Life on the Homestead

CathyHorn said:
I think the big thing is getting this woodstove set up. I have the stove, but the front glass is cracked and has to be replaced, pronto. I have 3 cords of wood. I bought an axe and a hatchet. I got the "through the wall kit", I'm just about to unbox it and see what's included.
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Remember to insulate the wall surface behind the wood stove and under the stove , with a material that is designed for THAT application. How old is your 3 cords of wood ? When was it harvested , and what type of wood is it ? Hard wood burns slower than soft wood like pine. Look for a product called Quick Wick, a fire starter that is made from sawdust, mixed with pure wax. Burns a long time, with no smoke, and is formulated to be clean burning in your stove or fireplace.

Is your fire wood stacked up ? If it is outside, and split, it should be piled with the bark side facing upwards, to shed water when it rains or snows. Adjusting the air intake of your stove ( called the draft ) is important, to get best results. I also suggest getting a stove top fan, that is powered by the heat that the stove generates while burning. The fan blows warm air around the room, and once you buy it there are NO costs to use it. Is there a local news paper that contains ads of second hand things for sale ? A good place to look for used tools, or parts for things that you need to repair. Remember that there are thousands of "how to fix it videos " on You Tube. Also look for some videos about living on a homestead on You Tube. Was this helpful to you ? JimB.
 

jimintoronto said:
Remember to insulate the wall surface behind the wood stove and under the stove , with a material that is designed for THAT application. How old is your 3 cords of wood ? When was it harvested , and what type of wood is it ? Hard wood burns slower than soft wood like pine. Look for a product called Quick Wick, a fire starter that is made from sawdust, mixed with pure wax. Burns a long time, with no smoke, and is formulated to be clean burning in your stove or fireplace.

Is your fire wood stacked up ? If it is outside, and split, it should be piled with the bark side facing upwards, to shed water when it rains or snows. Adjusting the air intake of your stove ( called the draft ) is important, to get best results. I also suggest getting a stove top fan, that is powered by the heat that the stove generates while burning. The fan blows warm air around the room, and once you buy it there are NO costs to use it. Is there a local news paper that contains ads of second hand things for sale ? A good place to look for used tools, or parts for things that you need to repair. Remember that there are thousands of "how to fix it videos " on You Tube. Also look for some videos about living on a homestead on You Tube. Was this helpful to you ? JimB.
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Absolutely helpful, yes. While I have a ton of book learning this will be my first year with a woodstove. I have some firewood that's a few years old. This last 2 cords looks "fresh" to me, and I believe it's all hardwood. I received a moisture meter today, figured it wouldn't hurt to have. The oldest load of wood is stacked, but I didn't know about stacking it bark side up. The rest was just delivered this past week. It sits at the top of my driveway. I've decided to stack a pile quite close to the cabin, for easy access, and the rest near where it sets now. I have a walk in shed way out in a pasture that collapsed awhile ago, but the top is still in very good shape. Next spring I'll get it dragged up here where I can use it over the wood pile. Figure I'll sink a few pressure treated 4" x 4"s and incorporate this roof over them. I planned on cement pavers under the stove. I ordered ceramic spacers to use with cement board behind the stove. I know the fan you are talking about, I've seen them in the Lehman's catalog. I did not think I would be splitting wood at my age, lol! I got myself a very nice axe and hatchet 😁. Thank you JimB
 
katlupe said:
I couldn't remember exactly. They look somewhat similar though. I remember when you and John got your dogs from Mary.
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Kat, they look almost exactly alike! The real difference is GP's are much larger. My Scout and Terra were around 70#s and GP's are well over 100#s. Sometimes GP's have a "mask", usually light brown. They call it "badger" markings.
 
CathyHorn said:
Absolutely helpful, yes. While I have a ton of book learning this will be my first year with a woodstove. I have some firewood that's a few years old. This last 2 cords looks "fresh" to me, and I believe it's all hardwood. I received a moisture meter today, figured it wouldn't hurt to have. The oldest load of wood is stacked, but I didn't know about stacking it bark side up. The rest was just delivered this past week. It sits at the top of my driveway. I've decided to stack a pile quite close to the cabin, for easy access, and the rest near where it sets now. I have a walk in shed way out in a pasture that collapsed awhile ago, but the top is still in very good shape. Next spring I'll get it dragged up here where I can use it over the wood pile. Figure I'll sink a few pressure treated 4" x 4"s and incorporate this roof over them. I planned on cement pavers under the stove. I ordered ceramic spacers to use with cement board behind the stove. I know the fan you are talking about, I've seen them in the Lehman's catalog. I did not think I would be splitting wood at my age, lol! I got myself a very nice axe and hatchet 😁. Thank you JimB
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I am glad I was able to help you. About splitting wood by yourself. Perhaps you could ask around with your neighbors and see if somebody has a log splitter that you could borrow for a day, instead of using an axe. Some of them can be towed behind a car or truck. Pressure treated wood will still rot if it is in direct contact with the ground, so perhaps think about using concrete around the posts, in the holes. Or use metal poles instead. Using the roof from the old shed is a good idea. After wood has been burned you have ashes left over, which can be spread on a ice covered walkway or asphalt drive way to prevent falls, and it is better for the environment than salt.

. Have you thought about projects that can make you some money ? Raising worms is not hard, and there are some on line suppliers who will sell you a starter kit with a thousand worms and feeding instructions. Using those 5 gallon plastic pails as a place to grow the worms is easy, and wet shredded newspaper makes a good growing medium. Growing lavender is also a idea, depending on the soil you have to work with. Let me know if this was helpful ? JImB.
 
Jim, yes, I concrete my posts into the ground. The water table is very high here and posts heave in the winter. The concrete helps keep them in place. The wood is split, but I would like it smaller, so I intend to split some of the bigger pieces. I've already requested that the next cord be split a bit smaller. Let's see, projects that could make me some money? No, not yet. I will think about it over this winter, I'm sure. I just want to get settled in, for now.
 
I got another load of firewood today and I learned something new. Log splitters come with different heads, giving you the option to split 4 ways or 6 ways. I had asked if this load be cut smaller and it was. Very interesting. Maple and ash. The replacement glass for the door of the woodstove came so I took it to my friend. It was a very nice day. I'm tired. Beat. Gotta find something easy and quick for dinner and I'm done for the day.
 
jimintoronto said:
I also suggest getting a stove top fan, that is powered by the heat that the stove generates while burning. The fan blows warm air around the room, and once you buy it there are NO costs to use it.
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I have a stove top fan. Mine does not move a lot of air but I find I like the psychological aspect of it. In other words, when I look at the blades turning I just feel warmer. And if the blades are slowing down I better get up and add more wood.
One thing, at least with mine, the fan base must be making contact with the stove in order to work. Mine easily sits on top of the stove. Just sitting it on the hearth in front of the stove will not work.
I’m enjoying reading about your progress.
 
MountainRa said:
I have a stove top fan. Mine does not move a lot of air but I find I like the psychological aspect of it. In other words, when I look at the blades turning I just feel warmer. And if the blades are slowing down I better get up and add more wood.
One thing, at least with mine, the fan base must be making contact with the stove in order to work. Mine easily sits on top of the stove. Just sitting it on the hearth in front of the stove will not work.
I’m enjoying reading about your progress.
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Thanks for sharing that!
 
Today started out slow. It's Sunday and I felt like I wanted to relax and do nothing. The first part of the day was about coffee and my online reading, and even a bit of Netflix. It was windy and overcast. I even attempted a nap around 2:00 but I couldn't fall asleep. So I got up and got busy. I clipped a huge amount of flat leaf parsley and stuck it in the dehydrator. I have a nice Excalibur that was a gift, many years ago. Then I opened the box that contained the kit for the "through the wall" stove pipe, for installing this woodstove. I looked everything over, and then watched a couple of YouTube videos on how to install it. Seems pretty straightforward. I'm going to need help getting the stove inside, and actually mounting the brackets on the outside and the roof. Definitely something that can be done in an afternoon.

By now it's warmed up and the wind has died down so I decided to get a few things done outside. About a month ago, in a moment of weakness, I ordered some daffodil bulbs online. 225 of them! I knew where I wanted to plant them, so today I mowed the grass very very short so when the bulbs arrive I'll be ready. I bought an auger, it inserts in to a hand held drill, and it's made specifically for digging holes for flower bulbs. C'mon bulbs! Then I tilled the new vegetable garden space, for the third time. I'm expanding the spot I used this summer, doubling the size, to about 50' x 50'. I have a few perennials that have been terribly neglected the last several years, so I plan on moving them over to this nice new area. Rhubarb, horseradish, beebalm, they need attention and a fresh start. And I need to plant my garlic! We are supposed to be having several beautiful days this next week or so. I hope so!
 
We had a very dry summer and I was afraid they would amount to anything but I was wrong! I grew them in large pots this year and they looked stunning. I plan on storing them in canning jars, I think they will look pretty that way.
 
Another rainy day, a little cool but I like this temperature to work in. Made a pot of coffee, and a pot of lentil soup. I think I'll make a pan of cornbread. Keeping myself busy in the cabin, getting it ready for winter. It's a complete disaster in there. I have a single wide mobile home that I stay in from about mid-April until it gets cold, about November 1st. Then the pets and I move on over to the cabin because it's much easier to heat. No one has lived out here for several years so when I decided to sell the city house and move back here, I gutted the cabin and started from scratch. Definitely days when I think maybe I've taken on too much. Then I see a gorgeous sunset, or hear an owl hooting, a hen with her new babies, there are a hundred things that are proof that I made the right decision. Break is over! Back to work.
 
The sun is out, it's very warm, low 70's. Working outside in shorts and a tank top, and sweating. Right now, today, is the time of year that anything that is on the ground needs to be put away, because once it snows it could be there until Spring. I'm serious. So I'm keeping myself busy, looking around, what to do, what to do.
 
What a change in the weather. High of 50° today, I'm cold! I heard we could have a chance of flurries today. I have so much to do before it gets cold and stays cold, we might have one or 2 more days in the sixties, then it's pretty much Winter in NY. I really do enjoy all 4 seasons but its quite an adjustment. I realized this morning I need to get myself a few more pairs of really warm socks.
 
We already did.... We had a couple really nice days last week, I think that was it for us.
 
Chilly morning here in NY. The day has started off right, I was able to service my spare propane space heater and it's working perfectly now. They are my only source of heat until the woodstove is ready to be used. I've received a couple pieces of chimney pipe that I ordered, waiting on the last 2 sections of stove pipe still.

Supposed to be a sunny day. I hope so. I have 225 daffodil bulbs to plant 😊😊. I have a new auger that fits like a drill bit, it makes the perfect size holes for flower bulbs. It's a short one, 9" I think, so the holes have to be made from a sitting or kneeling position. I think I will find a scrap of board, or cardboard might be better, so I'm not on the cold, wet ground. I think I'll wait until late afternoon to do this. Plenty of other things to do to keep me busy.
 
CathyHorn said:
Chilly morning here in NY. The day has started off right, I was able to service my spare propane space heater and it's working perfectly now. They are my only source of heat until the woodstove is ready to be used. I've received a couple pieces of chimney pipe that I ordered, waiting on the last 2 sections of stove pipe still.

Supposed to be a sunny day. I hope so. I have 225 daffodil bulbs to plant 😊😊. I have a new auger that fits like a drill bit, it makes the perfect size holes for flower bulbs. It's a short one, 9" I think, so the holes have to be made from a sitting or kneeling position. I think I will find a scrap of board, or cardboard might be better, so I'm not on the cold, wet ground. I think I'll wait until late afternoon to do this. Plenty of other things to do to keep me busy.
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How does Rocky like living there permanently now? Plenty of room for him to run now!
 
katlupe said:
How does Rocky like living there permanently now? Plenty of room for him to run now!
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Funny you should ask. He's been getting himself in trouble lately. He likes to visit the neighbors dogs, and they would rather he stay at home. Right now he's "restricted" with a long leash dragging behind him. He doesn't realize he can run so he stays pretty close to me 🤣😂🤣. I have to reconfigure the fences, which in theory is easy. In reality, digging out 16' cattle panels that have been in the same spot for 15 years isn't going to be easy.
 
Do you have a tractor or any other power vehicle you can get near the panels? Most of the time they will come right out by using a good strong chain wrapped around the panel openings.
 
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Paco Dennis said:
Do you have a tractor or any other power vehicle you can get near the panels? Most of the time they will come right out by using a good strong chain wrapped around the panel openings.
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Dennis, I was thinking, I wonder if I put a concrete block a foot or 2 away and used a pry bar under the edge of the fence, and maybe I could lift the fence and break it free that way? I also thought about somehow chaining it to the rototiller and letting it pull it? I don't know, I can see that going wrong.
 

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