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“Imagine a young man courting his beloved today, saying:

I don't care much for money. In fact I hate the stuff. I plan never to go into debt for anything except maybe a piece of land and a modest house, nothing fancy, just low-cost and energy efficient, maybe even build it myself, something I can pay off in a few years and then be free of debt. I want to provide my own food, fuel, fiber, and recreation, not try to make more money than I absolutely need -- cheap car, cheap clothes, cheap pastimes, cheap vacation. Or none at all because my whole life on my homestead will be my vacation. Will you marry me?"

From Letter to a Young Farmer: How to Live Richly Without Wealth on the New Garden Farm, by Gene Logsdon (2016)

It's true, I pulled the old "bait and switch" on Geri, not with malicious intent, and not even with any conscious forethought, but I did it nonetheless. This is not the life she signed up for. And, I'm grateful for every day she chooses to continue to put up with my "contrariness."

Primal Woods

There is a big milling job on tap for this week, with Jeff and Joe next door in Lawrence, Michigan. Some 60 logs by my rough count, a mixture of Sassafras, Black Walnut and Hard Maple. I should have more on the results of this work next week; right now the weather appears to be holding.

Portable Sawmill Services An update on Load #3 in Kiln #1; in the face of some wetter and cooler weather, Brian's load is down to a 72 Hour Average Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) of 8.7% after 7 days in the Kiln. With warmer and drier conditions in the forecast for the next few days, my estimate is that it will be in the "kiln dried" range and ready for pickup by Monday the 13th, still inside the 10-day window we've come to expect.

Work is progressing on Solar Kiln #2, this week's objective was completion of the north wall framing. It's a one man show for Kenton again, freeing me up to move the goats today, and to exercise the DR Chipper for the first time in at least two years.

And, Kenton got it done. That's all from Tulip Poplar that we milled, except for the one pressure treated 2x8 that forms the header over the doors.

Pure Maple Syrup I'm looking forward to a couple of days in the Sugar House next week, where Dora and I will be putting up two batches of Blueberry Pure Maple Syrup. About that same time we will put two more days on the calendar, and two after that, for a total of six batches yet this year. That should hold us until Spring. It will be nice to have an extra set of hands, and even when I'm talking to myself, which happens often, it won't appear as if I'm doing so. I'm grateful for the small blessings, too!

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Homesteading & Health

I finally got the decidedly better half on camera. From the top: We drove through Fitchville, Huron County, OH on our way to our principle destination in Kidron, OH, Lehman's Hardward Store. My Great Great Grandfather John Theodore Baker entered the Union Army in Huron County, which started me looking for deeper roots in the area. Turns out that my Great Great Great Grandfather, Uriah "Uri" Baker owned a few properties in Fitchville Township circa 1840. Having now visited the area, I can see why he might have chosen to settle down there; beautiful area, lots of woods, rolling hills, and water. We stopped to gas up in Fitchville, and I approached a couple of fellas chatting in the station; they were of an age where I figured they'd know where the township hall was, and sure enough they did. Later, while we were getting the requisite "selfies," Dan dropped by (one of the two) to make sure we had found our way. Nice people. As usual, that's what it's all about.

The middle picture doesn't tell the whole story; that's a bit of the "world's largest horse and buggy" in the background. It's not the world's largest ball of twine (numerous contenders), nor is it the World's Only Corn Palace (Mitchell, SD), but it was selfie-worthy.

And finally there is Smucker's in Orrville, OH. "With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good." I know I grew up with Smucker's on the table from time to time; I'm guessing a lot of midwesterners did.

I added to my book collection while Geri and I were in Ohio. If you get to the Orrville area you simply must visit Journey In Time, a wonderful antiques store. There we found the 8 volume set, Audel's Engineers and Mechanics Guide from 1938, to go with the 4 volume Audel's Carpenters and Builders Guide I already had on the shelf from 1944. Beautiful reference books, all leather bound, and all in great condition. These volumes were first published in 1921 and 1923 respectively.

From Journey in Time we added two more kerosene lamps to the collection. Thinking of which, kerosone lamps should have been in the "Can't Have Too Many" blog post. What was I thinking!? The mantle-type lamps that have a wick and a mantle (think of a Coleman lantern; those little white net "bags" are the mantles) burn much brighter it's true, but they are also much less tolerant of rough treatment. I like the lamps with only a wick, they are very easy to light and to maintain. Pictured are two such wick-only lamps.

Don't even think about blaming me! This was entirely Geri's idea, and of course it has my full support. We picked out the site for installation yesterday. Solar power baby, straight up, with no unnecessary gadgetry between the sun and the work to be done.

From my point of view, and I think Geri's, Journey in Time was the highlight of the trip. In second place, a close second, was the bookstore, Books in Stock, in Wooster, OH. Books in Stock is a real gem, a simply wonder-full used and rare books store. Awesome. We each bought a couple of books there, we probably didn't have to, we certainly didn't, but we wanted to drop a few dollars on some folks who are doing great work in their community. Again, if you're in the area, put Books in Stock on your must-see list. Third on the list, Lehman's, and that was our primary motivation for going. Perhaps our expectations of Lehman's were too high, it's possible, and we didn't walk out empty-handed, but we simply found more enjoyment in the bookstore and antiques shop.

Back on the Homestead...here is a short-ish video of the DR Chipper at work. I suppose burning has its place, but I'd rather use our wood chips as bedding for the animals, then compost it as manure pack, and then put it back on the land as a soil amendment. And that's exactly what we are doing. Ultimately it's all about the soil, for better or worse, and soon enough some say we will experience the "or worse," as a nation hell bent on cheap food at any cost.

After years of sitting, the DR Chipper is back in action. I used it to chip some limbs from the pasture reclamation work, two loads went to the "Carbon Shed," and a half a load went directly into the Chicken Coop as bedding. Now my Carbon Shed isn't what Joel Salatin's is, mine is basically a corner of the Barn freed up by the soon-to-be High Tunnel; still, it will get the job done.

New bedding under the roost, where it is most often needed

In closing...

I often feel like sharing what I'm reading, and here seems like as good a place as any. I saw that Sebastian Junger came out with another book, Tribe being my favorite so far. Freedom is also a short read, no more than a few hours. Junger takes a 400 mile walk on railroad lines with a few Afghanistan vets. It's an interesting tale, and he discusses the nature of "freedom" along the way. Good stuff, even if not on par with Tribe, in my opinion.

The Shepherd's Life; I came across an interview with the author, James Rebanks, on a podcast, I think it was Sustainable Dish. This one is on the night stand, and I'm approaching halfway. Rebanks manages a 3rd generation farm in the Lake District in northern England, shepherding sheep, as has been done there for hundreds and possibly even thousands of years. As proof it seems, the DNA of the breed of sheep they raise, the Herdwick, has been traced back to the Vikings. Awesome story, well told.

Letter to a Young Farmer is on the coffee table, and unfortunatley will be Gene Logsdon's last book, he passed on May 31st, 2016. To quote the wiki, "an American man of letters, cultural and economic critic, and farmer. He was a prolific author of essays, novels, and nonfiction books about agrarian issues, ideals, and techniques. Gene Logsdon farmed in Upper Sandusky, Ohio." This books speaks directly to what we are doing, and perhaps, the "why" of it all. It is a fitting tribute to the author's life I think. Of course it was the source of the quote at the top of the post, and it felt like I read something quotable on almost every page; I'm only about a third of the way into this one. Logsdon also wrote Holy Shit, which I've read and mentioned previously. The forward is by Wendell Berry, another author I love to read. Talk about prolific, just check out his wiki page. Perhaps my favorite book of Berry's is The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, which I've no doubt mentioned before.

So I'm moving the She-Goats today, still moving them because escape artists that they are, they are again on the loose. So far they're just hanging out browsing the pasture, but I have more outside time ahead of me until they are again safely enclosed. Here's a little view of the She-Goats, from earlier when I was in a better mood.

All the best, and God bless,
John & Geri