Archive for April, 2009
April 16, 2009 – Thingamajig Thursday #161
Here’s this week’s thingamajig Thursday. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…”Milo and Fern”
April 15, 2009 – Barn Windows and Raccoons
There were three windows that needed to be replaced in the barn and by far the most challenging one was the highest one on the south side of the barn. In this photo the window is replaced as you can still see the sticker on the top window (no, I’m not going back up to ...Read more.
April 14, 2009 – Shed Deconstruction Continues
We continue to pick away at the shed deconstruction. All the asphalt shingles have been hauled to the dump and unfortunately, most of the lumber is too far gone to save. So it gets nails pulled as well as we can and hauled to the burn pile. After this piece is done, we can collapse ...Read more.
April 13, 2009 – New Blackberries
When I read about the first variety of fall-bearing blackberries, PrimeJim, I knew those would go in the 70 foot row I had prepared last year. This is the first type of blackberry that can be mowed down every fall instead of pruning 2nd year canes out of the patch. So, I did the old ...Read more.
April 12, 2009 – Shed “Implosion” Part 1.
I’m usually the last guy to tear down old buildings – I’ve received some serious guff for saving some pretty decrepit buildings, but this one was too far gone. I’m saving the “good half” which has white roofing and tearing down the rest and can use the cement foundation for some other purpose, like a ...Read more.
April 11, 2009 – Serious Garden Progress
Today was a serious garden day. I bit the bullet and got the tiller attached to the lawn tractor. Since it seemed to be running so well, I surprised myself and let Claire drive it. I don’t suppose there are too many 16-year old girls who are dying to till a garden, so I did ...Read more.
April 7, 2009 – Early Strawberries
Looks like the strawberries made it through the winter ok! They missed the fall application of mulch, but the constant snow cover was a good substitute! one year ago…”Gray”
April 6, 2009 – Top Shelf, Middle Shelf, and Bottom Shelf!
Here’s what about 4 truckloads of steel shelving looks like! The organic and natural food co-op and Ames moved to a bigger store and donated the old shelves to the not-yet-built packing shed/multi-purpose building for ag program at school. Until the building is constructed, the shelves will live in our shed. In addition to the ...Read more.
April 5, 2009 – April Snowstorm
When we left Duluth just after noon, it was sunny and mild. We called home to check on the weather and found out that the Blizzard Warning had been downgraded to a Winter storm warning, but I-35 had been closed in central Iowa. Parts of the state were getting 5 inches of snow per hour. ...Read more.
April 4, 2009 – Conference Day Two – Ice Breaker
The second day of the meeting was highlighted by singer/songwriter Peter Mayer. Peter spent time talking about and playing his music In the afternoon we wandered down the downtown skywalk and found by pure serendipity that a US Coast Guard Ice Breaker was docked at the port and open for public tours. The ship was ...Read more.
April 3, 2009 – Linda’s Keynote
On Friday evening Linda gave the keynote address at the Prairie Star District Annual conference, this year in Duluth, MN. The conference theme was “Our Blue Boat Home” and Linda’s talk was accompanied by photos from around the farm and Midwest. The talk was well received and Linda got a standing ovation from the 320 ...Read more.
April 2, 2009 – Thingamajig Thursday #160
Here’s this week’s thingamajig Thursday. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…”Old Silver Maple Makes Way for Wind Turbine”
April 1, 2009 – Wind Turbine Output Update
On March 18, our wind generator guy stopped by to upgrade the software in the turbine to allow it to spin at higher RPMs before shutting down in self-defense. It now can go in a wind 10-15 mph more than the previous cut-off and this month, it made a big difference. Until this month, the ...Read more.
