Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[lorihadams]

Okay, I grew up swimming in Smith Mountain Lake (in Va) and we also had some of those pirahhna blue gills....got my fair share of bites growing up! I love the pics and the potato thing is fantastic! I was nervous about tackling potatoes but not after I saw that. Too cool! So glad to have you here, Jason!

 

[justusnak]

Hi Jason, what a beautifull home you have there! LOVE the potato idea. We did something similar with tires. WOW, were they hard to turn over. Not doing that again. I think I will try your idea tho..what a great space saver.
As for the wild flowers...Oh jeesh! You CANT take them out! Beautifull! Besides, it looks MUCH too shady for a garden.. Im loving the flowers...altho, you cant eat flowers.

 

[modern_pioneer]

While I was coming back from Marks house, Marks my Mailman and friend, I hit a deer. With all the sand and gravel on the roads from the snow and ice, we just kinda slid into each other. Three had crossed, I was already sliding, he jumped out, two others stayed in the woods and crossed after I came to a stop.

I didn't have my knife on me, poor thing. I had hit it in the rear and I am sure I broke its hips. So I came home and grabbed my .270 and returned back to the spot. I tracked it about 30 yards into the woods and did the decent thing.

He must have hit my winch deck, the PIAA light on th right seems to have been bent when I hit the deer. But no other damage, thank goodness.

Thank you

No the flowers, which are beautiful, will be moved to the lower part of the field this year. Shanor has honey bees just over the hill, and the flowers will help them find my veggies.

I will be putting in more corn this year in place of the flowers. The corn took up so much space last year, so making the garden wider will allow me to plant more crops.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Well today has helped me end my cabin fever.

I knew I was going to be tilling a mudhole of a garden today, but I didn't care, till my tractor started sliding sideways.

So I tilled some more anyway

WOW, the soil ooks ten times better this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tilled in the winter rye green crop that I planted last fall.

 

[modern_pioneer]

I have been sitting my bottom all day, my cold seems to be coming back.

This morning I was wakened by a loud burst of thunder, soon after it started to pour down rain. DW is sweet, she brought me a cup of coffee in bed because I wasn't feeling well.

A few weeks ago my friend fletch and I built a indoor root cellar, if that makes sense? I have a older home that was built by a farmer and his son, purchased it from the son. The garage is 60 feet deep, 10 foot wide and 6' 9" tall. When I looked at the house the first time I was scratching my head.

So the far end has a window, that doesn't function because the back porch is over it. So I decided when I was thinking about the design, I would use that to let cold air move in and out making it like a true root cellar. So with materials from crates that we make at work, we were able to complete it. I did have to buy insulation and the 2x4s.

The garage is where we put the woodstove, the basement is our office/packing area. I cutout three gravity feed vents to that part of the house which allows the heat from the woodstove to go up stairs.

My seedlings for the garden are doing well, and I still plan to use hotcaps left over from last year again. These will allow me to put in most of my crops three weeks earlier. Because of my grow season, this approach allows me to get a crop of alfalfa in prior to fall, I will till that in and plant my winter rye.

I did finish my chicken brooder last weekend. I had most of it done a couple weeks ago. DD girl scout leaders hubby is a remoldler and I was waiting on some free flooring materials that were left over from one of his jobs. I like FREE stuff.

 

[modern_pioneer]

It sure has rained a lot today, still under the weather today, but I feel a little better.

Yesterday, I spent time with the kids cleaning some gourds we grew last year in the garden. I wanted to paint them in a mimbras style using browns, but the kids wanted to free style some colorful paint. So I sprayed them with brown and green base. Today they painted them, DD says home, DS says rent 4A song. It was a great rainy day project to work on together, and because I could sit with them (being sick) I was happy to join in with DW.

We had 6 more, but I didn't see them and ran them over with the tractor.

The rain stopped, so I took a mosey up to the pond to feed the fish a couple pounds of meal worms. I had been up there once ealier this year to take some photos of my bat box, and noticed the boat had broken from its mooring. I had put it up for the winter, but some of the boy scouts in my sons troop came over late fall and he said they were rowing in the pond and didn't return it back.

I didn't see the boat which must have been sunken by water and ice (under the ice) during my trip up there in the winter. Today it was down at the other end of the pond. When it dries up a bit, DS and I will get-er-out.

During the winter, the pond area is off limits to the kids. So from late fall, hunting season till spring they don't go up there.

Steve stopped over because he needed me to send out a fax for him. I am going to take some time and tell you about my friend Steve.

He lives down the road about 1/2 mile, he has never had a job, he cuts trees for cash. His wife, well she is on some heavy meds, and I can tell you if she isn't on them she is nuts (spoken kindly). He is the kind of guy who is loud, he is huge big fellow, doesn't bath often, but what is scary is that he will do anything for you including take off his shirt and give it to you. He will do what he says, just when he wants to do it. His children are the bus bullys always in some kind of mess at school, when they go.

Saying all that, now you understand I don't allow us to have a closer realationship. However, we do depend on each other for help from time to time. I also allow him to haul off and recycle all my scrap metal for free. If he gets in a bind, he will ask me if I have some work for him to do, if I do I will pay.

I learned long ago, never mix family, friends and money. It's a bad mix that can and will spoil quickly. I shelled out a lot of money some years ago to help my sister and BNL, if it weren't for my niece and nephew, I wouldn't have done it. From the start, I didn't expect to get paid back. It was one of those times where you help some one out and hope they get back on track.

A few years went by, nothing, no cards, no phone calls, she didn't answer my emails. One day the phone rang, she had called, 10 minutes or so into the conversation she asked me for more money. To be honest, I had the money, but I wasn't going to ride that sucker train again. I told her that I wasn't able to come up with the couple grand she was asking for but I did have a couple hundred she could have. The conversation ended, she hasn't called me since. Keeping within my good heart, I still send them holiday cards and neat gifts to my niece and nephew.

My step-mom and dad have since bailed them out a couple times. Their not into drugs or anything bad, my sister just likes to try to keep up with the jones. They have a champage taste with a beer wallet. :/

So I don't mix family or friends with money.

Steve came over one night, asked me for some money, like 40 bucks. I lent it to him, he paid me back, but along with that 40 bucks came a big speech of not lending money. A month ago, he tried it again, this time I craweled up one side and down the other. I didn't lend him the money, but gave him a few jobs he could do for me to earn the money. Now, he just asks me if I have some work to do because he needs some cash.

At the end of the day, he has always meant well. So that within itself is a good trait. I am sure he sees my flaws just like I see his, and both of us are able to get beyond those and keep a decent, arms length away friendship.

 

[TanksHill]

First off I want to say your home is beautiful and I am envious of your country life style. Second, you have an amazing eye for photography.
Third, you have such a way with words. I feel like I am reading a great book when I read your threads. Keep it up.

I am glad to hear you are feeling better. If I didn't know any better, I would think your neighbor Steve is my brother. A good man by the same name who also chose a rocky path in life. I use the same approach with money and family, it just doesn't mix.

Thank you for the potato tutorial. I was standing at my raised bed today thinking, "darn those potatoes are taking up a ton of space". I now have a new project for next week. Can I use straw after the initial planting? That's what I am doing now, it seems to be working well.

Well, I am looking forward to reading more of you entries. Oh, have your wife tell us about her bees. There is a lot of interest around here in bees.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Welcome to SS!

Your place is beautiful! My DH would love the pond.

I really like your chick brooder. Must show that to DH and add it to our projects list! Not that we need any new projects......

 

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

I loved reading your journal!! Awesome place you have and your pics are wonderful!!!

 

[tommywalnuts]

Belated welcome to SS

MP, your spread is truly beautiful. Like others, kinda fighting down the envy at the moment lol. Love the potatoe idea, I'm gonna try that this next weekend. Keep the journal going, especially with the great pics.

T