Newsletter #282 2024 Nov 01 Friday
We flipped over another page of the calendar; man, summer flew by. An update on Toby; he had a setback this week. Pork will be on the menu soon!
Primal Woods
It was a big week start to finish, we’ll get to all of it step-by-step; Toby and his troubles, the November pigs going to butcher, the “new” 31 years old truck, church, the hay supply, and of course what’s in the “news” (most of it not new in the historical sense).
Pure Maple Syrup
The Polaris. Together with the improvements to water management at the Barn (for the Oxen) and use of the Water Wagon for the pigs, the Polaris has cut the time required for morning chores in half. I did have to replace its battery, but aside from that the week went by without incident.
Before winter I will do another oil and filter change, and make sure the cooling system has adequate anti-freeze protection. Perhaps a new air filter come to think of it. The Polaris is very helpful during Maple Syrup season, because I can get up to the Oxen and back inside my 8 minute Evaporator checks cycle.
Homestead Rebel Farm
I brought home five round bales of hay, call it 4,250 lbs, and probably 1,000 of that was tongue weight; it was a reminder that the towing capacity of F150 for this sort of hauling is marginal, and I wouldn’t want to be going more than 20 or 30 miles with that much weight on the back end. Pulling the load isn’t the problem, tongue weight on the rear suspension is the problem.
Getting the bales off of the trailer is the next step, and these bales are getting pretty close to the lift capacity of the Kubota. All went well though.
This morning Elmer and Boris were waiting expectantly for their serving of hay. I feed them again at the end of the workday. Thirty-four pounds of hay per ox per day is the target; 1.7% of body weight.
The November pigs go to the butcher this coming Wednesday. The new water set up has worked well, but I had to make a minor improvement this morning to the hose routing.
Fortunately I had the tools on me to make the hose repair, a tool actually, a Gerber multi-tool; very handy to have on your person I must say. And, if you’re in an office setting, the legendary Swiss Army Knife is a good option.
The January pigs were still bedded down when I got to them this morning; no doubt I disturbed their beauty sleep.
Today I started the Outdoor Wood Boiler. It’s been a bit chilly in the house, and we are trying to avoid using the propane because it’s expensive, at least relative to wood.
Mid-50’s°F in the house means we are usually layered up with clothing, but that’s become no big deal over the years.
We’ll see how long it takes to get to temp; I started it at 1:48 pm. When it gets to 155°F we can start heating the house, and it will kick-off when the circulating water temp reaches 185°F; then it restarts when the water temp drops to 174°F, and so on and so forth until the end of winter. Splitting firewood and loading the boiler will be a twice daily chore for the next 4-1/2 months. When we are running the OWB we keep the house at 63°F, which seems toasty in comparison to the mid 50’s.
<I checked at 3:35 pm ET and the water temp has already come up from 59°F to 136, an increase of 77° in just under two hours; we’ll be heating the house by the time this Newsletter hits your inbox.>
The 1983 F250 arrived Wednesday; that’s Tony from Moldova getting ready to offload two other trucks just to get to it. Tony has lived in Chicago for 18 years, but the family speaks Romanian or Russian at home, and amongst the large community of others in Chicago. I have nothing but good to say about eastern Europeans; hard workers with skills. Great guy.
And the ‘93 F250 carried its first load on the way home, six bags of 16% pig feed; might as well break it in early! I have a relatively short list of fixes to perform, but I’m really happy with the truck. This might be it; we’ll see how long I can keep it looking good and running well. Since I don’t know when any of the various maintenance tasks were last performed, this truck will see a lot of new fluids, filters and such in the next few weeks. I have to admit to one surprise; an oil changes takes 15 quarts of oil! The F150 takes 7, Geri’s Honda takes 4 to 5, just to put that 15 in perspective.
Toby was back in the ER this week, up in Byron Center, MI. His rectal temp spiked to 105.5°F. That’s dangerous territory. Vaccine injuries are real. And real expensive. Still, it wasn’t his fault; I’m at fault for choosing to get them both vaccinated at 8 weeks. Yes, it’s usual for vets to do that, but from now on we’ll opt for no vaccines for ourselves, and none for our dogs either.
A 2005 study of more than 1 million dogs found that there was a reaction rate of about 1 in 260 dogs and included any type of reaction regardless of severity. The study found that young dogs, small-dog breeds, and Boxers were at a higher risk for adverse reactions.
The top five at-risk breeds were Dachshunds, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, and Chihuahuas.
Additionally, this study found that the potential for vaccine reaction may be increased if a dog is given more than one vaccine per office visit.
I’m sorry, but 1:260 is too high, and it’s higher if you give more than one vaccine at a time. So, somebody please tell me why the DAPP, four vaccines in one shot, is administered at 8 weeks to puppies that weigh just 12 lbs!?
Anyway, he’s home again, and on the mend, again.
Farmhouse
We have guests arriving on the 7th. Geri provides our guests with our Pure Maple Syrup, pancake mix, and farm fresh eggs. So…
Chickens only lay eggs for about 18 months, and they stop laying in the winter, unless some sort of light is provided in the coop. So I did that yesterday.
And miracle of miracles. seven eggs this morning. We’ll call that a win.
News
With the election upon us there has been a lot of “news” coming out. Please check out my Notes page for what I found interesting. But I will say this, studying economics is a good thing. As you might expect, I recommend Thomas Sowell’s books, Basic Economics and Applied Economics. If you don’t have time to read, get the Audible versions. On the economics front, here are a few of my Notes from the past several days.
Books
I’ve been making progress through Boone, a biography of Daniel Boone. Probably 2/3rds of the way through. It’s a good read, and takes the edge off before sleeping.
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Black Robe Regiment? I haven’t bought any books on the subject, but I will be.
The early American pastor had a reputation as a courageous and fearless leader, causing the British during the American Revolution to dub them “The Black Regiment,” a reference to their clerical robes. Those pastors boldly proclaimed the Word of God as it applied to everything in life, whether spiritual or temporal—about eternal life in Christ, taxes, education, public policy, good government, the military, or any other current issues that the Bible addressed.
“If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it…. If satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.” – Charles Finney
Today, the struggle is for the heart and soul of America. Never before has there been such openly orchestrated frontal attacks against America’s core beliefs, including traditional morality, public religious expressions, the rights of conscience, inalienable rights, common sense economics, and limited constitutional government. An American Revolution, not with guns, but with the same pastoral fervor and leadership is needed today.
Check out the Wallbuilders link; good stuff, and lots of citations to sources, over a hundred if my memory serves. Our churches have largely opted out of politics, and that’s a mistake. Probably driven by tax regulations, which is good enough reason for churches not to go the non-profit route.
All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
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All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
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