Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Yes, you are lucky! We really miss having my dad, in his full and former capacity, around to cut the wood. He was the chainsaw guy and we were the pick up all the wood and carry it people. He would cut while we loaded, then he'd tend to the chainsaw while we unloaded it later.

Now, of course, we are the chainsaw "guys" and the wood carriers. We don't mind~ but the chainsaws are a pain in the patoot!

Burning wood in an indoor stove isn't dangerous and I think many people have had a bad experience like yours and it kind of sticks with them. We've been doing this for over 36 years and never had a flue or chimney fire yet, so that is something that doesn't come about normally when you take care of how you burn and what you burn.

Just like with anything else, if done properly, heating with a wood stove is just as safe as any other kind of heating source..and even better than some.

We've burned pine all these years and everyone will tell you how dangerous it is...and it is, if you don't know how to counteract the dangerous part about heating with pine. But, if you do, it is no more dangerous than heating with any other kind of wood....which is not too dangerous if you have the proper equipment and the proper knowledge.

Sort of like the whole canning in a water bath canner thingy....only dangerous if you don't do it right. Do it right and you can live off food preserved in that manner, generation after generation.

Burning wood takes practice and with practice, comes experience, with experience comes ease.

Now, if I can just practice sharpening this chainsaw until I get as good as my dad was........

 

[Beekissed]

A week ago I recovered some of my old flock from a farm that didn't care for them well. They are anemic, skinny, infested with lice, mites, scale mites and have gleet. I started a thread over on BYC about their road to recovery by using all natural care and treatments if anyone is interested:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/7...-horrors-anyone-want-to-follow-their-progress

It was heart wrenching to see animals that had been in their prime, sleek with health and of high laying production be reduced to a sickly, listless and dull flock of birds that no longer lay. I have a project for the winter...restore these birds to their previous good health.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

I was wondering if you would have a post here on SS about your flock. Off-grid hen is me.

 

[TanksHill]

Wow, that's a bummer. I have some old girls that need a bit of TLC as well. Maybe I'll stop in an follow along.

Good to see you.

g

Be there's 21 pages, how will I ever catch up?

 

[Beekissed]

I was wondering if you would have a post here on SS about your flock. Off-grid hen is me.

Hey! I didn't know that! Good to know and thank you for contributing to the thread life over there.

Good to see you too, Gina!

Too much stuff to type to carry it over into this forum, so I just posted a link.

 

[Beekissed]

It's raining a sweet fall rain today...just in time to water the red clover seeds planted over some of the garden rows I plowed up this week. Most of the rows were planted with White Dutch clover but I ran out and only had the Red Sweet Clover to plant the last three and a half rows. The White Dutch was planted a couple of weeks ago and is now up and lush green...the chickens were grazing on it today.

The wood shed is nearly full and the last two loads of wood were maple and lovely golden locust. We don't mind burning locust wood...kind of like it, actually. We won't stop cutting and splitting wood around here until the shed is full and we have about 4 ricks stacked under the tarp as well. Supposed to be a hard winter...but even if it isn't, having wood stored is like money in the bank~it'll keep until next winter.

Getting the last of the bell and hot peppers cleaned, cut up and put in the freezer today. I love doing the mental check list of fall chores and saying to myself, "Self, now that's off the list!".

Garden plowed and replanted~check!
Wood piling up in the shed~check!
Produce cleaned and stored~check!
Coop winterizing has begun~check!

Meanwhile, the Bat is working to clean windows before winter, clean and reseal joints on the wood stove, straighten up all the premises, hauling wood, cleaning up the garden, etc. Feels good to have someone working alongside towards the same goals. Never had that before...well...except when I forced the boys to chore with me, which is not exactly someone working towards the same goals. More like working towards suppertime and a movie on the couch!

A pic of the flock rustling up their grub:

 

[SSDreamin]

for knocking down the chore list!

Are those some of the chickens you are posting about on BYC? I have been reading along since you posted the link, and DH and I are discussing the updates! We've already learned a lot! Hope they keep improving!

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah...they look rough, don't they? I'm not used to having ugly looking chickens, so it's always a shock to chore around and notice a raggedy looking chicken walking by.

I'm hoping they'll be fat and sleek soon....I sure miss that chickeny beauty!

 

[Denim Deb]

Wish I had someone to help me w/my chore list. Any takers?

 

[Beekissed]

If I lived closer I'd come and help you, DD! The Bat sort of hogs most of the chores around here and keeps everything so well-groomed and tuned that I have a hard time finding enough things to keep me busy.