Winter Fun on Juniper Hill Farm

The December snow, Christmas Ice Storm and frigid January temperatures are adding together to make a real old-fashioned winter here in Maine.In spite of the cold, we are having lots of fun here on Juniper Hill Farm.

On this January morning the temperature was -10°F as we went for a winter hike. Many times I have read historic accounts of the winter weather and I've felt as if we are missing out on the good stuff. When the first Wheeler's spent the winter of 1762-73, here in Bowdoin, I'm sure they had it tough. They likely had a simple shelter, probably with a dirt floor, leaking roof and barely any heat. We have it really good. The house is warm, most of the time, the roof doesn't leak, and there is only a little dirt on the floor when we don't vacuum.

Cold weather is bearing down here on the farm. The wood pile is shrinking fast, but the house is warm and welcoming even with lows at -12F this morning. I'll get some more wood ready in case we run short in late winter. The recent Christmas Ice Storm left us without power for 60 hours, but we had a great Christmas anyway. If you felt helpless, use the next few months to prepare for next winter. A wood stove backup or a generator can create a true sense of security. Oil heat has made so many people lazy. Lots of people don´t like the bugs or dirt, but how does cold feel when Old Man Winter knocks down the power lines? I'd say that most families could use a wood stove if they wanted one. For some, I would suggest burning some of their junk to keep warm. Move a few things, cut in a flue pipe and get burning. Wood is everywhere, you just need to ask and put in some sweat equity to put the wood away for later. Wringing your hands and acting helpless just doesn't keep you warm enough when the temps drop to 0F. PREPARE YOURSELF!

Black Friday Rant - Mature readers only - Warning

Black Thursday and Friday has come and gone and this year and again I decided to stay out of the madness. Instead I strapped on several loaded guns and several layers of clothes and headed for the deer stand. The tree stand was frigid, but it surely beat being killed at the mall. I have watched videos of those absolutely crazy people fighting over electronics at where else but Wal-Mart. The average Wal-Mart shopper is apparently willing to go two rounds over a Sony TV to take back to their stinky apartment. Really, is the Toshiba that you fought over last year ready to be replaced? Get a life, or on second thought why don't you just jump off a bridge. I am saddened that a day of Thanksgiving is replaced by just another day to fight over junk you can live without. Just imagine the joy on Christmas morning when your girlfriend's stepson opens the crumpled box under the tree. You can sit in your Lazy Boy and tell him how you spent a night in the local lock-up so he could watch the lame excuse of a sitcom "Two and Half Men" on this $98 piece of s*** Chinese flatscreen. Instead, why don't you take a few minutes to explain to him why he doesn't know his real father and why your teeth are rotting out of your head. Don't be surprised when he celebrates his seventeenth birthday by taking a bath salt trip that ends with an arrest after his midnight skinny dip in the overused highway rest stop porta-potty. On the bright side the poor lad might have a career in the pharmacutical industry when he discovers that marijuana soaked in a mixture of Drano and dishwater detergent will make your throat close up just like being strangled by a Burmese python. Instead he can reminisce about the bargain you got on his X-BOX 360 when he is in the hospital suffering from 3rd degree burns to 90 percent of his body when his basement Meth lab explodes. By the way, why is the hair on your cheek so black and curly? Nothing good can come from throwing bargain priced electronics into a group of over-weight ladies hell bent on saving a few bucks. Look out. Wow I didn't know I was so wound up about this. Really, are we such a consumer society that just the mention of "saving" will make us kill our fellow man. It is no wonder the kids these days are so screwed up since we have taught them that a traditional day spent with family is now spent running-up their credit card on under-priced computers that they are too stupid to use. To most of these Black Friday brawlers they think that WIFI is short for "WIfe FIghting". If you get between two ladies and one flatscreen you had better hope that your Health Insurance Policy hasn't been canceled due to the Obamacare nightmare. By the way, if you happen to want to take a boot leg video of one of these Wal-Mart throw-downs, NO WAY. Wal-Mart has a strict "NO VIDEO" policy when it comes to people getting killed in Electronics. If a video does slip through to YouTube you can bet that most of the hits will be on your face. Actually, I did get a jump on the third big shopping day of the season. The one day that I can support is "Small Business Saturday". This day we are directed by our government to shop at the local merchants, and we had better do it, because if Wal-Mart has their way these local "Mom & Pops" won't make it another year. On Saturday morning, after listening to the "dear leader" lying to us in his weekly radio address, we are to get into our Prius's and roam the countryside with our E-10 gasoline in search of a small rundown local merchant. We are to then go inside, dust off the American Made Stanley Thermos and pay the $138 dollars that they are asking. How quickly we forget that this Thermos was made while Reagan was in the White House. When after years of abuse at the hands of management, the Stanley workers were allowed to join the local "Thermos Makers Union", which led to increased wages, right up to the moment the plant closed and moved it's operation to Malaysia. Boy, unions are great for the American worker, now the rigors of the 8 hour work day are replaced by hours on the couch watching "General Hospital" and checking the I-Phone for our food stamp account refill. Work is so overrated. So, seriously, I stopped by a local merchant today and bought a huge pack of toilet paper. No High-fructose corn syrup laden soda treat for me, no electronic cigarettes, but just plain old American Chinese made toilet paper. 24 mega rolls of 1000 sheets of bum kissing softness, enough to last at least three days at our house. This paper is made of the best American wood fiber, harvested by a Chilean wood cutter, using Swedish made chainsaws, trucked to port in a Mexican made trailer and shipped to China, only to be carefully processed into something that will wipe last night's left-over turkey supper out of my butt. But, just as I was paying, with inflated American dollars, I spotted one of those "energy hogging" incandesant light bulbs casting it's ugly warm light down onto the cashier. I immediately dropped everything and called the "light bulb police" to respond and to drag these criminals off to jail. Once the government mandated mercury curly lights were installed, per government regulation 632, I finished my toilet paper purchase and headed home, happy that I had got the jump on those Saturday morning deal brawlers. If I'm lucky, while the shoppers are being trampled and the doors are being busted down on Saturday morning, I'll be sitting at home, next to my wood cookstove in the kitchen and listening to Tom & Professor Hill on their radio show. By the way, Merry Christmas.

No Place Like Home

The Kids enjoy a minute sitting down during our day in New York City. Just a stones throw from Rockefeller Plaza, this is one of the few places in the city that didn't smell like garbage. Home never looked so good.

One of the kittens born here this summer is looking at the camera. The laundry room turned nursery for the new mother. I think the "free kitten" sign will be going up soon.

The first weekend in September means Litchfield Fair for us. This year we led the Antique Auto Parade with the 1953 GMC 350. The kids also showed off thier year's work in the Exhibition Hall. Isaac did some "Muttin Bustin" by wrestling with a mother sheep. A good time was had by all. This fall we'll be Surveying, Teaching, Sawing, Ripping, Digging, Cutting, Canning, Farming, Running and having the time of our lives.

Sawmilling in my blood

The Oscar 28 band sawmill is working good, the log pile is shrinking and the lumber pile is growing. With just a little gas and my time I have become even a bit more self sufficient. This mill is not a "commercial" mill, but just a hobby model, but just the same it works well with little waste. I'm learning a few tricks to get a better product and to get it a bit faster. I have a "sawmill mentor" so I feel like I'm learning fast. To be honest, I'm not a sawmill rookie. I'm a 3rd generation sawyer and I cut my teeth in the family mill that Dad ran commercially from 1972 until 1979. I guess that taught me that mill work is dangerous, hard and dirty. You sweat, you get cut, you get tired. I learned to watch out for the moving parts, you keep your curious fingers out of belts and saws alike. The main problem with the average "hobby mill" operator is that hard work is not something they know. If you can't lift slabs, turn logs, roll beams and love it, you should collect stamps for your hobby. The main advantage to having Oscar in the barnyard is that the logs come direct from our woodlot to the mill thanks to the old Farmall C. The slabs go directly into the sugarhouse and the sawdust, although very little, will go directly into the barn for winter bedding. The lumber is being stuck nearby to dry, or loaded directly onto the 1953 GMC rack body truck for a short trip to the next project. Overall, I like the process.

Dad's mill has taught me how it can be done when you are serious about production.

Farmall C resting under winter's blanket.

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.

Rain ... now some sun?

It's raining again today, looks like more to come as well. The seedlings in the gardens are holding on well, the rain is welcome as they harden and take root. The goats don't like rain, so they are in the barn today. The laying hens don't mind, the meat birds don't know the difference. The beef steer is laying under the big maples at the homestead. Rain is a part of the cycle here on the farm. Humans want sun, we want beach weather, we want hot dry days at the lake, or at the ballfield. The pastures are staying green and the hay is growing tall. Now it's time to look for a few days of dry to get some early hay in the barn. School is almost out for the kids, we're looking forward to progress here on the farm this summer. There are always lots of projects to do. I can't make the list right now, I've got to do what I can and on a rainy day I'm in the office. Take care. Now go produce something.