Dawn til dusk

The summer is moving fast, the animals are doing well, the gardens seem to be beating the battle with the birds, bugs and weeds right now. We have been enjoying the fresh greens for some time now and the summer squash, broccoli and cabbage are feeding us well. This morning I started at 6:30 AM by cutting some fir logs on the Maher lot. Most of the fir here is hollow in the center, so I cut a few sticks of firewood of the butt of each log. Today I loaded the small logs on my old skoot to haul them to the sawmill without getting them gritty. I was able to saw a few 2x4's out of the otherwise wasted logs. The only thing left was a few slabs and a bit of sawdust. By the way, the sawmill is our newest addition here on the farm. I could use the mill at the homestead, but that would take longer to setup than it is worth. This little mill is an Oscar 28, built by Hud-Son in Barnevald, NY. It is few years old, but seems to do just fine. With a little adjustment I think I can produce some nice lumber. The little 8hp Briggs & Stratton can power the mill while it sips gas. Right now I can saw up to 14 foot logs, and up to 28" in diameter. I´ll have plenty of projects that will get a hand from little Oscar. Sundown came as I milked the goats and put away the day's tools. I´ll do it again tomorrow. By the way, I managed to get about 5 hours in the office today as well. The bills have to be paid, even if we are producing for ourselves. Property taxes cost nearly $500 a month, yes each month. Take care.