Thursday, January 05, 2006
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Disconnected / Isolated thoughts
We arrive at III about 9:30 or 10:00 Saturday morning. Himself hits the ground, loppers in one hand and orange fluorescent paint in the other. He is on the 4-wheeler and tearing off down the hill to finish up the trail started in November.
We have checked the mouse bait. The outside bait is gone and the inside bait is not. That is good; we are evidently holding the little critters at bay. The outhouse bait is gone; I think that we will concede this battle due to the nonchalant construction of the little building. The wee creatures can just come and go at will -- as long as they don't nest in there!
I fiddle around the cabin awhile, have a snack (I can't operate on an empty tank) and make sure the fire in the wood stove is going good before I hike down the trail. I meet up with Himself and help him clean up the trail, then we wind our way through the timber to connect this trail to another. It is not too cold in the timber and Himself and I work companionabley, with little conversation, moving fallen trees, cutting branches and brush. We make the trail wide enough for the 4-wheeler. Some parts of the trail are natural; we just follow a preordained plan but other sections of the trail must be wrested from the brush and the scrub and the trees. We work on until mid afternoon, then take a ride on the trails and measure it out at one mile. We have two more major trails to build this winter or early spring. After that, we will have to be content to just maintain the trails or Himself will be mowing and grooming a 37-acre park!
The shade room still sits with one open wall. Next spring, we will hang two screen doors providing an opening wide enough that the 4-wheeler can be parked under a roof. Once we finish screening that wall, we will be able to cook, eat or sleep there, protected from all the flying pests that live out the short seasons of their lives in this place called III.
We started with a Coleman stove and lantern, advanced to an indoor, propane cooking stove and even a sink with an outside drain. From there, we moved on up to one, battery-powered light bulb. And now, Himself has given me a portable camping shower. It will even have hot water -- thanks to a propane tank. One of the first projects next spring then, will be a shower stall. It will be two sided, made of oak poles and branches and backed up to the timber so that the one in the shower will be the only one with a view . . . the other side
We have checked the mouse bait. The outside bait is gone and the inside bait is not. That is good; we are evidently holding the little critters at bay. The outhouse bait is gone; I think that we will concede this battle due to the nonchalant construction of the little building. The wee creatures can just come and go at will -- as long as they don't nest in there!
I fiddle around the cabin awhile, have a snack (I can't operate on an empty tank) and make sure the fire in the wood stove is going good before I hike down the trail. I meet up with Himself and help him clean up the trail, then we wind our way through the timber to connect this trail to another. It is not too cold in the timber and Himself and I work companionabley, with little conversation, moving fallen trees, cutting branches and brush. We make the trail wide enough for the 4-wheeler. Some parts of the trail are natural; we just follow a preordained plan but other sections of the trail must be wrested from the brush and the scrub and the trees. We work on until mid afternoon, then take a ride on the trails and measure it out at one mile. We have two more major trails to build this winter or early spring. After that, we will have to be content to just maintain the trails or Himself will be mowing and grooming a 37-acre park!
The shade room still sits with one open wall. Next spring, we will hang two screen doors providing an opening wide enough that the 4-wheeler can be parked under a roof. Once we finish screening that wall, we will be able to cook, eat or sleep there, protected from all the flying pests that live out the short seasons of their lives in this place called III.
We started with a Coleman stove and lantern, advanced to an indoor, propane cooking stove and even a sink with an outside drain. From there, we moved on up to one, battery-powered light bulb. And now, Himself has given me a portable camping shower. It will even have hot water -- thanks to a propane tank. One of the first projects next spring then, will be a shower stall. It will be two sided, made of oak poles and branches and backed up to the timber so that the one in the shower will be the only one with a view . . . the other side
Makin' do
The dock sits above the frozen pond, isolated -- disconnected from shore. The pond must have been very low when “whoever” built it. When we first saw the dock, the shore end was a couple feet from shore and under water, the pond end still hanging from the wooden posts. Over the summer, I pried at the low end with a stout branch and have managed to prop it up on blocks. Next spring, I will draft some young, strong family members and pull the dock up and back to shore. I think we can mount it on metal fence posts that we have gathered up from around the old pasture. That will be satisfactory. I like to reuse, recycle, make do . . . the other side
NEW YEARS RELIEF-12/31/2005
Saturday morning we decided to pack up and head for the hills. The temperature was supposed to get to the mid 40's which would be nice for what we intended to do. We got to Shag III around 10:30 AM. We opened the shack expecting to find mice, but none were found.
We then unloaded the necessities and got out the equipment we needed to work on our trails, and off we went. We forged a new trail from the SE corner of the property and made it all the way past the pond and on to one of our previous trails. Then we cut off and started off for the NE corner of the property. We then came to a huge ravine. I need to find a place to build a bridge and I think I have found it. So we will forge a trail that will end on the other side of the ravine and thats where I will build a bridge. It will be my first attempt at building a bridge, so I will be looking for volunteers to be the first to cross it.
About 3:00 pm and we decided we better quit and head for Shag II for the nite, as we needed rest after working all day and didn't want to be up in the nite feeding the fire(we are not true pioneers, yet). So off to II. All was well till I turned on the water. The pipe to the toilet was leaking again, so it was back and forth to the hydrant and toilet to get it fixed. Finally decided there was no hope, so just shut the water off for the nite.
Sunday, we got up and had a good breakfast, closed up II and headed back to III. Herself and I spent the day cleaning up the trails we had forged. Then I went exploring as did Herself, both off in different directions, but after about an hour we ended up about 100 yards from each other.
We think we may have a couple of locations for a future house, but that may change as time goes on.
The temp got up to 56 degrees with some sunshine. Two perfect days for trail breaking.
Had lunch about 2:30, then packed up and headed home to await our next adventure to the timber.
BOI
We then unloaded the necessities and got out the equipment we needed to work on our trails, and off we went. We forged a new trail from the SE corner of the property and made it all the way past the pond and on to one of our previous trails. Then we cut off and started off for the NE corner of the property. We then came to a huge ravine. I need to find a place to build a bridge and I think I have found it. So we will forge a trail that will end on the other side of the ravine and thats where I will build a bridge. It will be my first attempt at building a bridge, so I will be looking for volunteers to be the first to cross it.
About 3:00 pm and we decided we better quit and head for Shag II for the nite, as we needed rest after working all day and didn't want to be up in the nite feeding the fire(we are not true pioneers, yet). So off to II. All was well till I turned on the water. The pipe to the toilet was leaking again, so it was back and forth to the hydrant and toilet to get it fixed. Finally decided there was no hope, so just shut the water off for the nite.
Sunday, we got up and had a good breakfast, closed up II and headed back to III. Herself and I spent the day cleaning up the trails we had forged. Then I went exploring as did Herself, both off in different directions, but after about an hour we ended up about 100 yards from each other.
We think we may have a couple of locations for a future house, but that may change as time goes on.
The temp got up to 56 degrees with some sunshine. Two perfect days for trail breaking.
Had lunch about 2:30, then packed up and headed home to await our next adventure to the timber.
BOI
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