Dispatches From The Farm

A Sore Sawyer’s Tale

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

I got the sawmill tuned up a bit this morning, and ready to run. It’s not perfect as the bed could use some flattening, but then, one sets boards down flat to dry and to allow any odd shapes to come out. Why could they not come into the board if one were correcting a very slight malformation caused by a slightly off saw bed? I’ll give it some more work when I am feeling better, but for now it is tuned enough.

I put a new blade on to try to correct some wave in the cuts, too. That worked instantly. I cut a four-and-a-half-foot pine log to test it all out, and once the blade was on, the cuts were immaculate. I put the boards right into the shop to dry out of the sun, though at the moment they are stood on end, and I put AcnchorSeal on one end. I’ll have to flip them and coat the other end soon.

By 11:30AM I was out of order. Arthritis pain got to be too much, and I could not work any longer. A quick lunch, some painkillers and a nap soon followed. It’s coming up to 2PM now, and I am waiting for the time to come when I can take a second round of painkillers to give a try at something different than I have already had. But that’s all by-the-by.

The boards I got from the board were fairly dry at the ends and pretty wet in the middles. I have a selection of one inch thick and a couple of two inch, and even a 1/2 inch thick one. There are also slabs from the outside edges that I may clean up and try to laser etch something into. If not them, there are the natural edge rough cuts first in from them that I may try as well.

The test log went fine, but next I need to cut up some of the big poplar trees I have out back and get a few boards, some beams, and some posts from them. I am not sure how fast I will get through that project if my body is not going to hold up for very long at the work. But I will give it a try and see. I expect to try another log later today. I just need those painkillers to kick in!

Started On the List – Already

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Second to last on the list in the last post was to get winter hay. That may have fallen into my lap this year. One of the neighbors has some hay that has a bit of mold in it. It is not great, but it is not horrible, either. Since I have livestock that is not milking, and have had such hay before, I am happy to take it at the discount he is offering and sort out the good stuff for the animals to eat.

The neighbor suggests the hay bales weight 1,200 pounds. They are six string bales of grass, 4x4x8. I can’t be sure, but I think he may be right, or even underestimating it. My tractor could not lift it off the top of a three-bale stack, but I was able to lift and knock it off, then lift it from the ground, so I was all set to carry. I brought it over and set a pallet next to the goat pen, then set the bale and opened it up there. It is in a place where I can lift the daily feeds without having to go over the dirt drive, which turns into a mud bog in the spring. I’d like to set this up somehow, so I don’t end up stuck in the mud like in previous years. I need an even better location, but this will do for now, and there is a lot of dry and snow and ice till mud season comes.

I got the mill-head on the saw today. It was a challenge to do it alone, but I got it. Now there is more work to do to get it rolling smoothly, but that will be fairly straightforward, though not necessarily easy. We’ll see.

The rest of today is a restful day. There is a couple of hours till I go to bed. I may go up and clean in my den, as it needs it! Or I may sit here. Thanks to the neighbor with the hay, I have already fed the animals!

End of Summer Break

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Summer officially ends three weeks into September, but the end of summer break is already here on this little farmstead. The wind kicked up last night and the temperature dropped, with today and tomorrow’s high expected to reach 76°F before we warm up a little again. All workable temperatures! On top of this, my wife’s sister flew back to the UK yesterday, and we have confirmation that she is landed and home safe now. That’s all good news, apart from her actual leaving. We all really enjoyed her stay! She’ll be missed till next time she can come out for a visit.

So, what does this all mean? I have a few projects I need to get going that I did not want to try to consume Sister’s time with while she was here. Just didn’t seem fair on her while she was only out for a couple of weeks, and I wanted to be sure she got her break from work while she had the chance. There was plenty for her to do here without putting her into a hole in the ground, or under a falling tree!

  • Chop down the poplar tree in the back yard
  • Septic system renewal
  • Chimney cleaning and repair
  • Patch roof in dining room where chimney has leaked
  • Saw all the logs in the yard down
  • Build the woodshed
  • Build fuel storage building
  • Build Market Stand for front of house
  • Organize tractor implements
  • Build yard fence
  • Clean the barn and bring in stuff from in front of it
  • Get the last of the firewood for winter
  • Get more sawlogs
  • Finish resetting the sawmill to new temp location, then start shed/platform for it
  • Clean my shop
  • Clean up the upstairs
  • Restart candlemaking
  • Service the tractor
  • Clean and finish the front porch
  • Make bedside table/cabinet
  • Paint and service the balcony door
  • Get winter hay
  • Wire in Christmas light outlet

I am sure there is a lot more that I am not remembering, or there are many things to do that are too small to bother listing, like cutting the herb garden, or finishing out the gourd growth for the year and drying them properly.

On top of all this, I need to get an income produced here as we are running to the end of our savings, and it is high time we get it figured out.

Our grandson has been with us since Friday afternoon. It was just easier all around if he stayed with us then went to the airport to drop his Aunty off. He is seven, and was perfectly aware of Aunty leaving, and broke down in tears as she was saying goodbye. It was such as sweet little moment that he got the others crying too. Happily, that didn’t affect me, as I was the one assigned with the driving. Anyway, his folks will be over to pick him up today around noon. That usually means a visit, and that is just fine and restful, which we could all use before we let loose the kraken tomorrow.

Finally, I have decided that if I am ever going to put anything up on the YouTube channel again, I need to get filming it very soon. How I will fit that in with actually doing everything on the list above is well beyond me! But for a laugh, I thought I’d mention it.

The Latest News, August 16th, 2024

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

It’s been a hot summer this year here in southeast Idaho, and very dry. Yet there’s been no talk of drought so far as I have heard whenever I have been in town. The river appears to be running at normal levels.

The hot temperatures finally broke in the last few days. That is encouraging so we can get to work on projects outside that I have put off due to avoiding the excess heat, and wanting to be sure nobody ends up sick because of it. There has not been very much time between sunrise and when it gets too hot to work in the sun each day, so not a lot of time to get going at any serious projects. That’s all changing now.

The kids start school on Monday, and that will free our time up in the day without having to worry about them hanging about wanting care. So, with all possible excuses out of the way, it is time to get to work on the projects that require our absolute attention this year. This means it is time to cut logs out in the yard now, and get the logs turned into studs, boards, and timber for framing.

Missus has been trying to get an art-based business off the ground with online shopping and appearances at the local Farmer’s Market. We have been trying to develop the process for the market, then streamline it so the two of us will be able to keep it going when the kids are at school. We have not made a lot of money there yet, but the organizers of the market say it is to be expected while people get the idea that they will come and shop for things they have in mind because they have seen us around before. We’ll see. Meanwhile, it has been a good time to get out and get to know some people.

I have prepped some wood in the shop to start making a bedside table for my side of the bed. I’d like to have a cabinet below and a drawer just under the tabletop. I’ll be employing the skills I used for the first table I made and documented here on the site. This one will be pine rather than poplar. I am not yet sure if I will go for panels on the side or make it more primitive with vertical boards cladding the side. So long it has a shelf for some books and one for some electronics, I think it will do either way. The bed is tall, and I have some room to play with for the height to fit in those shelves below.

With the kids’ summer break and my wife’s visit both winding down, there is a certain solemn feeling to everything right now. I’ve really enjoyed the time with everyone this year and will be sad to see this come to an end. I’ve got good people about me.

Time to refocus on some other things now, and while we do, Halloween will come before long, and the shop has to be ready for that. It’s my favorite time of year with the smells of autumn and the cool weather. The changes of the season and the eventual snowfall as the long days fade into the long nights and the world is lit by artificial light stirs primal feelings in me as the winter hibernation settles in. I keep warm light in the bulbs here at the house, and sometimes light by candle. It suits me, as does the warm fire in the stove and the scent of the fire hanging in the air. The kids will be wanting hot chocolate, and I will be breaking out the apple teas for myself. It brings to mind some ideas for the decorating I’d like to develop for the market and the shop to help along with sales. And as with everything else, I will be working on a primitive look of Colonial Americana.

That’s the news from here on the farm, where life is raw and real, and the family grows strong; where we grow our bounty and hope to share it with you.

Live From Preston Farmer’s Market

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

We are here! It’s the Preston Farmer’s Market!

The booth is set up and arranged. It took the whole hour and a half with four of us doing it, but here we are with loads to sell.

There is giftwrap…

Fiber samplers…

We have laser cut wood items such as fiber combs and looms and such…

There are decorative bookmarks and prints…

…And so much more!

Oh, and don’t forget the candles!

First Farmer’s Market

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Preston Farmer’s Market, Preston, Idaho. Today from 5:00P till 8:00P.

It is early in the morning on a big day for us. From 5:00PM till 8:00PM today we can be found at the Preston Farmer’s Market selling art and supplies that Missus has created. I cannot even list everything she is offering, but some of my favorites include bookmarks, prints, and laser cut items such as coasters, flowers, and fiber tools. She has samplers of fiber to go with, or to go on to tools the customer already has. She also has stickers, buttons, and many other items on offer. We will offer some of our daughter-in-law’s scented soy candles for sale, and of course, I am a huge fan of the beeswax candles I have for sale there! There are many more items on sale!

It sure is exciting to get started on this new journey for us! This is our first ever market stall, and we have done a lot of preparation work. We had a lot to prepare! There is everything we will sell, and there is a booth and everything it entails. We also got some materials ready to advertise classes Missus will offer on various creative aspects such as fiber arts or polymer clay. We have even had to come up with a self-sustaining electrical supply for the booth.

Dear reader, we would be thrilled to meet you at the Market this evening! There is so much on offer at the Market, and we would be particularly happy to see you in our space!

I’ll be out soon scything hay for tonight’s animal feed. We have a truck to load up later. And today is the last chance to finish getting ready. We expect it to be a learning experience this first time and look forward to getting ideas on what to do better for the next time!

A Pretty Strong Breeze

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

We had a pretty decent wind blow through here today, and it is worth noting. It hit a speed we have never recorded before. I think our old record was around 45 mph, but today we hit 48.4 miles an hour. Our trees looked like they were really taking it, but the willow out front danced like crazy. I went down the road to check on the llamas and every place there was trees, there were loads of twigs and small branches spread to the east of them.

I know it is not a big deal to what some folks get where they are, but for us, and with an uninterrupted straight run, it hits something fierce.

I know of a power line on the road up Maple Creek, but I have not been listening to police radio long enough to have caught any of the critical stuff that would have gone on before or soon after the storm blew by.

As storms go, it could have been a lot worse, and if we were elsewhere, it probably would have been. But beautiful Cache Valley only had this to offer, and I am quite happy this is extreme.

I am off for an early night in bed with the hope of waking up and getting to work in the shop first thing in the morning.

Meanwhile, there are over 900 fires in Canada, including the Jasper Fire. California is burning up by the Park Fire, which has burned over 500 square miles so far in three days and is currently consuming around 500 acres an hour. It has been excessively hot and dry and has really been different to previous years.

July 31, 2024 5:00PM – 8:00PM

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

We will be at the Preston Farmer’s Market in Preston, Idaho. Look for “Antiquary Artisan!” We will be selling bookmarks, coloring boards, weaving tools, yarn, fiber, drop spindles, wire flowers, coasters, gift tags, fridge magnets, artistic prints, decorative paper clips, Dewey buttons, stickers, plant signs, keychains, beeswax candles, and soy candles by Savanah Warner, and more!

Preston Farmer’s Market: July 31, 2024

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Today we got an e-mail accepting us to the Preston Farmer’s Market. It is our first market and will be a learning experience for us. We will be selling weaving tools, bookmarks, prints, and various other items as well as beeswax candles and soy candles to start off with. We are going to see what sells, and get ideas what else from our goods we should make for the next one. We will also advertise classes and tutorials for customers, and custom made items.

I ordered a few items we need to run a proper market stall from Amazon, including a couple of batteries for power on site, and a cooler, but that looks like it will arrive in a month. We are planning on working lots of markets as time goes on, so I tried to future-proof with the items ordered, while catching decent prices, especially on an Amazon sale. We have a basic setup to start with, but I think we will get a decent stall together.

I have also set up the blog to sort posts about the farmer’s markets and put them on a separate menu here on the site where I expect to put in reports from markets we have visited and upcoming market events. In other words, watch this space!

Lavender Starts

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

This weekend we visited a Lavendar Farm on the south end of the valley. It was a truly special and beautiful experience. The farm is well developed and well thought out, and so was the event they were holding where people could visit and enjoy the environment and buy the flowers right from the field.

We thought about it and talked about doing it ourselves a few years back, but to be honest, I was a bit unsure because of the soil requirements and water requirements. But seeing it in practice as we did and learning more since our original discussion. Seeing it in practice has encouraged us to get it going. So, we ordered some plants yesterday and set aside a place in the yard to get them started. I ordered some landscape cloth, and the staples to hold it down.

Next Day:

Me being me, I cleaned up the space on the side of the yard we will plant the Lavender and scythed off the grass for the animals to eat later today. I tilled the area completely over twice. It was dry and dusty work as we have not seen rain lately. Good thing I have a cab on the tractor! I was able to get into the soil a bit, but there are still roots there, and I am positive some of the grass will grow back again. What’s more, grass grows long and under the cloth in order to find light. I’d like to see that not happen here. But as you can see in the photo below, we will be right up against a grassy field.

Dirt driveway on the left, the right side at the bottom of the fence is where we will lay in the lavender plants with three feet of landscape fabric between the plants and the fence, then three feet more between the plants and the driveway. I am considering putting a wood barrier to separate the fabric and the dirt drive.

I want to till a time or two again before the plants arrive in the fall. Then if we can get some propagation next year or the one after, we should be able to move starts to the current goat pen and llama pen, which my then will be converted into growing field, and get this really going. The plan is to move the animals across the street and plant where the pens are now.

So, the Lavender is not meant to arrive here till Autumn. That makes it easier for me to get the planting areas tilled, covered and ready. I guess I am supposed to plant it right away. Seems like they would not establish, but what’s the worst that can happen? If I have the plants, I need to put them in the ground, rather than try to keep them up somewhere all winter. We won’t know till spring how it all turns out!