The Barn in Motion, Karate, and the Weather

You begin to realize why people in the northeast talk incessantly about the weather. It's a crazy thing. I know it's this way every June, but I'm amazed at how much rain we're getting. It's all hot and humid, and everything seems damp, you just can't avoid it. I worry about the house and the threat of mold, but sometimes it seems like an inevitable result with the weather as it is.

Haven't heard from MG lately, wondering if she got the message and gave up, though I doubt it. We were stoked to have GL on board for the barn project, but I get a sense he's chomping at the bit and wants to have the project done yesterday. Fortunately we are constrained by funding and can't do anything until that starts to flow. Fortunately, again, that's not my gig, so we'll wait and see. Money is so awkward.

My duties have increased, however, with having to deal with barn stuff. Research and gathering information about something I have no clue about is always so time consuming, but thus begins yet another stage of my becoming a real man-building a house.

My first step is to find out the cost of our siding options, and of course I have no clue what I'm doing because we have to decide on what siding we want. How the heck am I supposed to know? Just put the stuff on.

I also want to contact M&AP to see if they'd do the septic. More phone calls.

It seems like the rain has taken a break and I don't seem to see any rain, so I might be able to do some work outside. The chimney sweep is coming today, which should be an interesting experience. Not sure what they're going to do.

Went to karate last night and saw the return of R and his mom, M. Weird, thought we'd never see them again. They just disappeared and I figured they were done with Chip and the rest of us, but there they were, and needless to say, it was awkward. They bad mouthed Chip for days on end, then took off, and I figured everyone was all the better for it since they seemed unhappy and their unhappiness seemed to taint the classes. On a bright note, R was able to lead the class and I learned two more katas.. I hope.

I think I'll start on the new wood pile this month, I need to use up the gas, and I think I'll give the Dremel tool a go for sharpening the saw.

Gotta run and get to work. Writing has been going pretty well, consistent if not anything else. I like the short blog work that pays peanuts, I've found a groove, though I'd like to make more bread.

Until then, thanks for reading.

The Barn Revisited Again, Firing Up the Chainsaw

R's dad said once again to finish the barn, so we need no further prompting. We think we have a better sense of what needs to be done and how to go about doing it... hopefully. And best of all, we have our mentor, GL, there to help us. The plan is to have GL be the foreman while we do a lot of the work. When needed, we will hire outside work, but we hope it will work out this way. We shall see, we have RR's blessing, so things will move forward. I'm kind of looking forward to it, in fact we're meeting with GL today to talk things over.

In the meantime, I still have six cords of wood to cut. I haven't touched my chainsaw in about a month, so I fired it up just to get the cobwebs off. I also cleaned it up and got rid of the muck. I'm thinking I'll start doing some cutting in July, but man do I hate that heat. It's still got to be done.

Though I still need to paint the house, at least get to the trim and repair the gables. I've gotten next year's wood split, stacked and covered, and have about half of the year after. Just have to finish that and then attend to year 3's wood. That's 15 cords of wood. Wow, what a chore.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

The Sun Makes All the Difference

After days of June gloom, suddenly the sun pops out and everything changes. Amazing how that works. I was commenting on the lack of birds and bees in the yard, and once the sun came out, they seemed to reappear. I realize this is only my impression, but sometimes that's all you've got.

Nice to See the Sun

The weather has been particularly gloomy, so much rain after a long dry spell. June seems to be a dour month, with the rain never ending. So it's nice when you finally get to see the sun. R has been really active in the garden, and I've been trying to keep up on the yard work, but it can be a challenge when the rain keeps coming. Especially with the lawn.

We are heading into the thick of summer and with it comes all the cool fairs and festivals. Next weekend is the Balloon Fest, though we're not sure how to approach that one. It's so expensive and a bit manic, but the kids deserve to have some fun, and we need to get out more. Maybe we can coordinate something, though these events can be awkward with CB sightings. She seems to ignore our kids and though they are oblivious to it, it's painful for me.

What to do, what to do.

Anyway, during my bout of angst about the natural state of our yard, sure enough the sun came out and the weather was beautiful yesterday afternoon. It really lifted my spirits, though I still don't seem to see too many bugs and our blueberries are toast. I hear and see lots of birds, but they don't seem to eat our seeds. Why do I take these things so personally?

I hope the bugs come back when the weather gets nicer. We took a walk to the Flower Farm and it looked beautiful. The community garden was on fire, and they have a blackberry patch to die for. I'd like to get some tips from KJ. We need some serious help.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Strange Happenings in Our Yard

I realize this could very well be my imagination, and I'm hoping that it is, but there are some strange things going on around here. I can't help but think that there is an overall lack of life activity in our yard. Not only is our blueberry bush completely missing anything in terms of flowers, but I can't seem to see any pollinating bugs flying around the flowers. Early on there were thousands of bees, honeybees and bumblebees, you couldn't walk without worrying about getting stung. Then the weather seemed to turn sour, we got tons of rain and clouds, it cooled off, and now I don't squat. It's sad and disconcerting.

I also put out our feeders and I don't seem to see any birds. I know I'm being neurotic here, but I stand and watch and don't see much of anything. I worry that our cats have scared them away, but they are high enough that they wouldn't be able to get close enough without fair warning. I can hear them out in the woods, but no sight. I like seeing them feeding around the house, as do the cats.

Either way, it could be my imagination. We'd like to resolve the blueberry issue and it may require drastic actions, like relocating them and proper maintenance. More sun, perhaps?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Suddenly We're Flush with Wood

Got our second load of wood, out of nowhere. Been painting up a storm and replacing clapboards and trim, need to do a lot, but getting there. Garden in full swing, haven't been to karate for weeks, missing it, but still know what I need to know.

Lots going on, but no time to talk about it. Sorry, but stay tuned.

Still Burning and No Word From Logger

I can't believe it, but we're still burning wood. In fact, yesterday was cold enough to need it. I thought I'd filled the wood box for the last time, but this might not be the case.

We're trying to get a feel for how much wood we burn, and I know we have enough for two years, it's just a question of how we stack it. I also have to confess that I rather like the cool weather because it makes doing yard work that much easier. I'm at the stage where I need to mow the lawn at least once a week, which is a pain but needs to be done.

The garden is on the verge of taking off, we still haven't planted anything but I think today will be the day. R's done a great job of clearing the weeds and getting the raised beds going, and the hay is covering the paths. It looks fantastic, and everyone is poised and ready to take off. Let the games begin.

We do have a recurring woodchuck problem, those buggers are a menace. It seems as if there is no stopping them. One left a gaping hole right in front of the garden, and I guess we should be thankful they didn't actually emerge "in" the garden, though give them time. I filled the hole with some blocks of hardwood (that I couldn't split) and then gravel, followed by huge rocks. Somehow I think he'll still find a way through, they always do. We'll have to keep an eye on that one. I did pee into the hole, thinking the scent might discourage him.

Today should be a good planting day, gray and drizzly, but not hot. I'm sure there'll be plenty of mosquitoes, though. The jury's still out on Cactus Juice, but I'm a believer. I think it drives them away, and it's kid safe. Better yet.

Farm fest is coming up, and I think we're going to have a booth for Transition Towns, but who knows. I'm not sure if anyone knows what's going on.

I still need to repair the deer fence, nothing major, and then finish painting the back and replacing clapboards. I need a truck, however, to get the boards since they're so big. There is a remote chance that in the next week we might get use of another car, but nothing definite, so I won't say anything. Best to keep quiet on these things.

Did I mention we need another car? The future is so uncertain, though, that we can't dive into it. Financial considerations make that a prudent way to go, but what a bummer it is being stranded. It makes me depressed, and makes it harder to have a social life, which we long for.

Gotta run and split wood. Our goal is to have all of next year's wood stacked and ready, then we can take our sweet time splitting the rest. Still haven't heard from the other logger to get our next six cords, but I'll call him next week. He seemed like a stand up guy, returned all of my calls, I just haven't heard from him. I'm ready to do more cutting with my chainsaw.

I contacted PD and told him I'd help him obtain his truckload by making the necessary calls and would even arrange for the delivery. He thanked me for the offer but had his own plan, so I think it will work out for him. I'd help him cut if he needed it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.