I was so proud of the work I got done this sunny Saturday (to be duly noted in coming days), and so proud that I had all that wood dried out and ready to go, and so proud of my kids’ hard work loading up the old woodshed, that I didn’t notice their woodpile starting …

And here is the new wood shed alongside the old. Together they’re about 50% full. The new woodshed is on the right side of this picture. On Saturday while the kids were hauling wood to the old shed, I was finishing up the new one, complete with tin roofing that’s full o’holes and needs patching. …

With the help of some visiting family members we doubled the size of the wood shed on Saturday. I’ve nailed in some additional framing (it needs some more, plus a roof) but it’s good enough to start putting in the firewood. So on Monday morning we tossed down a bunch of bark to keep the …

I have a good job, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Any suggestions? This October I will have been at this company for 11 years. It has financed the purchase of our home on three separate occasions. Its insurance has paid for the births of five of our children; its dental plan, for all our …

So I pulled up into the driveway after getting the new chickens & supplies last night and this is the sight that met my eyes. I’ll describe the hens and goodies later. But now to bewail: Wood shrinks as it dries. This stack has been standing boldly, nobly and independent for better than a month. …

Jess found strawberries for six bucks a flat the other day, and brought home four flats. Yes, they’re from a factory farm somewhere in the western hemisphere; yes, they were probably genetically designed to withstand nuclear bombs while still retaining a remote taste of strawberries. But our strawberry bed is not up to this level …

Well, I’ve decided to take the plunge and release myself from anonymity. With this post I’ll link this blog to my website and let the minute portion of the world who cares learn much more about me and where I live. Don’t get too close; I’m trained with my guns. For the last few years …

I want to be considerate of the few neighbors we have; so I debar the use of power tools before 9 am. This precluded my getting to my firewood as early as I would have liked last Friday morning. But other things can be done without disturbing the neighbors; so I took the seats out …

Woodheat.org says having woodpiles drying in the summer sun is like money in the bank. If the average bill for heating a home in our neck o’de woods is $300 a month, my stash of firewood will be worth around $1800. It even earns interest, in that the longer wood sits out in the sun …

I walked into my credit union two months ago, just as they were starting a remodel on their building. The counter was busy, so the manager called me over and helped me at her desk. As I sat there looking out the large front windows, it occurred to me that the wall in which they …