Turkeys!

Morning began a little late, but in the same way as always, building a fire in the family room wood stove.  Gloria was up already and took this picture.

Today at 9:45 we were treated to a visit by a flock of about 12 wild turkeys walking by our family room windows from west to east.  The first time we have seen a flock at Folly Up The Creek.

The picture at the left is a gazebo at EC of the Resurrection which I thought had the right rustic feel for an outpost and meditation area at Folly Up the Creek.

It was a day of getting resources ready- many new toys for me.  The mortise and tenon kit for roundwood furniture and a booklet of ideas is here, though I haven't had time to use it. Plus I think I will need a more manly plug-in drill with  t-handles and a lot of torque to make the cuts. It is like a giant pencil sharpener for round pieces up 3 1/2" diameter, to shape it into a 1 1/2" tenon.  Comes with a precision (Forstner) bit to make the mortise.

I unloaded the electric pressure washer I bought at Jerry's, assembled it and got it working to do a little test section of rain gutters and cleared a patch of moss and lichen off the driveway using only water blasting.  This will work very well, especially with the drinking water quality super flexible hoses I bought- 150 feet to use with the 50 feet we already have- which should make cleaning the yurt possible.

(The yurt also needs three regular and three half cinder blocks and two long t-posts with anchors, to fix the stovepipe, and some shingles nailed to the steps for better traction.  A handrail for the stairs might be my first roundwood project.)

Quit to make hot pastrami sandwiches for the three of us, and while lunch was just finishing the garden tractor and the heavy duty shredder arrived by flatbed.  The sandwiches received good reviews.

I spent the afternoon getting familiar with the tractor,  and added three tractor-related items to my to-do list: doors of some kind for the stable where the tractor will be, building up the threshold at the stable to roll over more easily, and three crossings for the gully: on the road below the upper meadow, crossing at the oak grove, and across the gully on the lower meadow.

After tryouts on the garden tractor, I got started on assembling the heavy-duty gas powered wood chipper, but had to quit before finishing.  Fixed lasagna and broccoli for dinner, and covered the tractor and pieces of the wood chipper overnight, will try to finish the wood chipper and get the blueberries in temporary pots until I can get the acidic soil beds built. And so to bed for me too..
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