Homestead Update 12/11/16

Once again, I haven’t accomplished much around the homestead lately. I did cut up two small trees that died during the summer and I stacked the wood on the back porch in the stand Sweet Thing bought at Big Lots. The temperatures fell into the teens this past week. I know you Yanks probably consider that “light jacket” weather, but around here we consider that bitterly cold! I told Sweet Thing it was time to light a fire in the fireplace, but she said “No!”

She already had the fireplace decorated for Christmas and she refused to take it down unless the power goes out and we absolutely had to have the heat. I guess I’ll have to wait until after New Years to have a warm, cozy fire.

My niece bought a house recently and the previous owner subscribed to a garbage service which she wasn’t going to use. She called the company and told them to come get this big, green, heavy duty, rolling garbage can. They told her to just keep it because it would cost them more to send a man out to pick it up than it would to just write it off. She asked if I wanted it and I said “of course I do”!

One of the young men that works for me recently bought a house and he wanted to dump into my back gully some old carpet that he tore out while he was remodeling. He also dumped this wood and fortunately I discovered it before it rained tonight! There was a good 2×4, 1×4, 2×8, 2/3 of a sheet of interior paneling, 1/2 a sheet of particle board, several smaller pieces, a roll of hardware cloth, a package of gutter leaf guards as well as this solid wood door. I asked him why he threw this away and he said he thought I didn’t like particle board. I said I don’t really like it, “UNLESS IT IS FREE’! Then I will take all I can get. This heavy wooden door is way better than the back door I have in my shop right now so I will replace it with this one soon. I told him not to throw away any more wood without checking with me first. I have several projects I can use that wood on. I will keep you updated on my projects, until then, keep prepping everyone!

Homestead Update

With the improved temperatures I did some more work clearing brush and vines around the homestead. I sprayed some 2-4D weed killer on some additional areas and retreated some of the weedier spots from last week. And I guess you can officially say Spring has arrived because I saw my first snake of the year. I was straightening up some of the scrap lumber and junk behind my shop and as I lifted a small piece of plywood I discovered a big black chicken snake underneath it. YIKES! Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture for you, I was jumping around and screaming like a little schoolgirl and it scared the poor snake so bad he slithered away into the woodpile. Oh well, hopefully he will keep the population of mice and voles down.

I was on the way to town and I spotted something on the shoulder of the road. I whipped around and picked up this brand-new plastic utility box. It is identical to the one my cable lines are running through. If I need a watertight box to put in a light switch or plug-in somewhere outdoors I can use this box. Nothing beats a price of “free” does it? Keep prepping everyone!

Fence Building

I finally got around to finishing the part of the fence my neighbor paid to have done. I had to put a few more clips on the posts, but the main task was to hang the gate. We hung it up and got it perfectly level so I am calling this job completed and well done! You might notice the old barn on the other side of the fence, that is on the property the bank repossessed from my former neighbor. The neighbor said I could tear it down and keep the lumber if I wanted it. I finally got a chance to speak to a representative of the bank and he said the barn was not listed on the mortgage so as far as the bank was concerned I could tear it down. I went over and pulled a few boards off and I don’t know if it would be worth the effort because the planks are so dry rotted. The nails are stuck into the beams so firmly they feel like they are welded into the wood. When you try to pull the planks loose they just splinter. The beams are in good shape and I sure wouldn’t mind having those. I think I might give it another try this month if the weather will allow. Keep prepping everyone.

Repurposing Concrete

As I was ripping up the concrete from the front porch of the old burned out house I had a use in mind for reusing most of it. I intend to fill in some places that are eroding on the steep grades around the homestead. But I had an idea for one of the bigger pieces.

I had this piece of concrete riding on the forks of the front end loader and a thought crossed my mind. I have been thinking about making a step to go in and out of the barn and I have been considering cinder block cap pieces. The height of the step up into the barn is about 12 inches so I would need something only about 6 inches thick. BING! A light bulb went off in my head. This slab is about 6 inches thick and about 36 inches square.

I placed it as close as I could get it with the tractor. Then I took my 6 foot long metal pry bar and used it for a lever to scoot the slab next to the door.

Now I have a slight step up into the barn, and it is settled in nice and firm. And it was free, I didn’t have to buy anything to build a step. Sweet Thing probably won’t like the way it looks since it is not square, but I might plant something cheap and hardy around it like Monkey Grass. That should make it look more attractive. Keep your mind open to more possibilities, and think outside the box.

Shop Stool

While I was out working last week, I came across a secluded spot where someone had been dumping trash at an old abandoned homestead. And no, it was not our homestead. If it had been I would have been very upset, and I would have been sorting through all that garbage looking for a name so I could call the Sheriff and have them arrested! But as I was easing by the pile of trash I spotted this…

I thought to myself, there doesn’t look like there is anything wrong with that stool, so I stopped and checked it out. There is not a thing wrong with it except the rubber feet are starting to crack from exposure to the elements. I think this will make a good work stool for my shop. Of course Sweet Thing said “Oh no, you’re not putting that nasty thing in my shower!” I said it’s not for the shower, it’s for the shop. I might even use it for a milking stool when we get our goats. What do you goat milkers think? Could I use this to milk goats? It is as low as it will go now, but the legs are adjustable. I could make it 8 inches taller. The best thing about this stool is it was free! I will repurpose it. I love that concept. I have been doing that all of my life, I just didn’t know there was a name for it. Stay thrifty.