Beware the Ides of March

Richmond Woods, by its nature, is quite secluded. At a time such as this, we are glad of that! We try to order what we need online and have it delivered when possible. When delivery is not an option, we order online and have the order ready to pick up in the store. Much handwashing takes place when unpacking boxes. Visits with friends and family are, needless to say, conducted via wireless technology. Carolyn was disappointed to have to cancel trips to Mexico and Italy!

Gardening

Carolyn has taken advantage of warm dry days to tend her flower beds as well as her herb garden. She also transplanted all of the tomato and pepper seedlings into larger pots so they can continue to develop strong roots. We take them out onto the back porch every morning that is warm and bring them inside in the evening if its going to be cold.

I am not sure whether this comes under the heading of Gardening or Home Improvement, but since it is specifically for the vegetable garden, I will include it here. I have researched how to keep deer out of your crops and the best answer I have found so far is the 3D Deer Fence. Basically, this is a fence within a fence. The two fences are separated by three feet. Apparently, this "deep" fence stymies deer who ordinarily would be able to easily jump over a single fence of the same height. As an added measure of deterrance, I am electrifying both layers. To keep groundhogs and rabbits out, there will be chicken wire around the bottom of the inner fence. But that will be an April project.

Home Improvement

This month I took advantage of comfortable temperatures in the attic to finish some lighting projects, mainly installing lights in the newer attic spaces above the kitchen and master suite. I also installed lights in the carport.

The drain line project I started in February was carried over into March when I extended the kitchen drain further out into the back yard. It, too, will eventually be used to supply greywater to a garden bed. After both ditches were filled, I raked the area smooth and planted some fescue in the bare soil. I covered the new grass seeds with an old tarp to keep them moist until they germinated and to prevent torrential spring rains from washing them away. That worked really well.

Another little project that has been on the back burner for a while is a new compost bin. It got moved to the top of the list when the old one (green trash can) filled up. This one is two chambered allowing one side to fill while the other matures. Carolyn calls it the "Bear Kitchen".

Finally, I had to do something about the ever deepening ruts in my driveway - especially in this one place. I put a couple of scoops of rocky red dirt in the lower rut (on the right) and topped it off with the last of the gravel pile that was out by the gate.

Food 

Food is Life and we are full of both. Carolyn continues to research and prepare exquisite vegan dishes. I continue to attempt to bake sourdough bread. I've got a good starter that Carolyn successfully used the other day but so far my attempts have failed miserably. Maybe I should stick to things I can address with a hammer. I did manage to make corncakes and cornbread without eggs or milk. Its definitely not as tasty as when I used to make it with buttermilk and bacon grease. But when paired with a delicious vegan soup like this, its perfectly suitable.

Wildlife

First to bloom in March are the Serviceberry bushes followed soon by the little dwarf iris and azaleas. I've been hearing the spring peepers down in the bottom for about a week now.  And this young terrapin showed up as I was filling ruts in the driveway. I took it down to the pond so it wouldn't get run over.

 

That's it for now. More next month. Stay healthy everyone!

February 2020

This post could have been titled "Not Much Happens in the Dead of Winter".  Especially when it rains or snows nearly every day. Well, it seemed like it anyway. This was on February 8th.

The main things I worked on were all related to the vegetable garden. First, we got another hugel bed prepared. Then I built a wooden frame to support a couple of grow lights. This frame was the first actual project constructed from wood that I milled myself. Following that, I planted two trays (10 dozen cells) with vegetables. A full tray of tomatoes and peppers and another tray that was mostly eggplant and onion with some more tomato and pepper as well as cucumber. Also planted some poppy for a little color around the house.

Finally, on the gardening front, I completed the bathroom drain line terminating it in a short drain field alongside the uppermost garden bed. This will serve to keep at least one of our beds well watered with shower, sink, and clothes washer waste water. As a reminder to folks who have not been following all along, this water is grey water not raw sewerage (I have a composting toilet for solid waste).

Carolyn and I continue to be faithful to our conversion to veganism.  Carolyn went to a Mushroom Club of Georgia meeting a while back and started a bag culture of oyster mushrooms. We harvested a nice crop and C made penne with mushroom, spinach, and lemon sauce with it. I have been baking bread and trying with little success to learn the art of sourdough. I can, however, make a pretty decent loaf using commercial yeast. A surprising discovery for me was that you can make pesto from Kale.  I'm not a big fan of Kale but I love pesto. This dish turned out amazing and if I had not made it myself, I would not have known the difference. A sprinkle of peanuts on top gives it a satisfying crunch.

After much hair-pulling frustration with my trash collection service, I finally figured out that my can was on the wrong side of the road. After more than a dozen phone calls to the company since July it finally came out that if the can was on the wrong side of the road, it would not be picked up. No one ever told me what the correct side was. I had assumed that my can would be placed on my side of the road. Wrong!  When I finally figured it out, I dug out a level spot on the other side of the road so the can would not tip over into the road by accident. Not a big project, but the end of a big headache.

And, just so you know, our Hawthorn out by the gate thinks its Spring! This photo was taken February 25th.

Richmond Woods Sawmill

Woodworking is something that has long held my interest. Especially building things out of hardwood.  Since hardwood is in no short supply in these parts, I decided it would be a good thing to have my own sawmill so that I could provide myself with the raw materials to pursue that interest.

After much shopping around for the best saw I could get for my money, I settled on the Canadian-built Woodland Mills HM122. This saw will handle logs up to 22 inches in diameter and, with the track extension, up to 16 feet long. This should take care of all of my future needs.  Along with the saw, I also purchased an automatic blade sharpener.

I did not want such a nice piece of equipment left in the weather so I decided to first build a Sawmill Shed. As soon as the shed was complete, I ordered the mill and it arrived a couple of weeks later.

It took me about 4 days to set up the saw. Most of that time was spent preparing a bed for the track and leveling it.

Assembling the trolley and mounting the saw head was a two person job but I managed to do it alone using the forklift on my tractor. Believe me when I say that a second person would have been much easier and faster.

Finally, all adjustments having been made, I made my first cut on a short block of wood left behind by the tree trimmers.

So far, I've only milled a few logs. The first piece  that I've milled that has actually been put into use is a large piece of Red Oak for a fireplace mantel at Carolyn's house in Brookhaven. This tree fell about two years ago due to natural causes. I had been meaning to cut it up for firewood (before I decided to buy the sawmill) but just had not gotten around to it. When I remembered it, I was afraid there would not be much left of it from rot. To my surprise, I got a 12x12 cant out of a 9 foot section. (A "cant" is the rectangular form of the log after you saw off four sides of the bark.)  From this I milled a 2x12, several 1x12s, and a massive 3x12 for the mantel which is already installed (last pic).

I look forward to milling enough oak planks to panel the inside of my shop. Already I have sawn pieces that I plan to use for the permanent corner braces of the sawmill shed in addition to stock that will become new wheel barrow handles and a couple of step stools.

Stay tuned for further developments.