Newsletter #303 2025 Apr 07 Monday
Milling logistics, de-tapping, and fence repair for starters, updated chick pics, and a Tart Cherry Pure Maple Syrup update; "5s" in the garage/workshop continues.
Primal Woods
Indeed there is a first time for everything. I agreed to pickup a large White Oak log from Shane, down near Decatur, Michigan, and bring it to Primal Woods for milling and drying of the lumber. The tractor was required.
Pure Maple Syrup
We have our first feedback from Rob, the man who inspired us to create the Tart Cherry Pure Maple Syrup…
I believe that is your best one that you’ve created yet. The blueberry was incredible. I love the vanilla, but this cherry one is off the charts. I think you have the perfect blend of maple versus cherry where you can taste a little bit of both and I love the cherries that are on the inside. I believe it’s the same bottle that you use for the blueberry and I love that bottle. I think it’s perfect.
Rob O.
With that we are going forward with the label design, and already have proofs in hand for our review. I expect the Tart Cherry to be on the shelves soon. Next up, I think, Strawberry, again at persistent request(s) of a current customer, Mike!
And I, and by I I mean I, have taken on the de-tapping and clean-up chore. We’re doing everything we can to keep our costs down, and that includes doing a lot more in-house for awhile. This is the first third of the buckets; I spray with water and brush the insides to remove any remaining debris/sugar, then stack them to dry. One third down, two thirds to go.
Sawmill Services
I enlisted the aid of my friend Neal to get this log home for milling. It took his winch and my tractor to move this monster onto Neal’s trailer.
Almost two tons of log, 3,770 lbs. This will be milled into 5/8 inch thick boards which will be used to craft an accent wall in Shane’s new home. The log is now on site and ready for milling.
Homestead Rebel
Layers
The Golden Laced Wyandotte chicks are substantially bigger. We have not lost any, and I graduated them to the full sized waterer, now that they are taller.
Get Those Pig and Chicken Orders In!
And, as a sort of public service announcement, it’s time to get your orders in for broiler chickens and pigs. I plan to have the chicks and feeder pigs in house within the next two weeks; that would put broiler chicken availability at June 15 and pig availability at Sep 30, more a less. If you are receiving this post by email simply hit the reply button and let me know; or if not you can reach me at john@primalwoods.com.
Oxen
Step-by-step I will be testing and repairing the pasture fencing as I move the Oxen to new paddocks. This week I made the first move, from Paddock #10 to Paddock #1.
Farmhouse
Here are some recent reviews:
If you want to see more review, click on this link.
April still looks good if you are interested, in May and June the weekends are filling up, and it gets even better (tighter) in July and August. The property is also being advertised as a hunting property in October and beyond. We hope to see you soon!
News and Notes
Avoidable, that is preventable, medical errors are the #3 leading cause of death in the United States. Let that sink in … only cancer and heart disease are more lethal than the disease care system itself.
This next Note goes to tariffs on China in particular. The economists are more than happy to talk about the negative consequences of tariffs, but what about the negative consequences of so-called “free” trade? Did you know … the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is 393 pages long; how many pages should it take to say “free trade?”
I’ve written on poverty before, in Poverty in the United States and You Shall Know Them by Their Fruits. I am going after it one more time, another full post as opposed to a Note.
Is it insanity, or something else? I have said it before I will say it again; systems produce their desired output, and if the output is undesirable, the system is redesigned to correct the problem. We have had sixty years now to “tweak” the design of Johnson’s War on Poverty; it is time to throw it out altogether.
And finally, in very local news, it looks like we may host another Hillsdale College intern this summer. No doubt, I can use help, and I think we have a lot to offer, aside from money of course. Ha!
Books & Such
I am still in The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI’s Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States. I may not read this cover-to-cover; I get the message. I wrote a post in February, It Is All Connected, and the more I read, the more I find that to be true. This book also supports the video post I published recently, The Political Power Problem.
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!
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All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
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