Upgrades And Migrations

Posted on December 12, 2023December 16, 2023 by Greg Washburn

I can’t believe it’s getting close to the middle of December! The weather has remained rather mild for the most part but we are getting a lot of rain! We’ve had a couple cold nights but it’s never dropped below 15 degrees yet. I am still living in the Airstream here at the farm property but I winterized it some time ago. That means no water although I cook and sleep in here. I use a small electric heater to help keep the humidity under control and provide heat but the propane furnace does the majority of the heating. In the cabin the bathroom is nearly finished now I am excited to say! My plumbing project was a success and everything came on line fairly smoothly. The tiny utility room is packed but it’s working out good so far!

I have been heating the cabin with wood for several weeks now. Fortunately I had some stored dry firewood up in the old granary building that we cut last spring. We also had some “devil’s rejects” as we call them. Low grade chunks of wood that we kick out when doing wood for a customer of ours. They work well in mild weather but burn fast. Despite the fact the the old wood stove in the cabin is being replaced I changed out the outer sections of stovepipe on it. It was in horrible shape after 11 years of use. Good thing I did as I had a chimney fire first thing yesterday morning when I stoked up the fire. It really got going for a few minutes and I was preparing to water it down if necessary. We’ve had a down draft problem lately and creosote has been a problem around the outer stovepipe. Now I am super nervous and ready to get the new wood stove and roof stovepipe system in place!There is always the potential for a fire when burning wood. The new set up will be much safer and efficient.

Overall we have made pretty good progress on the cabin. We now have the beginnings of our natural white cedar deck at the main entrance. I really had to scour my inventory to get enough cedar to build what I did. I had some I stored away years ago. You guessed it! Held in trust! I sawed it into the dimensional lumber I needed on the bandsaw sawmill. I also recently added an attached wood storage shelf to the sheltered back of the cabin facing the road. I used some old blue flooring I had salvaged from an old house years ago up in the Spragueville area. My Uncle who owned it called it the Clarke house. I got a nice farm sink and primitive cabinet from there also.The wood storage shelf will hold over a face cord of wood so it’s a nice addition to the cabin. I used some old metal roofing I had but it may get replaced eventually. It doesn’t look exactly like I wanted it too but will work for now. How many times over the years have I said that?🤔

Zane and I did a bit more siding on the cabin after we found some additional inventory. But we have run totally run out of hemlock so we will need to wait until we can get some more sawn out in 2024. I spent a couple hours one day last week getting out a little bit of burn ready firewood. The ground was frozen and we had a tiny bit of snow so it was a primo day for skidding! It seems like everything is always a big hurry and I can’t ever get enough done. I try to keep going forward and follow the weather forecast for planning work days. Awhile back we spent 2 days hauling salvage logs from up by our camp on Black Lake. Our neighbors had 3 big pine trees taken down and gave us the logs. I had to haul the tractor up to be able to get them pulled out and loaded. We made 3 trips to get all the logs out before it was done. We have a nice collection of pine to saw provided there’s no hardware in the logs. That’s a potential risk with trees near buildings.It was amazing watching the tree trimmers at work! They really know their business!

Things have been really centered around the cabin project and that’s where most of my time is spent every week.The saws need to be kept outside as they won’t fit inside to do any practical work. I call the outside saw area the “Chop Shop”. We just moved it into a tent since it rains so much lately and the snow is coming. Running in and out of the cabin making cuts is time consuming but necessary. Plus the barn wood that is being using for the walls and trims is super dirty. All that dirt and sawdust stays right outside where it belongs. We have managed nicely so far but the weather continues to slowly head towards winter. Sometimes I work “under the lights” into the evening when I am pushing a part of the project. It gets dark around 4:30pm these days so that’s always a factor.

Using barn wood for interiors is very labor intensive but it’s truly a nice look! We used both silver gray and faded red for two of the walls so far. The bathroom is a mix of drywall,birch wainscoting, and a barn wood chair rail. There’s a lot left to do but things are getting better each week. I am anxious to move out of the Airstream and get into the cabin but as long as it stays mild it’s fine in here. Besides there’s still way too many tools and building materials in the cabin. The temporary kitchen sink where I do dishes for the moment is working out well. Having the stacked washer and dryer unit saves a lot of time. Well worth the space it takes up.

One nice thing about being outside cutting is seeing all the geese flying over each day. They have really been migrating recently in nonstop groups. I was finally able to spot a couple flocks of snow geese yesterday just before dark. They make a distinctive sound that’s different then the Canadian geese. It’s a sure sign of approaching winter and I know this mild weather can’t last forever. I have spent almost no time in the woods and I am missing my adventures there. But without the cabin I will be struggling to make it through the winter here. So it remains my focus for the moment. Not terribly exciting but you have to remember that we haven’t had running water and a toilet here on the farm property since May of 2012. All this is a milestone of accomplishment and a solid beginning of a new life journey here at the farm. I really enjoy living here again and cherish my freedom of the wide open spaces. Life will settle into some new routine again at some point and the farm cabin/campsite will serve as a valuable base of operations. Some day I may follow those geese south but not this winter.There’s still too many things left to do here! One thing remains certain: the walls of the cabin cannot hold me bound forever. I will need to get out and explore. And the adventures you have grown accustomed to will resume! We all must have shelter from the elements as the dark nights of December take us into winter. The tiny cabin project has challenged me greatly these past few months. But I have learned so much in the process. Never fear the unknown. Ponder and question your decisions but push yourself forward with no hesitation. That is how I see things with clarity and certainty. The energy and determination of the migratory birds humbles me. My project seems insignificant in the face of such an annual event. And there lies the resolve to drive the hands to achieve my goals. The dividends are many in their simplicity. And within I find an even greater connection to nature. And you thought it was just a project? Never. It’s much more then that.✍️

Little Red

Posted on November 15, 2023November 15, 2023 by Greg Washburn

A lot has happened since I last posted! Since returning from the Adirondacks life has centered around the tiny cabin we call Little Red. No it’s not red at the moment! In fact much of it has no siding at all. Just a layer of weathered OSB that was once covered in tarpaper until years of strong winds destroyed most of it. In this summers post Moving and Shaking I talked briefly about the cabin project. Well a lot has happened since we moved it!

I got settled back into the Airstream as soon as I returned from my Adirondack sojourn. Being parked right next to the cabin made for ideal working conditions. I could study the project while sipping maple syrup infused coffee each morning. After some initial wall demo at the front of the building I began laying out potential bathroom floor plans but kept hitting obstacles that would seriously impact the timeline of the build. There was no time to waste as it was now past mid October! But another design change would take center stage and it was necessary to go backwards before moving forward. I decided to lower the existing ceiling to create a small loft area. Space was at a premium in the cabin and storage is always needed. So after two days of demo and modifications to the framing the loft was roughed in. About this time I decided to totally move the bathroom where it would sit adjacent to the utility room. After hours of online research I chose a 5’x7’2” floor plan. The utility room would be a mere 21” wide! The bathroom would have a downsized 32” one piece shower stall, an ADA style toilet, a stacked washer/dryer unit, and a small hand sink. It would be tight but it would fit!

The first thing we did was insulate and drywall the entire length of the bathroom side of the cabin. No electrical or water piping was in the walls. The design of the wet wall kept plumbing simple and limited in distance. The kitchenette sink water lines were factored into the framing. Next Zane and I put down the bathroom linoleum in one unbroken piece to save time. The ceiling areas were dry walled prior to any interior walls being framed. Another big time saver.The walls of the bathroom were framed and set into place next.At this point some electrical had to be roughed in but it was a fairly simple process. Some drywall finishing began as soon as the drywall was hung. I had designed a wainscoting into the bathroom to limit the amount of mud and taping.We took a day to do some siding on the cabin as it was super warm one Friday.

For siding I chose some dry 1” hemlock that I had stored up in the hay mow of the big barn we call Big Red. It went on fairly quickly but we ran out of material by the end of the day. So it was time to start the plumbing rough in. Not something I had every really done so online research was required to get it figured out. I decided to start with the drains under the cabin. Installing the vents proved to be a challenge but was eventually figured out. I flipped the bathroom layout 180 degrees to better accommodate the exhaust duct from the dryer. The bathroom was taking shape!

About this time the weather began to get pretty cold at night. With the wide open space above the loft it was impossible to heat the cabin so finishes, priming, and painting could occur. So up went the plastic sheeting in what I call tent cities. The wood stove could now make a noticeable difference. All in all the weather has remained mild really.

Buying and assembling materials takes a fair amount of time. It was a weekly ritual and I tried my best to get things used up to save on space inside the cabin. Last week was devoted to pex tubing and the final details of the utility room. It would barely all fit in there! To top it off I needed to winterize the Airstream as temperatures were dropping into the mid 20’s by Saturday night. So there had to be a transition in shower and bathroom locations. Zane and I insulated the entire upper section last Friday with a nasty product called rock wool. It’s a great insulation though! Moisture and fire resistant. Very dense. That project took an entire day! The days have been busy and things seem to take longer then I think they should! And how can it take so long to complete such a tiny building? That’s very perplexing to me!

Insulation in the loft. Masks were needed!

So the water finally came on Sunday inside the cabin. Only two small leaks to fix. It had taken some effort to get the waterline and pump placed in the tiny utility room but it happened! My crown jewel of the utility room is the tankless water heater! I rigged up an old 30 gallon one as a secondary if needed. It also serves as a tempering tank for the incoming water from the spring. This will save electricity and help supply more hot water. The old Gould’s pump is a 1995 model that used to serve at Camp Edith before being retired and stored away. Held in trust I call that sort of thing.

In go the layers of equipment! There’s still lots more of everything that came after!

So here we are on November 15th. Situation: good. Functioning toilet and shower. Hot water. A still functioning travel trailer for cooking and sleeping. Just no water. And yesterday’s temporary addition of an old sink for doing dishes inside the cabin for now.It also once served for many decades at Camp Edith. I have been working to get more electrical done in the cabin also. Lots of small details being finished. There’s still a lot to do but now you know what my adventures have been! Cabin work as November creeps along and the night comes early. There’s so much more to this project then I even mentioned. But it’s home now here at the farm property. I hope to post again soon!

The Mow Dawg Returns:Part 2

Posted on October 8, 2023December 15, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Part one of this story only encompassed a short two day period! In the end a much larger story would write itself with a journey that almost seems surreal as I sit here in the campground in Cranberry Lake on a very chilly October morning! A stiff north borne wind continues to bring even more rain. It began raining Friday night and has not stopped really since then. But I am warm and dry in the Airstream. Comfortably content as I finish my maple syrup laced Keurig coffee! Today will be a day to catch up. On laundry.Cooking. And if the energy strikes my inner spirit the words will flow like the suddenly rain swollen streams and rivers here. The shift in the weather is truly amazing! The shift in myself equally so it seems. Life on the Adirondack clock is a remarkable experience no matter the weather. There is a balance that can be found for living and purposeful activities. So this is the now moment before I take you back to a warmer time and place!

This was yesterday. Today is much worse!

So in the previous story we had gotten about 300 bales off of one of my meadows on Saturday. I continued to set up my farm camp on Sunday. Monday was a tough day trying to get a bearing off the baler but we finally got it.We had a little rain on Monday night but as there was no hay down it was no big deal. The long range forecast was perfect for haying well into the following week. We got the baler back together Tuesday and the decision to mow down hay Wednesday was made. I met my uncle in the field the next day to ride along while he mowed so I could learn the tractor and the rotary mower. I had mowed plenty of hay years ago with my smaller hay bind and tractor but this set up was larger.My uncle mowed a couple sections of field and I said that I was ready to go on my own. I got behind the controls and told him I could handle it. He started to walk away then came back to the tractor. “ You are not the first person to ever tell me that and then something happened” he said. I replied: “I’ve got this! Don’t worry I will be super careful!” So just like that I became the mower of hay after years of not doing it. I took down both big sections of the main meadow near campsite. We had hay down now!

The next day I mowed again and the last two meadows on my farm were done. My uncle raked and baled up a few loads of hay that totaled about 570 bales. I stayed busy drawing wagons and started to unload the wagons. I was also mowing the hay away. We were beginning to make progress! It was decided that no more hay needed to be mowed until the following Monday. So we spent the remainder of the week getting my farm cleared off. I raked a little hay one day to speed things up as the evening dew was coming on early in September. I also used the Tedder which scatters the hay out to help it dry faster.

I had mowed my Long Meadow so it could be turned into bedding round bales. I tedded it and another small meadow by the road. I had taken the time to fill in some holes in the meadow with dirt so the equipment wouldn’t be damaged. The days went by quick! It was very sunny and warm so the hay was drying well. So hay was baled each day then drawn up to my uncle’s barn to be unloaded and mowed away. We averaged about 500-600 bales per day. By Saturday night most of the hay on my farm was done.

I was getting better at being a mow Dawg and made sure to wear a dust mask. The evenings finished about 8:30 pm after dark and I was beat! But we had accomplished a lot in a week for two guys. Sunday we went up to the next big set of fields we would be haying across Beaver Creek to mark out rocks and holes as I didn’t know the land given my own fields had been a problem. The good weather was staying with us and it looked like we would need to mow Monday.We identified several rocks and one giant hole with orange marker tape. I felt better having toured the fields.

So Monday I fueled up the tractor and greased the mower and set off to mow “The Big One”. A roughly 25 acre chunk of hay where we had scouted Sunday. I broke the field into sections and after 7 hours of steady mowing the field was down. I was beat but felt accomplished and successful as nothing was broken or damaged. My uncle had done a little round baling so there was no hay to handle. My farm was done and I was very happy about that! A night off!

Once again we had some serious hay down and it was decided to keep doing square bales. So I would be enduring a few more days of playing mow dawg. We were filling a new section of hay mow so it was easier to get loads into the barn. I was anxious to get the haying done as I still needed to prepare for my ADK trip. I was leaving Sunday! That Tuesday night after having tedded a part of the Big One I took the wheeler over to the next set of four hay fields that we would be haying.My friend lives right by one the fields so he helped me identify all the hazards like what had been done previously. I started mowing there on Wednesday and was visited by a hawk who was hunting mice in the freshly mown hay. The hawk got very close to the mower a couple of times and I saw it catch a couple mice. It got in front of the tractor one time and wouldn’t move! I was getting out of the tractor when it finally flew off.Two more meadows were down and drying.

So the cycle kept on going. I was drawing wagons from the fields with my Uncle’s truck due to the distance we had to travel. I did some more raking on Thursday and the bales kept coming. So did the nice weather. Friday I did my final day of mowing knocking down two more meadows. We were done with square bales so I was relieved! We had one final load of hay to unload and mow away. The Mow Dawg was free!

So that’s the story of how I spent two weeks of my life volunteering to help with hay! It was nice to hang with my Uncle Art and get my fields cleared as well as some others. It was nice to learn some new equipment also. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself either. Out on the land each day with the familiar scents of hay ground, tractors,and the bales themselves. We accomplished a lot in two weeks I feel. And I found the time to prepare for my trip. There’s going to be a lot of loose ends waiting for me in the valley when I return. But my battery is getting recharged here. Clearing the hay fields is important to the long term plans for the farm. But next summer is a long way off! ✍️

The Mow Dawg Returns

Posted on September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 by Greg Washburn

There have been many recent developments and writing had been something I just haven’t made a priority. But plenty of life has been lived this last month! Everything from cider making to work on the farm camp to suddenly finding myself returning to an old role of mine: being a mow dawg. What is a mow dawg you ask? Allow me to explain!

Haying has begun here on my farm property.

A few weeks ago I received word that my Uncle Charlie had been rushed to Syracuse after having a heart attack. He and his younger brother Arthur have farmed the the Washburn homestead and other properties about a mile from my property as long as I can remember. Diary farmers for many years they have “retired” into a life of raising beef cattle and cropping hay to sell. Pretty busy lifestyle for two older fellows but that’s just who they chose to be! They cover a lot of hay ground with their modern equipment on any given summer. They were well into second round hay cuts already when Uncle Charlie had his heart attack. The good news is that he’s recovering now. Home and resting after a double bypass. But was to come of the unfinished hayfields? Mine especially as they had not been cut and here it was mid September. This is where I enter the story!

I was driving over to the farm on September 16th and as I passed one of my meadows I noticed that some hay had been cut. I hadn’t spoken with either of my uncle’s and had assumed that my haying would not get done like it usually does late every summer for quite a few years now. I have pushing to get the farm campsite project back on track and will feature a post on that in the near future. But for the moment let’s finish this one!

Seeing the hay down was a surprise and I wondered what my Uncle Art was hoping to accomplish by himself .I jumped on my wheeler and paid him a visit. It seems that he was single handily going to try and hay all my active meadows. Granted he was only planning on doing only so much at a time. The weather forecast was promising so I told him I would volunteer to help out. After all getting my meadows cleared was important so I figured the least I could do was pitch in. My projects would need to wait. So that Saturday I got some basic instructions about when I needed to be available etc. I then raced back to the farm to finish setting up the Airstream on its new stone pad. I was going to live there while we were haying. But that is part of the other story!

I went back up to my Uncles’s farm and got on the old Ford 5610 tractor and started moving hay wagons down to the field where my uncle had the hay raked and ready to bale. The old tractor was no problem as it is a pretty basic older model. So the hay was baled and I drew the wagons up to the barn where I began unloading the first one. That’s where the I once again became a “Mow Dawg”. Someone has to stack the bales in neat rows and keep the layers organized. A dirty,dusty job and I volunteered for it. I had no face mask that first night and suffered badly later because of it! But the job was completed. In the meantime the baler had suffered a bearing failure on one of the kicker belt rollers. Bad timing as we wanted to hit it hard the next week.But one step at a time! I needed Sunday to finish getting my campsite set up! Monday would be another day and we would figure things out!

Settled in for the first night at the farm campsite.

So this story will need to be continued as I must soon leave for my Uncle’s farm to work on another finicky machinery problem today. It’s always an adventure haying it seems! The good weather has held and there’s a lot more to this story! But now you know a little and where I have been. This adventure is ongoing and mornings come early. I am thankful for maple syrup laced coffee each morning. Autumn has arrived and the time for haying is growing shorter with each passing day. My family needs me right now while they figure out the best way forward. It’s best not to overthink some things. There is a comfortable place in the doing and in the work itself. One day at a time. ✍️

Moving And Shaking!

Posted on August 7, 2023August 7, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Today is a special day! Day 48 of summer. Counting forward there are 48 more days of summer before the first day of fall! Time to really take any summer activities we want to enjoy seriously! We’ve spent a lot of time working at the farm as July has turned into August. The rail system that now supports the farm cabin Little Red was completed shortly after my last post. I nervously began planning the move of the building which we have been calling the Warming Shack for the past several years. I designed a hitch system for the move planning on using my tractor. It was an epic fail despite the fact that my tractor hydraulics could lift the building slightly. I didn’t even try to drag it! It was time for plan B!

Plan B was simple. We would use two tractors for a tandem hitch and drag. The real problem I predicted was how we would get the building onto the rails. But I kicked that can down the road. Our friend Gregger showed up the next day wanting to witness the move. He spotted my neighbor’s big John Deere backhoe and asked why we weren’t using it for moving the building. I explained that we could if I could get it started. Great idea! I parked my little 40hp New Holland 4wd next to it and realized just how right he was to suggest it! My tractor looked like a toy almost next to that behemoth! It’s loader even had chain hooks welded to it. It’s hydraulic cylinders that control the bucket are huge when compared to my tractor. I knew I had seriously underestimated the weight of the building from the start. Would my rail system even hold it? It was time for plan C as the old backhoe roared to life with a cloud of belched diesel exhaust.

We rigged two grade 70 road chains under the 6”x8” skids that support the cabin. I through bolted the chain to them after drilling them out. We were ready to roll! I lifted the heavy cabin easily with the backhoe’s loader. We were forced to stop work as yet another thunderstorm soaked the already soggy ground even more. Lightning flashes were getting too close for comfort! After the rain subsided I hopped on the backhoe and tried to back up with the elevated building. I moved a short distance but soon got to spinning on the wet ground. No problem I decided! I hitched my 4wd tractor to the backhoe for a tandem pull. Zane tried his best but all we both could do was spin. All was lost until the ground dried out I feared. Or was it? Gregger suggested curling the bucket of the backhoe while sitting stationary. It worked and I was able to drag the building a short distance. Little by little we inched the building forward and finally with both tractors spinning with screaming engines we picked up steady momentum and gained some speed. Once we had it moving it pulled easily.

Ripping and tearing! Down for a moment to reassess.

All was well until we reached the turn by the big barn. We took my tractor off the pull and reversed the backhoe. It easily pulled the building by itself on the firmer gravel of the driveway and the redistribution on weight to its back tires. I took it up onto the road and tried to get lined up with my marker stakes that I had set in place to align the building’s skids with my rails. I was able to get it close and decided to quit for the day while we were ahead. I was shot from all the nervous activity.

The next day I successfully managed to get the building onto my rail system using pipe rollers and the backhoe. I got it lined up and into its final resting place by the end of the day! Mission accomplished! The rail system was a success! The building was level and no further work was needed on the foundation. I anchored it down onto the rails and that was that!

The pipe rollers make short work of the task.

Everything had lined up perfect for the electrical conduit to be attached to the building. After a few hours of work the building had a functioning outlet to power the project. Now came a labor intensive part of the renovation.Repairing and packing out the porch. Putting down a subfloor and shortening the timber frame posts that were weather damaged. My cousin Gerry and Zane helped me with that and progress was made. The weather was conducive to productive work so that was nice. I started the curtain walls next with Zane’s help. They will surround the timber frame former facade that will now become an inner feature of the camp. Protected from the weather they will showcase the antique bar wood theme I am planning. That’s pretty much where we are at right now.

There’s a lot of other things going on while we work part time to advance the cabin. But moving the Warming Shack cabin was a milestone. Worthy of a blog post most certainly. I am so glad our good friend was there that day to help us with the move. Our years of construction have taught us many things. Rigging and moving heavy objects just a small part of that. There’s lots of work yet to do before the the building becomes Little Red. In the shadow of the monster barn we call Big Red it will become an integral part of our farm property experience. Working together on it is beneficial for Zane and I. As for what else we have going on it will show itself shortly. And btw! That woodshed we saved and moved? It’s going to be the new Warming Shack I decided! Little Red will be too nice for muddy maple syrup worker to mill around in!✍️

Frogging Around

Posted on July 16, 2023July 16, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Here it is the middle of July already! There’s been a lot going on lately and there’s not much of anything that follows a routine! Zane and I have taken some time for an old time rural heritage tradition here and it was well worth it! Frogging! It’s a type of hunting for many here who enjoy summer outdoor pursuits. I wanted Zane to know it was done since I haven’t taken to the summer swamps in many years. Hunting and fishing aren’t for everyone I realize. But I truly wish for Zane to experience as many hunting and gathering activities as I can show him.

Back from the swamp after a successful hunt.

Our target species were select large bullfrogs from a section of our wetlands that can be canoed. I had scouted the area days before and decided that we should should set aside other activities and go. I won’t go into graphic details of the hunt itself but will simply say we make every attempt to dispatch our targets humanely using a .22 caliber Ruger pellet gun. We pick our targets carefully as we only want the largest frogs. The smaller fogs will ensure that the wetlands will be populated by bigger bullfrogs in the future. We spotted numerous bullfrog tadpoles below the surface so that’s always an indication of a thriving ecosystem. The swamp in summer is a steamy,lush realm with cattails, aquatic weeds, and tall swamp grasses dominating the shallower sections. Leeches are plentiful and tipping the canoe over is ill advised! Small minnows can be spotted in the deeper sections as well. The bellowing bullfrogs compete for space on the weedy surface. We hunted for a couple hours to secure enough bullfrogs to make an adequate meal. Next came cleaning,washing, and chilling of the legs. I use a simple recipe for breading and cooking the frog legs. It uses a three step process of rolling the legs in white flour then dipping them into an egg bath. Next they are rolled in panko, cornmeal, crushed white saltine crumbs, or a mix of several of those ingredients depending on my preference that particular day. Pan fried outside in cast iron with super hot canola oil they are a wonderfully tasty meal! Yes they do taste like chicken!

Frying outside with the old propane stove that we deep fry fish with typically.

We shared some of our deep fried frog legs with our neighbor’s and invited a friend up as well since he never seems able to get any for himself. Zane was totally into the whole experience now so we went frogging again a few days later in a different spot. We once again secured a adequate amount of bullfrogs for a second meal which we also shared with others. We had been given a really nice largemouth bass while fishing a small remote lake with our Camp Edith neighbors so that was cleaned and fried up as well. Eating frog legs and fish isn’t for everyone but for country people who grew up with those things on the table it’s a welcome change from the routine meals of summer evenings.

Work on the farm campsite project took precedence this week and I made substantial progress on what I call “The rails”. Quite simply they are the support pier structure for the building that will be towed up onto them. Something I hope goes well as a lot is riding on the success of my engineering. Literally! The 6×6 piers are cemented in below what I consider the modern frontline

The next phase of the rail structure involves additional pressure treated planks and support bracing. There’s also some backfill work as well. Fortunately I had gotten the underground work completed in 2020 before abandoning the project because of work etc. The septic,waterline,and electrical are all in place to align with the building. There’s still plenty of work to be done! A noteworthy series of events occurred this week while I worked at the farm! Insects all always around me at the farm in the summer. Especially deer flies,horseflies,and mosquitoes. While I was fighting off droves of biting insects last week I was suddenly visited by some interesting green dragonflies. They are known as Eastern Pondhawks I later learned. An insect eating predator species. They hovered around me and covered some of my work surfaces. The biting insects disappeared although I didn’t notice it at first. There were times when the dragonflies even followed me around! It sounds crazy but I think they were an insect repellent of sorts. An ally if you will. We were sharing some sort of mutually beneficial experience. They certainly are beautiful and aerodynamic.

It’s funny how things happen sometimes. I was considering mowing the grass again around my work area as it was getting rather long. I had bush hogged it weeks ago once. But while working in front of the conex I noticed a honeybee! I hadn’t seen one this year so far at the farm. One turned out to be many! They were busy pollinating the clover and other blossoms where the second growth had regrown in the mowed areas. I decided to postpone mowing again for awhile. The longer grass doesn’t bother me since the black snakes and I have reached an unspoken agreement! They have been avoiding my busy work areas and I have been avoiding the barn. A shaky truce exists it seems. Shaky is the perfect word seeing as I am so afraid of them!

I was going to mention yesterday’s adventure but I feel it deserves it’s own post so will leave it for now! Sorry for the gaps in posting! I get very involved in all sorts of things. Some are very personal and of a family nature that I choose not to share. Life happens and time changes our family members. Health and circumstance come to the forefront at times. The rollercoaster rides of emotion can take precedence over creativity but there’s always a lesson to be learned. Always a chance to make a difference when we take the time to embrace compassion and respect others situations. As to where nature connects to the aging of our bodies and of those we love it must be given time to show itself in each unique experience. Time is the great changer of all for mortal life forms. To find our place within the timelines and attempt to understand the natural order of things is a goal of sorts. A milestone on a journey where happy memories join the sad ones and realizations must be faced. It’s nothing to be negative about really. One must simply accept certain things. Acceptance can make our hearts ache but there is strengthening peace in the past. Photos and memories of other days where we were and still are part of someone’s life journey. They will ultimately leave us. As we will ultimately leave others. It is the natural order of all life. To live our best lives is a worthy goal. To make this day something more then average if possible. And what is average anyway? Time to stop as I am heading to the forests of “Tazmania”. It will make sense eventually. Consider that a promise of sorts! MOONTABS are waiting to add to the collections.✍️

More Milestones

Posted on June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 by Greg Washburn

It’s just two days after Zane’s graduation and I have gotten used to the new reality.In the weeks leading up to it however I was subject to periods of intense reflection. Always the question of the passage of time and where it has gone. When Zane was born I had done the math to that the far off year of his graduation and what my own age would be then. It seemed like such a long time away! I rarely thought much about it as the busy days of work and endless details occupied my time. Zane and I had talked quite a bit about graduation the past few weeks honestly and all that was coming next for him. I likened high school graduation to yet another milestone in life. One right up there with getting a driver’s learning permit, taking a road test, and ultimately getting a driver’s license. I hadn’t really considered it but his graduation was also a milestone for me. My son is fast becoming an adult with adult decisions to consider.My thoughts were a mix of memories and plans for this new future reality. But like many events graduation will soon be far behind us as the days of summer truly begin post solstice.

Zane and I have been fortunate to be able to spend more time together as the final days of school wound down. We threw ourselves into the woodshed project getting the skids secured to the upper wall sections. We started putting the floor boards down as well. I moved it one Saturday recently without really planning that as the project of the day. I had gotten curious as to the best way to hitch to it so I backed up to the middle oversized timber and chained it to the lowered tractor drawbar. I was thrilled when the tractor’s hydraulics easily lifted the end of the building clear off the ground! It rested on the back sections of the skids and I realized that I could probably easily pull it! So off I went with it with no hesitation! It dragged well but I stopped to take a photo and check things out.

Turning suddenly became my new big obstacle. I was hitched very close to the building so short turns were going to be impossible. I adjusted my hitch and was able to get the woodshed close to where I wanted it but not exactly. After a series of maneuvers and hitch adjustments I got it to what I thought was the right spot. We had cleared a section of the sugarbush very close to where the sawmill is located. Unfortunately I had to cut a small maple to get the best location cleared and scraped. There’s a nice vein of bedrock that comes to the surface along the edge of the meadow. The bedrock would make an excellent foundation point so the shed would never settle. I unhitched the tractor and began to jack up the woodshed to begin the leveling part of the project. I got nicely started but soon realized that the front of the woodshed would be far too high once leveled. So the only thing to do was drag it forward where the grade was less. This involved additional hitching and dragging but I got it in place finally. Now I could get back to the jacking.

Collateral damage was minor during the move. Rocks were a problem.

The 8000 lb rated Bulldog jack works well for this type of project. I got a nice start on the support piers but a sudden rain storm suddenly cut my work short. I stuck it out as long as I could but eventually had to quit for the day. The dry spell is over for the time being and we have gotten some decent rainfall. The wildfires in Canada are still raging though but the smoke is gone so nobody thinks too much about them really. My email was never answered about volunteering to help out so I have given up on the subject. After a day of intense clearing and burning next to the woodshed site I seriously began to doubt my abilities to handle the volume of smoke it would entail. Call it a lesson of sorts I suppose.

A hot sweaty day of eating smoke prior to the woodshed move.

Last week we went downstate to do a drywall project for a friend of ours.It ran Tuesday till Friday and tied up most of our week. Our friend Vern went downstate with us to drywall so we were a three man team mostly.We had to spend three nights in a motel way too close to the interstate. But fatigue has its benefits and I actually slept rather well after the first night. The weekend was dedicated to a party and graduation itself on Sunday. Just like that a week had passed!

One room of several we worked to drywall.

Sunday evening I found myself alone post graduation ceremony. I decided to break out the tandem Old Town kayak for a paddle back at Camp Edith. The skies were cloudy and distant thunder would rumble from time to time but I wasn’t too concerned. After sitting in the steamy Hammond Central School for the ceremony I needed some proximity to the water. Gracie rides well in the front of the kayak and is a super chill watercraft dog until you get close to shore. She always wants to jump out first.It was nice out on the lake and an approaching storm sent most of the fishing boats scrambling for home. Soon Gracie and I had the lake to ourselves! Rain began to fall slightly but it wasn’t bad so we continued our paddle out onto the big section of water the locals call Broad Lake. It can be a tricky place to be on Black Lake sometimes as it’s susceptible to wind and produces some very large waves! I go there on purpose sometimes to test my kayak skills in the whitecaps.Gracie and I had just reached Broad Lake when it began to pour! We headed back but the heavy rain continued and we were soon totally soaked! It felt great actually! The two of us alone on the big water on a water logged adventure! Dry space awaited us back at camp and we arrived happy and refreshed!

Recent fishing excursion. Gracie is not going to lose her spot!

The adventures this summer have been a bit different then the past few years. Much more work oriented. It’s time to transform the farm into something more. The progress has been rewarding and I suppose the successful moving of the woodshed was a milestone of sorts. Things are falling into place slowly but surely. Time continues to speed past. Today saw us completing the jacking and support piers of the moved woodshed. We finished just before a huge rainstorm once again saturated the farm. More rain continues to fall tonight and the humidity follows each storm. July looms just around the corner now. There’s much to be accomplished before the end of summer. More milestones await us. Our end goal is simple: turn the farm into a sanctuary where spirit energy waits to be renewed. A place where we dream big and create lasting memories. MOONTABS we call them!

Wildfires,Woods,And Wondering.

Posted on June 11, 2023June 11, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Another cool June morning here at Camp Edith but comfortable with no need for the wood stove. I let it go out yesterday after needing it for several days recently. The weather has been strange! The prevailing wind has been out of the north almost every day. So it was back to burning some wood here which is never a problem as we always have so much of it.Wondering about my strange title today? Read on! It’s a current events kind of thing.

Dry conditions hinder the hay growth in the main meadow of the farm property.

The big news here this week that attracted international attention was the wildfires in Canada. Just across the border from here as it’s a mere 70 miles or so to Ottawa. Canada currently has hundreds of wildfires across the country. Many listed as out of control. What’s that got to do with life here in Macomb? Everything! Earlier last week a weather phenomenon pushed smoke from the wildfires in Quebec and Ontario down into the northeast of the United States. I stepped out of camp one morning and caught a whiff of smoke in the air. From someone’s camp wood stove I figured. I had been called into work at Fort Drum and on my early morning commute to work I noticed that the sun wasn’t visible. Strange as it wasn’t calling for rain. There was a heavy mist hanging over the ponds and wetlands that seemed out of place. The sky had an out of place look about it also. Shortly after arriving at work the sun appeared in a hazy sky. Bright red and beautiful actually. My coworkers then mentioned that it was due to the wildfires in Canada. All day the red sun crossed the sky hidden in the smoke that was blanketing the entire sky. I hadn’t watched the news or listened to the radio so I had totally been oblivious to all that was occurring!

After work I began to research the wildfires online. What I read was shocking and disturbing! Areas I knew from traveling the bush country were burning! One spot in particular caught my attention when I saw mention of the town of Clova, Quebec. I had history there having actually stayed overnight there. Clova was in danger of burning and no relief was possible according to what the news was saying. This tiny town is but a spot on a map. Only several dozen residents live there. But it’s a way station of sorts. A destination of hunters and fishermen headed further into the bush by floatplane in warmer months. A destination for snowmobilers in the winter. In 2013 my friend and I had spent the night in Clova so we could catch a floatplane out early the next morning to get to our fishing base camp on Lac Hebert. We had traveled over 100 miles on dusty,dirt logging roads to get there late in the afternoon. The bush country we traveled through was dotted with lakes from time to time but mostly just miles and miles of thick boreal forest. Meeting a vehicle was spooky as people drove way too fast. A flying rock chipped my windshield at one point as an impatient driver passed us on the narrow road. We learned to look off into the distance when we crested a hill to search for the dust clouds of approaching vehicles. Meeting a log truck was rather interesting! We stopped in the tiny crossroads of Parent for gas and bait before taking back off for Clova.In Clova we had booked a room in the old schoolhouse turned hotel so getting there was our main objective. Once we arrived in Clova we had to ask directions to the motel at the gas station. We were informed of its unmarked location nearby and that we could pay after we moved into our room right there. It seems it’s all part of the same enterprise. We were also informed there is only one restaurant in town.We were standing in it asking directions! It was a hub of activity also serving as a bar and small general store. The French people were mostly friendly and spoke English but communication lacked at times. The pace of life there was very laidback. Best not be in a hurry as seems to be our fashion down in the states. I envied their carefree, nonchalant mannerisms. So leg one of our journey was completed! After a few beers and dinner we retired to our room for the night. There was the constant rumble of the large town diesel generator that ran 24/7 to power the small community. I will leave this story here and return to it in the future as it’s a worthy MOONTABS tale of adventure. But now you know of my connection to Clova! And the reason for my concern. The fate of the town and our bush plane outfitter Air Tamarac remains unknown at the moment.

This area is/was in danger of burning from a nearby wildfire.

By Tuesday the smoke in our area was obviously noticeable and the air quality index reported unhealthy conditions. Everything had an eerie light about it with a thick haze of smoke very noticeable over the trees. The sunset was a brilliant red ball on the horizon. Wednesday returned with the same conditions as Tuesday. Everyone was talking about the smoke and the news here was dominated with reports. I continued to research the fires in Canada and studied the fire maps. A furtive plan began to percolate in my mind after reading about citizen volunteers being asked to assist with the wildfires that were plaguing Alberta. Could I become a volunteer? I began to search for an avenue to inquire. Thursday found our skies clearing although the cool weather remained similar to the preceding days. I made my first call that morning to an agency in Manitoba, Canada to offer my assistance. Things went as I expected. The gentleman I spoke with was polite in his response that volunteers were not a consideration due to liability. Ah the modern society of lawsuits and liabilities while thousands of Canadian hectares burned out of control. Surely a person could help in some safe capacity?

I had a busy day Thursday of annual blood tests,X-rays, and an ultrasound as has been the case since my cancer situation in 2009. Yet another story of my journey through life. A life changing event as I have posted about before.I didn’t get back to my quest for wildfire volunteering until Friday morning. I sent an email to Natural Resources Canada and got an auto generated response but hadn’t gotten any other information. Meanwhile the wildfire situation hasn’t improved to any degree. International firefighting professionals have been dispatched from several nations including the United States. That’s encouraging since Canada’s firefighter response teams are deployed at full capacity nationwide.With other countries experiencing wildfires it’s a taxing situation from what I’m reading. Isn’t there a less liability position that I assist with I keep asking myself? I wasn’t planning on jumping out of a helicopter like a Smokejumper professional. I have zero firefighting skills. But I can cook,drive,run a chainsaw,camp out in the forest,etc. Oh yeah! Running a chainsaw is a liability in the wrong hands when I think about it. I’ll sign a waiver then. A wildfire volunteer Hold Harmless Agreement. Do my part from a distance from the front lines (where I know I could endanger the professionals.) Please don’t take my frustration as negative or sarcastic! It’s painful watching all that forest burn! But there’s another consideration to be examined in that comment!

Research has taught me that wildfires have occurred for thousands of years across most of North America and much of the world. Often the result of lightning strikes coupled with super dry conditions they are a natural albeit destructive part of nature. But enter in the human factor which at the moment in Canada is responsible for about 50% of the current wildfire crisis ( fact check please!) a new twist enters the equation. Some scientists will quickly blame climate change for the hot,dry conditions in North America. No comment on that subject without further exhaustive research. I do know that a certain wood beetle that is killing boreal forest is contributing to the problem. I have seen it first hand in South Dakota as far back as 2012. The mountain pine beetle and related species have added fuel to the fires literally from their destructive life cycles. Perhaps wildfires might bring about the demise of their spread? The threads of research and opinions fan out in many different directions. Fire has been a constant in nature and as such must be a consideration in the natural cycles of the earth. It’s human habitation that often falls in the path of wildfires so the situation takes on something far more complicated then I can even fathom.Regardless of anything that’s a legitimate part of my concern. The places I know.The people we’ve met who live and make their living in the bush country. And the beautiful locations themselves. Birds and wildlife displaced. The clean waters that will be affected by post fire runoff. Nature is a mystery most certainly.

Smoky haze last Wednesday morning from Camp Edith. Black Lake,New York.

So that’s the latest on that situation. As for the rest of my current events? Busy at the farm with the old woodshed renovation. We have finished the demolition and cleanup after jacking it up onto 5 support piers. Zane and I got the new skid timbers into place yesterday. Things are moving along. We pulled some 2x material out of the haymow storage for the new floor that needs to go down. Three years since it was sawn and stickered up. There’s plenty of work remaining before the woodshed gets moved to its new location.

So there’s lots going on at the farm property these days. I have been bush hogging select locations on the farm in our ongoing efforts to maintain and reclaim the upper land of the hill. It’s been productive and the trail system just beyond the gap is taking shape. The amount of post die off blowdown materials slow down the process however. But things are moving forward and the cooler weather has been good for working.

Opening up a small clearing on the hill. 3 years since that last occurred and it was very overdue.

I will follow up on the wildfire situation and my ongoing attempts to assist there. I did manage to get some volunteer time in Friday night at the TILT annual Zenda Farms Summer Picnic in Clayton,New York where I flipped hamburgers and hotdogs by the dozens alongside other volunteer grillers! If that didn’t earn me firefighter skills then it should have in my humble opinion! Lots of smoke and flame! Like I said I would gladly cook for all the hardworking firefighter professionals risking their lives in the wilds of Canada! I applaud their dedication! I wish them safety and success as this crisis continues on. The air is clear and fresh here today but I know it’s not the case above us! ✍️

Catching Up

Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Spring is quickly beginning to feel more like summer recently! Last weeks hot spell was a little much as temperatures hit very close to 90 degrees! The two hottest days just happened to coincide with the two I was working on a construction project at Fort Drum. Brutal and energy sapping is a pretty good description!

There’s been quite a bit of work done around the farm recently. I finished the neighbor’s logs and the rest of my own salvage logs. The timbers that will be used for moving the wood shed are done and waiting to be installed. I got my neighbor’s 3400 Ford tractor started finally and used the wood splitter up on the warehouse landing to split up some of the stack of blocks leftover from last winter. There’s still a lot of work to be done to ever clear the landing. It probably won’t happen until fall now. It’s getting late to be messing around with firewood.

Living at Camp Edith is handy given the short drive to the farm. Returning one evening I got to see one fox kit out hunting with one of its parents! Fun to watch before they disappeared into the tall grass. I wrote a funny Facebook post about the foxes allegedly getting my sister’s chickens last summer. I imagined a criminal case where I represented the foxes as their attorney and even a courtroom scene! I should try and copy it and get it onto this page! People found it entertaining and I had a lot of fun writing it!

I spent one Sunday burning a brush pile and cleaning up a huge dead maple across the main meadow next to the Long Narrow meadow. I worked for hours trying to get everything burned up. I also cleaned up a couple of fallen trees that were sticking into the meadows. I hope to connect the two meadows together in time for ease of maintenance and actual haying. There’s quite a few rocks to remove and some rather labor intensive grading to do as well. Getting rid of the big tree was a big improvement to my view as I constantly noticed it and considered it an eyesore. The wood wasn’t worth salvaging so burning was a great alternative. The remains of my fire smoldered for several days but there was no danger of it spreading anywhere.

I spent some time later that week ripping up some invasive wild honeysuckle and clearing the trails along the high ground above the gap. The trails had become impassable.Blocked by fallen trees of all sizes it took me awhile to get them open again. I salvaged a porcupine damaged pine tree into a 26 foot long log that I skidded to the landing. I needed it for a project that I planned to do with Zane that Saturday.It was time to further his farm education in a real time practical sense. It involved me teaching him to run the sawmill to create lumber we would need for our project. It doesn’t get anymore practical then that!

If you’ve followed my Run Of The Mill posts then you already know much of my history of being an amateur sawyer and woodman. I felt it was time for Zane to become a fourth generation Washburn sawyer. With our new gravity log loader frame and sawmill in place there would never be a better time. We cut the 26 foot pine log into 3 pieces to maximize yield. The taper of a long log can really hurt your yield overall. We settled for a stocky 8 footer,a slim 10 footer, and a very crooked 8 footer from the top of the tree. The goal was simple: fill our small lumber order that we needed for our build that day. We needed 8 foot boards and a few 2×4’s. I helped Zane develop the “cants” that would make that happen. He caught on quickly and learned the saw scale that’s attached to the mill on craft his lumber.He was very proud of his accomplishments and said he truly enjoyed sawing lumber! It was a proud and happy moment for me! After log 3 we were finally caught up with all our saw logs! There was nothing left on the landing.

The project where we would use the lumber was behind the sugar house. Years ago we had built a lean-to there to hold 275 gallon bulk storage sap containers. We used them for a few years but once I retired I was always able to keep up with the boiling so we never needed them anymore. Zane and I decided to turn the lean-to into a storage area for all our sap buckets and misc. Once completed with walls and a door we could lock it up. So after framing in the door opening with 2×4’s we had just sawn, we sided it with the boards we had also just sawn. It was a good lesson for Zane and he was thrilled that we had made the lumber we needed to get our small job done!

The final thing we needed was a door. I had told Zane that we would repurpose the single door that was on my Father’s old woodshed when we were building our rough opening for the lean-to door. We would also salvage its roller track runner. No hinges would be needed. The upcoming woodshed improvements phase out the old single door so it would live on in a new location. Everything went well and we closed out the day at that point.All we needed was a hasp and lock to finish the job.

While we were at the sugar house I could hear the phoebes in the trees nearby. I went inside to check on the nest and there were 4 baby birds inside.The phoebe nests in this spot every spring.Pretty neat to know that the sugar house provides a safe nesting location for the birds!

Since then it’s been all about doing some work for our friend as a side project and getting back onto the commercial job site at Fort Drum last week. Zane and I cut up all the slab wood from the saw logs Saturday. It’s now inside drying out for next sugaring season. Along with some odds and ends I managed to get done. Little by little it will add up although we will probably end up needed to cut more next fall. This is going to be a busy summer. We started our next project late Saturday afternoon. It’s a challenging one! The moving of the old woodshed to a new location in the sugarbush. It all started with cleanup of old bark that covered a big section of its floor. Shoveled into the tractor’s loader bucket it was easy to dump onto a future burn pile. Sections of the floor were rotted so they were added to the burn pile as well. Next we began jacking up the structure and blocking it in place. That’s where we left off by Saturday night. Much more to do!

Saving the woodshed is not a new idea for me. Three summers ago I brought power to it as well as our recovered underground water line that goes out to the old spring. I had planned to convert the building into a combination bath house,laundry, and kitchen area. But the feasibility of the build was not really sensible.But I had no desire to tear down the woodshed as it was basically sound except for the floor aand foundation.Not to mention my Father had built it so I wanted to preserve it. Having a woodshed is handy and functional at the farm property. We use the old granary for a woodshed at the moment. The bath house project will be revealed once we begin on it.For now we will focus on getting the woodshed moved. Watch for it!

Jacking it up with a “Bulldog” farm Jack. 8000 lb capacity.

So this sort of catches you up to our recent activities! There’s no exciting adventures or mountain hikes. No camping or fishing. Just hours of tedious manual labor that will eventually usher in a new chapter of farm living. It will see the completion of the camper hookup site. Winter bathroom facilities and much more. But we’ve taken time to enjoy morel hunting. Cooking meals and desserts at Camp Edith. Day to day details of the sort that most of us engage in. I have been reading more and have watched no Tv here at camp. I took the time to do a little maintenance mowing with the bush hog at the farm as well. There’s always something to and something to fix. That’s the price of owning buildings and property. But Zane’s excited at our new progress and where it’s all headed. Follow our projects and don’t worry! There’s plenty of upcoming adventures planned. Upgrading the farm property is long overdue so it’s time!

The Thrill Of The Mill

Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 by Greg Washburn

We are just warming up again today after a cold snap of several days where the wind stayed in the north. I had to bring additional firewood from the farm twice to make Camp Edith warm enough to stay here. Wednesday night the temperatures dropped to 30 degrees! Pretty chilly for mid May.Fortunately we always seem to have an abundance of firewood to choose from at the farm. Up on the warehouse landing there was a nice selection of split mixed lengths and sizes. It was a good time to use up some of that mixed collection as I am hoping to clean up the landing later this year. It’s gotten rather messy. So I brought back smalls,weirds,and low grade pieces we call devil’s rejects. Weirds are quite simply odd shaped chunks that don’t stack well. Smalls are short chunks. Funny how we have our own lingo for firewood!

I recently got back to work on a project that Zane and I started almost two years ago. The side hill just below the log landing was a perfect location to build a gravity log loading platform for the sawmill. First I brought in some sandy roadside dirt the town had given me to level the sawmill site. Then I dragged up an old power pole that the power company had abandoned behind the barn to construct the main runner of the log loader system. I attached one end to a huge hickory tree as an anchor point and built piers out of cement blocks for the other supports. I even utilized a tree stump that I had saved for one of the supports. It should last for quite a few years hopefully.

I then backed the sawmill up parallel to the main runner and lifted it to remove the wheels that make it portable. I got it all leveled into place eventually and stationary on its six posts. This is tricky when working alone but I used the tractor’s loader for the heavy work. A small hydraulic bottle jack works well for fine tuning and leveling. I was making progress and quit for the day after spending several hours to reach that point.

The next step involved skidding in another salvaged power pole that would be sawn into planks for the perpendicular runners.Shorter five feet long 3×4’s would be sawn for the removal planks that enable the logs to be rolled onto the mill. I modeled my design after the one my father and I had built years ago at another property. In time we had added a building over top of the sawmill there and it was a nice set up to work under rain or shine! Not to mention a nice place to store the mill under cover. But before I could saw I needed to get the mill running as it has sat idle since last summer. I had bought a new sale priced battery so that was a plus. While connecting the battery I noticed that the squirrels had been chewing on some of the wiring and had chewed a small hole in the gas tank! Damn rodents and their destructive habit of chewing everything. I taped up the damaged wires as best I could. I then choked the engine and turned the key. The mill started almost immediately! I warmed it up some before ramping it up to full throttle. What a sweet noise and things were going well! I did notice some organic debris flying out of the engine compartment and fished a few pieces out but saw nothing to concern me. I managed to get all the planks sawed out from the salvaged power poles before stopping again for the day.

The next time I was at the farm I got the planks in place but lacked the 6” nails I needed to secure them. Not concerned I rolled a log onto the mill and got started with the making of my neighbor’s lumber. I did a second log but started being harassed by a bumblebee who seemed intent on getting inside the engine compartment. I soon learned that there was a nest inside and although only one bee was after me I could hear others inside buzzing away. The engine smelled a little hot also. It was time to rethink the whole situation. I built a crib to stack the lumber on to get it “stickered” up so it would dry properly. Lumber stacked on lumber will mold and a stain known as gray rot will discolor the lumber. Ants also love to occupy us stickered lumber piles. The crib took a little time to build but not knowing when my neighbor was planning on using the lumber it drove my decision to build it.

The cribbed lumber on 1×1 stickers.This was day two of sawing lumber.

The cool morning Thursday prompted me to dissemble the sawmill engine compartment. Easy with a socket set as there were only 8 bolts to remove. The bumblebees were silent so that was a plus. Upon removing the engine compartment shroud I discovered a large bees nest! I pulled most of it out in one piece and the bees began to buzz in earnest! I tossed it onto the ground and gave it a good stomping. Next I lit it on fire with my blowtorch. Mission accomplished! I finished cleaning out the remainder of the nest being sure to burn it as well. I also found a separate mouse nest that I removed and added to the smoldering honeycomb from the bees nest. Inside the engine compartment I found more chewed wires that I taped up. I reassembled the engine compartment after doing a thorough cleaning and inspection. Now I could actually start sawing again. Delays like this are quite often a daily occurrence around the farm so it’s best to just shrug it off and move forward. Nature sure does challenge all we create!

I quickly settled into sawing logs after that. I had fastened the planks down on Wednesday having purchased some 6” spikes from a local lumber yard. The gravity log loader system was a success and I used the tractor to set up the row of logs that would be rolled forward onto the mill. I was feeling pretty good at this point and glad that things were going smoothly. The mill was running smoothly and I lost myself to the task at hand to the roar of the 25 horsepower Robins Subaru engine. My hearing protection is a necessity as is eye protection. The slab wood was tossed over onto the tractor loader forks so it could easily be transported to outside the sugar house a short distance away. The plan had finally come together! Everything was in place to work quickly and efficiently. I lacked but one thing: a tailer. A tailer handles the slab wood and the finished lumber so the sawyer can keep the mill cranked up and making lumber. Zane will soon be working as my tailer and as my apprentice sawyer. He wants to learn the craft of making lumber. I often think of sawing lumber as creating and I will explain shortly.

Slab wood headed to the sugar house pile to be cut up later.

By late afternoon I was beginning to feel glimmers of fatigue. Our saw mill is very manual. It uses hydraulics for the blade tensioner only. Everything else gets done by hand. Rolling the logs on is done manually. Rotating the logs also manual. Manual raising and lowering head blocks. Head blocks hold the logs in place and must be adjusted several times while sawing a log. The log leveler rollers are also manual. As are the “dogs”. The dogs hold the log or cant firmly so it can’t move around. The high speed blade can easily break if a log gets loose. As for the “head” itself it consists of a frame, the engine, belts, pulleys,debark wheel, and the measurement gauge. Our mill uses a wheel and track head system to feed the blade into the log. The operator manually controls the feed rate by pushing the head assembly forward. It’s a very effective way to control cuts and minimize making poor lumber. There’s all sorts of further information about the mill itself but I feel that readers might find it boring. Suffice it to say that the Brubacher saw mill designers really put some thought into this small, portable band saw mill! Perhaps a instructional video some day might be in order!

A small white pine cant that just made 10 2×6’s. Note the track system that the head assembly rides along.

Making lumber is a wonderful workout for the upper body! The legs get some walking in but the upper body really does the most work. I like the bullish nature of such things and my mind will detour from worrisome meandering as I focus on the task at hand. There’s plenty of opportunities for injury so focus is a good word truly.As for the logs themselves they are truly unique. Tapered and sometimes crooked. The sawyer must read the log to make the most lumber from it. Mistakes are final in regards to dimensions as well after a cut is made. I was a little rusty at first but my mind soon entered the zone of kerfs and scales. The bandsaw blade makes an 1/8th inch cut each time. Kerf it’s called. The scale rule on the head allows for that kerf automatically as it’s built into the scale. Random cuts though involve adding the kerf to each measurement. Forget the kerf and the sawyer makes inferior non dimensional lumber. It’s easy once you train your mind to the process.Working in 1/8th increments isn’t too difficult after all.

The logs headed towards the mill on the gravity log loader. The short planks span the final 5 feet. Removed once a log is rolled onto the mill.

Getting set up finally on the farm for log sawing is a great accomplishment for me! Our location should provide years of efficient and save sawing. Of course I now have been thinking about a saw mill building to cover the location similar to the one we once had at our former home several miles away. Oh what a location that was! Acres upon acres of white pine to cull and utilize. But life happened and we moved to the farm property after our father’s unexpected death. We couldn’t hold all the property. Simple finances ruled the moment. That story is blended into these blog pages here and there. Perhaps redundant but redundancy can represent the importance of certain things I feel provided it’s not over done. It’s all connected this journey of mine regardless of where you jump into the stories. Backwards,forwards, and in the present. One event linked to another in a chain of events. Nature always near the forefront. Rural heritage learned and shared as it should be. It is a story of blood,sweat, and tears. Ordinary that sometimes becomes extraordinary. I don’t always know where the journey leads or what exactly comes next. I do know that when I embrace the push bar of the sawmill and crack the throttle I will be rewarded with fragrant sawdust in tune with a racing saw blade while the engine roars with powerful purpose. I’ve spent hours locked in these moments and the memories play like movies from the past. It’s never just sawing lumber. It is something far greater. For what limits what could be built or created with such a useful piece of machinery? What might rise on the farm property that could insure its legacy and that of mere individuals? As too why are we even sawing logs for our neighbor? That’s entirely another story. Yet to be told as it’s not finished. And time passes with every season and a sense of urgency sometimes stirs up the spirit energy. Not going there tonight.✍️