Newsletter #297 2025 Feb 24 Monday
Syrup season is upon us; tapping began yesterday, continued today, and God willing the Oxen will help to collect the first sap tomorrow!
We are all ignorant of more than we know. Hence, the one using the word ignorant to slur another is the true ignoramus.
Primal Woods
Pure Maple Syrup
This was the 10-day as of Sunday, when we started tapping. The weather was above freezing, but skies were overcast, so there was no flow as we were tapping.
My friend Mark helped me with tapping on Sunday, and we did some other prep-work to be ready for collecting. This morning it was clear that sap had flowed overnight.
Tuesday is when the rubber meets the road; the first thing the Oxen can do to justify there existence on the farm is to pull the sap out of the woods. If they prove able to do that the hay bill for winter forage will be entirely offset; any work beyond hauling sap will put dollars on the bottom line. So. Tomorrow is a big day.
I’m putting out fewer taps this year, not quite sure how many, but between three and five hundred; probably closer to the low end of that estimate. Since I’m the only ox drover on hand, and inexperienced at that, and I’m the only operator of the evaporator, something had to give.
Sawmill Services
The milling job was completed this past Friday; it was a long day, I ended up being onsite from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We milled all logs that were millable, and had the help of several homeschool kids. I hope to have pictures of the work before next weeks’ Newsletter, I didn’t take any time for pictures myself.
Homestead Rebel
It was a busy week with my friend Matt at the Farmhouse, and I took several hours of his time to learn more, a lot more, about the mathematics of economics. There is not a lot that I can share, or perhaps I should say there is not a lot that I am equipped to share. Matt is a professor of economics, and it took him a couple of hours before I could ask reasonably intelligent questions about the math! That was the point of the quote at the top of the post.
I will say this though; GDP is one-dimensional, it’s all about the dollars, and the equation Matt was teaching me was made up of GDP componentry. Each of those components rests on underlying assumptions I would say; some assumptions may not be sound. And, the second and third order effects of such things as running a trade deficit, are not accounted for inside the equation. Anyway, Matt gave me much to think about, and the gears are still grinding through it all.
It’s always fun to have someone to help with the chores, and it doesn’t happen that often.
News and Notes
What more can I add to the above? Nothing.
I knocked out a short post this morning, see below:
Some folks say there is no such thing as the “slippery slope,” or “gradualism;” I beg to differ:
Books & Such
I finished Battle for the American Mind, by Pete Hegseth (Sec Def). It took over a hundred years to dig the hole we are now in; we will not have extricated ourselves anytime soon. As I wrote above in News & Notes; 54% of adults are literate at a 6th grade level, or below. And those results are with compulsory government schooling K through 12. We are looking at generations of work to undo what has been done, and to rebuild education for the students. Not for the military. Not for industry. Not for the nation-state.
The feds should absolutely having nothing to do with education. Nothing. And frankly, I leaning towards no government involvement at any level. It’s only been since the 19th century that governments decided to get involved in education, before that it was family and/or church led; governments got involved for purely selfish reasons, which is what Raised to Obey is about.
This one is still in progress; Raised to Obey, by Agustina Paglayan.
I have a long way to go in this book; but (plot spoiler) avoidance of civil unrest, with civil war as the worst-case scenario, is a primary motivation, and perhaps the primary motivation of governments.
All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
Don’t go! We cannot do it without you! Help us to keep the wheels on this effort, by visiting the website, and buying some of our Pure Maple Syrup!
OR! If you find value in our work, please do consider supporting Homestead Rebel for $5/month subscription.
OR! I can understand not wanting to sign up for a subscription…I get it, but if you would still like to support our efforts…
All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
Earn rewards, free access to pay-walled content, by referring a friend!