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“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain ―

If Twain is right, Gary and I led the ideal life this week. In between hunts we checked several things off my to-do list, chores if you will, read books, and talked. We had a lot of catching up to do, as we figure it had been 33 years since we'd seen each other. One of the things I've noticed about great friends reunited after a long period of time; it's almost as if we pick up where we left off yesterday, even if we actually left off years or decades back.
My friend Gary at work removing goat fencing for the season, and with a young buck taken on the property

Primal Woods

One of yesterday's chores was to reclaim the last of the five areas in the Low Pasture that the goats had worked beforehand. It was a tough go, with more 1 inch plus material to be removed by chainsaw, and a lot of thorny brambles connecting everything together in the canopy. Three fairly large brush piles resulted, which I plan to burn in the spring. Rough estimate, I'd say we returned about two acres plus to future savanna in 2020.
Gary and I reclaimed the toughest section of pasture thus far, and the last area worked by the goats for 2020
Usually I've been able to clear a 1/4 acre myself in three hours; two hours with the chainsaw, and one hour with the brush hog. This 1/4 acre took the two of us 3.5 hours, of which about 2.75 hours was chainsaw work and pulling that material out into the brush piles. In other words it was much more physical labor than I've come to expect. As has been the case thus far, most of the trees were Ash, one definitely dead, but we did manage to save a relatively large Eastern Redbud, which is native to the area.
We still have several chores on our list for yet today (Saturday), and tomorrow. So far we have completed the goat pen project, assembling a feeder and the sleeping platform; moved the goats to the barn and retired the pasture fencing for the season; installed a hydrogen peroxide "injection system" at the house next door to eliminate hydrogen sulfide gas odors; and reclaimed the lastest quarter acre of pasture. The biggest chore we have left on the schedule is filtering and bottling of the 2020 Whiskey Barrel Aged Pure Maple Syrup; I'm sure significant taste testing will be required. Ha!
Loren, a Sawmill Services customer, is a legitimate craftsman of the highest order
Portable Sawmill Services According to Loren, "I thought you might care to see what I am building from some of the logs you sawed up for me at my brother’s property near Vicksburg; Cherry End Table, Oak End Table, Knotty Oak Dining Table. Thanks for the job you did for me. I enjoyed working with you." One of these generous notes every so often really keeps me going; there's nothing better than seeing what our customers do. Check out below what Loren did with what would usually be called and "off cut" and most likely be burned for firewood.
This coat rack was crafted from an "off-cut" made while I was squaring up the log; it would have ended up in most folks firewood pile. Simply gorgeous.
And to think that it all started with the milling job. Life rocks!
That's a big oak log on the mill! Circa two years ago. Patience is a virtue.
Loren, thank you so much for sharing your craftsmanship with all of us! Three jobs on the schedule for the back half of November; I'll have my hands full heading into December.
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On tap for tomorrow, bottling the 2020 Whiskey Barrel Aged Pure Maple Syrup. That's the tall bottle in the middle, with the wire bale and stopper.
Pure Maple Syrup Bottling of WBA is on tap for tomorrow, as I've mentioned, then I have a lot yet to do on December orders, dressing bottles and packaging in particular. The last half of November will be busy!
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Shades and Lulu; evidence of the good life
Lifestyle This entire week has been an expression of the lifestyle we hope to enjoy for a long time. Work, play, re-creation, and love; all rolled into one. In my opinion that's how it should be, and how it has been until fairly recent times. #IntegrateYourLife is a hashtag I have used often. "Separate circles," as in mutually exclusive parts of your life, like a job that is distinct and separate from your family and friends, are to be avoided in my humble opinion. Which reminds me of a book; Iron John: A Book About Men, by Robert Bly. From the back cover: "In this timeless and deeply learned classic, poet and translator Robert Bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it is to be a man. <Bly> addresses the devastating effects of remote fathers and mourns the disappearance of male initiation rites in our culture." Let's just say the Industrial Revolution has not been good to men. A "must read" for any father, but especially so for those with young sons approaching puberty.
In closing...  Goats are in the barn. Whitetail hunting season underway in earnest. Late fall is upon us.

All the best to you and yours, stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy the weekend,
John
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