom.

Thank you my friend! I am 65 into the latter months.

I'm not physically fit, or wasn't. I worked for a living, and went home and read & studied - been studying this for years. And now I'm just hard headed. It has to get done, and I have to do it.

However, I will give much credit to my brother who comes up and jumps into the hard work with me. He's getting free veggies coming this season

And, we do sip a craft beer or two after the sun begins to set. OR before if the mood of the day calls for it

We're also, amongst all the other activities, getting ready to brew some beer

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

For one of my piles I screwed four pallets together and started loading. The other was just a pile under one of the maple trees.

Compost seems to be coming true. My buddy from NC e-mailed me. We'll pick up a truck load on Tuesday or Wednesday this coming.

 

[joncutt87]

Chickens are great for the compost pile and the garden.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Chickens are great for the compost pile and the garden.

I'm getting chickens, but I think it will be next year. I have to repair or rebuild Granny's chicken house (I will NOT let it fall down). And of course, the chicken house is near my first gardening area.

I saw a very nice layout of a fenced in garden, and a fenced in chicken house. And from the chicken house to the garden, and all around the garden fence perimeter, there was a fencing tunnel where the chickens could walk around the garden - eating bugs, pooping, and going back to the nest laying eggs I thought that was an incredible idea!

 

[joncutt87]

I saw that in mother earth news, haven't read about it yet though.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I saw that in mother earth news, haven't read about it yet though.

Okay, thanks! I read so darned much stuff I was wondering where I'd seen that! I'll go back and take a new look.

I cut wood yesterday again, of course. That Stihl was cutting through the big stuff like butter. The last I spoke of it I'd stated the chain and bar popped off while cutting. Received several bits of good advice on that from our Relevant friend and others. I had that bar up in my penthouse room playing with it a couple of weeks. The sprocket wouldn't turn, so I played with it, picked at it with a paper clip, and dug a whole bunch of crap out of it. Oiled it over and over, picking at it, cleaning it, and that was the problem. It was clogged.

And, now it ain't

I don't know what the low was last night, but when I got up at 0600 hrs to feed the stove it was 15 degrees. Brrrrr... It took an hour to get the fire back burning hot, and now when Mom gets up, the house will be more comfortable. Supposed to warm up through the weekend. I'm heading to North Carolina this afternoon for the overnight, arranging truck loads of compost

 

[uglymailman]

Hey Deep. Check the bar to see if there is a grease hole at the end where the sprocket is. I don't have one on my McCullough but do on my Sears. Get a grease gun w/needle end and lube it every time ya fill up.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Hey Deep. Check the bar to see if there is a grease hole at the end where the sprocket is. I don't have one on my McCullough but do on my Sears. Get a grease gun w/needle end and lube it every time ya fill up.

Thanks for the input! I had already checked both bars and the manuals and neither of these have grease holes, which I viewed as a bummer

The Poulan is actually a more dependable, rough & ready machine, where the Stihl is pretty tempermental. I would have thought the opposite, and the Poulan was half the price, actually a few bucks cheaper than that.

 

[joncutt87]

Deep, let me know if you ever make it down towards charlotte.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Deep, let me know if you ever make it down towards charlotte.

I graduated high school in Eden, and actually consider that as my "home town". I'd say I'm about 3 hours from Charlotte, thereabouts.... If I ever head your way I'll let you know.

Right now I'm supposed to get my first load of compost on Wednesday. I need to go ahead and build some bed frames and set them out. I'm going to turn the soil in the beds before adding the compost. Speaking of compost, when I got home this morning I raked up all the sawdust, bark and tiny twigs. Then I raked up a bunch of leaves, put them on my existing compost pile, and then dumped the sawdust & mulch on the pile. Then I took the remaining jars of Granny's canned beans and tomatoes and poured them on top of the pile. It's kinda like playing in a science experiment - which may give me some homemade compost

Went out to cut some wood just now using the Stihl. Same darned thing happened, the sprocket stopped spinning, so I took the bar & chain off and will work on that again. Pulled the Poulan out and didn't even get on piece cut, and did the same darned thing. Took that apart to see what the deal is, cleaned it and put it back together, chain won't spin so I'll have to work on that again. Both down...

But, it sure is a pretty day out there!

 

[releventchair]

A too loose chain can cause greater resistance.
A rim sprocket can get worn or chewed up too.
Smilin Mark shows one on the second clutch he pulls later in the vid.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I figured out what is happening to my chainsaws....

ME!

I do too much cutting with the top of the bar & chain, and that puts the shavings into the sprocket rather than throwing the shavings out on the bottom.

My methods change from this point on. Duh........

 

[joncutt87]

Another good book for you, if you don't already have it, is 'Back to Basics'.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Another good book for you, if you don't already have it, is 'Back to Basics'.

When I read your post, I turned around and looked on my bookshelf = a nice friendly and helpful book titled "Back to Basics"

A whole lot of helpful tips and ideas there. And, as certainly appropriate here, next to "Back to Basics" sits the book "Homesteading"

Ideas, ideas, tips & tricks - all very appropriate in the evolution of this farm boy!

However, I'm allowing myself to get side tracked too easily - happens when you're adlibbing and dealing with the day to day misadventures! I still need to finish "Square Foot Gardening"!

 

[joncutt87]

I saw a useful tip for square foot gardening. You can make planting patterns for out of cardboard or plywood. Might save you a minute or two.

DIY Square Foot Garden Planting Templates - Vegetable Gardener

 

[DeepseekerADS]

DIY Square Foot Garden Planting Templates - Vegetable Gardener

You are absolutely right! That's a pretty good idea, and would be very useful - for years to come!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

A jumbled day today...

I was cutting up firewood (as usual), and at 1:50 PM Mom came out and asked if I was taking her to a doctor's appointment, said she'd told me about that last night - of which I have no recollection....

My brother was coming over, but suddenly I was driving Mom to the appointment...

When we returned, my brother was here, and he'd rolled out a very old log on the edge of the creek. It was locust, and had been laying there as long as I could remember. My brother had tried to cut it up using the Poulan, but it just wouldn't cut it. So, I put the bar and chain on the Stihl, cranked her up, and that baby cut through that locust like butter, didn't even hesitate. So then I split all the pieces, 10 of them. Got about 6 chunks out of each piece. It had been warm today, so as the sun was sinking, started the fire in the stove and threw a couple pieces of the locust on the fire. Ate supper and just went down to check the fire.....

Got some new burners there, and I figure I now have enough wood to last through the coming cold spell Thursday.

Also places an order through Lowes building supply = fencing, posts, making for individual bed green houses - saw a good idea Friday when I was down in NC. His neighbor had 1/2" PVC piping bent as ribs and covered in plastic sheeting, hinged on the bed. Great idea, just lift it off on the hinges and lay it to the side while doing bed maintenance, and then close it back over when complete. So, in the morning I'll be picking all that up.

With compost coming Wednesday things are coming together! Progress, when otherwise things do seem to be moving slowly.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Picked up the materials from Lowes, they still owe me 150 ft of fencing.

My compost connection was put off till next Wednesday. I have plenty piddle work to do, which will as usual be scouting for more firewood. The coming cold weather extends 10 days out.

When I was at Lowes yesterday, per a tip from the book "Square Foot Gardening", beds should also include the flower plants of Marigold and Nasturtiums which keep some nasty bugs away. So, I picked up two packs of seeds for each.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

If you have any Motorcycle or Sanu Bath dealers around you they are shipped in 4ft by 6ft crates, real good wood. The dealers around here give them away to get rid of them. I made a complete pig pent out of some of them. Go talk to them, get what they got and ask them to call you when they have some more to get rid of.

 

[joncutt87]

Our newest addition down here.