12-27-2006
Today after work I decided to go over and chop some more tree's. Killing tree's is about the cheapest thing we can do now. Sure there is gas and chain oil, oh yeah chain . The land must get cleared to make way for our home. We are also thinking of putting a wood stove in our current house, it seems silly to spend money on oil and maybe a bit of me doesn't want to support the lives lost for the conquest of our cheap oil. I'm finding it very beneficial to spend so much time on the land, slowly watching the landscape change from dense, overpopulated, scrawny tree's to a landscape that has been shaped and abused by man and now by me hacking away at it . The really interesting part of this is how nature has taken back the land. I've seen drawings showing the property back in the day ( maybe 30's ), all fields. Some time in the lands past it has had both logging roads and a road to the rock quarries WAY WAY WAY on top of the hill. This road was no couple of ruts, they made it from the shale scraps that most likely made it a non profitable venture for them! Then in the 70's the land was again reshaped by a local pair of developers who didn't realize that our portion of the subdivision was much to steep to make sellable lots on. Our property is basically 14 acres of left over that no one built on, and we love this piece of s...crap. The land is very rocky , but run off from the quarry road has deposited some good soils in certain area's. There are random pits in the earth where I'm guessing they were looking for usable rock in the past (they just don't seem natural)
The tree cutting goes slow but steady and changes depending on where I'm cutting. What seems to work best is to go through and first thin the area I'm about to clear. These tree's are pretty much anything 3"'s and smaller. Once these tree's are felled it's time for humping (not the fun type of humping either) but a good workout still the same. So the usable pieces go into a piles . The piles are located close!! ...esp when hauling a 20" chucker. Then slightly larger tree's are clearer , usually from the lower part of the hill to the higher parts, always leaving a clearing on the lower side of the hill to safely drop it on (not my head ). The thinning goes quick, the big tree's take time and dull the chain a lot quicker. Pretty much anything that can be used for firewood or something that can be used in building something in the future goes into these good piles by the driveway. The tops, rotten, dead, really crooked pieces go in a very sacred place "over the bank". Yes , over the bank is natures garbage pail, although I still think these candidates have some other use's!!! Kindling for starting fires, burn material for summer nights and cold beers?... Maybe after being smashed into tiny pieces with a 14000 pound piece of yellow machinery they could be used for composting. Most likely though it seems I'll have to dig a hole and burry them, there are just to many piles over and next to the bank and I have no where good to store them really.
View to the east where tree's once stood
our clearing the septic will go next to the road and the garden will be above it
Here is one use for the small trees
Here's the outdoor throne and the view to the south
Looking up the hill to where I've been beating back nature, a few carcasses left laying on the ground as a warning that like their neighbor they will most likley become combustable
12-26-2006 Holidays were great!!! A bit tired, with so much travel in so few days. It was fun hanging out and relaxing with everyone
I've been working on a sketch of a spring box for the land we are building on next year. The spring will probably be one of the first projects to work on in the spring. Trying to keep the cost low more on the building the spring
Ernie's (pops) generator car with new light assemble
Pop's train set, note cleaning material, train was just spinning it's wheels :( BUT Fixed now :)
12-10-2006
Time to get a Chirstmas tree
Mom's Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
Today we went out back to get a couple of tree's off the property. Mom met us here , she was looking for that special Charlie brown, low maintenance ( ie. doesn't need to be watered ;) type of tree, we ended taking a piece of plywood and screwing the tree in for her, . It doesn't get more easy then that !!! Hopefully she will send a pic.
There is actually a really good selection of descent looking trees out in our back field. The pines at the forests edge have wandered into the open field throughout the years, some are grouped in overgown familys and other's by them self, independent and soaking up all the rays. Judging by the larger sized tree's they have been growing there at least 14 years. I believe from memory a typical tree gets harvested around the 6-8 year period. The tree's range in size greatly, some of the tree's were up to 14' some baby trees only 1'. I believe the type of pine they are, are white pines? I should know this growing up on tree farm. The needles are soft and aprox 2 inch long. The tree we got is pretty full. I know that dad would shear them to make them more marketable. Shearing them made them both fuller and more teepee like. Some would be harvested through a pick your own, some at various merchants store fronts in the surrounding areas and occasionally shipped down to the city. This is also the last year he is selling them. Increased competition and being that the fake tree's have become more popular over the years. This has had something to do with the price being driven down low enough to make the margins increasingly smaller.
I can see why fake trees sell, it is easier and cheaper in the long run and no need for watering. There are things that can't be replicated however. Somethings about a real tree that people love, as they come out every year to go cut down a tree and drag it back to the car. The attempt to tie it to the top of their geo metro or maybe opt instead for the "shove it in the back of the trunk method" and with a little luck it will find it's way home with only a few missing a few limbs . There is also the pine pitch on my fingers as a I type ( not sure if MOST people want to replicate this however). The smell of a fresh cut pine is subtle but very identifiable and seems to linger for quite a while. Finally there is the cleaning of the needles off the floor and rug at Christmas end. So it looks to me like real wins hands down
A few Varieties that I remember growing. Also a link to more info on them. Images are from National Christmas Tree Association realchristmastrees.org.
If you click on image of tree, I've linked to more info on that species.
Eastern White Pine: White pine is considered to be the largest pine in the United States. Leaves (needles) are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silver green in color and are regularly arranged in bundles of five.
Scotch Pine: Scotch Pines are an introducted specie to Eastern US. Thea are extremely hardy species which is adaptable to a wide variety of soils and sites
Doug Fir: The branches are spreading to drooping, the buds sharply pointed and the bark is very thick, fluted, ridged, rough and dark brown
Solar Cooker Oven Outside
12-08-2006
So today I tried out my solar cooker.
I guess I didn't know what to expect, like how fast it would heat up ,
what the temp would be. Today is around 36 degrees. Snow is on the
ground of about 1 "'s. It's really quite a beautiful day out! The sky
is blue, a cloud here and there and there is a good wind hitting the
window face of the solar oven.
When setting it up I put it the way where the 75 degree angle is
standing strait up, I quickly flipped it 90 degrees toward me so that
the window will pick up better low angle light. I set the lid which has
a reflective foil in front of it.
12:35: I put a thermometer in there and a tea kettle ... make me some more tea or something...
12:50: I looked in the box and temp had already been raised to 96 degrees!!!!
Wow, I guess I thought it would be somewhat slower considering the
outside temp and the wind that's hitting it. When I opened it a nice
gust of moist, hot air came out. Now it's supposed to be able to hit
200 eventually, allthough I can't find a thermometer that goes that
high handy.
2:20: I've been typing stuff and went out to check the tea kettle... nice and hot! So neat...
. The really interesting part of this is how nature has taken back the land. I've seen drawings showing the property back in the day ( maybe 30's ), all fields. Some time in the lands past it has had both logging roads and a road to the rock quarries WAY WAY WAY on top of the hill. This road was no couple of ruts, they made it from the shale scraps that most likely made it a non profitable venture for them! Then in the 70's the land was again reshaped by a local pair of developers who didn't realize that our portion of the subdivision was much to steep to make sellable lots on. Our property is basically 14 acres of left over that no one built on, and we love this piece of s...crap
. The land is very rocky , but run off from the quarry road has deposited some good soils in certain area's. There are random pits in the earth where I'm guessing they were looking for usable rock in the past (they just don't seem natural) 
but a good workout still the same. So the usable pieces go into a piles . The piles are located close!! ...esp when hauling a 20" chucker. Then slightly larger tree's are clearer , usually from the lower part of the hill to the higher parts, always leaving a clearing on the lower side of the hill to safely drop it on (not my head 
). The thinning goes quick, the big tree's take time and dull the chain a lot quicker. Pretty much anything that can be used for firewood or something that can be used in building something in the future goes into these good piles by the driveway. The tops, rotten, dead, really crooked pieces go in a very sacred place "over the bank". Yes , over the bank is natures garbage pail, although I still think these candidates have some other use's!!! Kindling for starting fires, burn material for summer nights and cold beers?... Maybe after being smashed into tiny pieces with a 14000 pound piece of yellow machinery they could be used for composting. Most likely though it seems I'll have to dig a hole and burry them, there are just to many piles over and next to the bank and I have no where good to store them really.
. There is also the pine pitch on my fingers as a I type ( not sure if MOST people want to replicate this 
however). The smell of a fresh cut pine is subtle but very identifiable and seems to linger for quite a while. Finally there is the cleaning of the needles off the floor and rug at Christmas end. So it looks to me like real wins hands down 
