March Snow Coming

As I lug wood to the stove in the living room I look out into the night sky for the arrival of the first snowflakes. The firewood pile has really shrunk over these last two months. I am comforted by the growing warmth of Sun and looking forward to the upcoming maple sugar season. The barn is quiet these days. After over 20 years of raising goats, I have decided to take some time off to consider what is next for the Farmer. More vegetables, more fruit trees, more open space. Smaller grain bills, less worry about the uncertainty of the hay crop and less daily chores. Three old hens await my daily trips to the henhouse with the table scraps and a warm drink of water.

We've cut some firewood for next fall, but lots more will be needed. Gideon helped salvage some pine logs from the old homestead, a result of the October 2017 windstorm. I hope the lumber will be of good color and quality when we saw it. I've been doing some much needed maintenance on Ol Rusty, the 384 International. A new hydraulic pump and fluid replacements are done. Still more to do. Dad was so good at this stuff, I miss him.



The old Farmall C sits awaiting her next assignment. She is always ready to work. Probably the best $600 I ever spent.

Land Surveying has seen a few busy years now, with another on the way. I wear lots of hats, but also enjoy being able to focus on becoming really good at something. When I know where this leads, I will let you know.

Long time gone

It has been almost more than 2 years since my last post, where has the time gone? The Farmer has been retooling a bit I guess. Less goats, more gardens. Less haying, more sawing. Building, repairing, surveying and watching the kids grow to adults. After 14 years as a rec coach, retired at last. Said goodbye to my longest friend, my dad, in February. I think every day of how I learned from Dad, I miss him. I don't miss the Alzheimer's, I miss the teacher, the mechanic, the sawyer, the mentor. I am 46 now and want to continue to accomplish big things. Gideon is heading to UMaine in three weeks to embark on his dreams. We will all look forward to his time at home in the coming years. Exciting! Making progress on the project house. Finally. Home repairs this fall and sawing more lumber on the Hud-son mill. Caroline´s cabin is underway with Mary's coming later this fall I hope. Isaac is growing and continues to be a devoted athlete at whatever he puts his mind to. The Gardener has the homestead looking better than ever with lots of flower gardens and weed free vegetable gardens.

I hope to report back again soon. Don't hold your breath though. The Farmer.

Sweet Saturday 2016 - March 26, 2016 10AM-4PM

Just dropping a note to remind you that our annual open sugarhouse will be on Saturday March 26, 2016, 10AM-4PM. Our "Sweet Saturday" celebration will include a tour of our small sugarhouse to see maple syrup production, the dairy goat barn to see the baby goats, the beginnings of our tiny house village and we are planning on demonstrating our Hud-son band saw mill. Wear your boots and we hope you'll have a great time.

Juniper Hill Farm Sugarhouse - 693 West Road, Bowdoin, Maine
Hope to see you here - Reuben, Angela, Gideon, Caroline, Mary & Isaac

Project House Progress

After a long delay, we have restarted the rebuilding of the Oak Hill project house. With the snow covering the woods and fields of Maine, I'm taking a few days to work on the old house to fix the things that need to be fixed. Some new posts and stringers will be first as we improve the house for its future occupants. The builder's level isn't being used as much as with new construction, but in some ways having a little tip in the bedroom floor will remind us of the history contained within these walls. One interesting piece of history we have discovered lately is that the Alexander family, the original occupants of the Oak Hill house, back in the 1840's, trace a connection to the Wheeler's through a maternal relationship.

After I've repaired the bones of the house we'll be adding the features that we would want if we were to make it a home for our own family. Whoever lives here down the road I want them see that the repairs were done the right way. Insulation, never a consideration back in the old days, will be an important consideration going forward. I'm considering closed cell foam right now, it isn't cheap, but I think it will repay in the long run. There is still a bit more ripping to be done, it's hard work but it can be fun to uncover the good while stripping away the bad. If we had won the Powerball we would probably hire out the hard stuff, but for now I guess I'll use my skills and maybe pick-up a few more skills in the process.

Check back in later, I'll post pics again soon.

Buck looking for a new home

"Bucky", the 1 1/2 year old nubian x alpine buck is looking for a new home.

Thanks for visiting.

Fall is near - time for firewood and home projects

The kids are back in school and the morning air hints of Fall coming soon. It's time to tackle the projects that our busy summer schedule didn't allow. Sawing some lumber on the Hud-son Band Sawmill, working up some more firewood and finishing a few building projects are now the focus of my weekend time. My Land Surveying business is very busy right now so I'll be focusing on that during the week.

Let's hope that the great weather stays around a few more days. See you soon.

Western Maine Tour 2015

With summer vacation coming to an end we decided to get off the farm for two days and take in a bit of western Maine beauty. Getting off the beaten path is more and more important to me as the kids get older and the speed of our daily lives seem to be almost unreal. Heading west (or northwest) in this case is something Mainers have been doing for hundreds of years. Some Wheeler's headed west in the early 1800's, but my line stayed on the home place to make it their own.

With a stop at the wire bridge in New Portland the kids and I marveled that the bridge sways so much but has stood since 1866.

A night at Uncle Ralph's camp seemed appropriate on this 2015 memory tour. My first visit was with my folks when I was only a month old. It seemed fitting that I do the driving this time, and Angela, the kids and I were glad that Mom & Dad could make the trip with us. Our "new" 2003 GMC Yukon XL seats 9 so we can fit us all and still have room for a cooler and our bags.

Celebrating 19 years of marriage, and now well into our 40's, Angela & I are showing some wear, but overall are in good condition. If this is what a mid-life crisis looks like, I LIKE IT.

Mom & Dad enjoyed the views on the trip as we visited the Height of Land overlooking MooseLookMeGunTic Lake, south of Rangley Lake. My childhood summer trips were spent mostly enjoying western Maine and northern New England. The hustle and bustle of coastal Maine and Route 1 never had much appeal for Dad and doesn't for me either. Leaving the WIFI behind and enjoying the simple things is such a treat. Next time you see your teenagers humped over their Iphones, texting, sexting, Instagraming or Facebooking you should wonder what memories they are creating.