Newsletter #265 2024 July 5th Friday
I'm basically just keeping pace with the farm and milling jobs, Farmhouse improvements are still dominating my field of advancement; we are definitely gaining ground at the Farmhouse.
Primal Woods
It was another busy week, even if shortened somewhat by the “holiday.” Except for the fact that Geri is home, holidays, and which day of the week it is for that matter, have little to do with the goings-on. I am trying to be more “religious,” i.e. disciplined, about observing a sabbath, simply because when I don’t I get run down, which has happened recently with all of the Farmhouse work.
Sawmill Services
I did a small milling job, four Black Walnut logs, for Steven this week. Two hours on-site, and I didn’t take any pictures; sorry ‘bout that.
As for the lumber in the kilns:
We had a good thing going on, until just a few days ago; then you can see the green line, Relative Humidity (RH) in the kiln, trending upwards.
The X-Axis is scaled a bit differently on this chart, to emphasize the last month; what you can see in the dashed blue line, which is the 72 Hr Moving Average of the Equilibrium Moisture Content, hit 8.2% (target is 6%-8%) on July 3rd. Then, due of course to the weather, it started trending upward again. This is getting like watching a pot boil or something; it seems like it will never happen!
It’s a similar story in Kiln 2:
Homestead Rebel Farm
Broilers
We ended up losing 11 of 30 chicks from the shipment; Geri replaced some of those lost with chicks she bought at Southwest Michigan Feeds in Paw Paw.
One thing to notice in the picture from this week, is that the chicks have started to feather-out. Before we can move them to the “chicken tractor,” we need them to put on some more size, and to be fully feathered-out.
Pigs & Oxen
The pigs are still doing very well; I moved the feeder and waterer a bit to the north. The black pigs are still noticeably smaller than the two others, but all are putting on weight rapidly. We are adding the mineral supplement to their feed. The fence-line needs trimming again to prevent its shorting to ground.
The new oxen water-trough float valve has functioned perfectly. The big job this coming week is to complete the perimeter fencing of the pasture, thereby providing access to more pasture. In the picture below you can see the tall grass just over the backs of Elmer and Boris; access to that is what I’m after.
Men’s Retreat
As a reminder, our next Men’s Retreat is on the calendar for 12-15 September. And we have now added 2025 dates; 20-23 Feb, 5-8 Jun, and 4-7 Sep. If you or someone you know might be interested, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Farmhouse
The project for this week was moving the clothes washer and dryer from an unfinished part of the basement to a more convenient location for guests. The problems were: no hot or cold water at the new location, no 220VAC power (for the dryer), no provision for the washer drain, and no provision for dryer venting. All of those problems were overcome, and the washer and dryer have been tested. Some final touches are still required, especially better lighting, but functionally the “new” laundry is good to go.
News
I have put up several Notes since last week, and if I share them as Notes it means I think they contain valuable information, and I’ll just leave it at that.
Of course, the presidential debate, and the resulting fallout, is all the news.
The Economist is no right-wing rag, and that judgement: “The president and his party portray themselves as the saviours of democracy. Their actions say otherwise,” is particularly damning. Now, the existence of the oligarchy, in its desperate struggle to deal with the Biden problem, has been brought into sharp relief. For me a single question remains at the front of my mind; who is actually performing the duties, and making the decisions required of the president? Because I’m damn sure it is not Joe Biden.
But on this Independence Day weekend I especially want to share a “must watch” interview of Glenn Greenwald by Tucker Carlson. For those of you who don’t know, Glenn is the reporter that Snowden chose as his outlet; Glenn was a reporter at The Guardian in those days. He was on the Left, he’s a Jew, and he’s gay; not that those things define him. And it’s not so much that Greenwald has changed, because he hasn’t really, it’s that the Left, left him as it, the Left, radically changed course. He now lives in Brazil. But in this video he talks a lot about what I will call his awakening. The discussion directly addresses Israel, Russia-gate, Putin; for my South Dakota friends and family, Kristi Noem and dogs; and several other topics that have dominated the headlines over the course of the past eight years. It clocks in at just over two hours, and it’s worth every minute of those two hours. Greenwald is one of my heroes. As is Snowden, who at the risk of his life brought to us the extent of the U.S. surveillance state.
Absolutely a must watch, and to the very end.
Books
I’ve got several books going, but Weapons of Mass Instruction is the one getting most of my time. I wrote a post on the subject recently:
All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
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