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Post by feralferret on Oct 27, 2023 17:35:40 GMT -6
How deep would you have to bury an underground water storage tank there to prevent it from freezing?
Thanks for another good chapter.
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Post by CountryGuy on Oct 27, 2023 18:24:23 GMT -6
How deep would you have to bury an underground water storage tank there to prevent it from freezing? Thanks for another good chapter. Depends where you are and what the frost line is for that area. Around here it's 3' or more, but further north, like where the story is, it's likely down at 6'. Honestly, unless their lake freezes solid if the line was buried deep enough and the intake was deep down to be under where it freezes, could pull water all year, so long as the water line comes up under the heated space of the house. But a lot of things need to go perfect all the time for it to not fail.
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Post by feralferret on Oct 27, 2023 18:38:34 GMT -6
I would like the cushion of having the buried water tank just in case the pump failed, or something affected the lake. A hand pump from the tank would be convenient when commercial power fails.
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Post by CountryGuy on Oct 27, 2023 20:00:13 GMT -6
I would like the cushion of having the buried water tank just in case the pump failed, or something affected the lake. A hand pump from the tank would be convenient when commercial power fails. Agreed. Another option would be a cistern to catch rain water or to fill pumping from the lake. Dig it in deep and line the sides and a layer over the top of 2" insulation board prior to back filling. I'd set in a 1,500-2,000 gal plastic septic tank and build a garage or addition on over top it. My parents have a similar set up that captures from a drain field in their back yard to drain all the natural springs so the yard isn't a mud pit. In the back corner of an unheated garage is an open manhole that is about 18" down to the septic tank lid on a concrete 2,000 gal concrete septic tank. Never saw that freeze in the 40+ years it's been there.
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Post by bluefox2 on Oct 28, 2023 8:34:09 GMT -6
Pity that they couldn't have found a wood stove with a built in hot waterheater
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Post by CountryGuy on Oct 28, 2023 9:24:33 GMT -6
Pity that they couldn't have found a wood stove with a built in hot waterheater A little copper tubing and a holding tank and they could make a thermal siphon setup to heat off the wood burner.
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Post by cashless1 on Oct 28, 2023 16:08:51 GMT -6
This is not an island. 60+ yrs. ago there was a road used for logging and gold mining. the lodge was built then as was the hut. the mining failed and the bridges were not maintained and collapsed the roadway is now completely grown over. everything that is needed is flown in. that is the only access. What is there is all they have.
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Post by freebirde on Oct 28, 2023 16:29:59 GMT -6
How big is the river draining the lake and is there one that empties into it? Is it big enough to go down it in a boat? If it is small and freezes during the winter, it would be a path for skis or snowmobile. Use to watch "R5Sons" based in Alaska, and they would get larger shipments when the lake ice got thick in the winter.
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Post by cashless1 on Oct 28, 2023 21:28:19 GMT -6
#18
I wanted to get in the loft of the store and see exactly what was thrown up there. If mom or dad ordered something on the computer, it wasn't always what it was advertised to be. If they weren't satisfied with it, it ended up in the loft, the only time I had been up here was when Jill wanted me to look at something she had found. I went up and started sorting, I had 3 piles 1 for things I wanted, things to leave, and a pile of trash. This isn't working. I called for Al and RS on the radio to help. We set up 2 folding tables in the store and I passed things to them to put on the tables, when the tables got full, I went down and started sorting. Al said the girls should be here to go through things with us, he said we didn't know what they might want so, we called them, and the circus began, just about everything they saw, one or the other of them wanted to keep.
RS finely said if you want it right now, put it in the shop, if you might want it later put it back in the loft where Lee cleared out the space getting all of it down here, They carried a big pile into the shop, and were going to put things back when Kate said we should sweep first, it had never been cleaned up there before, The dust started flying, and a cloud fell from the loft and you couldn't see anything, we had a mess before, but now we have a dirty mess. It is a good thing we are out of beer.
The girls got everything they wanted back to the loft, and the dust cleared. Now I can start going through what is left. A lot of it is junk but we sorted it out,and kept some and the rest went back to the loft,
There is a lot of stuff I haven't gone through yet, but we decided to wait to go through it until after the girls took their things to the house, I did find a garden seed planter, but not the seed plates for it, but I will keep looking they are probably there somewhere. I have a lot of time to look before we will need them. The planter will speed up the planting the garden. We have been using a piece of plastic pipe I taped a funnel to the top of, I could drag it along the furrow and drop a seed where I wanted it, it was slow, but I didn't have to bend over. The planter would space the seeds out evenly and mark out the next row as you went.
The rest of the day the girls were busy cleaning and storing their new treasures, and us guys cleaning up the store,
The new birds are starting to lay, the eggs aren't very big, but they will get bigger with time. To cut down on feed usage I want to eliminate the 4 old hens, they aren't laying much anyway, and part of the new ones, numbers not decided yet. The girls don't want us to kill them, but I feel it is necessary. We don't have that much feed to spare. I thought about killing the rooster, but we will need chicks in the future. So, he is pardoned.
RS got a metal 5gal. Bucket and cleaned it up, while Al and I rigged a grate over a fire and strung a rope to hang the birds to bleed out and quit flopping around. We each got a bird off the line and dipped them in the water and started picking, after the feathers were off, we singed them over the fire and took them to the girls They would gut and clean them up for the freezer. We did the 4 old birds and 6 young ones.
Kate said she would never be able to eat them after today. I think after a few months in the freezer. She will be OK and eat them.
We are running short on TP and the girls don't like the idea of using rags and washing them out to use again, But RS said it is that or use grass and leaves. So, they are trying to come up with a way to sterilize rags.
If the weather isn't bitter cold Al and I will go out and split wood, we have a mountain of it to do. We are stacking it in a U shape to form a wind break. it goes slow because we have farther to carry it to the stack. But it gets us out of the house, and some exercise.
The girls are getting bored also. There is only so much cooking and cleaning 2 women can do to occupy their time, so they read and make plans for spring. They also play the what if game. What if _______? if they can't come up with an answer, they hit the books until they find an answer, then start over. That way if it ever happens, they have an answer.
RS just sits and reads a lot. Once in a while he comes to the shop if we are working there and have a fire going. The dog tries to stay inside with RS, if we don't make him go out with us.
If we didn't make ourselves go out and do something, my day would just be eating breakfast, hit the outhouse feed the birds, gather eggs, grab a couple arm loads of wood, and sit. I do still check the cabins and put out snares for rabbits to vary the menu.
There is enough snow, so it is safe to burn the brush piles from all of the trees we cut. I mentioned to RS and Al, and they agreed, and RS said let's take our shotguns and shoot any rabbits that we scare out with the fire. We had several piles to burn so it might be fun.
The next day after we ate and took care of the birds, we got a couple of gallons of mixed gas from the out-board motor tank and walked to the closest pile. I sprinkled a little gas on it and lit it. There were 2 shots immediately, almost at the same time, and 2 dead rabbits. The next pile Al did the gas RS, and I were ready, but no rabbits it was still fun and before we ran out of brush, we had 8 rabbits to take home to the cooks. And 3 shot guns to clean. We each grabbed an arm load of wood on the way in.
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Post by CountryGuy on Oct 28, 2023 21:49:13 GMT -6
This is not an island. 60+ yrs. ago there was a road used for logging and gold mining. the lodge was built then as was the hut. the mining failed and the bridges were not maintained and collapsed the roadway is now completely grown over. everything that is needed is flown in. that is the only access. What is there is all they have. Get the remoteness, but if his grandparents had been living there for 30, 40, 50 years I'd bet they'd accumulated all sorts of things and when old things died I'll bet gramps had a bone yard where it all go dumped. So things like old hot water heaters could be gutted for tanks. I'd think lots of maintenance things for upkeeping the buildings and thos cabins. Those guest cabins might have copper pipes (as many older buildings would) that could be repurposed into a heat loop of sorts. Same with the hot water tank(s) from them, might be used or repurposed. Heat the water and dump it into the insulated hot water tank. Assuming they have basic welding or cutting equipment, they might have things available to build a hot water box built fast to the side of the cook stove as was often sold as an option when they were new. Here's a link to the concept in case anyone isn't picturing it. cookstoves.net/articles/domestic-hot-water-stoves-what-to-know/
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Post by gipsy on Oct 28, 2023 22:12:12 GMT -6
Fine update Thanks
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Post by cashless1 on Oct 29, 2023 19:19:27 GMT -6
#19 We have run out of things to do; we had already gone back to the loft and sorted it out and we did get a lot of things we can use. I found the planter plates and instructions; they were in one of the totes Jill had found of garden things. Now we can plant a lot faster and better. When you plant a row, an arm sticks out and marks the next ro. It also plants the seeds the right depth, covers them, and the rear wheel presses the soil over them. Now we sit and try to figure out much corn, wheat, and navy beans to plant in the old goat pen. There are 5 people and 5 different opinions, we decide it is all guess work and nobody knows. We finely decide 2 100 ft rows of navy beans the rest will be half corn and half wheat. It is just a guess, but we need all we can get. The corn and bean seed should be good for 3 years and the wheat a lot longer.
Kate is working with the sourdough bread; it started out eatable but is getting better. she gets frustrated she can't get it perfect, but we keep encouraging her. We are running low on butter, so we are using as little as possible. we still have powdered butter we haven't tried yet. Dad's store had a lot of powdered milk, eggs and butter for sale. The girls only use the milk to cook with so it will last for a while. One day while we were out working and the girls were alone, Kate ask what am I going to do I am just about of women things? Jill said my grandmother used to make her own I can show you how, If you want me to. The next morning mom’s old singer treadle sewing machine was out and the girls were going through the rag bag selecting material. When RS and I came in they put their sewing away, so we didn't see what they were doing. That evening Rs was watching the tv and I was on the computer he got the message signal lost, and the computer said no internet connection, we kept checking but it was gone. We are starting to run short on several things but have made substitutes for most, if only we had the internet the information is out there, we have several books, but it would take a library to have even a good part of what we needed to know. At first losing the net and sat tv was just minor, no weather forecast no news not a big deal, the weather reports were wrong as much as they were correct, and the news was all violence and political lies with a lot of feel-good stories, but the information we needed could be vital to us.
We ran out of coffee today and we are upset but we knew it was coming.
If we have to, we can eat strictly meat and potatoes, it would be boring but doable. The girls are trying to can more produce each year, trying to have 2 years on the shelf, because we all know one bad hailstorm could wipe out the whole garden. We have 2 or3 years’ worth of seeds or getting close anyway so that is covered. We have quite a bit of meat canned and the game around here is plentiful, and I have enough components to reload hundreds of rounds of ammunition. And we have enough canning jars and lids to last for years. I know something will come up and blind side all of us, and that is what worries me the most. We can't just keep plodding along day to day we have to get ahead, but how?
We got up this morning as usual, and the light wouldn't come on, must be a bad bulb. Jill went and got one of her kerosene lamps, and we had light. It has to be a bad charge controller or batteries. As soon as it gets light enough, I will check. The solar panels are working, and the gauge on the controller Indicates it is working, so I go to the shop for the battery tester, 3 of the batteries are OK but one is dead. I know you shouldn't mix batteries but we have 12 that I collected from the cabins so I will use them. There are 8 new ones still dry There is a jug of acid I am going to save as long as possible. OK we have power. The only thing we use electric for is the water pump and lights and the washing machine and the trickle chargers for the spare batteries. When Jill was going to put the lamp back on the shelf she bumped into the table and almost dropped the lamp. It was not lit but it still scared me. She said what’s wrong I didn't drop it. I told her it just brought something to mind. I thought about it all day.
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Post by feralferret on Oct 29, 2023 20:57:26 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter.
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Oct 29, 2023 23:09:39 GMT -6
Thank you, now I'm thinking about it too!!!
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Post by gipsy on Oct 30, 2023 9:57:30 GMT -6
Thanks for the new chapter
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Post by cashless1 on Oct 30, 2023 12:14:20 GMT -6
#20
After supper we were in the living room, and I ask if everybody had seen the incident with the lamp. Everyone had. I said that could have been the end of all of us. RS said it was just an accident. I ask what if it had been lit and got dropped?
Then I explained, a house fire could burn us to death, or force us to leave the house with just the clothes on our backs if we were lucky. That got everybody's attention. I said let’s play your what if game. What would we do if we had a fire. Kate said you already answered that. OK we get out maybe with a coat. no food no clothes no shelter no nothing. All I ask Is that we think about it, and think hard, it could happen any time, not just the lamp, we have 2 wood stoves going 24 hours a day. I keep the chimneys clean but is that enough? We sat in dead silence for two hours, then went to bed.
The next morning at breakfast I ask what do you think? RS said I think we would be in deep shit. Jill ask me what I thought we should do? I said prepare, I was trying to get people to think and talk. I started out slow, first we would need food, clothes and weapons Al said please explain where we would get those things if the house was gone, I took a deep breath, I knew what I wanted to do if they would agree. I said cabin 1 is the closest if we could store spare clothes, and food there it would be a start.
If we could stock some supplies there It would give us shelter, heat and some food, Kate ask what should we put there? And everyone started to suggest things. Again, it was RS that stood up and said hold on, let’s get organized. First get everybody a notebook or something to take notes on.
I got up and got the paper and pencils and passed them around. People started making notes. And it was RS that said stop, I said get organized. First on top of the page write shop and leave several lines and write Kitchen, and so on. Then go to each area and list what you think we should have, take your time and do it right. We will get back together tomorrow and go over the lists, that way we won't miss anything critical. Don't go as teams everybody go by yourself. That way we get every body's idea. Al and the girls scrambled to start their lists, RS and I sat where we were. He finally said this isn't going to happen overnight, lets you and I think about what we will need first if this happens.
We kicked it around, and agreed if it was cold the first thing would be, heat then food and warm clothes. RS was taking notes of his own. We decided heat would be first, about even with light. Food would be third and clothes next. We could be warm dry and not be in the dark, food would take time. Then we could hunt or fish depending on the weather.
The next day we told the others what we thought, and they agreed. I said I would ski down tomorrow and lay a fire in the wood burner, and as soon as possible we would go cut, split and stack a cord of wood I will take some candles and a lamp down. Put the candles in a jar with a lid in case of mice, and the matches in a half pint jar for the same reason. As the other things are gathered, I would take it down. There was an old canoe with a big hole in the center, we can cut in half and use it as a sled in the winter. That will make the hauling things a lot easier. I need our great cooks to come up with a meal they can cook in a few hours we will box it up and be ready to go. We need to go through our clothes and decide what to keep here or take to the cabin. Kate ask if you have it all planed out, why the lists we made?
RS came to my rescue by saying we have nothing planned out, Lee said food and clothes He didn't say which food or clothes, that is up to you. These are things we don’t want to do when we are cold, wet and in the dark. Do you want to go out and find firewood in the dark while shivering or wet? Or try to start a fire in the dark while looking for a match.
We are all going to be involved in what to take. Then if you think of something you need pack it. When we go over the lists if I bring up an idea, someone else might have a better idea. If I say we need a 2 gallon cook pot and the cooks thinks a 3 gallon would be better, then we don't need both. Some of your ideas will be shot down, and so will everybody else' s. No body knows everything, I do know, I damn sure don't.
If you ladies could work out the initial 3 days food or more it is up to you, and start going through the clothes, it would be much appreciated, just put my clothes on my bed and I will go over them. Us guys will be out in the loft and shop gathering up and cleaning totes and buckets for the packing don't try to do it all at once. We still have our daily routines to follow. If I sound bossy, I am sorry, but I think this is important.
RS, Al and I went to the store and started to combine the contents of the totes, and Al ask should we do this now or after we decide what to take? RS just said good point, are there any totes in the loft? We found several that could be emptied, so we took them down and wiped them out. As we were working, I brought up the issue of guns I didn't want to take the30/06 because I only have about 40 rounds for it and can't reload those, I suggested the 45/70, because I have about 200 rounds for it, and it will kill any animals around here. Al wanted a shotgun with 2 barrels for birds or big game with the slug barrel we agreed but I would have to check about ammunition for it. I can reload bird shot but not the slugs. I also wanted a 22 and a brick of 500 shells. It will kill geese if they are setting and rabbits also. That should keep us in meat for a long time.
We took the totes in, and the girls had evidently been talking too, they wanted the 1-gallon glass jars and lids plus buckets with lids and 150 empty canning jars with tattler lids and spare gaskets and one of the pressure caners. And Jill's moms cast iron pots and pans. And we still haven't gone over our lists yet.
RS and I drug the old canoe out, and with a saws all cut the canoe in half, it wasn't pretty, but it would make a good sled. I planned to go to the cabin tomorrow and get the wood stove cleaned out and brush the chimney, so I put the chain saw and sledge +wedges in the canoe. And went to get the chimney brush, I had forgot the hatchet for splitting the kindling, while I was in the shop, I grabbed a hand full of old newspaper the things in the totes had been wrapped in. At the door Jill ask where the jars were? I ask which ones she said the big ones I told her they are in the loft, she said Well let’s go get them. We have work to do. My thought was, Things are moving way to fast, I have to slow them down. We each got 3 jars and took them to the house, and Kate grabbed mine and went to the sink. I ask what is the hurry? She said these have to be completely dry before we can fill them. We are having leftover stew for supper; the girls were too busy to fix anything else.
I was telling RS about the jars, and he told me you have created a monster, I told him you gave that speech, so it was your fault, we got a good laugh out of it.
After breakfast I got on my skies and tried out my new sled, it pulled great. I got on the roof and brushed the chimney, then went inside to finish the cleanup. I then took the sled over to a nearby tree and dropped it and cut it up, it wasn't very big wood, so it split easily. With the wood and tools, the sled still pulled smooth, when I got back, I carried the wood inside and stacked it by the stove, and split up some kindling and laid a fire, I forgot the matches. I left the sledge and wedges, we would keep them at the cabin, When I got back to the house, I told them I forgot the matches Jill pointed to a box with the matches in a jar and the lamp with a one-gallon glass vinegar jug full of kerosene, that will go in the first of many trips to the cabin.
Pulling the sled back and forth left a good trail. now I won't need my skies. The next morning, we loaded the lamp box, and 6 cases of jars, a broom, mop and bucket and all of us went to the cabin. The dog following behind, the girls want to clean before we carried things in, but I told them We needed the sled to haul wood. So, everything was put on the table. RS and AL took the sled and headed for the woods, I got the sledge and wedges and followed. It didn't take very long to fill the sled, when I looked up there was smoke coming from the chimney, I went in and ask why, Kate said it was chilly and we needed water to clean with, so we melted snow.
Before we left, I checked the fire and it was all most out, so it would be safe to leave.
The next time we come we will bring the other half of the canoe for hauling wood. and take 2 loads of supply's instead of one. I am getting tired of dragging the sled, it is also about time to prep the garden. we should have planted the wheat last fall, but the pen wasn't ready so we will do it this spring as soon as possible. And harvest later in the season.
The ice is getting thin around the shore. So, we are grounded, too much ice for the boats, and not enough to walk on safely.
We did pick up sticks and roots out of the future wheat field. It wasn't muddy but, it was too wet to work. So, we went and cut firewood no splitting just cut down and drag it away and do it some more. It was boring but necessary, same as the garden.
The girls stay just as busy as we do keep up with the new garden plants cooking and cleaning, they are also going through the gardening and preserving books, they write down or copy the instructions and recipes that sound interesting, these will be taken to the cabin and stored in a glass jar.
The lake is thawing more and more each day, we will be able to go fishing soon, but now it is time to disk the garden then we can plant the wheat. And cut up potatoes to dry. The ground is still not warm enough for most things. We ran short on sweet potatoes, so this year we will plant extra so that doesn't happen again.
The woodshed is full and the wind break turned into a big stack of solid wood.
We sowed the wheat seed today and drug a chain across it to cover the seed.
RS laid off the rows for potatoes, and all of us got them planted,
It will be a couple of weeks before we plant the rest. we are planting more of everything this year, but the planter is making it so much easier and faster. The herb garden will be half again as big this year also.
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Post by feralferret on Oct 30, 2023 18:24:29 GMT -6
Thank you, cashless1.
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Post by gipsy on Oct 30, 2023 20:49:44 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by ydderf on Oct 31, 2023 19:46:04 GMT -6
Thank you cashless1
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 1, 2023 12:04:35 GMT -6
22
We continue our normal routines for a couple of days, I got the mowing scythes down and cleaned them up and sharpened, none of us have ever used one, so Al and I are practicing with them on tall grass and weeds around the yard, once you get a rhythm going, they do a good job, but it is tiring and causes a lot of sore muscles.
The girls are keeping the smoker going dehydrating vegetables and picking whatever the garden gives us. They made a big pot of vegetable soup and caned it for later and are planning on doing a couple of more loads. That will give us 10 good quick meals.
The navy beans are starting to turn brown so we will have to check them daily so they don't start dropping beans on the ground, the corn is looking good, I just hope it isn't all ready to pick at the same time.
Al and I along with the dog have been fishing, we catch and clean them and the girls bag most for the freezer and some for supper. Tomorrow we will pick the navy beans, we talked it over and we will pull the plants and put them in the wheelbarrow and take them to the girls in the shade, we spread a big tarp to dump the plants on, And the girls can pull the pods off and put them in buckets to take to the house.
Al and I dump a load and go back and get another while the girls do their thing. Pretty soon we are way ahead of them so we start picking too, the buckets fill up fast, but a lot of beans are still in the pods, we will work on that back at the house. We have a big pile of bean plants beside the tarp and will spread them out on the garden before we plow. We got all of the beans done and there were a lot of beans on the tarp mixed with broken pods and leaves we just gathered the corners of the tarp and put it on top of the wheelbarrow and pushed it to the shop We dumped the tarp back into the wheelbarrow and spread it on the floor under 2 folding tables and dumped a couple of buckets on the tables. We set a fan at the end of the tables and starter picking a double hand full of pods and rolled them between our hands and the beans fell on the table and a lot of broken pods and leaves blow away, then just pick up hands full and let them fall back on the table so more trash blows away, slow, but effective. When we were done, we had a little over 50 lbs. of cleaned beans. That was a couple of days of hard work, but we got a lot of meals. We left them laying on the table to make sure they are dry. There is still some trash in them but before the girls cook them, they put them in water and everything but beans float to the top to be removed.
The corn should be ready next week, that will be a big job, almost a half-acre, that should be a lot of corn.
Al and I put a solid bottom on the wagon and 3ft tall side boards that should hold quite a few ears of corn.
Before we started the corn, we put the beans in a 5 gal. Bucket with a gamma seal lid and a 1-gal glass jar and had enough left to put 1quart jar up for seed. We left the tables set up to do the corn on.
The garden is almost done, just the root crops left. Al and I got 3 plastic barrels out of the loft and washed them off they were clean on the inside. We planned to put shelled corn in them. And we still had more buckets, so that should handle the corn.
Al and I would pick the corn and fill the wagon and wheelbarrow then take to the shop and pile it on the table for the girls to peel the shucks back and tie 6 ears together to hang, we had a roll and a half of para cord they cut 18 in lengths off and took the 7 strands out of it to tie the corn together, that we would hang to finish drying. The second load we took in we had to get more tables to pile the bundles on. We could pick faster than they could peel and tie them so we would stop and help them catch up. We stretched the extension ladder out and suspended it from the ceiling to hang the bundles from. the shop was only 36 ft long. but that gave us 72ft of hanging room. We were out of corn for the birds, so we got the corn sheller out and ran enough to fill a 5 gal. bucket, then ran it through the grinder it didn’t grind it real fine more like it broke up. We fed the birds, and they didn't care they ate it.
That night and every night until we finished the job, we all had sore fingertips from tying the bundles. But there was nothing we could do but keep going. By the time we had it all hung up to dry we had it hanging all over the shop and the store. But we were done for now after it hung until we were sure it was dry, then we had to shell it. We would only grind as we needed it for the birds or cornmeal.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 1, 2023 14:36:43 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 2, 2023 17:55:44 GMT -6
Sorry folks I somehow posted chapter 22 ahead of chapter 21. If anybody is smarter than me and can fix it. I would appreciate it. Ane way here is chapter.
#21
The ice is gone RS said as soon we get the rest of the things hauled to cabin # 1, we should go down there and do a test run and stay a week to see what we missed in all of our planning, no warning just go and see how it goes. We will take the same amount of food with us, as we have stored there. I ask the girls for a list of the food we had stored at cabin #1. RS and I got duplicates of what we had stored and food for the dog. We hadn’t thought about dog food before. And put in the cabin.
After breakfast the next morning RS announced time to bug out, head go to the cabin. With just with what you have on. Don’t grab anything else, just go.
We got to the cabin and turned the dog loose, and carried the supplies inside and got organized, the girls immediately started to fix something for supper, And Al went to cut wood to replace what we would use. When Kate yelled that the stove wouldn't light. I knew I had laid a fire that was ready to go, so I went in to see what the problem was. I could see what was wrong. She had all four burners on the gas stove on, and a half dozen burned matches laying on top. I told her we would have to use the wood stove.
I went back to the boat and told RS about it, and we had a good laugh. Until we noticed we had no fishing equipment. I said we will just go get it and not say anything. RS said you got a good laugh about the stove. We will go get the stuff and try to catch some fish, and when we get back, we will put on the list about the stove and the fishing equipment we needed. This is a test for all of us, it needs to be open to everyone to find out where we messed up.
We caught 6 nice walleye and put them in the cage we had remembered to bring earlier.
The girls had a pot of navy beans cooking with chopped up jerky and dried onions and seasoning. Jill said we would have bread, but we don't have an oven. RS told her to put it on the list. There was a camping oven in the loft we will get it tomorrow. It sits on the top of the wood burner and works like a regular oven. Put it on the list.
We have been here less than a day and are finding out we are not prepared. We also didn't think about a chicken pen and shelter. This is going to be a busy week just running back and forth. We were hungry that evening and the beans were good but would be better with homemade bread tomorrow.
We got things arranged and put away as it was getting dark, we lit the lamp just to see how it would do, and it did give off enough light to keep people from walking into things. Jill ask if we could bring back the sourdough starter, she said I know it is cheating but we don't have enough yeast. If this was real, we could start a new starter then. We all wanted bread, so we agreed.
We had a few hiccups, but some things we figured out how to fix them on the spot or put them on the list. I had been going back to the house to feed the birds and gather the eggs. I just put the eggs in a crock on the counter, they will keep until we get back. I had been watering the garden plants and they looked good. I had retrieved another lamp, and the camp oven, both would be left in the cabin when we leave.
We had grilled fish for breakfast. Jill said she would try Wheat berries for tomorrow morning. The bread was a big hit with the leftover beans from last night.
Al did sneak up on a goose with the 22 and that will be supper. I know it is wrong to Take geese in the spring, but we need food, and this is a test. I wouldn't take a moose unless we were truly starving, because we would waste 95% of it in this weather. There are wild plants we could eat but we didn't know what was safe to eat so we put it on the list to look it up. We did make it through the week and found out our short comings.
The last day we put everything back in the totes and went back to the house. The first thing the girls did was thaw out steaks for super. We were so hungry for red meat I think we could have eaten them raw, and they would have been good. Dog was happy to be back and went to all of his favorite trees and reestablished his territory. The girls fixed fried eggs, and bread we had brought back with us. We were missing grease in our diets. Everything was just as we had left it.
We started planting the garden, and we did get most of the main garden planted. Tomorrow we will plant the field corn, and maybe the navy beans, that will be all for the goat pen garden.
Fried fish and French fries for supper tonight, we still crave grease. But we are getting back to our regular diet.
Of an evening we talked about our camp out and what we could do to make things better, the girls wanted the wood stove moved to the outside closed in porch, it made the cabin unbearable in the warmer weather to be in the kitchen.
We all wanted a way to have more fat or grease in our diet, we also found out how hard it is to cut firewood with an ax, we will try out one of the 2-man saws here at home and see. the girls are working on a way to wash, clothes.
I had been thinking about a guerrilla garden at the cabin even though I knew a lot would be lost to animals Maybe some would make it. We would let them reseed themselves, if it worked. It might give us a head start on things, depending on the time of year if we did have to move.
We always have extra garden plants started. In case some didn't survive so we will start the guerrilla garden in a few days. I will have to go back and water them if it doesn't rain.
It is amazing the amount of thought we put in to stocking the cabin and how poorly it turned out. It just proves you can never think of everything, no matter how hard you try, there is always something you missed. But we keep thinking and adding things as we go. You can never say I give up. You must keep trying. Or you are done. And possibly dead.
RS and I went back to the cabin and started the gorilla garden. We didn't have as many plants as we wanted, but we planted all we had and planted the seeds we had with us. we will add more later. We still need to build a chicken pen that will come later. We still have our chores to do at home.
We still had meat in the freezer to make jerky out of and we need a lot more fish. It takes at least 8 walleyes to make a meal. It takes a lot of everything to feed 5 hard working adults to keep them going. That is over 400 fish if we eat it once a week.
Kate has gotten the sour bread figured out and it is good. She is teaching all of us how to do it. We have our own jobs to do. And teach each other how we do ours, plus learning how to do their jobs. It is a challenge, but we are getting there.
We ran out of TP, but that had been figured out during the WHAT IF GAMES we all play, we each picked a different color material, and the girls taught us each how to sew a hem around them, so they wouldn't unravel. We each did our own now we all know how to sew, and the girls didn't have to do it all. 10 rags each times 5 people. That is a lot of sewing. Maybe I can't make a shirt, but I can sew a patch on one, and that is the idea.
Each of us guys spend 1 day a week helping cook for the day during the winter, so we can put a decent meal on the table. If one of us is laid up or sick for a week or longer, it might slow us down but it doesn't stop us.
The garden is starting to provide fresh vegetables. We are getting enough to eat and start drying for storage. This is a slow process but helps our storage supplies grow. If we have enough to can, we do it while some are drying.
When we aren't drying vegetables, we are smoking meat to give a better flavor. After it comes out of the smoker it goes back in the freezer. We don't trust just smoking to be enough. We do make a lot of jerky, It is like candy to us. We usually have a strip in our pocket just to chew on throughout the day.
The garden is going nuts the rains have come at the right time. We pick it faster than we can get it caned, so we take turns and sometimes a couple of us work into the night to keep up, we took the wood stove out of cabin# 2 and the spare pressure caner from cabin 1, we often have 3 caners going at the same time. We water bath can tomatoes, but we have to pressure can green beans. I think we put up about 40% more than we planned to, but none of us wanted to see go to waste, this was a good year, next year might not be near as good, the wheat is looking good and so is the field corn, It is hard to tell about the beans, we won't know until we pick and shell them.
RS has come down with a cold or something he has been coughing for a week, one day he is better and the next worse. After a week Jill won't let him out of the house until he is better, now he coughs and grumbles. Things have slowed down enough in the garden, that we can keep up without him for a while. After a couple of weeks Jill said he can go outside but he isn't supposed to do anything His cough is gone but he is weak and tires easily, and he is losing weight, we have no way to know what is wrong .If I am caught up I will take him fishing, he enjoys it for a while then he wants to go in because it wears him out. He looks like he has aged 10 yrs. in the last month. We fix his favorite meals, but he doesn't have much of an appetite. We don't know what to do, and Jill is frantic. The most exercise he gets is going up to the outhouse and back with help. He finely agreed to use the camping toilet, so he is really bad. Two days later when Jill took his breakfast in to his room, we heard a scream and dishes hitting the floor, I knew he was gone, I ran into his room and Jill was sitting on the bed holding his lifeless hand, I sat with her for a few minutes, then I covered him with a blanket and got her to leave the room. The others knew it was bad. Kate got Jill to sit down and talked to her, I don't have any idea what she said but it helped. Jill got up and told me to go dig a grave by the big maple tree in the front yard. She didn't ask me she told me. Al and I got the shovels and went to work, it took a couple of hours, but it was done.
I went in and told Jill, and she said we have him ready; he is wrapped in an old blanket. Al and I carried him out and gently as possible and put him in the hole, we waited for the girls to come out and we each said a few words over him. Then I sent the girls to the house before we started to fill the grave. when we finished, I went to check on Jill, and Kate said she is sleeping, let her rest.
RS was our voice of reason, he was levelheaded. And his passing has left a large void in our group thinking.
The dog keeps going to RS's door looking for him, and he lays by his chair waiting.
Jill got up and went through the motions, she helped get supper fixed and, on the table, but you could tell her heart wasn't in it. She spent more time pushing her food around on her plate than she did eating it. When we went to bed it was like I was sleeping with a stranger, and not my loving wife. I expected change but to me this is scary. I am sure she will get over his death, but will she ever be the old strong, take-charge woman I knew and love? Only time and a lot of silent prayers will tell.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 2, 2023 18:21:31 GMT -6
Thanks for the update.
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 3, 2023 19:47:03 GMT -6
#23
It is time to dig the potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes and carrots. It seems like we jump from one big job to another big job, but it keeps us fed and warm. The last big thing is the wheat, and we dread starting it.
Jill is getting back to her old self; I don't know if she is getting over her loss or she is just to tired to think about it.
It is time to do the wheat. I said tomorrow we will start on the wheat. Kate ask exactly how will we do it? I said Al and I will cut it with the scythes and you girls will pick up bundles and tie them together. Jill said my fingers are still sore from the corn, there is no way I am going to do that again. There has to be a better way.
Can’t we just take the tops off and not have to tie it up? I said I don't know but we can try it. We did try to snap the seed heads off, but they were tough and hard to break off, it only took about an hour and everybody' s hands hurt. We finely decided to just cut it with the scythe and pick it up and put it on the tarp and take to the shop and thresh it there. We put another tarp on the tables and tried to pull the seeds off with our hands, but finally just got an open top barrel and grabbed a hand full and beat it against the inside of the barrel that worked the best.
Dog was having a ball playing in the straw we threw on the floor. And we made a game of trying to cover him with it. We aren't even halfway, and our barrel is getting too full to beat it against the inside. Al said he would get another one from the loft, I told him to get two, we will need them. I got the old funnel we had used for the corn and started to dip the wheat berry's out and putting them in the clean barrel. Jill thought we should winnow them first, I told her this is just chicken feed, and the birds don't care.
We kept at it, only taking time out to eat and sleep. We had 3 five-gallon buckets lined with Mylar bags full of cleaned wheat and 1 1/2 barrels of chick feed. If we have to, we can dip into it and clean it for us.
The girls are back to drying herbs and spices while collecting seeds from them.
Al and I are taking turns plowing the gardens And RS was right it is hard on the arms and shoulders. Three days of fishing and Jill says we have enough fish, so you guys can go cut more firewood. We talked about burying the fish scraps in the garden but didn't want to attract bears with the smell. We cut logs and drug them to the wood yard until there wasn't room for anymore.
Jill and Kate got the storage room organized and did what they could in the cellar, it was so full of potatoes onions carrots turnips it was a lost cause We had more food stored than ever. We may be able to cut back on the gardens next year. But that is up to the girls. We decided to take a couple of days off. No assigned tasks just do what we wanted. After taking care of the birds.
The problem was none of us could just sit around. Jill was doing the cooking And Kate had the sewing machine out repairing rips and tears in our clothes. While Al and I cut up logs and instead of stacking them we got the splitter out and split wood. So much for days off. But we got a lot done.
Al will slip out from time to time and get a goose or a couple of ducks for the freezer.
Al brought up the idea of building a corn crib, and that got everybody's attention, nobody wanted a repeat of this year’s corn crop storage work. We all wanted to hear his ideas in detail. All he would say it just an idea we will have to think about it, we have a year so no hurry. But we kept after him, asking questions putting in our ideas,
I think he did it to shut us up He showed us his plans, it had 9 posts in a rough circle and lined with fence wire and a door opening and a roof but we didn't have all of the material it would require. We had millions of posts all we had to do was cut them. We would also use wood for a floor There was a couple rolls of rusty wire behind the shop. That covered the side walls but the roof would be a problem We thought about taking the metal roofing off of the porches on cabins 2 and 3, but we didn't have a good way to cut or bend it, we had tin snips but that was a lot of cutting. I said if we needed 2X4s we could take the interior walls of one of the cabins plus the tongue and groove siding used to divide the rooms. It would be tricky but doable.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 3, 2023 21:22:07 GMT -6
Thanks
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