Home on the Hill

I'm late with the annual wood cutting chore.  Certainly I am earlier than last year when I was tunnelling through a kilometre of four foot deep snow to find the cut up wood that was somewhere under a white expanse.  This wood shed and three more like it need to be filled to see us comfortably through the next six months of winter.  Due to some cardiac issues it isn't an option for me to lug heavy rounds of wood around.  The skid-steer helps with that option.  I've tried loading it with the pallet forks and then dropping it into a saw buck but have found that it makes it just as easy to cut it on the forks.  Being careful, of course, to avoid saw parts and metal forks!   I have the green house growing. But need to make some weather proofing amendments to see us through the white times.  The Swiss Chard, Basil and Tomatoes are doing great:     All the leaves are gone.  We've even had a couple of inches of snow.  But it didn't last.  It will take

The snow is melting like, well, snow in spring time.  The top of the tire garden is starting to show through the snow.  Those are three logging truck tires on top of each other filled with soil.  So still a bit of snow to go before I have to weed whack the grass.  I will plant some spinach and spring onions before the snow is all gone.  I will put some plastic over the tires to speed up the process.  It's going to be a late spring. Melt water has turned road ruts into impromptu ditches. Fortunately all the water here is diverted onto our Southern fields. Attempting to get to the wood pile.  Not gong to happen until the road gets a bit more solid.  Like in a couple of weeks.  The piggies are partly to blame.  This part of the road is South facing and the snow melted off it first leaving bare ground.  Ideal for rootevators who have just walked on the snow over the fences!  Four sows in stalls, three of which decided to have their babies within a couple of days of

Late winter snows have certainly made for some challenges.  The Diesel bill is through the roof and were running out of places to put plowed snow.  I go to several meetings a week in this wonderful old church in Fraser Lake.  Not this day.  The Township plowed the road after a particularly heavy snow fall and the results were impassible.  No place to park on the street as it was narrowed by the snow banks.  There is a parking lot to the left of the church but no entry way.  Ah well, a couple of weeks and were into the spring melt.  Hopefully, good news for the rapidly diminishing water table.  The forest for the trees.  the sharper eyed among us may be able to pick out the Mama Moose hunkered down watching us pass by.  The heavy snow has brought the moose down to the roads as it is too deep for them to run in the forests.  They have even been spotted in town. We were just returning from town when Jo said she had just saw a piece of snow slide off of the Chicken shed roof.  As

Sometimes I really can't see the forest for the trees. I get wrapped up in the details of keeping a farm running that the big picture can escape me.  What are we doing this for?  Ah, well it is the season for navel gazing - after I get the water trucked in from town.  Low well.  Hopefully the amount of snow we have this year will have a positive impact on the water table.  An accidental photo. Something the Google fixed up from one of my photos in its collection.    If ever I needed a reminder that wood gathering is best done in the non snow months. Some times, when it's all said and done, we just need to put another log on the fire and snuggle up with someone!

The black dot in the center of the picture below is Mabel the Moose chowing down on some willow branches.  She wasn't concerned with me in the skidsteer making all the noise.  I think she could tell that at the rate I was going at I could never get to her before she could use one of her carefully prepared escape routes. I don't know if this video will play.  It's the top pasture  area. Skid-steer purring in the comfort of the shop!  Five hours of clean up and I could get it into the warmth and not have to rely on tarps and electric heaters to make it possible to start in the -20 weather.

Late in coming, winter does seem to be upon us. Grandma's visa Snow dogs.  Overseeing the wood hauling operation  The snow is piling up and we are very grateful for it.  Hopefully that will translate to a rise in the well water.  last year the water table dropped at least eight feet. Which means we are now looking at several options including water catchment systems, hauling water from town, developing some new wells.  The doggies are in their glory.  Loving the piles of snow - or as they see them: Doggie Lookouts! This is my castle and I am the Queen! Once in a Blue Moon An astonishing moon rising over the Eastern Cliffs Winter Wood. Neighbor Dave making wood whacking look easy. Winter isn't the best time to be bringing in the wood, but this year it was necessary.  A combination of procrastination and doing other things during the summer.  A mistake I won't be making this year.  We heat everything with wood as using electricity to heat