Yesterday (Saturday) I picked up a new hitch with a 6" drop (rise) and a 1" socket from the auto store. I drilled a hole in the test log in the driveway and turned in a lag screw- now if I rotate the log in the back wheel supports I can drop the log screw down in the trailer hitch and with the wheels on the back, I should be able to trailer a log as I envisioned. But I need four 2-foot lengths of 3/4" galvanized pipe to form a better anchor for the wheels to the log.
There was snow on the ground when I woke up and it didn't stop for hours. It eventually stopped melting on the road and all the outside was blanketed with snow. We decided that it would be unwise to attempt the unplowed roads to town, and that pretty much isolated us at home.
But the willows Q and I cut on her cook's tour opened their leaf buds and have begun to grow. We also found a piece of maple with buds- a small tree- and placed it in a 2 foot hole I bored with the sharp end of the new digger bar about 6' from the road.
I was pleased to find the first sprouts were emerging from the bioassay test pots- it was the "Mule top" tray that showed a few sprouts first; they were on the top shelf. I added about 1/3 c water to each pot and reshelved the pots in reverse order. Bottom to top: Mule top, control, mule middle, cow. When all sprouts have broken ground, I will take the plants out to the unheated greenhouse again to get their growth and light.
I brought the blueberry plants, heeled-in in a mortar tup with some potting soil in the unheated greenhouse shed, into the garage to keep from freezing, not that the temp was actually below 32, but that it was getting close. The garage isn't warm, but it's unlikely to freeze- better than outside.
I used the pressure washer to get the snow off the greenhouse and the Element that had been piling up, since it wasn't freezing, and got the slush off the concrete slab near the house.
Then I set to work finishing the assembly of the 3" wood chipper and shredder- it's ready except for an oil fill- I need to find a small funnel or something to get oil into the fill hole. The chipper is heavy and cumbersome even with wheels attached, and I'm going to need the trailer kit to get it to the worksite near the brush piles.
Found the long-sought fencing pliers in the pliers drawer of the tool cabinet. "Go figure," MM said. Immediately went to the stable with some light wire and a 10 foot 2" shed 40 pipe and wired it to the bottom of the tarp across the door- now the ropes will roll it up like a Roman shade when they are drawn, and the stable is ready to store the tractor and its cart, as well as the wood chipper and generator. The shed will need a more secure gate- maybe chain link- as soon as I can manage it.
Massaged the alder seed cones I harvested when John and Gayle were here, into a strainer, and sifted out about a half-cup of tiny seeds. I took the seed cones that were left, out into the snow and sowed them around the edge of the road between the ditch and the South side of the opening by the roadside.
Tested the seed broadcaster with birdseed from MM. Now I am ready to put out the wildflower seeds in the meadow. Among the many mixed varieties, there are several kinds of clover, and I may just mix in some lentils to provide some extra n2 fixing, with an overlay of alder in the upper southwest along the road.
Later I will plant a long row of sunflowers using a dibble, at 6" intervals, about 5 feet from the road, to help with privacy.
Monday 3/6
It has continued to snow. 51/2 inches on top of the hot tub cover at 9 AM, though the temperature remains at 38 and above freezing. By my unpracticed eye I judge the road to be impassible without chains. I trimmed a branch that was weighted down and was blocking the satellite dish, and swept the accumulated snow off it, and we have internet back in business. I heard some loud cracks coming from across the upper meadow- we will have trees and limbs down. We are storing as much drinking water as we can in case the power is affected. And the lights just flickered, and the wifi is not responding. But it's back now.
Saving is not going well, so I backed up a copy to WORD of the post so far.
Tuesday 3/7
8AM:
Woke up and looked to see what time it as, and the clock was
not lit. As it turns out, 4:30 was the
time we noticed that the power was out.
It’s almost 9AM now and power is still out. Plan B is in full effect- campstove, wood
stove with open door, candles, lanterns, etc. We had a pretty normal breakfast
of toast and eggs, with tea- the only modification was that the toast was
fried, not toasted, and there was no fresh-ground coffee from the electric
grinder. Roof water has filled a barrel
at the rate of 20 gallons per hour for washing.
Sorry no showers, but I plan to have a sponge bath and a shave.
9AM: the power is back on.
After standing down Plan B, making it more accessible, it’s back to Plan
A: going to town, retrieving a used chair, meeting for lunch, and catching a
movie in Eugene.
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