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Post by cashless1 on Nov 4, 2023 14:03:42 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 4, 2023 15:08:19 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 5, 2023 20:15:56 GMT -6
#24
Cabin 3 would be our lumber yard, we took our demo tools and an empty boat to haul lumber back in. It took us 3 days to remove the T&G off of the walls, trying to do as little damage as possible. We didn't need it all but we took it anyway,the studs were easy. We picked up all of the nails we had dropped and loaded up and went home .every thing went to the shop until we got to building the corn crib roof.
We did set the posts and put the wire on the inside ,we doubled the fence staggering the openings to make them smaller. We did leave a 2ft opening for a door way.
The girls were thrilled no more tying up corn,now they were trying to find an easier way to do the wheat. I said we could try the washing machine with some rocks to open the pods,that almost started a riot,Jill said we are not going to use the washer for anything but the clothes,period. They didn't want to do laundry by hand if we screwed up the washer, and I don't blame them.
We inventoried the freezer and don't really need much meat this year. A bear would be nice for the lard but a moose to would be too much.
So it was decided I would get a chance to try to get a bear when it got colder, tomorrow I want to go fishing, so we can have a fresh fish supper. Walleye is always good but it is even better fresh. We caught enough for supper and quit. I peeled the potatoes and Jill cut them for french fries Al was getting the table set and Kate was getting the grease hot,it was crowded but we danced around each other, and the girls appreciated the help. It was an enjoyable time. Al and I did the clean up and dishes, the girls looked at each other, wondering what we were up to. Jill couldn't stand it any longer and ask what are you two up to. With a smile I told her lets go skinny dipping and I will show you. She looked at and said it is 45 degrees out there are you nuts? Al and Kate were enjoying the exchange and busted out laughing,and so did we. We haven't had very much to laugh about lately.
We all know winter is coming and things will be more difficult with bathing and such, but we will have more time to relax and enjoy our selves and our friends. We stopped at cabin 1 and every thing was OK. I had been back several times over the summer and some of the plants had been eaten by the wild life, but most had survived and reseeded them selves.
We hadn't done anything with RSs things. And Jill said lets take dads things back with us he would want us to use them if we can. It didn't seem to bother her so nobody said anything about it.
Winter is getting closer and we have had frost for a few nights. I told everybody we would have to pull the pump soon. We had a fire in the wood burner a couple of nights but the kitchen wood stove kept it warm enough during the day. I told them they would have a days notice so don't panic like last year. That got me a dirty look from Jill. It was 3 days later and the barometer was dropping and I told them tomorrow afternoon we would be with out running water,they all groaned but knew it was coming. Since we lost all outside information I had been keeping an eye on the barometer and getting fairly good at forecasting the weather.
After we ate the next morning the washing machine was running and every body was trying to beat each other to the shower. I was last, then I pulled the pump and we drained the lines and unhooked the filter and shut off the water heater, I offered to put the up privacy curtain, and Jill said oh no you won't, you sabotaged it last year I will do it myself to make sure it is done right. It did rain last night then turned into snow but there was no accumulation and it didn't warm up for a week. I went out and got my bear and he was big and fat, witch made us all happy we are low on lard. I don't think there was a half pound of fat left on the meat. The girls caned meat while Al and I cut wrapped and froze the rest. We did brain tan the hide and it is drying in the shop.
I wish I had got the bear before I pulled the pump,we had to pack a lot of water to do the butchering and canning. Al and I took the bear skin down to the lake to rinse it the next day and got soaked rinsing and carrying it back to the shop. I hope it turns out OK. I will wash out the canoe/ sled next spring I am not going to get wet again in the cold. And I don't care if it has blood stains on it anyway.
We decided not to do any wood this winter, we have 3 or 4 years stock piled now, but will do more as we go along.
We have been without so many things I can't even remember all of them or when we ran out. The girls have come up with some substitutions but not for everything but we are getting used to the new tastes. Like I told Jill our first year, if we run out we just do without. It isn't fun but we have survived so far.
Al and I worked in the shop to get out of the house there wasn't much to do but we did measure the corn crib and figure how we would do the roof, Al cleaned and sharpened the saws,that took all of a half morning we haven't used the sledge and wedges except at cabin1. We ran the generator for a little just to keep it ready. We haven't used the salamander at all this year, we are saving the kerosene. and our LP usage is about as low as we can get it.
When the girls run low on flour or cornmeal we grind enough to replace what they used. We do wander around a lot just looking for something to do. We even dug out the other canoe and cleaned it up, we know we will have to use it some day.
We have lost track of what day it is and somehow we failed to keep a paper calendar so we don't even know for sure what month it is, we just go by the seasons like the animals do. I had always had a watch to tell me but some where I lost it, I knew the band was getting warn but wore it anyway so it is my own fault, I guess it doesn't really matter we don't have any appointments to keep or any bills to pay. And no body has to be at work at a certain time.
It is strange how things change, when we ran out of TP nobody wanted use someone else's butt rags so we each got our own color now I have one of RSs on my coat for a patch. That might have been done as a joke but nobody cares.
For entertainment we have some CDs we just plug in the computer and play our favorites or use the TV to watch a video, mom had tons of them. We play cards or checkers . I think we wore the [what if game] out we covered every subject we could think of. And naps are popular. We have read every book in the house so many times, if we need some info we know witch book to find it in. We don't complain very much because we know if we weren't here we would probably be dead, At least that is what we tell ourselves.
We had freezing rain last night and when I went out to feed the birds I slipped on the steps and fell and it looks like I broke or cracked a couple of ribs I cant take a deep breath or move with out pain that puts tears in my eyes, and I won't even try to explain what happens if I sneeze. Every one says I will be OK in a couple of months. Jill offered to move to her dads old room until I heal but I won't allow her to go, this is our bed together and it will remain that way. She says I am hard headed.
Now Al has to carry in all of the wood and do what few chores I had. I can't even put on my own socks, I am useless, and if I gripe about it they tell me to pull up your big boy panties and deal with it. I am afraid to throw a fit that would probably hurt to. I do realize it could have been a lot worse.
Al is checking the snares and brings in an occasional rabbit. I just sit here with the dog and listen to them talk. If it was just Jill and I It would be a lot worse for her.
I am healing up I even went to the shop today,Al has every thing clean and organized it really looks good, and I told him so repeatedly. He even took a sheet of peg board off the wall in the store and hung it in the shop and hung all of the wrenches by size now when you need a wrench you don't have to dig through a drawer for the right one. I thanked him ,and all he said was it gave him something to do other than sit in the living room telling me jokes to watch me cry when I laughed,I laughed at him and it did hurt,
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Post by feralferret on Nov 5, 2023 21:40:47 GMT -6
Cashless1, thank you for another fine chapter.
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 7, 2023 12:41:29 GMT -6
#25
The girls have been baking cookies for us along with the bread. and rolls. We have it worked out so they only have to do laundry every other week. It has been a long slow winter, but spring is just around the corner, we think. Jill and Kate are getting ready to start the garden plants. I ask them to plant extra for the guerrilla garden at cabin 1. We won't plant navy beans this year. And they won't be doing pickles or relish, we are out of vinegar. If we had fruit trees, we could make our own. but we don't. We are saving all grease and fat to make soap after we make lye. Jill had ordered quite a bit of soaps, and we had more in the store but most of it has been used up. Kate was running the dust mop in the storage room and found my missing wrist watch. I must have broken the band putting things from the store away. Now we know what time it is, not that it really matters, but the calendar function does. We were only 3 weeks off, not bad. I ask Kate if she could make a paper calendar on the computer so we could hang it on the refrigerator just in case my watch battery died. The calendar she printed out covered the rest of the year, and she said she would do several years’ worth. All we have to do was remember to cross off the days.
According to my watch the girls had started the plants 3 week before we usually did, so they will be tall and sturdy when planting time gets here. Al and I are going to go ahead and disk the gardens. The tractor didn't want to start, He finely sprayed ether in the air intake and it started but was running a little rough. All we can figure is the gas is going bad, even with the stabilizer in it. After the tractor warmed up it ran better, so we took turns disking both gardens. The tiller fired right up and we got the herb garden taken care of. We didn't say anything to the girls about the tractor, as long as we can get it to run, there is no need to worry them with it. We won't be using it until we get more logs cut if the saws will run. The wheat is planted and we put in 4 rows of navy beans instead of 2 like we did last year. Jill said she thought said we weren't doing beans this year, so I had to tell them about the gas, Now there are 4 of us in panic mode. We will grow more this year, and hope we can get it stored before it rots. The garden is planted, every square foot has something growing in it. Harvest time is going to be a bear, but we must do all we can to get ahead. Al got the chain saws going and we cut wood as fast as we can, then we drag the logs back to the wood yard and pile them up using the tractor. The girls are taking care of the birds. We get up and eat and then go cut wood and drag it home. It’s like an obsession with us. If it rains, we go fishing and we keep all we can catch. We got a roof put on the corn crib, and we think it will help the corn to keep better. Only time will tell, but we are trying the best we can. If we aren’t cutting wood, we are working in the garden or fishing. At least we can get a shower at the end of the day. One of the girls found out how to make lye in one of the online stories we had stored on the computer and used old plastic buckets and made a batch of lye and then made soap, it is not what we are used to but it works and that is as good as it is going to get.
I know I am complaining, and I am not the only one. But in the morning, we will all pull up our big kid panties and go do it some more. At least we aren't busting our butts for someone else's gain. It’s all for us.
Two of the outboards won’t start even with starting fluid, but we have spares for a while yet. We are leery of going too far with the boat, if the motor won't start it would be a long way to row back home. We are losing a lot of fish, the line keeps breaking, it is getting old. We will have to go to heavier line and see how that works. I know the girls are as busy as we are, I don't know what they do, but everything is done, and you can see the fatigue on their faces, but they do not complain too much.
The garden is starting to produce early crops we are getting lettuce, radishes and green onions that are a real treat. Soon we will have cold moose, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. I did find out they were baking bread and freezing it in preparation for canning season. They are looking forward, and that is good.
I ask if a bigger water bath caner would help and they both said yes it would, but where are we going to get one? I thought I had it figured out but wanted to check before I said anything else. I had a #9 wash tub in the shop, and if I could come up with a wire rack to keep the jars off the bottom, it might work. The next day was rainy so no wood cutting. Al and I took a wet boat ride to cabin #3 and took the racks out of the oven and headed back to the shop. I got the wash tub and did some measuring and started taking the corners off the oven rack until it fit in the bottom of the washtub, and it looks like it might work. It is too big to put on the stove, but an outside fire pit might work. Al and I kicked it around for a while and came up empty. I called the girls out to help with the brainstorming. They said it should work if we could come up with a way to hold the tub above the flames. Al ask how many jars will it hold and we all guessed. Kate said let’s get a couple of cases of jars and find out. I was ordered to go get them. We put the jars in and had room for more I elected Al to go get more. after the tub was full it held 33-quart jars. I ask about dividers to keep them from breaking each other if they moved around. Jill said we use the pressure caner without a lid and it doesn't have dividers. Jill said I remember my grandmother using something like that but I'm not sure what. It’s worth a try. Al started gathering large flat rocks and I went after old T fence posts. We stacked the rocks as flat and even as we could, but it wasn't stable We ended up driving old pipe in the ground outside the rocks.it helped so we filled the wash tub with water and the weight made it very solid. We showed the girls and they approved but wanted it longer so they could have a pot of hot water in case they had to add to the wash tub.
We removed the jars and filled the tub almost full of water and built a fire under it and we couldn't get a big enough fire going. We took it apart and added more rocks and did it again, and it worked. I ask Jill what if we don't have enough vegetables to fill all of the jars. She said just fill the jars with water and put them in with the full ones. 33 jars is 4 1/2 regular batches if it works, and the house will be cooler.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 7, 2023 16:52:19 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 8, 2023 19:17:30 GMT -6
#26
Enough planning ahead, so we went back to sawing wood to length and pushing them in a pile with the tractor then we are going to drag more logs in. We are running out of room in the wood yard so we will start splitting, the girls volunteered to stack as we split. That was not working so I showed Kate how to operate the splitter And I helped Jill stack for a while then we switched the girls around, picking up and stacking wood is hard on the hands and we didn't have any gloves, the ones we had are all wore out. We kept trading places and got a lot of wood done, but we quit early, before one of our helpers collapsed. They both said they were OK, but they didn't argue when we said that is enough for today. And they didn't offer to help with wood again.
Today is wash day, so Al and I split more wood, we didn't get as much done as we did yesterday without our helpers, but it is too hard on them even if they won't admit it. The wood yard is getting too small to bring much more wood. We have stacks of wood all over the place.
The extra garden plants I ask forgot planted in the garden instead of the cabin., And it looks like a bumper crop of everything. sometimes we over do things, but it is better to have too much than not enough. We may not think so come canning season. If the tractor dies, we will be planting a whole lot less, there is no way we can work 2 acres by hand. A working horse would be nice, but then we would have to plant more to feed it, so it might not be worth it.
We did take a couple of days to go fishing, and did really good the fish must be hungry, we had to stop when the creels got full You can't use stringers here because the northern pike will steal your fish. We got them cleaned and the girls took them in to freeze, so Al and I went back and got some more. Two days of this and the girls said that is enough.
The tomatoes are ready to be canned so we got the tables set up and everything ready. I laid a fire laid, but didn't light it, and we put water in the pots and wash tub, tomorrow morning after breakfast we will pick as many tomatoes as are ripe and try out our new set up.
I lit the fire and we all started picking and we had 4 five gal buckets almost full, this is going to be a hard day, we had to rake the fire around, so we had hot enough water to blanch with, but we didn't want the wash tub to boil, just stay hot. we had buckets of water set up. I washed then, blanched them until the skins cracked then I put them in cold water. Then AL and Kate would peel and core and then put them in Jill's pan and she would cut them and pack the jars. We did trade jobs, but it was the girls that packed the jars. Who ever got ahead would wipe off the rims and put the lids and rings on and put them in the hot wash tub. It took a while, but the assembly line worked out good. as soon as the tub was full, I raked more fire under it and added more wood, then a couple of buckets of water and the cleanup was done. When we were all done, we had 31 jars of tomatoes for the cellar. If we do this one more time we will be done with tomatoes. But the green beans want attention also. And they are more work than tomatoes we will use the pressure caners for the beans we don't trust the water bath method, even though Jill said that is the way her grandmother did it
We have mom' and dad's old clothes and most of RS's, he didn't bring all of his.
Fear is a great motivator, that is why all of the wood, food, seeds, and almost everything we do. In the spring we worry about getting the garden in, and in the summer, it is the caning, in the fall it is a moose.
Al and I have not shaved in over a year, we let the girls have the razors. Kate trims our hair when we ask and that isn't very often. We look like bums, but we are used to it.
We decided to salvage the interior walls of cabin 2 while we still have running boats, that is our only source of lumber, we removed the chimney pipes and wood burners from cabin 2and3, so we have spares, we patched the holes in the roofs with scrap tin to keep the weather out. Any time we see anything that might be useful in the future, we grab it and put it in storage. We loaded the LP tanks from all three cabins and put them in the shop. We think we are in good shape, but it is the not knowing, that will keep you up at night, and give you gray hair.
We had another battery go bad that makes 3 out of the 12 we took from the cabins. The green beans are ready to pick, we only get enough to do 2 caners at a time. Every 3 days we pick and can. At least it isn't an all-day job. we are also doing sweet corn, the only corn on the cob is eaten fresh and not frozen we cut it off the cob to freeze, corn on the cob isn't really that good without butter any way.
We have quit wearing socks with our tennis shoes in the summer we are saving them for winter.
We haven't talked about it, but I know my tighty-Whiteys are getting really thin and the elastic is shot. We may all be going commando soon.
We thought about tearing down one of the cabins for the materials, but that hasn't happened yet. And probably that won't be a big job.
The dog brought in a rabbit today, but he wouldn't share it. That is the first time he did that, maybe he eats them where he catches them. Maybe this is his first, we just don't know. We have been letting the chicken’s free range, to save on feed, no need to keep them in a pen and feed them when they love bugs, and we have plenty of those. They still get fed, just not as much.
Plastic will not rot but it does get brittle, buckets have to be handled gently, and most of our plastic storage containers are history, they were moms, and they were old to begin with.
It is the little things we take for granted. things we always had laying around. Jill always had a ponytail, she just put it up with a rubber band, until they all broke. And the ink pens are just about all dried out. I am using para cord for shoelaces. The band aids don't stick very well, and it has only been 4 yrs., What will the next 4 be like? Everything we have we use over and over again. It is so different, coming from a throw away society.
The corn is ready to be picked all we have to do is pick and shuck it, so it is going a lot faster, and our fingertips aren't raw, we just haul it to the corn crib and toss it in, when it starts falling out the door opening, we put a board across the opening and let the corn hold it in place. we are done and the crib isn't completely full. we did shell and crack a barrel full for the birds.
The navy beans are next, and we have twice as many this year. We took a couple of folding tables to the field, and we pulled plants until a table was full then picked the beans off shelled them as we went so when a bucket got full it was done and ready to go to the house .We got nearly a hundred pounds we think, but we don't have a scale. As soon as the wheat is done, we will harvest it and plow the garden then go back and disk it, but we are going to plant wheat this fall where the corn and beans had been. instead of waiting till spring.
We don't know if we will have the tractor next spring, so we better get it done now. That is one less thing to worry about
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Post by gipsy on Nov 8, 2023 22:32:07 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by feralferret on Nov 8, 2023 22:40:35 GMT -6
Thanks for another chapter, cashless1.
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 9, 2023 16:02:36 GMT -6
#27
The herb garden is full, and the girls even had 3 heads of cabbage planted there, when I ask why so many? Jill answered one is none, two is one. three is insurance. It made sense to me.
As soon as everything is out of the house garden we will plow and disk it for next year. If the tractor is down, it will be easier to prepare for planting by hand.
When we talk about it, it sounds like we are way ahead on next year’s garden, but doing everything by hand will be a lot slower and harder.
We are about out of freezer paper and plastic wrap; we still have vacuum sealer material, but we know it will run out also. Some of the sealer bags are being washed out to reuse. If a bag had vegetables in it, we could put vegetables in it again We will be caning a lot more meat from now on, versus freezing. It will be slow and a lot more work, but we don't have a choice in the matter.
The girls are going through the survival seed bucket looking for things we haven't been planting due to space restraints. But we can plant things that have a lot of vines like squash, cantaloupe and watermelon.
And that will probably be the last garden in the goat pen, unless something changes.
The Wheat is done, we didn't get as much as last year, because the garden needs fertilizer we don't have. All of our compost and chicken manure goes on the house garden, maybe we can put the chickens up here next year and let them fertilize it for us.
We plowed and disk up the whole goat pen and replanted half of it in wheat. The other half will lay fallow, we think, nothing is set in stone. It is good to be flexible where you can.,
We haven't been doing much firewood, because of all of the garden work. But it won't be long, and we will be at it daily, until everything is cut, split and stacked.
Our storage shelves are about full, and it is a good feeling. We could probably get by without a garden for a year if we had to. And firewood a lot longer, if we had to. But we will continue to add more as we have time.
Al and I went to cabin 1 and everything was as we had left it, and the guerrilla gardens were going crazy. A few had been eaten but not destroyed and should come back.
Jill said we should start on the potatoes and onions; they had already dug the sweet potatoes. And had garlic hanging in the kitchen, and pint jars full of dried herbs and spices. The cabbage plants had developed seed heads and they got a lot seeds saved.
Al and I used the garden forks and dug the potatoes, and the girls picked them out of the loose dirt and laid them out to dry for a couple of days, we dug for 3days, on the fourth day we did carrots they were easier to do the carrots went to the cellar in a box of damp sand. The onions were easy just loosen the soil and pull them out by the dry tops and let them hang in the shop.
Al and I went to cabin 1 and got the 45/70 rifle for moose season. When we got back to the house, I cleaned the grease off and out of it, and we each fired a couple of rounds, and it is accurate even without a scope. I think Al is doubtful about an ancient firearm doing the job. I will carry it and Al will use the 30/06. I’m going to try to prove to him it is sufficient for the job. It will be a couple of weeks before we hunt so we cut and split more wood. We didn't work hard just steady, that is easier on our bodies and safer. We still went in tired, but our butts weren't dragging out our own boot tracks.
Things are starting to slow down the gardens are worked up the wheat is planted, and it is time to rest for a little while. We still get things done, but at our pace. After hunting it will get Hectic again for a few days, depending on the weather.
We want it cool but not freeing. If it would stay in the thirty’s, it would be perfect. We would still have water for canning and clean up and a hot shower at the end of the day.
The girls want a hide, and we all want meat, we don't want a monster, a nice bull will do. I won't say we are anxious, but we got our packs ready and the boats gassed up and ready to go 3 days before we planned to hunt. Al will go east, and I will go west, we both know about where the other will be hunting. The radio batteries won't take a charge anymore, but we should be able to hear it if one of us gets a shot.
We are getting frost every night, but it is gone shortly after sunrise. The girls have a lunch packed for each of us a biscuit and 2 hardboiled eggs, if we want a drink it comes from the lake.
We are up while it is still dark have cold roast moose and a biscuit and are ready to go. I did have to wipe a little frost off of the boat seat, perfect for hunting. I was going farther than Al and I was going slow in case I saw one before I got to my hunting spot, I didn't but it doesn't hurt to hope.
It was only about twenty minutes after I got set up and the perfect bull came out of the brush. I got a good neck shot and he dropped like a rock. I bled him out and gutted him then skinned and sectioned out the meat. Then I saw Al coming toward me to help I thought, but He had a pile of meat in his boat wrapped in a moose hide. The first words out of his mouth were, didn’t you hear me shoot? I told him if I had I wouldn't have shot another one. We got mine loaded and I followed him back home. It was a struggle, but we got the sections hung in the shop.
We got the hides scraped down and brain tanned and went in and told the girls what had happened. Kate ask how big are they? I said about 800 to 900 each, Then Jill chimed in what are we going to do with that much meat? I told her it won't be that much after we bone it out and clean it up. She just shook her head.
They were sure one of would get a kill and had a table set up and covered, the knives and buss pans were ready. I removed the tender loins first and Al took them to the porch while we started removing roasts and big pieces to be canned. When the buss pan was full, I carried it to the kitchen where the girls could start cutting it up and canning it. We remover the best cuts and left the rest hanging, we opened the windows to let the cool breeze blow through. We will be in the kitchen with the girls the rest of the day, trying to get out of the doghouse. We helped where we could cutting and trimming, so it was ready for the jars. The girls were old hands at this. we got ahead of them and cleaned up the loins and bagged them for the freezer.
With 4 people working the piles of meat got smaller, they had two pressure caners on the stove with the weights rocking gently and two more batches ready to go to Al and I cut and sliced enough to fill the smoker with jerky we just salted it then put it in the smoker and got a fire going. We would check it and adjust the fire as needed. The first two caners were done, and the second round was started. So, we were told to keep cutting they wanted to do 12 caners full today. That sounds like a lot, but it is less than 200 lbs. of meat.
Al and I kept slicing meat for more jerky, we estimated how much would fit in the smoker and wrapped it in freezer paper and froze it We ended up with 5 batches and quit. One of us would check the smoker every half hour. It will take a couple of days in the cold weather. When one of us wake up, we would go check the fire. It won't be the best jerky, but I wasn't going to ask the girls to mix up the marinate.
Tomorrow once the first 2 caners are loaded and 14 more jars ready, we cut and froze more roasts. The dog looks like he is going to bust he has been sneaking scraps for 2 days. We cut another smoker full of meat and Jill made the marinate for it, what we don't get put up today will go to waste. We hate to waste it but there is nothing we can do about it. Except to make sure it never happens again. From now on we will hunt one at a time like we used to. I think because there are no other hunters the game numbers are growing and the same with the fish.
The girls did fix moose steaks and baked potatoes for supper. we don't have steak very often. We saved all of the suet and fat for lard or soap. We don't have room for a bear this year.
The hides we tanned came out pretty good we left the hair on for warm moccasins the girls are going to make for all of us. We have been saving the sinew when we butchered, they said it would take a long time to finish a pair. But we will help where we can, and we will have plenty of time over the winter.
I made the dreaded statement; I will pull the pump in 2 days. The next day we got the barrels in and filled with water the girls are sorting laundry for tomorrow.
The first batch of jerky is kind of bland, but the second batch is good. It will all be eaten and enjoyed.
The pump is out, and the lines are drained this year I remembered to put the pump in a bucket, so I didn't make a big mess. The water heater is off for the year.
Next spring, we will jerk the rest of the bundles of meat in the freezer, before the girls take over the smoker to dehydrate vegetables.
The lake is frozen solid, so we are melting snow for water. Dog doesn't like snow we have to make him go out with us so he can take care of business, while we tend to the birds and gather eggs. Actually no one likes the snow, but we do what needs done no matter what the weather is.
My new moccasins are coming along, Jill sews until her hands start to hurt, then I sew for a while, it is slow, the leather is tough, sometimes we have to use an awl to make the holes, and that slows down a slow project more. I had to get another Leatherman tool out of the store to pull the needle through the hide on some of it.
Al just loaned Kate his Leatherman, but I would not part with mine especially when we have more in the store.
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Post by feralferret on Nov 9, 2023 18:12:19 GMT -6
Cashless1, thank you for another fine chapter.
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Post by sniper69 on Nov 9, 2023 18:21:39 GMT -6
Sounds like they are still eating good.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 9, 2023 19:09:40 GMT -6
Thanks
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Post by CountryGuy on Nov 11, 2023 10:06:06 GMT -6
I've been away a bit so just got to catch up this morning. Thanks for all the new installments. Glad you added the bit about it having been 4 years as I was trying to guesstimate how much time had passed.
Thanks again.
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 11, 2023 10:47:34 GMT -6
#28
My watch battery finely died so now it is the wind-up clocks and the calendar. We do have cheap wind-up pocket watches in the store, but I never did like them. And Al never even wore a wristwatch let alone a pocket watch, we have a travel alarm in the shop, so we know the time, and if we are outside Jill has that damn bell.
One nice thing about winter there is no pressure to get something done, yes, we have to gather the eggs and feed the birds, but that is on the way to the outhouse so who ever goes up first does bird duty, Jill finished my new moccasins today. And they are great, I don't know if moccasins is the right name because they go almost to my knees, but they are warm. Kate and Al are still working on his, so I keep bragging about how warm mine are. And how much I like them. Jill keeps warning me if I don't stop it, it will turn around and bite me on the ass. Because he always gets even.
We are going to work in the shop, mainly to get out of the house, but the saws need sharpened and cleaned ,We each took a saw and got them done I went to start mine ,nothing it would turn over but it didn't even try to start, I just kept pulling the starter rope but nothing .Al accused me of flooding it so I set it aside to wait. When Al finished his he tried to start his it would fire but not start, we used Eather, and it would run a couple of seconds and die.
Al said let’s try the splitter. It would run but had no power, it barely got above an idle. The gas has died. we tried everything we could think of still nothing. We aren't panicking but close to it. We knew it was going to happen, but that didn't help us accept it.
When we went back inside and told the girls they panicked for us, and the questions started. What will we do? How will we put in a garden? Why won't things run? Can't you fix it?
Al told them the gas is old and there is nothing we can do about it. We will put the garden in by hand, it will take time but we will get it done. We don't have to plant as much as we have been, just replace what we use, so we have a backup. Every year you put up more than we needed, that is why we have a surplus. The same with the firewood we have extra.
The girls have been tending to the garden and putting things up as they ripen, they fixed stuffed peppers for supper but did not freeze any, they have been drying peppers and anything else they can think of.
We have all been healthy so far not even a common cold, every time one of us coughs to clear our throats everybody looks at us like we are dying.
All of us need footwear, I have cardboard insoles in mine.
I wish we still had the tractor to, we all do but that won't bring it back, the wheat is already planted, when it is time to put the plants in, we will just dig a hole for each plant.
We don't have to have the whole garden worked up, we don't need a hundred feet of green beans, we don't have to plant sweet corn, we can eat field corn, it may not be as good, but that is all they had years ago and they lived with it. So can we. We can seal off the 2 spare rooms and not heat them, that will cut down on wood usage. And I am positive we can come up with more ideas. Some will work, some won't,
The corn crib worked but we had to climb up to get the corn out, it was OK to just toss it in, but getting it out is a different story, one of us would climb up and fill a bucket and hand it down, to be repeated several times. that is how you learn, screw up and then correct it.
The girls are studying square foot gardening, and it does look promising four-foot square boxes, spaced far enough apart you can walk between them. and pick from all sides never reaching over 2 feet, a grid of 12in squares makes 16 per box for easy spacing of plants, then pick up the grid and use again on the other boxes.
We can make the boxes out of small trees, we might have to build trellises for some of the climbing plants, but it sounds doable. And this method uses 20% of the space of a regular garden. Only time will tell.
There is a high wheel garden plow in the shop loft, we have moved it several times, never thinking we would ever use it, it has a plow and cultivator attachments.
We took it down to the shop and cleaned and oiled it up, it looks good, but we won't know until the ground thaws. We took bow saws.
Al and I cut 5ft long polls to make the garden boxes, we will trim them to final length when we build the boxes. We are piling up the chicken droppings to put in the boxes instead of just broad casting them all over. The girls have found several articles in old books and magazines about sq ft gardens. They even tell you how many seeds per sq ft. And what to plant next to different vegetables, and witch to separate. The girls have drawings and maps drawn up and ready to go.
We have the hoes and shovels cleaned up and sharpened, we aren't anxious, just bored. But we do want to be ready when the time comes.
I check my snares every day. we don't need the meat, but the change of texture and taste is welcomed by all. We had fish and goose to break up our moose diet, but the rabbit was still welcome. The food doesn't get real boring, but everything else does.
We have all of the wood cut and split; we didn't stack it that would come later.
The girls have the seeds planted and we are just watching and waiting for green.to show up. Everything is ready, we are just waiting for the ground to be warm enough to plant.
The ice is starting to go away very slowly. It always goes away slowly when you are anxious and watch it daily.
We go ahead and stack the wood we have split, just to have something to occupy our time. But it is done and that is good.
The ground is warming up, not as fast as we want, but it is happening, we go ahead and dig up the potato rows with garden forks, and run over them with the high wheel cultivator, and it works pretty good. I don't even want to think about doing it next year when the ground hasn't been disked the year before.
We cut up the potatoes and they are drying, for planting.
We are all anxious to get everything planted. the square foot boxes are built, fertilized and ready. We think we can just use the cultivator to loosen the soil for the row crops this year. And that will be hard enough. We are cutting back on the amount of green beans and field corn this year, we cannot physically do it by hand. We are going to plant squash and melons in the goat pen and just let them spread out where they want.
Most of the ice is gone. We can take the boats out. But we have to use the oars, the motors will not start. We won't go as far, and we fish longer. But life goes on.
The shop is getting bigger, the tractor and tiller are outside, and the outboard motors will join them very soon. And the loft has blank spaces, where before it was packed full.
Most days that we go fishing we take a lunch with us, or at least a pocket full of snacks. Usually jerky and a hardboiled egg.
The girls don't go very often, when they need a pee break, we have to row to shore, and they don't like to ask. They usually have an excuse when we ask them to go. Rowing out and back does take a lot of the fun out of it.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 11, 2023 15:36:34 GMT -6
Fine update
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Post by cashless1 on Nov 12, 2023 10:35:21 GMT -6
#29
The garden is ready to be planted, the girls have their maps and seeds sorted. Al and I break up the soil and rake it out and they plant. When we put the plants in they mark where they want them and we use the post hole diggers to make a small hole for them, and then we try to disappear. We did put trellises in two of the planter boxes for cucumbers to climb on.
We are back to cutting firewood using a two-man crosscut saw or a bow saw, and an ax to remove the limbs. We cut them to length and load them in the trailer to take home. We split them as we take them out of the trailer. Sometimes the girls stack them while we get more. On a good day we can get 4 loads, it is slow, but it is all we have. And the wood stack is growing.
Two of the hens are setting on their eggs. We were beginning to wonder if any would. And we are happy, we don't have an incubator, so it is up to mother nature, not us.
The girls have stopped using the gas stove we are trying to use as little L/P as possible, everyone gets a shower on the same night, then we turn the water heater off. When it is warm enough, we go swimming instead of getting a shower. And we don't use the refrigerator in the cold weather, the closed in porch works just fine.
The wheat we planted last fall is looking good, it isn't ready, but it won't be long.
The bell was ringing long and loud whoever was ringing it was upset or scared. We didn't have any weapons I grabbed an ax and AL got a club and we ran for the house Jill kept ringing the bell until she saw us. She yelled Kate got hurt bad. I ask what happened? She said she had a pan of boiling water and she tripped and fell and got burned, she screamed and passed out. We got to Kate and she had some burns but I couldn't tell how bad , I told them to strip her down, cut her clothes off if you have to, I went and got a bucket of cold water and a rag ' Upon closer inspection I couldn't find anything that looked too severe I told Al to get the rag wet and just lay it on the worst looking places ,I said don't rub just keep her wet, that was the only thing I could think of, remove the heat.
After a few minutes she started to come to, Jill grabbed a towel and covered her as well as possible, saying she would be more upset about being mostly naked than the burns.
When she came to she looked around and said, I hit my head. I left so they could get her up and decent. They took her to their bedroom, Jill came looking for me and said she will be OK, no bad burns but a knot on her head.
I ask Jill why she panicked? She said I didn't know what to do. I have only seen somebody get burned one time before. And the only thing I could see was them. I ask who was that? She broke down crying and said mom at the accident.
After everything settled down, I found out Kate's burns were not really bad she has light burns in her thighs and stomach, the ones on her hands and arms were worse, with slight blistering. She will be wearing a sleeveless dress for a while, but she won't be doing much for a few days anyway. It could have been a lot worse. We do have sun burn gel in the store, it is called ALOCANE, all we can do is try it and see if it will help.
She used the gel for 3 days and said it did help. Now she just uses moisturizer. She is back to wearing regular clothes and doing fine.
We are waiting for the garden to produce. The square boxes look crowded, but we will see later.
Al and I went to a new fishing spot where another lake drains into ours the opening is only about 5 feet wide, we thought the walleye might be there catching minnows washing into our lake, instead we saw northern pike instead, they aren't monsters, but they are good eating size. The water was only about 18 inches deep. Al got out of the boat with a dip net and worked his way to the opening, when he saw one coming, he caught it with his net. After he had several he came back to the boat, all smiles. The next day we went back with 2 dip nets. We each had a creel full and quit. I have been here before and never saw them come down the stream like this. All we can figure is it must be spawning season or a migration. We don't know and probably never will. But we did mark it on the calendar for next year just in case it happens again.
We went back several more times and the last time we didn't see any, but we had caught a lot before they quit coming.
We went back to cutting wood, until the garden is ready, and canning starts. We are always harvesting something, wood, fish. moose or the garden It never stops. It is not enjoyable but is very satisfying.
The wheat will be ready soon, and then the garden.
We do have 14 baby chicks following their mothers around like normal. That means more grain for feed, but it also means 6 or 8 fryers for the table.
When the garden is producing the birds get all of the fresh scraps they want. Along with bugs and whatever else they find. The dog is usually with the birds if they don't get too close to him.
This is the beginning of our seventh year, we have built a second smoker /dehydrator. It is the only way we have to preserve meat other than caning. We ran out of L/P a couple of years ago. Things are rough but we are making it but it is not easy. I am running out of paper, and I have been using a pencil, because all of the ink pens are dry. Wish us luck and pray for us.
THE END thanks for reading.
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Post by sniper69 on Nov 12, 2023 11:19:52 GMT -6
cashless1 - thank you for sharing your writing talents with everyone here. Appreciated reading the story and look forward to reading more of your writings.
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Post by frankie on Nov 12, 2023 12:31:34 GMT -6
Great story. Write some more.
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Nov 12, 2023 13:08:29 GMT -6
Thank you for a great story. I hope you have some more for us.
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Post by gipsy on Nov 12, 2023 13:39:29 GMT -6
Keep then coming please
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Post by steamroller on Nov 12, 2023 13:41:16 GMT -6
Great story, thank you for sharing.
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Post by 223shootersc on Nov 12, 2023 14:57:29 GMT -6
Thanks for the writings, great stuff!
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ahsga
New Member
Posts: 34
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Post by ahsga on Nov 12, 2023 15:43:50 GMT -6
Thank you for your story. Different ending with no degradation into MZB’s attacking. (Not that I don’t enjoy those as well).
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Post by feralferret on Nov 14, 2023 2:28:05 GMT -6
Nice story. I hope you will be writing more. Thank you.
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