December on the Homestead [Archive]

Suzy

12-04-2009, 05:08 PM

boo-hoo----we had to sell our Massey Ferguson tractor two years ago right before my mama died because I wasn't working much and was taking care of her......couldn't make the payments so sold it.....now I NEED one really bad.....and your photo just makes me more DETERMINED to get what we need and truly want this time....My daughter-in-law and I will be using it 90% of the time so we need to get something big enough to get the job done but not too big to overpower us!!!

CONGRATULATIONS on yours! it looks GREAT! and thanks for being my inspiration!!!

sissy

12-04-2009, 05:20 PM

Jezzs instead of a little red wagon for Christmas, you get a big red tractor.:yes4::yes2: Congrats!
thanks for being my inspiration!!! Yes thank you. I followed your move all the way. We have done some work in your area a few years back. Love the area. Have fun on you new tractor.
Sissy

firegirl969

12-05-2009, 11:52 AM

Deberosa

12-05-2009, 12:03 PM

Thanks everyone! I see this tool as our means of growing this place into a real farm. There is more than enough room for a variety of projects and the current income from the tree lease will pay for the tractor!

That deal on Massey Fergusson tractors is good till the end of this month. If anyone has been looking to get a tractor now is the time.

Today is bread making day indoors with the snow piling up outside! It makes a pretty site on all of the little trees in the fields.

Stay warm!

Debbie

NCLee

12-05-2009, 12:18 PM

Lee,

Glad to hear you are getting snow this weekend. I am bringing 12 of the senior citizens up to the Biltmore Estate on Monday for a candlelight tour of the Christmas decorations. We are praying to get to see snow. Blessings, firegirl

I know they're getting snow to the west of us today. Don't know if it extends far enough east to have any accumulation at the Biltmore House. Right now the forecast for here is maybe some light flurries with no accumulation.

But, they may have to issue a black ice warning for the roads first thing in the morning because it's been raining all day and the temps tonight are supposed to go below freezing.

Depending on your route to Biltmore, you may see some snow.

Lee

nhlivefreeordie

12-05-2009, 01:04 PM

Come a little further north, this was 10:30 this AM, it has been snowong all day, we have about 3-4 " right now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/dj88ryr/DSCN0948-1.jpg

CapeCMom

12-05-2009, 04:26 PM

Ah, NH looks so pretty! Getting rain here for now. We might get about an inch of snow over night, but I am sure it won't stick around tomorrow. Our Christmas parade is tomorrow so it would be nice to have a little white stuff to go with it! The winds are crazy though-gusts up to 50.

austin

12-05-2009, 06:43 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/awest1/Dec20092.jpg

We had a weeeee little storm here as well...........

nhlivefreeordie

12-05-2009, 06:43 PM

Guess my beets are finished now??:D

LeatherneckPA

12-07-2009, 04:46 AM

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had these days. It's been a rotten week here in NC Pennsyltucky. Rainy, cold and miserable outside, can't get warm inside no matter what I'm wearing, and coughing my head off. Then to top it all off Saturday arrives with 3" of white crap. (Ordinarily I enjoy snow, but this is interfering with shingling my new hen house.)

So today I wake up intent upon getting the doors on the new hen house and building roosts so I can move the new girls out there. Let the dogs out into the yard and see the temp, a whopping 26º. Nothing for it, have to get this work done. I wouldn't want to let the shingles wait until spring, but I suppose they could if push came to shove. But they have to have doors and roosts.

It's just a little tough getting motivated to go out there in these temps. Chores are one thing, all day construction is another altogether. End of procrastination. Talk to you later.

NCLee

12-07-2009, 04:59 AM

Take care of yourself. Hope you don't have the flu.

It was 29 here this morning, so I know what you mean about the cold and the rain, too. We just can't get dried out. More coming over the next 3 days according to the forecast.

If you need modivation, take a look that the forecast for next week through Christmas. (sigh)

But, do take care of yourself!
Lee

nhlivefreeordie

12-07-2009, 05:17 AM

Yep, 23 here this AM, I have a few outdoor things that need to be finished, but, I think I will remain inside today working on a shoe rack in the cellar and refinish windowsills for the new windows. Have to build another shelf unit for the canned goods too, I am filling them up as fast as I build them.

LeatherneckPA

12-07-2009, 01:55 PM

Seems to me I used to get a lot more done in one day.

I managed to install the doorway header and the plywood covering it. (Not the order in which it was supposed to be done. I decided after seeing the full-sized 4'x8' opening that it was not aesthetically pleasing and wanted to shorten the doors, hence the header.) I also got both doors built and trimmed to a nice fit. Somehow, while wrestling one of them into place I managed to pull a muscle in my back. Not debilitating, just major annoying. Guess it's a Tylenol night. Then I had to run to town to buy hinges to hang them. (Could have sworn I had those already!) Dark by the time I got home. So tomorrow, after I get home from school I'll hang the doors. With them in place I'll have someplace out of the weather to work on the roosts and nest boxes.

anna

12-07-2009, 06:55 PM

Wish I could borrow that little beauty about tomorrow or Wednesday. We're forecast to get 12" or more with 40 to 45 mph winds. Now IF I had that tractor I could back it into my garage and dig myself out when the wind stops. Usually have a drift 6' high right in front of the garage. Then I could go around back and dig out the furnace vents and uncover the generator ... it usually drifts about as high as the eves there. Oh well, my poor old bones will just have to shovel my way thru a little at a time!

Southerngirl

12-07-2009, 08:20 PM

I saw many possibilities with that sweet tractor too! I'm happy for you Debrosa!!!!
With a tractor like that, I wouldn't have to ask DH for help, WOW... what independence that would be! I have a list of about 50 things needing done and I'll be lucky to get one from him, ;) LOL!!!
I was very tempted to try for one, but with our t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e...... credit, I figure it's just another denial letter going to clog up the mailbox, lol!!!!
Working on winterizing the house.... a double wide that we moved here 3 years ago. Once one has sat for years in one location and you up and move it again.... it doesn't go back together as well as the first time, just a note to any of you out there that try it!
Southerngirl

Deberosa

12-08-2009, 03:16 AM

If you were my neighbors I would be practicing over on your places for sure! That's the main reason I wanted the tractor - the independence I have! That plus projects move along so much faster and starting over isn't as discouraging as it could be. We'll have a market garden in the spring for sure and less brush and weeds to gather those nasty ticks around here to start with. Plus if the LONG driveway does get snowed in we will eventually get out of here.

Now it's turning to rain here too - lots of it! Guess I drug the wet with me here to VA.

NCLee

12-08-2009, 04:00 AM

You must have!!!

Long range winter forecast for this part of the country is colder than normal and wetter than normal. Here, we haven't had a decent snow in 3 or 4 years. Did you bring them with you? Now I know who to blame when we get 6" of snow and a half dozen ice storms in Jan/Feb.

LOL

Lee

12-08-2009, 07:30 AM

I took this pict. several days ago,

http://www.fototime.com/0502CEB9D9B53FC/orig.jpg

There were so many apples here this year, that many farmers didn't bother to pick them all. They couldn't sell them anyway, so they are left for fertilizer.

Since then it snowed our first snow here, and we have enough snow to cover the ground, and and more coming tonight.

http://www.fototime.com/A13E6CCC976EB13/orig.jpg

Some folks around here got a lot more snow than right here, and have a lot more coming tonight and tomorrow, but the bulk of the snow always goes around me, so i probably won't even have to plow it out. The ground isn't even frozen yet, so who knows if it will even last?

Every year it's the same for me, i HATE to see winter coming, and then when it gets here, it's no big deal. It's still a LOT better than dealing with poisionous snakes, ticks, and all the other problems that the warmer states have all summer long.

DM

LeatherneckPA

12-08-2009, 11:32 AM

those nasty ticks around here to start with.Deb, get some guineas to roam the spread. They'll make a significant impact on that tick problem, if you can stand the noise.

Deberosa

12-08-2009, 02:53 PM

Deb, get some guineas to roam the spread. They'll make a significant impact on that tick problem, if you can stand the noise.
Yep, we've got a flock of 5 guineas already - so hopefully next year will be better!

rideaway

12-10-2009, 04:54 PM

Well, my daughter's surgery at the Shriners Hospital to correct her in-toeing went well, but even though I knew it would be rough afterwards, I wasn't prepared for it...between the pain, dizziness and nausea, I just wanted to switch places with her. They essentially broke (sawed through) both of her femurs and turned them so her feet now point much straighter. The muscles went into shock, I think. We came home on Sunday and we all survived the 6 hour drive, though the last hour and a half were very hard on her. Transferring her from the vehicle to the wheelchair proved to be a time-consuming experience and since it was like 22 degrees here, her jaws were clacking together by the time we got into the house. She is feeling better daily, though the frustration of no weight-bearing for the next six weeks is starting to arise.

The weather has been very cold here (for us, it is very unusual) and I'm ready for the wind and rain. Down to 19 degrees farenheit a couple of days. We usually get milder frosts, like 35 at night, so it's been good to be home and not out driving on the icy roads with the idiots on the way to work. Our pump froze up, even with water turned on in the house. Here's pictures of the water that is trickling out of the water tank and our pond-it is actually frozen all the way across, the white is just ice that raised up. That has never happened before-I have never seen ice on that pond in the last 10 years it's been there.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/rideaway_63/ice007.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i275/rideaway_63/ice010.jpg

I thought I would get a lot more done this last week, like holiday baking, but it hasn't happened so far. I spend a lot of time brushing hair, giving meds, arranging pillow, etc. But it is very worth it. However, hubby has been outside finishing the last bit of the new chicken house, burning brush, etc. so something has gotten accomplished.

shadowood

12-14-2009, 10:32 AM

rideaway-
Glad her surgery went well and hope for a speedy recovery.

Deberosa-
Congrats on the new tractor, it is beautiful.

I enjoy all the pics of snow as we don't get it here. It has been in the 80s for several days.
Hard to get into the holiday spirit.

Clearing out palmettos and trees to put up a new fence.

Terri

12-14-2009, 03:31 PM

We have ALMOST gotten the inside of the chicken house ready for the birds: there just is no time to finish it!!!!!!!! So they must stay in the old one with the holes in it.

There just really is no time. It isfinals week, I left the state to help my MIL, one of the kids was sich for a long timee, and it just sits there, waiting for the last bit of woven wire to be put up and hinges to be put on the door. The wire has to be up before the chickens go it because half of it is a potting shed.

So, I sit here helping my youngest study while the dinner cooks. Then I will help him study some more. Then we will all go to bed and it begins again tomorrow.

I think the new chicken house will be warmer, it is going to be very cold tonight, and the chickens are stuck in the old hen house. Rats.

I have been working on it for a year now, putting in insulation and such. It is very hard to put the work down when we are so close, but it must be done. Finals week waits for no chicken!

LeatherneckPA

12-14-2009, 04:48 PM

Terri, take heart. All of life is a matter of compromise and priorities. You'll finish it eventually. Mine isn't moving much faster. Although I did get the doors trimmed out and hung today. Then had to take one down and trim it again. It's a real booger hanging doors single-handed. But I like the way they look. Shortening them from 8' to 6' 9" was a good move, aesthetically speaking. Tomorrow I'll build the roosts and it will be ready to take the rookie hens.

My plan is to let the rookies sit in there alone until the 28th (when I return from FL) and then introduce two hens from the old flock. I'll introduce two more of the old gals every other day until they are all in there. Then I'll start opening the door and letting them roam the yard freely. The plan is that the rookies will learn where home is and how to roost from the old gals, and hopefully follow them into the coop each night at sundown.

The old gals have made up my mind about one thing. I have to add a covered yard to the front of the hen house. They really have not liked this last week of snow and sleet, hardly came outside at all. Oh, and I have to add a couple of feet to the fence around our garden. Birds who normally don't fly at all are routinely flying up into the compost bin (4' high) to scratch and peck in the compost. The garden fence is only 3½' high.

Terri

12-16-2009, 04:34 AM

DH has decided that the hen house will be TOTALLY finished this weekend. We will see: DH does beautifull work but he also works slowly.

It WOULD be a relief to have it done and the birds in! I would no longer have to carry hot water a couple of times a day because there is a space heater! (And also because there are no holes in the roof)

I will not put in the last screen because he has asked me not to: my work is not as pretty as his is. I will accept this, I think, unless it is not finished after this weekend. The old henhouse is just not warm enough.

Anon001

12-16-2009, 06:15 AM

Not much has been going on here. We are still under a blanket of snow. A lot of it should melt today as we are suppose to get up to 41F.

I think I lost my old blind dog. He didn't come to supper Monday. Yesterday, I spent much of the day looking for him. I figure something either got him, or he died and something drug him off.

With him away from the house this long, I'm sure he's gone. I think it was August 1996 when I got him.

Today, I'll probably try to get a small jag of firewood cut. I'm trying to get ahead on some chores. I leave Monday (21st) for Lubbock, TX to spend the week with my family. I'll be back home on the 28th.

I should still be online. I take my laptop with me.

Paul

NCLee

12-16-2009, 10:56 AM

Paul, I'm sorry to hear about your dog. It's sad any time of year, but especially so now that it's near the holidays.

Lee

nhlivefreeordie

12-16-2009, 11:14 AM

Sorry about your dog Paul. No tracks in the snow anywhere? Maybe he knew it was his time. My last cat did that, he was 17 years old, and just didn't come in one night, it wasn't entirely out of place, in his younger days he would stay out sometimes two days before I would see him come back through the woods. But this was December, about this time, and usually in the winter, you would find him curled up UNDER the wood stove. Anyway, I found him the second day behind a snowbank caused by snow coming off the roof, he was between the snowbank and the house, curled up just like he was sleeping, that was a favorite spot of his during the summer.
I hope your dog shows up and is OK.
We lost our snow cover here yesterday, so I got the last of the strawberries covered with straw.

southernchick

12-16-2009, 11:17 AM

Paul I am so sorry to hear about you dog. I have only had two dogs my entire life. My first and favorite dog died last year of just old age. He was 15 and the best and smartest mutt ever.

rideaway

12-16-2009, 01:25 PM

Paul, sorry to hear about your dog...my 18 yr old cat disappeared for two days and nights, I thought for sure I'd never see him again, and the next morning, found him passed away in the box he used to sleep in, somehow, he made it home so I could say goodbye.

Boy, talk about the best laid plans. Today I ended up deciding to take two more days off taking care of the recovering surgery patient, my youngest daughter, so will be off work til Monday. Today I was going to spend the day doing some baking and cleaning the garage, since the baby chicks are moved out to the big chicken house and not in the garage anymore.

First I was going to get Lyndsey's hair washed and give her a bed bath, as I know she feels better when that is done. I have been washing her hair every other day. All of a sudden, today I find headlice!! What the h...! They checked her at Shriners and we've been home a week and half. I think she must have gotten them at school and they quietly incubated then hatched. So, from 9 am to 2pm, we coated her hair in mayonnaise, let her sit for two hours while we cleaned bedding and pillows (luckily she's been confined to the hospital bed, so that wasn't to bad, then washed her hair (which is fairly long) and spent two hours combing it. It's not that we feel "dirty" as with 4 children, we have dealt with this before, it's just that it is so frustrating for all of us, especially Lydnsey, as she is already feeling pretty helpless.

Oh well, enough of that, since it isn't really homestead related, is it? It is raining here and the creek is finally running good, so maybe all the salmon carcasses will wash out and I won't have to watch the dog every minute of the day. The big chickens are in the new house and enjoying the new run. I will try to post pictures of it soon. It's not a palace, but much nicer than what they were in, so I'm happy.

Take care, all...

sissy

12-16-2009, 06:36 PM

Paul, So sorry to hear about your dog.
Enjoy spending time with your family.
God bless & have a safe trip.
Sissy

LeatherneckPA

12-17-2009, 05:08 AM

it isn't really homestead related, is it? I may be mistaken, or perhaps speaking out of turn, but I thought we welcomed all polite and reasonable posts about occurrences on our "homesteads". I hope I'm correct because I'm sure there is somebody out there who doesn't really consider my little ¼ acre and 12 hens a homestead, but it's the best I can do right now.

I had never heard of washing one's hair in mayo for lice. How is that supposed to help?

Paul, my sincerest condolences on your dog. Those folks (my father included) who say "It's just a dog" don't understand how attached one becomes to such a devoted and unquestioning friend. Their love for us is unconditional, as should be ours for them.

Anon001

12-17-2009, 05:21 AM

Thanks y'all.

About the tracks in the snow... the snow froze hard enough that he didn't leave any tracks.

Paul

sally

12-17-2009, 07:59 AM

So sorry to hear about your dog, Paul. It seems to me that when one of our pets is disabled, we grow even closer to them. God bless.

bantyhen

12-17-2009, 03:05 PM

I am also sorry about your dog Paul--that is a good reminder to me to make the most of time spent with ANY loved one! Ever since I gave myself "permission" to love my current dog 8 years ago when we got her as a pup, I have tried to put the inevitable to the back of my mind. You always think you will be ok when it happens, but it takes some time to work through it. Take good care!

Deberosa

12-17-2009, 04:49 PM

Paul, I'm very sorry to hear about "Dog". He was a faithful friend for sure.

We are bracing for a storm here - just got done with final preps. Generator is in place under the deck. All vehicles filled with gas and all gas/diesel cans filled. Groceries galore, 5 5gal buckets of water on the deck just in case. And even today I got a bonus of two extra days to take off - they may come in handy soon! The new tractor may get it's first workout (and me my first lesson in shuttle shifting!) in the next couple of days. Otherwise I don't really care if we go anywhere before next year!

The forecasts range from two to three feet of snow!!!! So glad I moved SOUTH.

jen_in_southtexas

12-17-2009, 05:27 PM

Paul, Im sorry to hear about your dog.

jen

NCLee

12-18-2009, 01:07 AM

The forecasts range from two to three feet of snow!!!! So glad I moved SOUTH.

Deb, thought about you when I saw the estimated pattern for this storm. Hoping you were getting hunkered down.

Yep, moving "south" can be a treat in the wintertime.

Don't know yet, what we'll be getting. DOT had salt water trucks out yesterday salting down the roads. According to the forecast folks we're probably going to get mostly rain. But, I've seen 6" of "rain" on the ground before. Only takes a few miles shift of one of those TEXAS storms to do us in.

Weatherman just said "still not sure how this storm is going to play out".

We're supposed to be at my brother's home Sunday for the family Christmas get-together. His menu is grilled BBQ chicken with the rest of the family bring side dishes. He just finished building another cooker.

Anyway, Deb, hunker down. Sounds like you're planning well. Make a big pot of stew and some hot chocolate. I'm glad they're forecasting snow and not ice! You may not even need the generator.

Lee

humbug

12-18-2009, 04:36 AM

December has been a busy month for me. I completed my move to Montana...in below zero weather and a snowstorm.. a week after arriving they told me my job which was supposed to start on December 15 won't be starting until January 4th. ..I have thrown myself into getting things organized. Combing one house into two has been a real challenge. Finding storage space for food alone has been a nightmare!! We both have a fair amount of storage foods so will be set for awhile, but finding a place to store it all has been tough. I do have a storage unit rented for the time being but we couldn't store food there due to the freezing.

The hens have gone on strike I think we are down to two eggs from ten hens. We are going to try putting a light in the coop for an additional four hours of daylight a day for them and see if that helps.

I know winter is just starting but I am ready for Spring...and the start of my new garden. I didn't put in a garden last year and really miss it. I brought some rhubarb and raspberries up last summer and they did exceptionally well. I think the soil here is good and growing a garden will not be quite the challenge that it was at my house in Nevada. We already have a nice fenced in garden area. We would like to grow as much as possible in the space we have.

Gardeners are certainly dreamers aren't we? I can already see the rows of corn, the trailing vines of squash and melons...the hills of potatoes...trellises of tomatoes....

LeatherneckPA

12-18-2009, 11:47 AM

For instance, there is no way on God's green Earth that I would spend an entire day outside doing carpentry when it was only 17º to start and has risen all the way up to 32º by late afternoon. Except after reading Deb's post about the incoming storm and checking our own forecast for NC PA that is exactly what I have been doing all day. I have gotten all of the fascia installed. (yeah, I know, it's only a hen house!!) The next step, as soon as I can feel my toes again, is to at least lay down some tar-paper so it will stay dry even under the seams in the plywood. I would have been perfectly content to wait for a sunny day in the 40's if it weren't for the increasing size of the two dozen hens on the back porch, still in the brooder. (Don't worry. As with everything else I do, I over did that too. It's 4'x8' and 2' deep. So they aren't too crowded yet.) Figured I'd post this while my toes warm up.

nhlivefreeordie

12-18-2009, 01:14 PM

LeatherneckPA

12-18-2009, 01:31 PM

Well, it didn't happen. When will I learn not to procrastinate under the GRAND DELUSION that the weather/world will eventually turn in my favor?

It's not easy hanging tar paper alone. And remember my rant about the IDIOT who designed this shed with a 9:12 pitch? (Ooh, wait, that was me. Strike my last.) The problem with a 9:12 pitch is that you can't stand on the roof to nail down that tar paper. You have to do it from ladders.

So I got one piece nailed down, nailed down the bottom of the next piece, and realized I couldn't reach any further up the roof without someone holding the other end of the ladder. And forget about the backside of the shed. The same dimwit who designed that roof pitch put the shed so close to the fence (3') that there is no room to work from a ladder there at all. We have to take the ladder into the neighbor's yard (fortunately, we have very tolerant neighbors) and lean it at a really long angle to work that side. Easy enough to do with the DD, but she's still driving back from KS.

I have to say though that I am pretty pleased with this hen house overall, except for that darned roof. (I've even considered taking the roof off and putting a better pitched one back on. Wonder if DW will allow that?)

Terri

12-20-2009, 06:04 AM

Yesterday DH got enough of the hen house finished so that the birds can go in as soon as the various doors are hung. I would have helped more but he did not want me too as he has a better eye for the tricky bits.

What we did a little over 2 years ago was to have a shed put up, intending to have half of it as a potting shed/green house and the other half screened off as a hen house.

I insulated it, stained the floor, and put in the interior sheathing and last year we had it well enough done to use to start my seedlings but I am determined to get those poor birds into some better shelter this weekend!

So today DH will hang the doors (which qualifies as a tricky bit) while I bring the straw, set up the feeder and waterer, and then catch the birds.

They will think they are in a palace: it has windows for the seedlings, no holes in the roof, and a space heater (For the seedlings on cold nights but they can enjoy on cold nights also).

THEN it is all done except the cosmetic bits and picking up the tools and getting the jiffy-7 pellets out of the living room and so forth. DH's part will be done, excepting for some cosmetic bits on the ceiling, which can be done later.

It will be good, and then I can get serious about Christmas.

pubwvj

12-22-2009, 03:22 PM

Our tractor is wonderful for plowing snow. It beats the pants off a pickup truck with a blade. I have big chains and can simply drive straight forward even with snow that is higher than the tractor. Not a momentum thing, just drive slowly forward. Being able to use the bucket to lift the snow is also great. Plowing is a lot of the work the tractor does in our winters. Another big thing we do with it is moving large bales of hay out to the animals. Great tool.

Here's ours:

http://images.google.com/images?q=site:sugarmtnfarm.com+tractor

Wide back end as we're on the side of a mountain.

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs & Sheep
in Vermont

Deberosa

12-22-2009, 04:19 PM

That tractor arrived in a nick of time - put to work with the 15 inches of snow we got this weekend.

What is your technique for plowing with a loader? I tended to use the float and push it diagonally off of each side. That seemed to work best. Sometimes I would tilt the bucket and pull snow back toward me like when I was breaking out to the main road. Then push it to the side. Seemed when I tried scooping it it would dig into the ground. Since this is supposed to be a rare storm here I don't see the need for a blade - and I see you use a loader for plowing.

My tractor worked fine, it looks a little ragged - since I was just learning how to shift with a clutch - but it did the job!

Here is my first attempt with the new tractor:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b340/deberosa/009-7.jpg

12-22-2009, 04:39 PM

Dang Deb,

Your living too far south! I haven't even had to plow snow one time this winter yet.

Looks to me like you did good, a bucket isn't the best thing to push snow with, so when using one, you just do the best you can.

DM

Deberosa

12-22-2009, 05:02 PM

Thanks DM, I was feeling like a real novice! "People" tell me here it never snows like this - right! Kurt had to shovel off that flat roof the last two days while I was at work because we could barely open the back door due to the weight pressing on the frame and freezing rain is headed our way. Shades of the collapsed barn we had a year ago in Washington only this would be much worse!

Kurt came out to supervise the tractor work once - told me I needed a higher gear and just ram it - well - you see the dirt holes? ;-) I went back to a lower gear an pushed it thank you. ;-) Only ground the gears once or twice over two whole days.

At least two seed catalogs followed me across the country so I can start making lists as I am off work starting THursday for the rest of the year!

How fortunate we were able to get the tractor and had just bought all of the cold weather gear the Saturday before - didn't need it in Washington, only rain gear! The coveralls and Sorrel boots works great even with the wind blowing.

12-22-2009, 06:26 PM

Be glad you got the MFWD, because you would have got a QUICK lesson on how bad a smaller 2wd loader tractor is in snow/ice, unless it's chained up with good chains, and has some weight in the back.

DM

Deberosa

12-22-2009, 08:42 PM

Yes, I was very glad I took your advice on that one! DOn't know if all 4WD tractors have this but the differential locks in the rear also which helped alot once I figured out how to do that.

12-23-2009, 05:06 AM

Yes, I was very glad I took your advice on that one! DOn't know if all 4WD tractors have this but the differential locks in the rear also which helped alot once I figured out how to do that.

Yes, all tractors these days have a rear diff lock. Make sure the rear wheels "aren't" spinning when you push it in or you may strip it out. If one rear wheel is spinning a much faster than the other, and you then engage the lock, it can (and many times does) strip it out. Same thing with trying to turn with the lock pushed in, let up on the lock a bit before you are going to turn with the tractor. You can get away with doing that a bit more on a bigger farm tractor, but compacts are built much lighter.

Some of the bigger tractors even have a front diff lock...

DM

cinok

12-23-2009, 06:40 AM

This is a nice tractor setup to push snow

Deberosa

12-23-2009, 08:06 AM

This is a nice tractor setup to push snow

I HOPE that will be overkill for SW Virginia! But if global warming has indeed hit us here I may be looking for an upgrade. ;-)

pubwvj

12-23-2009, 09:00 AM

What is your technique for plowing with a loader?

4WD virtually all the time.
Chains on the rear wheels.
Good battery
Clean tight battery terminals
Winter diesel additive
Block heater and booster in very cold weather.
Let it warm up for five to ten minutes before starting work - very important.
Then work the hydraulics gently to move the fluid around - important

Plow slowly and gently. Momentum is your enemy. A tractor is a power machine, not a momentum machine like a pickup trick with a plow on it. If you catch a frozen in rock on the driveway or something and are going too fast it is a really bad experience that can hurt the tractor, flip it around, etc. Go slowly.

For little snows I don't plow, we just pack it down driving.

Float the bucket with the lip slightly up so it won't catch. This produces a hard pack after awhile which is good. By mid winter we're driving on about 6" to 8" of hard packed snow. In the spring it gradually vanishes without being noticed due to the drainage setup. See below.

Mostly drive straight(ish), lift and dump at the end. Our driveway has a long gentle curve back and forth and I can drive around the curves almost like I was going straight. The snow fills the bucket and then starts going off to either side to make snowbanks leaving about an eight foot wide path. I then plow on each side in the second and third passes and then again down the middle to get any spillage. With a long driveway plus farm areas for turning, etc this takes a while.

It is important in our part of the world to get a good freeze into the driveway, have a good crown or slope, to have the water directed of the road into ditches, etc. I built our driveway by carving out the ledge, moving it to fill the dips. I then added big stone, 4" stone, 2.5" stone and 1.5" minus stone in layers. Each winter I put about one to two 12 cu-yd truck loads of sand on the driveway.

Tractor's great with the bucket for really getting the snow out of the way.

Since we deal with snow for many months at a time, getting snow almost every day, I plan ahead large areas for dumping the snow and shaped our driveway to handle it. The snow banks get pretty high as this picture shows:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2008/03/voter-id-and-town-meeting.html

We have to keep the driveway clear for deliveries every day for the farm. But sometimes it is not sanded and then we sled and snowboard on the driveway:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2007/11/driveway-snowboarding.html

and when it is sand the kids do this:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2009/03/sleds-to-wagons.html

down the mountain. Rocket wagon time!

Sometimes though I get lucky and Mother Nature clears the driveway for me:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2008/12/wind-swept.html

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Children
in Vermont

nhlivefreeordie

12-23-2009, 09:22 AM

12-23-2009, 02:26 PM

IF for some reason we get a winter with a lot of snow, this is my snow removal tool,

http://www.fototime.com/1E1F5DD08B45565/orig.jpg

The truth is, on an average year, we just don't get so much snow that i have to put the plow on. Either way, bucket or blade, i just plow straight ahead and even without chains i can just keep driving ahead and push the snow into my ponds. That way i don't have banks, and the ponds deal with all the snow.

Most years i only deal with the snow 3 or 4 times, and for that i use a small tractor that i leave the front mounted sno-blower on just for this purpose.

DM

Deberosa

12-23-2009, 03:11 PM

I forgot to mention about the hydraulics. For the first bit they were a bit jerky and that explains it. I'll warm it up more next time. Even though we didn't get nearly as cold as you see - it was right at freezing while I was working and the tractor is stored in a shed so it's protected.

Thank you for the detail description! Sounds like if this is a habit around here I need to think about the slope of the driveway. It's mostly worknig quite well as you can see it's a gentle slope down to the house but it will need some rock next year probably.

pubwvj

12-23-2009, 03:54 PM

I know West Topsham well, I used to have the Orange Junction Store and the West Topsham store as customers, you do get the snow, and we will be right across the river from you in a few years in North Haverhill NH. You also have one of the most breathtaking views during fall foliage too, looking back from Orange Junction toward NH/

Howdy, neighbor! We're just up from the West Topsham General Store. Recently it was renamed "Gramps Country Store". It has been through many changes of hands over the last few decades but it goes on.

Cheers,

-Walter

nhlivefreeordie

12-24-2009, 05:56 AM

Howdy, neighbor! We're just up from the West Topsham General Store. Recently it was renamed "Gramps Country Store". It has been through many changes of hands over the last few decades but it goes on.

Cheers,

-Walter

Howdy Walter!!

This area of VT/NH to me is the best parts of both states, few people, lots of land, and the freedom to do as you please.

Terri

12-25-2009, 04:29 PM

We got the chickens in their new hen house/potting shed today.

The doors are STILL do not all have latches, but, bales of straw shoved against the doors will have to do to keep varmints out. Since the varmints do not know they are there yet it ought to do, it is going to get VERY cold out soon.

The birds are in, the heater is on, and they are very pleased with the flake of alfalfa I gave them as a Christmas treat.

Next weekend we MUST get those doors properly latched. I have a very high opinion of the skills of varmints!

Then the chickens run can go up. Or should it be the other way around? Hmmm...

cinok

12-26-2009, 05:47 AM

We got the chickens in their new hen house/potting shed today.

.

Next weekend we MUST get those doors properly latched. I have a very high opinion of the skills of varmints!

Then the chickens run can go up. Or should it be the other way around? Hmmm...

I put a heavy door spring the kind they put on screen doors its to heavy for the chickens to push open and even for a dog to pry open. My main reason for using it was just to keep the door closed behind me but it has proved to be a great thing. I think the spring cost about 5.00

firegirl969

12-26-2009, 05:29 PM

Today I picked up a few neat preppy items from the after-Christmas sales. I got 4 pkgs of 4 plastic divided plates and 4 pkgs of 4 plastic bowls for 50 cents each. These will last when the china would break. I also found DH a 7-LED headlamp for $2.50. I got a 2 foot Rosemary "Christmas" tree on clearance for $2.50. It will be a great herb addition in the greenhouse and a green terra-cotta "boot" pot with thyme seed for 87 cents.

NCLee

12-27-2009, 02:20 AM

Sounds like you ran across some good buys, that's for sure. Like to shop the season closeouts, too.

You never know when those extra plates will come in handy. Have a high pressure leak under the house. Pump turned off. Paper plates and plastic forks have been my "fine china" since Christmas eve. Hoping to get it repaired Monday, so it's "plastic or paper" for breakfast later this morning.

Lee

Deberosa

12-27-2009, 05:42 PM

Mud Mud Mud. It's a mess here now. I scraped off what packed snow I could from the driveway and pushed it away from the edges because the melting snow just made a mud river. Kurt patched the leaking roof since the sun was out today. The propane truck simply won't be here till summer... Kurt thinks he can hook up the smaller tanks once the large one runs out - I hope so!!! For now we are heating with electric heaters - two small ones and doing OK. Only using the propane for cooking. Going to go check out wood stoves this week. There is a tax rebate on the same one we had in Washington. It won't help this winter but the tax break will be nice and we can be independent of propane delivery next year.

I guess no matter how much you prepare there will always be something. I finish off the year at home so going to get all of the annual paperwork completed for taxes and to start a new business on Deberosa II.

Builder Ken

12-27-2009, 05:59 PM

Deb How much you got in the tank? I put 400gal. in mine over a month ago which brought it to 80% and my house is not complete we are still working on it there is no insulation in the attic and I keep the thermostat on 55 and in NE OK we have had sub zero temps and I still have over 50%. Maybe you can fire the furnace to knock the chill off a couple of times a day. Ken

Deberosa

12-27-2009, 06:32 PM

Hi Ken,

It's a 100 gal tank. Filled the week before Thanksgiving. It's got half left in it. We have two small wall heaters that are really efficient. Did alot of cooking over the holidays and it's been pretty cold here. We turn all heat off at night and the house holds the heat pretty well and it's only 900 sq ft if we heat the whole thing. We have two of those tall thin tanks full sitting next to the large one that aren't hooked up. We had them filled just in case - glad we did!

I am saving the propane in case the power goes out, using the electric heaters for now. If it turns out switching the small tanks isn't a big deal then maybe that's the way we'll always do it because depending on deliveries is just not good around here!

A 400 gal tank would be wonderful!

12-27-2009, 07:28 PM

Changing those tanks is no big deal. I do believe the nut you turn will have a "left hand" thread though. Around here, you can take the 100 gallon tank off, and take it in yourself to have it filled. I'd call around and see who will fill it for you, and at what price. You can load and unload it with your tractor loader.

I have a 500 gallon tank here, and they will come fill it any time i want, but it sure cost a LOT when they do!

DM

Builder Ken

12-27-2009, 07:45 PM

Deb I bought my tank used (500) for $400.00 but if that is not a option get a couple of those 100gal. filled for standby I bet your electric bill will be high. Wish I was there I would change the tanks for you. It's not hard as DM said pipe wrench or big channel locks will work. You may want to read your elec. meter and see where you are. Ken

AlchemyAcres

12-27-2009, 07:51 PM

Hi Ken,

It's a 100 gal tank..........We have two of those tall thin tanks full sitting next to the large one that aren't hooked up. We had them filled just in case - glad we did!

The smaller taller ones are probably 100 lb. tanks!?
Around here for places where there's not a lot of propane volume needed the 100 lb. tanks are set up side-by-side with an automatic switchover valve that switches from one tank, when it becomes empty, to another.
There are several companies around here who'll deliver full 100 lb. cylinders and cart off the empties as needed.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-gas/lp-gas-changeover-valve.htm

Having said that!!!
I can sure understand you're not wanting to deal with Propane companies!
I grew to HATE the stuff because of the way those companies do business!
I refuse to use it in ANY form or amount!!!
In a nutshell, many years ago when I was using it, they were charging me a certain amount....and charging an older neighbor on a fixed income exactly double for roughly the same amount of Propane!!!! Because they knew they could get away with it!!! Pure evil!!

Get the wood stove!! LOL

~Martin

NCLee

12-28-2009, 02:20 AM

Debbie, since we've still got a long ways to go in this winter, try to locate some additional 100 lb cylinders. Sometimes you can find some used ones. Last time I checked, (been a while) the 100 lb ones were less than $100 at Lowes and Home Depot.

Around here, we have to take then to the propane co to have them filled. I bought a little hand cart ($20 at Lowes) to cart them around when they are full. As others mentioned, they are easy to hook up, as needed.

Don't know your local costs of propane vs electricity, but suspect the higher cost of electricity may pay for the tanks. And, from a long term standpoint, you'll have them as a backup, even if you get a 500 gal tank this spring.

Good luck in finding the woodstove you want, while you can get a tax credit for it. We put in a gas pack this fall. The $1.500 credit is sure going to come in handy when we get the tax refund sometime this spring. Hoping to use that to buy a good generator to keep the furnace and other stuff going when the power is out.

Lee

LeatherneckPA

12-28-2009, 11:34 AM

Deb, the 100 lb tanks are also sold at TSC (Tractor Supply Company).

19 Dec 2009
DD came home from KS last night. We got up at 0700 this morning and started to put the tar paper on the roof of the new Cluckingham Palace. It took us 3½ hours, including getting the tools out and putting them away. It was so cold that the oil in my roofing nailer would congeal if while we were cutting paper or moving ladders. And that's how we did it. We extended the ladder to somewhere around 18', leaned it against the eaves, and then moved it back until Candice could reach the roof with the nailer.

Around 1130 DW and I departed for FL. The farther south we went the worse the weather and roads got. I decided it was probably a smarter move to drive over to I-95 than to stay on I-81. It usually takes me 5½ hours to reach my buddy's house in King George, VA. It took us 8½ hours last Saturday. We saw on the tv, before we left KG, that they had closed I-81 between Roanoke and Blacksburg so I guess I made a good choice. Sure didn't look all that bad when we came back this weekend. Heck, here in NC PA we don't even have ay snow on the ground.

20 Dec 2009
DD emptied the lumber scraps out of the shed today and moved the rookies out to their new digs. Three times as much floor space as in their brooder and 24' of roost space as well.

28 Dec 2009
Got back from FL last night. The rookies are a little flighty when someone goes in the Palace. They haven't figured out we're the good guys yet. They will soon enough with feed, water, and scratch being delivered twice a day. All I have to do before I move the old gals in with them now is build nest boxes and a chicken door. Should have that done before the end of the year.

Deberosa

12-30-2009, 08:43 AM

We bought a wood stove yesterday - a Country stove just like the one we had in WA. It's still at the dealer's since we need to chip ice off the drive before they can bring it in plus rearrange the sun room where it is going to go. I plan to cut a hole in the carpet big enough for the base and put down those concrete square pavers for the base. Then do the rest of the room in Laminate later next year. It only needs to go through a flat roof so that should work fine. Getting it before the end of the year means one third of the cost comes off as a tax credit so that's a good thing!

Today we got rock salt and will try to get the thick ice off of parts of the driveway.

I must be getting paranoid in my old age. ;-) Passing up a job opportunity for more money because I will occasionally have to get on an airplane, even though I would work from home most of the time... Never is too soon to me to fly again. Decided to pay the sales tax on the tractor instead of formalize a business to keep more government out of my life. GOing to get a wood stove so no longer dependent on companies to stay warm! I heated for wood the last six years and forgot how dependent other forms of heat make you! Turns out they rigged the big tank we have for propane such that it's not possible to put on the small tanks. The connectors are not safe after disconnecting and it would mean redoing the entire setup. However we can get the wood stove in here and a load of good wood rather quickly so that may be how we heat the rest of the winter.

I shouldn't have a whole week off to think about such things!

Deberosa

12-30-2009, 02:02 PM

Wow - Kurt and I headed out with 200 pounds of rock salt to try and de-ice the drive. I scraped what I could with the tractor and we salted the rest and just as we were finishing our egg customer/neighbor showed up with his trailer full of "dry crush". He helped us spread this stuff all the way down the drive and now Kurt can drive out his two wheel drive F250!!

I just can't believe how generous people are around here - we will be over at his house helping him spread the rest on his drive soon. Maybe not tomorrow because we are getting hit with another round of snow and freezing rain! We have been so so lucky this year it's amazing.

This "dry crush" is actually a component of concrete - it absorbs heat and melts the ice and provides incredible traction. I think next year we will first spread some "clean crush" gravel, then some of this dry crush and then he said to sprinkle a few bags of concrete mix on top of that to create a much better drive. It has a good base of gravel already but this will make it something that will resist this soggy weather!

Now we have two vehicles parked up by the road for transportation during this dreadful weather!

12-30-2009, 02:25 PM

It was sawmilling day here on my homestead. A friend came over and she needed some 2x6's, some 5/4 lumber, and also some thin "stake material" to hold visqueen down on her green houses. Anyway, i rolled a big pine on the bunks and sawed out what she wanted.

http://www.fototime.com/D9A8B82CCEA91E1/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/D166815698F84A9/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/1D99CB0C96653C1/orig.jpg

DM

patience

12-30-2009, 04:01 PM

Our one person (me) farm repair shop business is slow, but I have a round bale spike to refit to a different skid loader, and a couple smaller jobs. There will probably be some emergency wood stove repairs soon. THEN, maybe I can get back to work on OUR woodstove, building it from scratch. It goes into the sunporch/summer kitchen room I built on over the last 4 years. :o Yeah, us old guys are slow.

But first, I gotta replace our water heater that is leaking on the basement floor. Got it bought, but no time yet. Meanwhile I'm charging batteries for our solar system, since that isn't fully operational yet.

Deberosa

12-30-2009, 04:20 PM

Welcome Patience! Boy that is a handle I would never be able to use!

Seems there is always something needing repair.

rideaway

12-30-2009, 08:58 PM

Well, Christmas was ok (no family battles, so that's always a plus), but in the last 3 days I have lost 3 chicks to a hawk. On day one, after DH saw it having it's "snack", we strung fishing line 6-8" apart across 90% of the yard (it is a fenced 30 x 70' run). There were a couple corners (behind the 2500 gallon water tank and by the gate) that we couldn't cover but figured it was ok. Nope, of course not, I guess the hawk is smart enough to find the open spot in line for the buffet. So, gonna put a little netting in each corner and hope that works. I would like to net the whole thing, but at $23 for a 4 x 50' roll of netting, I think I'll hold off.

Other than that, since my daughter is still wheelchair and bed bound, she is having three friends over for a New Years Eve sleepover, so I have a feeling it will be a long, giggly night here. I think teenage girls (14 yrs old) are worse than 10 year old girls. But they are all good kids and it will be fun for the daughter, so...and, on a good note, the company is bringing dinner!!!

Happy New Years, all...