# From riches to rags homesteading.



## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I went from riches to rag instead of rags to riches. I had a good career in information system then the pressure and B.S. got the best of me so I retired with a modest pension. So that's when I started this homesteading initiative. 

I went out on a limb with this journey. Not sure where it will end but it has to be better then where I was. 

Join me and my struggles to keep the ship afloat and follow my goal of a self reliance homestead.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

The safest place for a ship is in the harbor. But that's not what ships are built for.

You will make your own BS and then turn it into compost and happiness. See where it takes and teaches you. Enjoy the trail.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Be patient with yourself and the journey.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Bret said:


> The safest place for a ship is in the harbor. But that's not what ships are built for.
> 
> You will make your own BS and then turn it into compost and happiness. See where it takes and teaches you. Enjoy the trail.


lol. What a great reply. Thanks.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Be patient with yourself and the journey.


Thank you. My career gave me a bad habit of always being in a hurry so patient is something I have to work on.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I have been in gardening “rehab” for that. I recommend planting trees.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

I hope you'll post long winded stories and pictures of your adventure. Me think it soothes the soul working your land, creating your dreams. At the very least, I find myself looking forward to the day and the next... All the best.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

How do you get your farm to make a million dollars? Start with two million dollars!

Congratulations, good luck on your journey. Lots of good information and help on these forums. I've learned a lot here.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> I have been in gardening “rehab” for that. I recommend planting trees.


As for tree planting that is something that I sometimes do. When I was 14 years old I started working with my father in small scale forestry. Even back then we never clear cut. We always left the forest better than we started. We left the trees space, the brush neatly piled. As time went on I ended up in information systems but I continued with my family tradition of small sustainable best practice forestry. I always found it alleviated stress. It was work I found most rewarding.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

melli said:


> I hope you'll post long winded stories and pictures of your adventure. Me think it soothes the soul working your land, creating your dreams. At the very least, I find myself looking forward to the day and the next... All the best.


I hope to be posting some stuff and be picking people's brain because I know very little about farming. Thanks for your support.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Sebastian C said:


> How do you get your farm to make a million dollars? Start with two million dollars!
> 
> Congratulations, good luck on your journey. Lots of good information and help on these forums. I've learned a lot here.


As a matter of fact I am working on my second million......I gave up on the first one.


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## LAFarm (Mar 8, 2015)

LostCaper said:


> As a matter of fact I am working on my second million......I gave up on the first one.


me too!!


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

LAFarm said:


> me too!!


Lol. Congrats


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

LostCaper said:


> As a matter of fact I am working on my second million......I gave up on the first one.


I never did make my fist million, but unfortunately, my wife spent it anyways.

Growing your own chemical free food really does nothing at all for your physical health, but it does wonders for your mental health. Dirty hands are gratifying.

Good luck and have fun on your new journey.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Where are you at now with your self sufficient dream? Everyone has to start somewhere, don't be shy about sharing!


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

LostCaper said:


> Thank you. My career gave me a bad habit of always being in a hurry so patient is something I have to work on.


Be patient with yourself. It takes a while to moderate that habit of hurriedness being an end in itself. I don't know that you ever totally escape it, at least the remnant of the mindset, but one of the greatest rewards I have is sitting on a chair watching my alpacas and alternately petting my calf who thinks she is a puppy dog.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

LostCaper said:


> I hope to be posting some stuff and be picking people's brain because I know very little about farming. Thanks for your support.


The best I can offer here is that you can glean a lot from our experiences. As you are well aware, everyone has opinions, the quality of which may vary. It is also true that what works for one person may or may not work for another, so milk a lot of cows but make your own milkshake.*

* Quote about milking cows and making milkshake stolen from Pastor Rod Smith, director of Open Hand, Inc., (not the Pastor Rod Smith kicked out of the Methodist Church for embezzlement) ironically, in a column he wrote quite a few years ago on the subject of plagiarism.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

IndyDave said:


> Be patient with yourself. It takes a while to moderate that habit of hurriedness being an end in itself. I don't know that you ever totally escape it, at least the remnant of the mindset, but one of the greatest rewards I have is sitting on a chair watching my alpacas and alternately petting my calf who thinks she is a puppy dog.


Very nice mine set and you are right. Not sure if a person ever gets over the hurry infliction. It's all about choosing a life style that a person likes and can cope with.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> Where are you at now with your self sufficient dream? Everyone has to start somewhere, don't be shy about sharing!


I am thankful to have a very good start. We started reconditioning my wife's parents old homestead. My father in law died and mother in law was alone at 75 years old so we kept our house in the city and moved 250 miles to my wife's old homestead 5 years ago. We moved in with my mother in law. My children lives in our house in the city. The homestead is partly overgrown with bushes and trees but it is incredibly beautiful old farm overlooking a harbour which is 23 acres in size. It was 200 acres but it got broken up among family members. 

Throughout my career in information systems I usually had a tractor that I worked, made a bit a money but mostly bought more equipment with the money. I now have a 2010 L series kubota, tiller, logging winch, log trailer, and backhoe.

The property has a nice house 24x24 garage so we have a nice place to live. I fixed the driveway recently, bough a tow behind field mower, cut a lot of trees, dug out a lot of stumps, made a road to the beach and made a small garden to experiment with growing stuff in our short growing season. 

I have a small pension and took a part time job at a local shipping company to help make up for my cash shortfall. I am more than thankful to have all this as a start but not use to being poor and not having the comfort of money to work with. The situation has its challenges but I will see what happens. My life is not slowed down enough for my liking and I am not sure how to do it as there is family demands and difference of opinion in out underlying ways we want to live. I want to live simple as possible. I will post some pictures and link to my youtube channel later. I am typing on my phone just now. Thanks for your good question.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Shoot. Tiffany posted about the stress in her own career and being on edge. I erroneously deleted her reply. Sorry and if Tiffany reads this please repost. 

My reply to her post was take care on your journey. Be careful with forcing yourself to far to that edge. You might fall over like I did. I suggest keeping the expenses down and always do a self check in where you want to be in 5 years and at age 55. In my opinion don't be a slave to debt and material things and your life will be much more flexible and a lot less stress free.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

How do you delete someone else's post?


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

LostCaper said:


> Shoot. Tiffany posted about the stress in her own career and being on edge. I erroneously deleted her reply. Sorry and if Tiffany reads this please repost.
> 
> My reply to her post was take care on your journey. Be careful with forcing yourself to far to that edge. You might fall over like I did. I suggest keeping the expenses down and always do a self check in where you want to be in 5 years and at age 55. In my opinion don't be a slave to debt and material things and your life will be much more flexible and a lot less stress free.


No problem and Thank-you for your reply Lost Caper. 



LostCaper said:


> Not sure if a person ever gets over the hurry infliction.


I'm in IT, and the high stress and short deadlines can become a part of your life, as in not very relaxing. So I'm hoping, one day, to have it all behind me also. 

Happy retirement and Best wishes on your journey!


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

Clem said:


> How do you delete someone else's post?


could of been on my end Clem.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

tiffanysgallery said:


> could of been on my end Clem.


I am going to break the rules by addressing religion outside the prescribed forum: The problem is that all electronic devices are demon possessed!


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Clem said:


> How do you delete someone else's post?


Not sure. I went to delete my reply to her post and when I did her post disappeared. I am on an iPhone and sometimes forums do flaky things.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Here is a picture of our homestead.


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## alida (Feb 8, 2015)

that homestead picture is simply beautiful.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

alida said:


> that homestead picture is simply beautiful.


Thank you. Yes we are bless to have such a place. Everyday people stop to take pictures of our place. We own right to the shore with our own private beach.


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

Beautiful picture. 

The view out your window must be amazing.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I'm exciting to be heading down the homestead road but scared at the same time. I am use to having a good paying career and the security or should I say false security of working for a large corporation. To help supplement my income I am cutting and selling some firewood. Here is a video of my small scale logging operations.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

tiffanysgallery said:


> Beautiful picture.
> 
> The view out your window must be amazing.


Breath taking. It will be even nicer when I get more of it mowed, some more trees cut and the fields planted. We get a nice east wind everyday so there are very little flies and it never gets much above 80 degrees in summer. Winter can be a different story. As nice as the scenery is we live in an area with a depressed economy. If I didn't have a pension it would be hard to survive unless you are self sufficient or have cabins to rent to the tourist. Beautiful scenery but you can't eat scenery so I guess I will have to grow my own food.


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

IndyDave said:


> I am going to break the rules by addressing religion outside the prescribed forum: The problem is that all electronic devices are demon possessed!


Amen brother, preach the truth!


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

I know what you mean about the stress getting to you. I worked 120 hours in 10 days, then had 4 days off to work on our place, work on where we live now, and take care of family obligations. I came back to work to face another 10 days straight, only this time with only 5 being 12 hour days. My wife thinks we need to do some more paring down so we can be in a position where I can retire early in 2 years so I can concentrate on the homestead. She's afraid the job will kill me before I reach full retirement age.

My biggest problem - aside from physical and mental exhaustion - is that I want to get our place built so badly that I struggle with patience and getting frustrated. Spending a day out in the woods working on our place takes care of the frustration but doesn't help much with patience.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

oldtruckbbq said:


> I know what you mean about the stress getting to you. I worked 120 hours in 10 days, then had 4 days off to work on our place, work on where we live now, and take care of family obligations. I came back to work to face another 10 days straight, only this time with only 5 being 12 hour days. My wife thinks we need to do some more paring down so we can be in a position where I can retire early in 2 years so I can concentrate on the homestead. She's afraid the job will kill me before I reach full retirement age.
> 
> My biggest problem - aside from physical and mental exhaustion - is that I want to get our place built so badly that I struggle with patience and getting frustrated. Spending a day out in the woods working on our place takes care of the frustration but doesn't help much with patience.


It isn't easy to get to a place in life where you can be stress free and not over worked. I guess life is about the ability to give things up. At 2 we have to give up the notion that we can do anything, at 5 we go to school so we have to give up being under mother's apron, in our teens we have to give up boyfriend and girlfriends, our adult life is spent working to hard so we have to give up our time and some dreams, when middle aged our children move away, when we are senior we have to give up our youth then finally we have to give up life itself. It seems we have to get good at giving thing up. In your case it appears that your wife is awesome and mature in that she is willing to give things up instead of giving you up. Sounds like the under pinning of your relation is very strong and mature which money can't buy. This relationship may also allow you to go through this busy time slow enough to take the time to enjoy it as you are going through it and not let your family down by dying. I know this aniexty all to well. Take care and good luck with everything.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Interest rates rising, overburdened with debt many countries economies are crashing, leaders try to pretend everything is ok so that there will not be mass panic... it all makes me wonder will I be able to be self sufficient in time to fend for myself and provide for my family. Snow is in the air giving testament that winter will soon be setting in. The thought kinda brings a bit aniexty as I still have lots to do. Firewood production, ditch the logging road so the winter and spring run off doesn't destroy it, harvest more firewood and so on. I can't afford to buy a green house or a shelter needed to house my equipment so I bought a chain saw mill which I put together today. Hopefully I will be able to make my own lumber to supply me with the required building material.

The good news is we have a decent house on the property. I enjoy the work that it's going to take to rebuild the farm just the feeling of urgency is getting on my nerves. 




  








IMG_2583




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LostCaper


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Oct 8, 2018




Our homestead


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

You can only eat that elephant one bite at a time OP. You'll be warm for the winter, that's a wonderful thing to be.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

tiffanysgallery said:


> You can only eat that elephant one bite at a time OP. You'll be warm for the winter, that's a wonderful thing to be.


Yep but that's a lot of bites. lol.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

LostCaper said:


> Yep but that's a lot of bites. lol.


You shouldn't go hungry any time soon that way!


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

LostCaper said:


> Yep but that's a lot of bites. lol.


If I may offer some advice...Dream about the big picture, but focus on the individual tasks at hand. It won't be long before your staring at your dream. Helps to be a tad naive too...lol
In my case, I am not quite at my dream stage, but I am so far along, I seriously wonder how I got here (comfortably sipping on coffee in my new home). Best.
A tad envious...looks like you have soil to play with....


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

LostCaper said:


> Yep but that's a lot of bites. lol.


Most of us have been where you are now and know how you feel. There's always that beginning to a journey, but then there's that 'looking back and being amazed at how much has been accomplished' feeling that does come.

The priorities come first and then go from there. Some homesteaders plan by writing it down, and some jump right on in... you just have to do what works for you and soon you'll be amazed at how much you've accomplished.


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## oldtruckbbq (Aug 8, 2016)

I find that my mind constantly writes checks my body can't cash. I've had to learn to be satisfied with what I was able to accomplish, take my tylenol and ibuprofen, put my feet up, and redo my list for the next day. I may not always get the progress I had hoped for, but if I got all the progress my body could make that day, I have to be ok with that. Otherwise I'll end up frustrated, angry, and miss out on any joy in my efforts.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

It always amazes me how many little side tracked tasks there are to do when you are homesteading. 

I had to fix some drainage problems on my logging road. Some cross surface ditching and a corduroy road across the ditch was the fix. The backhoe attachment on my tractor sure came in handy for the task. 

I put a lot of though into how I was going to come up with the money for wood to build a garage, log cabin, and a green house. After some deliberation I went and bought a Gripro chain saw mill. Initially, I was going to build with round logs but the beetle killed so many trees in my area that I would be hard pressed to fine enough sound timber for my needs. Milling will cut back in the amount of trees I will need. Took an hour or so to assemble the mill. I bought it at CR Equipment in Moncton, N.B. They are a great bunch a guys. 

Next on the task list was replace my front tires on my Kubota. I bought a set for the front and it was cheeper to buy them already mounted on rim. After driving an hour one I got back and realized that the guy put the wrong size tire in my truck. The next day I made another trip but I was happy to get the right tire. There is no guarantee that the correct size tire would be available in my neck of the woods. 

I just got the tires installed and my neighbour texted me wanting some firewood delivered to the Light House so I delivered a bucket of wood with the Kubota. I guess this was the first job I had to do with the new tires. I put in a days work but I have a sense of accomplishment and I am excited to start milling some lumber. I really need to build a shelter to protect my gear from our fierce winter that will soon be upon us.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

oldtruckbbq said:


> I find that my mind constantly writes checks my body can't cash. I've had to learn to be satisfied with what I was able to accomplish, take my tylenol and ibuprofen, put my feet up, and redo my list for the next day. I may not always get the progress I had hoped for, but if I got all the progress my body could make that day, I have to be ok with that. Otherwise I'll end up frustrated, angry, and miss out on any joy in my efforts.


Well that is exactly what I have been doing as of late. I spend 30 minutes a night sifting through the to do list, setting the priorities and picking what I can reasonably accomplish. I also plan my work around the weather and gather the items I need for the next days assignment. Thinks like fuel the tractor, sharpen the saw. I get as many things off my mind as I can.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Had a Kubota B7800 with I believe the BH70 backhoe. Loved the amount of work it could do. Tough little machine.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

GTX63 said:


> Had a Kubota B7800 with I believe the BH70 backhoe. Loved the amount of work it could do. Tough little machine.


I bought my Kubota L4740 new in 2010 and have 2900 hours on it. I have one servo value and one axle seal go bad and that was it for mechanical trouble. Happy about the mechanical end of things but I am disappointed about the excessive rust and paint fade. I have perforations through my fenders, paint pealing off all over the place and the paint that was left turned white. I am after painting the hood and loader. In summary it is a great working tractor but the rust is the down side and Kubota won't do anything about it. The deal said he would paint if for $1500. Perhaps I will try another dealer.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Best thing you can do it spill a coat of wax on it and keep it out of the sun when it isn't in use.
I buy and sell a lot of ag/heavy equipment and I see a lot of guys who will lay out 20-40k on a tractor and park it in the field or the yard next to a lean to and allow it to bake. In short order the sun turns the hood and fenders into a pale chalk.
"Mahindra Pink" should be an official color. Kubotas tend to turn a salmon color. I agree that the manufacturers could go a little farther in protecting the paint with a clear coat or some such. A lot of newer tractor buyers are the suburban types who tend to pamper their tractors more than the old school guys, and they expect good paint for their money.


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## Falfrenzy (Aug 20, 2018)

LostCaper said:


> Throughout my career in information systems I usually had a tractor that I worked, made a bit a money but mostly bought more equipment with the money. I now have a 2010 L series kubota, tiller, logging winch, log trailer, and backhoe.


Yeah, sounds like you are really in a "rags" situation there bro. Don't insult others who work 2 jobs to make ends meet and live paycheck to paycheck.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Falfrenzy said:


> Yeah, sounds like you are really in a "rags" situation there bro. Don't insult others who work 2 jobs to make ends meet and live paycheck to paycheck.


No insult meant. I am getting poorer by the day just like way to many other people are. I am back trying to get through a day working a part time job and trying to cut firewood and get an old overgrown farm reconditioned.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

melli said:


> If I may offer some advice...Dream about the big picture, but focus on the individual tasks at hand. It won't be long before your staring at your dream. Helps to be a tad naive too...lol
> In my case, I am not quite at my dream stage, but I am so far along, I seriously wonder how I got here (comfortably sipping on coffee in my new home). Best.
> A tad envious...looks like you have soil to play with....


God I am so lucky in so many ways. Even to have had to leave my career due to stress was a blessing. Sometimes things happen for a reason. If I continued with my career most likely I would be dead now. It's weir but once you got inflicted with aniexty it's hard to get rid of it. Your advice is great. Dream about the big picture but focus on the tasks at hand and try to enjoy them as you proceed. 

Regarding the soil I have to work with..,. Yes there is 23 acres here. About 10 of it overgrown. I am truly blessed to have such a place.

Congrats on your new home. May you have years of enjoyment in it. Thanks for your wisdom and comments. I appreciate it.
Ray


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

tiffanysgallery said:


> Most of us have been where you are now and know how you feel. There's always that beginning to a journey, but then there's that 'looking back and being amazed at how much has been accomplished' feeling that does come.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

tiffanysgallery said:


> Most of us have been where you are now and know how you feel. There's always that beginning to a journey, but then there's that 'looking back and being amazed at how much has been accomplished' feeling that does come.
> 
> The priorities come first and then go from there. Some homesteaders plan by writing it down, and some jump right on in... you just have to do what works for you and soon you'll be amazed at how much you've accomplished.


I find it therapeutic to take the time to write things down, photograph my work and journalize how I am feeling, how I want to live the rest of my life. It somehow keeps me on track and gives me incentives and the will to continue don't this road. Thanks for your kind words. 

I love to read about others and their journey along the way, what they learnt, how they felt, their failed and accomplishment so feel free to write anytime.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Excuse my typos yesterday. I got to learn to slow down.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I was just looking through my old pictures and videos. My life flashed before my eyes. Here are the highlights.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

LostCaper said:


> I was just looking through my old pictures and videos. My life flashed before my eyes. Here are the highlights.


computer not working right. Finally got it fix so I can upload some stuff.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)




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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Today we seen a Bobcat. It's rare to see a Bob Cat or a Lynx but seeing both in 1 week raise a question why the influx of these cats. I believe it is because of the early winter we are having. We live in the base of the mountains but up in the higher elevations there is much more snow. I suspect some of the animals migrated down to the lower elevation where there is less snow. Winter came early this year. I believe the fair amount of early snow changed many of the animals patterns including mine. It drove me out of the woods where I was cutting next years firewood and logs to mill up for my cabin and green house.

This is not the greatest shot of a bobcat but any shot of this rare sighting is a good shot. Hope you all enjoy it.



https://lostcaper.ca/bob-cat/


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I love the view!


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

LittleRedHen said:


> I love the view!


The view is beautiful but I always say you can't eat scenery. lol. Yes it is a beautiful place.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

LOL!! you can add some beautiful edible stuff to the view loL!


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

LostCaper said:


> View attachment 71628
> Today we seen a Bobcat..... Hope you all enjoy it. https://lostcaper.ca/bob-cat/


I enjoyed seeing your picture of the Bobcat. Thank you for sharing.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Your welcome. It's not everyday a person gets a pictures of such a beautiful animal especially a bob cat. They are very elusive. 


tiffanysgallery said:


> I enjoyed seeing your picture of the Bobcat. Thank you for sharing.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

oldtruckbbq said:


> I find that my mind constantly writes checks my body can't cash.





LostCaper said:


> I put a lot of though into how I was going to come up with the money for wood to build a garage, log cabin, and a green house. After some deliberation I went and bought a Gripro chain saw mill.


Ha Ha, I just thought it'd be funny to put these two sentences next to each other... Anyone ever milled a lot of wood with an alaskan mill? They work alright but it's a lot of work!


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Sebastian C said:


> Ha Ha, I just thought it'd be funny to put these two sentences next to each other... Anyone ever milled a lot of wood with an alaskan mill? They work alright but it's a lot of work!


I've milled a little bit of wood with an Alaskan mill. I quickly figured out that it's hard work!!


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> I've milled a little bit of wood with an Alaskan mill. I quickly figured out that it's hard work!!


That is an understatement...lol
I should have known better when one was given to me for free. I must enjoy learning the hard way. Pleased with results though...
I would think an Alaskan mill be 'suitable' on soft wood, with emphasis on soft. And there is no lumber store nearby...for instance, your in Alaska.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

melli said:


> That is an understatement...lol
> I should have known better when one was given to me for free. I must enjoy learning the hard way. Pleased with results though...
> I would think an Alaskan mill be 'suitable' on soft wood, with emphasis on soft. And there is no lumber store nearby...for instance, your in Alaska.


We didn't have a ripping chain on the saw, and were only doing pine. We got some nice slabs out of it, but were still figuring out how to keep everything level while cutting so the boards didn't turn out wonky. Everything I built with that lumber, except for the bridge across the creek, ended up burning, along with the mill itself. I don't miss it that much, truthfully.


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## Sebastian C (Jul 23, 2017)

ShannonR said:


> We didn't have a ripping chain on the saw, and were only doing pine. We got some nice slabs out of it, but were still figuring out how to keep everything level while cutting so the boards didn't turn out wonky. Everything I built with that lumber, except for the bridge across the creek, ended up burning, along with the mill itself. I don't miss it that much, truthfully.


Ouch!!


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> We didn't have a ripping chain on the saw, and were only doing pine. We got some nice slabs out of it, but were still figuring out how to keep everything level while cutting so the boards didn't turn out wonky. Everything I built with that lumber, except for the bridge across the creek, ended up burning, along with the mill itself. I don't miss it that much, truthfully.


Glad you can see a silver lining in that or a wry sense of humor....
Maybe Santa will bring you a real mill...
OT - are all the trees roasted...that is, will many survive, and are the scorched ones salvageable?


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

melli said:


> Glad you can see a silver lining in that or a wry sense of humor....
> Maybe Santa will bring you a real mill...
> OT - are all the trees roasted...that is, will many survive, and are the scorched ones salvageable?


The oaks will live. I think all of the pine are done for. As far as salvageable, they weren't worth much to begin with. Only the bark and branches are charred on a lot of it, so technically, yes. Knobcone pine, which is what the majority of it was, it extremely knotty and none of the mills here deal with the stuff. Chips are going for $15 per ton, if we wanted to go that route. There are a couple of loads of ponderosa pine, which is saleable, but not enough to justify an emergency harvest plan or having someone come out and cut it.

We haven't looked into logging it off at all, or anything LOL! 

My ex husband/farm partner is a logger, so we'll get it handled eventually.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Here's what the timber looks like... pretty bleak.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> We didn't have a ripping chain on the saw, and were only doing pine. We got some nice slabs out of it, but were still figuring out how to keep everything level while cutting so the boards didn't turn out wonky. Everything I built with that lumber, except for the bridge across the creek, ended up burning, along with the mill itself. I don't miss it that much, truthfully.


Good god it burnt. Hope that is not an Oman.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

It's the California new normal. No trees here left to hug, hahahah


LostCaper said:


> Good god it burnt. Hope that is not an Oman.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> Here's what the timber looks like... pretty bleak.


Thanks for pic. One heck of a fire break now. I suppose it'll green up quick, but geesh. I worry about what you went through, every summer. Fortunately, my area is littered with lakes, and we don't get those winds you do...it is those winds that make fire suppression almost useless. My fanciful dreams of moving to interior came to a full stop when I watch the news of some areas being decimated by fire. I get in the woods a bit, and see numerous signs of forest fire damage around here (lazy, slow fires), but nothing on the scale you have there. 
I guess your shed masterpiece fell victim? What a shame. Glad you are still here to talk about it. 
I get these NASA pictorials once a week...this is a link to the cumulative forest fire damage in northern Cali. 
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144300/camp-fire-adds-another-scar-to-2018-fire-season


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

melli said:


> Thanks for pic. One heck of a fire break now. I suppose it'll green up quick, but geesh. I worry about what you went through, every summer. Fortunately, my area is littered with lakes, and we don't get those winds you do...it is those winds that make fire suppression almost useless. My fanciful dreams of moving to interior came to a full stop when I watch the news of some areas being decimated by fire. I get in the woods a bit, and see numerous signs of forest fire damage around here (lazy, slow fires), but nothing on the scale you have there.
> I guess your shed masterpiece fell victim? What a shame. Glad you are still here to talk about it.
> I get these NASA pictorials once a week...this is a link to the cumulative forest fire damage in northern Cali.
> https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144300/camp-fire-adds-another-scar-to-2018-fire-season


My she shack Shedroom made it!! By divine intervention and shameless slash and burning every fall. So did the tree next to it. setting it at the edge of the pasture was a good idea.

The only things we didn't lose to the fire, oddly enough, were the things we actively inhabited. Ex husband's rv, my RV, and that shedroom that we were using as an air conditioner cool off space. Everything else, including the unoccupied RV, got toasted. 4 storage sheds, chicken pens, all of it decimated.

My new motto is: cut it all down, because It's going to burn down anyway if you don't.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

I like your motto! lol
I've got a fire break you can probably see from space (in the spring, when the clouds part).


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

melli said:


> I like your motto! lol
> I've got a fire break you can probably see from space (in the spring, when the clouds part).


Good, That's the way to do it! No worries about trees falling onto your stuff that way, either. Trees are beautiful and create shade and all of that good stuff, but they are also hazardous beyond belief. I don't even feel guilty about cutting everything down anymore, after seeing a fire rip through. Less work to do to put up fencing and create pasture space now, I suppose.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> Here's what the timber looks like... pretty bleak.


Sad


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Winter came very early this year. A count of four snow storms and it’s only Dec 8. Although I find snow removal relaxing and is good to supplement my pension, the winter’s rathe dilly-dallied my fall plans to build a green house and start my log cabin. If no more snow accumulates and the ground freezes I will get to harvest next years firewood and cut the spruce logs required for my cabin and green house. But as for yesterday, I had to settle my mind on the task of snow removal. Here is a quick video of my snow weapon and some beautiful scenery along the snow removal route.


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## #1 WV BonBonQueen (Sep 16, 2018)

LostCaper said:


> cut a lot of trees, dug out a lot of stumps, made a road to the beach and made a small garden to experiment with growing stuff in our short growing season.


Just a piece of information about cutting trees, and having to dig up the stumps. 
Hubby learned a long time ago, that if you cable off the trees as high as you can, and use a couple of shiv wheels a long rope, you can pull those same trees over, cut off the stump, drag it off to where it isn't in the way, and you have lots of wood, for firewood, or sawing into lumber. 
You can pull them easily, with very little effort, a lot of them will come over, with just a side by side, hooked up to them. Just make sure your rope that you have tied them off with, is long enough, to not allow the tree to hit you, on the side by side, if you are doing this by yourself. Hubby and I do this type of stuff together. Not because I don't trust him to do it safely, but so if something goes south, the other one is there, phone in hand, to call for help. 
I think you have really gotten yourself a good deal going and I am so looking forward to reading more about it too.


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## #1 WV BonBonQueen (Sep 16, 2018)

LostCaper said:


> Here is a picture of our homestead.


BEAUTIFUL!!!


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## #1 WV BonBonQueen (Sep 16, 2018)

GTX63 said:


> Best thing you can do it spill a coat of wax on it and keep it out of the sun when it isn't in use.


Yes to the wax!!!
We buy 3-M marine grade wax for boats. It is the best wax on the market in our book. We use it on all our new things, i.e. kayak, side by side, lawn mower, all the toys we own and use, even on the cars, trucks and Motorhome too. 
It is very easy to put on and take off, it is paste wax and it really lasts so much longer than any other wax we have bought and we probably have bought almost all the brands out there. 
Wax will sure make it look better, make the water fall off and keep it cleaner longer too. jmho


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

*Fire and logging concerns. Is standing timber money in the bank? * Although I do a fair amount of logging I am a bit of a tree hugger so I do my logging in the most sustainable way possible. When we left an area the forest was better then when we started. This is the way, at least in the later years, my father and I did our small scale work. It is the way I conduct my forestry work today. Yes certain percentage of the areas we managed were killed by the spruced bud worms in the late 70ties and now even more devastating is the bark beetle. It is important to note that the areas we managed faired out better than the areas that were not managed. 

*Keep forest management simple or it won't get done at all.* 
We were not high tech, highly educated loggers. We were simply a small scale father and son logging team that took pride in the forest and doing a nice job. We used the K.I.S.S approach (Keep It Simple Stupid) It was the only approach that was needed. We felt that making this simple process complicated would result in it not getting done at all. 

*Our KISS approached to forestry management. *

1. Cut all mature ripe trees and trees infested with fungus and/or bugs. Sometimes an area 3 to 5 acres (not thousand of acres) had to be clear cut. It was the only feasibly none poison way to stop the bud worm. Yes they sprayed the bud worm and it did kill them off. It also killed the birds that flew among the trees, the animals that ran among the trees and the fish that swam through forested brooks. After the spraying it was both terrible and amazing how quite the forest was as there was no squirrels or birds chirping or at least very few. The Grey Jays that we hand fed at every dinner hour were no long there and it wasn't until years thereafter that I seen another one. Did I mention that the spray was a cancer causing agent. 

2. We left wind breaks and 50 to 300 feet between the standing tree tops. These remaining trees were less susceptible to infestation of worms, fungus and the spread of fire.

3. We managed the brush. We cut the tree up to where they were 2 or 3 inches in diameter so the volume of brush was kept at a minimum. The remaining brush was pilled or wind rowed away from standing timber. Most times we didn't burn the piles because it served as nesting areas for wildlife but the carefully managed piles helps reduce the fire hazard and makes for a nice job in the forest. 

4. And most important and the most fun, and the mosts important thing was:......We approached our work with the mind set of forestry art. At the end of the day we looked back on our days work and admired the nice forest with lots of standing trees, neat piles of brush and we were contented with making a modest days pay. 


These fires scare me. In my area the bark beetled killed a huge amount of the spruce leaving 1000s of acres of dry standing and fallen timber. It's a fire waiting for a place to happen. Government will not put any money into cleaning it up. It's so massive that it's not in the budget. Spraying is futile because the worm is inside the tree. I would want them to spray anyway. It's a matter of time before a spark hits. Fire suppression will be challenged by our constant east wind and the amount of unmanaged forest. 

*In summary...are standing trees money in the bank?* 
No, there is no guarantee but managing the forest by a fun simple means such as our KISS management style is like investing your hard earned money in a very safe investment. It helps preserve your investment. To cut everything or to cut nothing will result in similar outcomes. Sad, the outcome will be extensive devaluation of your investment.

P.S.
If your machine is leaking oil get it fixed. The oil goes into the water tables. 

visit my web-site www.lostcaper.ca.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Logging with Dad at Christmas time in 1975.

I was in the woods the other day. The cold wind throughout the trees carries the sound of winter and triggered some great memories of days gone by when my father and I worked in the the woods. Day after day, month after month dad made his way to the woods and worked in the wind, snow and cold of winter and the heat and flies of summer all to make a living to feed 11 kids. His tools included a skittish work horse, a bob sleigh, which he constructed from a big maple tree, an axe, a broken down truck, and an old heavy Partner power saw that you nearly had to wear out a pull cord to get started. On one occasion the poorly designed chain and bar caused the power saw to kick back and badly cut Dad’s fingers. He wrapped his badly cut fingers in a rag and continue working the rest of the day. To most sane men this was a brutal way to make a living and todays youth would never consider putting themselves through such punishment. But Dad never did complain because logging was in his blood as it is mine. 


Most of his work days in the woods was spent alone with the exception of when high school was on break which is when I would be with him. On a few occasions, he had a worker which he always paid to much and work to little. Around 1970 one guy my father had working for him was Dan Seemore. I am not sure of the spelling of his name but I am sure that Dan was short and stout and was well up in age. Despite his appearance, he was a good pulp peeler. Mr Seemore was proud that he was saved and was guaranteed a place in heaven. He was an honest man which was the most important thing to my father. I think dad figured that Dan’s pulp peeling made him an extra $10 a day.


Around that years of 1970 we would be cutting and peeling 4 foot pulp and hauling it to Simpson’s pulp yard. Philip MacEachern would scale the wood on the truck, then we would hand bomb the big heavy 4 foot sticks onto the huge piles of wood. Once or twice a year the huge pulp ship would come to the wharf. For a week straight, most of the logging guys would hand bomb the pulp back onto their trucks and make repeated trips to the wharf where the big ugly rusted pulp ships awaited their load. The ships had over-head cranes that would reach out over the side and lower a cable. We would attach a cable around the pulp and the cranes would hoist it high over the sides of the ship. After a week or more, the 10 or so trucks hauled enough pulp to fully load the boat. For that week dad made pretty decent money for hauling the pulp. If memory serves me correctly it paid $6.00 for a 2 cord load. At 4 to 5 loads a day that was around $24 to $30 a day. Gas was .25 cents a gallon then. The pulp boats don’t come anymore. If memory serves me correctly, It was the mids 1970 when they stopped. 


At 14 years old, heaving the heavy pulp blocks high onto the trucks was not my favour thing to do. I liked cutting and being in the woods better especially after Dad bought me my own little Oregon power saw. My saw had a manual oiler which I had to press a button to get the oil to squirt on the chain. I liked my little saw but the horse hauling was even more of an attraction especially after Dad let me drive the horse with fully loaded sleigh out the logging trail. The horse was a beautiful big chestnut work horse named Major. The horses light coloured mane, his huge hairy feet, his stately appearance was a symbol of strength. His handsome looks, my respect for his strength and his kind manors caused a love affair. Gentle but skittish and it wasn’t a good idea to stand in front of him because if something startled him he would take a jump and not meaning to could run you over. At about 6 hands high to the shoulder and weighting about 1800 hundred pounds, dad repeatedly assured me that he had to be respected and always be approached from the side where he could see me but not directly in front of him. Another rule was never reach down to adjust the harness before speaking to him and slapping him on the back to let him know you were there.


Major never like to walk. He like to pull and pull fast which wasn’t really a good thing in the woods. Mid 1970, when school was out for Christmas, I was in the woods with Dad. After we harnessed Major, we broke trail through the deep snow with a couple of small loads of pulp. After the trail was broken and the going was better, we loaded the sleigh up to the hilt. It was a very heavy load and as strong as Major was he was going to work to get this twitch out. Dad told me you take this twitch out. It was my first twitch or second twitch I had ever taken and certain was the biggest load. Being 14 years old It was a big moment for me. Dad gave instruction to make the turn wide so the sleigh would not get hooked up on that big old stump. I climbed up on top of the sleigh piled high with wood. I gently slapped the rains onto Major’s muscled back and Major responded by starting down the trail. I made the turn as wide as I could. It was a bit to wide because the home made shaft, being longer than they should of been, stuck out to the left as I made the sharp right hand turn. Didn’t the dam shaft get hooked up in a tree. The shaft broke with a loud snap and Major being skittish took a jump and started to run. I hauled on the rains and yelled “WOO WOO” Surprisingly, Major stopped. Dad shook his head in disbelief. After we got the horse calmed down I was wondering if Dad was disappointed in me. He looked at me and said “when I said make the turn wide I meant to keep the horse and the shaft on the same side of the tree. I said “dad, your lucky I didn’t put half the horse on one side of the tree and half the horse on the other”. There was then a short moment of silence, which seem like eternity, then the uncomfortable silence was broken when Dad, shaking his head, took laughing. Being a loving father he seem to understand my predicament and said you did good to get the horse stopped. We made a new make shift shaft and we were back on the trail within an hour or so. I was a bit rattled over the incident so dad said, “ get back up there on that sleigh and take this load out”. He new I had a new found self doubt and wanted me to regain my confidence. I took out the big twitch, unloaded the sleigh then turned the horse around to get another load. 


The evening came and as usual we went down to Gramme’s. Gramme’s was a place where family gathered every night. And Gramme’s was a place where we watched Ed Skeleton on T.V. And Gramme’s was a place where after the Ed Skeleton show, the T.V. was turned off and we laughed, told stories and talked about the bible. And Gramme’s was a place, at least on that cold December night, Dad had the best story to tell about the broken shaft and my comment about putting half the horse on one side of the tree and half on the other. The next day came and it was back to the woods again. It was a great work day as usual. All was well. Both Dad and Major had completely forgiven me. 


I am not sure how such a small thing as the cold wind whistling through the trees could trigger such a flood of memories but God I miss my old man.


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## reubenT (Feb 28, 2012)

Good memories to think about. I didn't have a father in manual outdoor work other than he enjoyed some garden work when he was not at work. he worked in printing and then bakery, (he's still with us at almost 92, but heart is failing, may not be with us much longer) but having land since I was little in the late 60's I grew into it in the 70's and 80's, the old saw with the manual oilier is familiar. Then we switched to more land when I was 20, I started logging with a mule and '67 chevy pickup to haul the logs. Hardwood timber so it is fairly high value. I could get one tree on the pickup and it averaged about $80, pretty good money for the work. The mule could be a bit stubborn at times but safe and reliable, not jumpy like yer horse. (I've had several horses and know their nature too) Picked up a little hint here and there on technique and finally got good enough to do some tricky jobs like taking out trees around houses. Got a sawmill in '89 and had one ever since, both band mills and a circle blade mill for awhile. But now I'm just selling a couple trees once in awhile, mostly working on firewood to make biochar aiming to head into nutrient dense agriculture for an unretirement income. Don't plan on retiring, work is too rewarding to stop, but I do need some easier work, and something that will keep me healthy, growing super nutritious food and eating it fresh off the plants is the best plan I think. But to this day getting out in the woods is like going home. Tried truck driving, the stress drove me crazy, The peace of work in nature is where I belong.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

reubenT said:


> Good memories to think about. I didn't have a father in manual outdoor work other than he enjoyed some garden work when he was not at work. he worked in printing and then bakery, (he's still with us at almost 92, but heart is failing, may not be with us much longer) but having land since I was little in the late 60's I grew into it in the 70's and 80's, the old saw with the manual oilier is familiar. Then we switched to more land when I was 20, I started logging with a mule and '67 chevy pickup to haul the logs. Hardwood timber so it is fairly high value. I could get one tree on the pickup and it averaged about $80, pretty good money for the work. The mule could be a bit stubborn at times but safe and reliable, not jumpy like yer horse. (I've had several horses and know their nature too) Picked up a little hint here and there on technique and finally got good enough to do some tricky jobs like taking out trees around houses. Got a sawmill in '89 and had one ever since, both band mills and a circle blade mill for awhile. But now I'm just selling a couple trees once in awhile, mostly working on firewood to make biochar aiming to head into nutrient dense agriculture for an unretirement income. Don't plan on retiring, work is too rewarding to stop, but I do need some easier work, and something that will keep me healthy, growing super nutritious food and eating it fresh off the plants is the best plan I think. But to this day getting out in the woods is like going home. Tried truck driving, the stress drove me crazy, The peace of work in nature is where I belong.


First of and most important, I hope all the best with your father. These days can be fill with heart ache and stress for the entire family. 

Regarding our woods work......Back in the seventies and eighties you could go to the woods with a saw and make a decent dollar. Today, at least in my area, not so much. It appears you did good by buying property. I mostly just paid for stumpage. Now I wish I had of bought that couple of hundred of acres I cut. Select cutting, improving and developing the property is a good way to make your woods work more profitable and more enjoyable. 

When I retired in 2013, I was looking at a 70 acres peace. I told one of my inlaws I was going to buy it and he went and bought it out from under me. Talk about a kick in the head. I have since been looking for that great peace of property but never found anything that was suitable or close to that deal. I am still looking and maybe that happened for a reason. 

As for milling, I bought a power saw mill to saw up some big cants so I can build a log cabin and green house on our 23 acres. Never got to use it yet but if the weather holds off maybe this winter I will get a chance. Someday I would like to get a real mill like you have. It must be very enjoyable to work with a nice mill that is actually productive.

It has been nice reading your reply. Although we came from slightly different backgrounds, it sounds like we have similar interests in that we both enjoy the woods and being in nature. Take care and I wish you all the best. 

Thanks for your reply.
Ray


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

I have been putting together the cabin plans and I am trying to design it so it is multipurpose to avoid a duplication of effort. I want it to be more than just a cabin. I want it to be able to boil maple syrup, bottle food, and have green house attached etc. I am thinking that choosing the right wood cook stove and installing a good vent to get ride of the vapour out of the small house. .. Here is a link to the rest of my ideas if you are interested in long winded articles. 

https://lostcaper.ca/designing-a-multi-purpose-self-reliant-cabin/


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## reubenT (Feb 28, 2012)

It's a good plan, I have my own plans, similar and yet different. We have sugar maple but the sap flow this far south is unreliable due to weather vagrancies so I do my syrup with sorghum. But maple has a nicer flavor so I might try it off and on. And humidity is not good in living quarters, mold and mildew starts to happen in clothing and books if it lasts too long. I'm trying to finish up the building replacement job this winter, a new house and storage shed. As the old ones are ancient and in bad shape, need to be cleared out and torn down. The house is for my parents as long as they live and my brother will likely occupy it. And we might attach a greenhouse to it in time. I don't need a house that big. (32 x 32 with a half loft) All I want is a big greenhouse and a little cabin with a fireplace tied to it to keep the humidity down for my library and a few humidity sensitive things. Most of my living can be in the greenhouse tropical garden, and outside. I have lots of cedar that will make good greenhouse framing, and plan on doing floor heating with hot water. So I've been doing much research and experimenting on energy devices and how to heat water more efficiently. I have some pretty good ideas on it that would make it run good with very little input. But it remains to spend some more time in the shop to get something working. I like steam engines, and set up my shop to make them with some foundry capacity and antique metal working machines, but can't find time yet to do much with it. Although I did find an old one, built a boiler to run it and have it on a 4x4 truck frame. But it's not ideal to run the truck. In time maybe I can build a custom engine for it and use the old Westinghouse steam engine for some stationary job, or several jobs. Splitting wood, running the sorghum press etc.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

reubenT said:


> It's a good plan, I have my own plans, similar and yet different. We have sugar maple but the sap flow this far south is unreliable due to weather vagrancies so I do my syrup with sorghum. But maple has a nicer flavor so I might try it off and on. And humidity is not good in living quarters, mold and mildew starts to happen in clothing and books if it lasts too long. I'm trying to finish up the building replacement job this winter, a new house and storage shed. As the old ones are ancient and in bad shape, need to be cleared out and torn down. The house is for my parents as long as they live and my brother will likely occupy it. And we might attach a greenhouse to it in time. I don't need a house that big. (32 x 32 with a half loft) All I want is a big greenhouse and a little cabin with a fireplace tied to it to keep the humidity down for my library and a few humidity sensitive things. Most of my living can be in the greenhouse tropical garden, and outside. I have lots of cedar that will make good greenhouse framing, and plan on doing floor heating with hot water. So I've been doing much research and experimenting on energy devices and how to heat water more efficiently. I have some pretty good ideas on it that would make it run good with very little input. But it remains to spend some more time in the shop to get something working. I like steam engines, and set up my shop to make them with some foundry capacity and antique metal working machines, but can't find time yet to do much with it. Although I did find an old one, built a boiler to run it and have it on a 4x4 truck frame. But it's not ideal to run the truck. In time maybe I can build a custom engine for it and use the old Westinghouse steam engine for some stationary job, or several jobs. Splitting wood, running the sorghum press etc.


 Vapour is not great in a house and mold as you know is very bad for health. We seem to agree on many things such as living in a small cabin and enjoy being creative. In your case it is with engines. I am most interested in following anything you post regarding your initiatives. Good luck... keep living simple, inventing, fixing and creating stuff. It seems to be what you enjoy.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

ShannonR said:


> The oaks will live. I think all of the pine are done for. As far as salvageable, they weren't worth much to begin with. Only the bark and branches are charred on a lot of it, so technically, yes. Knobcone pine, which is what the majority of it was, it extremely knotty and none of the mills here deal with the stuff. Chips are going for $15 per ton, if we wanted to go that route. There are a couple of loads of ponderosa pine, which is saleable, but not enough to justify an emergency harvest plan or having someone come out and cut it.
> 
> We haven't looked into logging it off at all, or anything LOL!
> 
> My ex husband/farm partner is a logger, so we'll get it handled eventually.


I hope your post fire activities is going as planed. Keep us updated.


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

Deer ritual and rare footage of deer crossing the thin ice. 

Three deer crossed the ice in the Cove today. Most of the deer in our area has a yearly ritual of escaping the deep snow in the highlands and make their way to our homestead to yard for the winter. This safe haven provides a bountiful amount of rose hips, tall grass and an apple orchard in which to feed. 


As spring progresses and the snow melts, our lawn right next to our house is the first to be exposed. During these melting days, the deer moves back and forth from our lower field to right beside our house to eat the new grass. For hours everyday we watch them feed and playfully jump on each other. Some of the wrestling looks playful while other times it seems like they are establishing their pecking order. 


Their stay here is important for their survival. Spring can be brutal and deadly for dear. My friend Hartie, who is now 83, was one of the best forest ranger around. He wrote books on the subject of ruff grouse and white tail deer. Hartie and the doctor he worked with found that the mature deer don’t mind the dry cold of winter as long as there is a foot of snow on the ground. Laying on the bare frozen ground is hard on them. The spring rains and the flash freezes is a very difficult time that can be deadly to deer. If the deer gets wet from the rain then the temperature drops below freezing it reeks havoc on them. If it is a very cold wet spring, the placentas don’t develop in many doe so few fawns are born. If a new born fawn gets wet, then the temperature drops below freezing, they frequently perish. A cruel tuff life indeed. 


During this critical time of spring, it's important to their survival to have this safe haven. For all intensive purposes, they own our homestead for these two or three months and we disturb them the least we can. 


After watching these beautiful creatures for hours a day, we develop a liking for them. When the situation in the woods improves, they look through our patio window, say their goodbyes and give thanks for the use of the farm and they disappear into the vastness off the highlands and the shelter of the deep woods. 


We seldom see any deer until winter. This helps protect them from the hunters. If they were in our fields during hunting season they would be sitting ducks. Some of the hunters in our area have little or no regard and they would be in our field killing every last one of them for bragging rights. I was a hunter myself and don’t begrudge responsible hunting but I am glad that these deer, for the most part, are far in the woods and dispersed in the vastness of the highlands for most of the deer hunting season. 


My wife is a crazy lover of animals. She regards these deer as her pets as they look her in the face, feet from our patio window. I suspect she will have the gun out the window if she catches a hunter shooting on our homestead. If I mysteriously disappear from this blog, you will know what happened to me. Lol 


Thanks

Ray



https://lostcaper.ca/deer-ritual-and-rare-footage-of-deer-crossing-the-thin-ice/


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## LostCaper (Oct 10, 2016)

reubenT said:


> It's a good plan, I have my own plans, similar and yet different. We have sugar maple but the sap flow this far south is unreliable due to weather vagrancies so I do my syrup with sorghum. But maple has a nicer flavor so I might try it off and on. And humidity is not good in living quarters, mold and mildew starts to happen in clothing and books if it lasts too long. I'm trying to finish up the building replacement job this winter, a new house and storage shed. As the old ones are ancient and in bad shape, need to be cleared out and torn down. The house is for my parents as long as they live and my brother will likely occupy it. And we might attach a greenhouse to it in time. I don't need a house that big. (32 x 32 with a half loft) All I want is a big greenhouse and a little cabin with a fireplace tied to it to keep the humidity down for my library and a few humidity sensitive things. Most of my living can be in the greenhouse tropical garden, and outside. I have lots of cedar that will make good greenhouse framing, and plan on doing floor heating with hot water. So I've been doing much research and experimenting on energy devices and how to heat water more efficiently. I have some pretty good ideas on it that would make it run good with very little input. But it remains to spend some more time in the shop to get something working. I like steam engines, and set up my shop to make them with some foundry capacity and antique metal working machines, but can't find time yet to do much with it. Although I did find an old one, built a boiler to run it and have it on a 4x4 truck frame. But it's not ideal to run the truck. In time maybe I can build a custom engine for it and use the old Westinghouse steam engine for some stationary job, or several jobs. Splitting wood, running the sorghum press etc.[/QUOTE
> 
> I wish I had your skill set. Although I do like to get inventive with alternative energy ideas, my skill and money resource is a limiting factor. I will be interested in reading what you come up with.


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