Newsletter #307 2025 May 14 Monday
What a week, two actually! Very busy spring, which is usual, preparing for our next intern, loads of work in the house, pigs in the woods, and the list goes on...a long way!
Primal Woods
My humblest apologies for the delay; I am sure Geri would rather I was doing other things today, too! We have a lot on our plate(s), and my to-do list in the coming days is a bit daunting, but I wanted to bring you up to speed with the goingson.
Sawmill Services
Two milling jobs since I last wrote; one a small job here on-site with Glenn, and the second meant driving a pretty fur piece, all the way to Flint, Michigan, for milling with Larry.
Above is the lumber in back of Glenn’s truck; three logs, we were done in an hour. Then we talked for an hour! I love my job. Glenn opens the conversation with the line, “you need a road grader.” Ha! Of course he’s right, and I don’t have one on-hand. But…maybe it’s not such a stretch to think that I could have one on hand!
Yup, Glenn is a member of the Kalamazoo Valley Antique Tractor, Engine and Machinery Club, and he specializes in road graders from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, draft animal and/or tractor drawn equipment. He also does steam engines; what’s not to like!?
Glenn further specializes in Adam’s graders, something like that pictured above. Just what the doctor ordered for the 7/10ths of a mile of driveway I have to maintain. I’m sure this will be cringe-worthy for Geri!
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Next up was the trip to Flint, a substantial undertaking, to mill with Larry.
Ten logs were on tap. We hit iron in one log, twice, which is serious injury or death to the blade. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took what was left of the log off the mill and continued on.
The ten logs gave up 1,080 board feet by my calculation; I took our new intern Timothy with me, and believe me when I tell you it would have been a much longer day without his help. As it was we drove out the night before and dropped off the mill, got some grub and some sleep, and arrived back at the site at 0830. I dropped Timothy off at Hillsdale on the way back, 10ish pm, and I was home by midnight. A long day, and a great day.
Beginning late this week, Timothy will be joining us for the summer. Timothy is from Uganda, and just completed his freshman year at Hillsdale College. He plans to become a large animal vet, and his family farms back home, so he also wants to be able to take some best practices back to the farm. And I’ll say this, he knows how to work! Geri and I are really looking forward to what we can learn from Timothy.
Homestead Rebel
Oxen
The water system in the pasture is working great; thank God I got that work done early this year. And as of yesterday the Oxen have made their way around and through all 10 paddocks. I did some more work in the Oxen pasture, de-brushing the paddocks that I moved the Oxen from this week. This video is just over 2 minutes.
Happy with the Oxen, too, and with Timothy here I should be able to put them to work more often.
Pigs
I’ve opened up the pig pen to more ground, bounded by two strands of polywire. Here are a couple of short videos on the subject; the pigs are coming along, and so far I’ve repeated none of my prior year mistakes!
While they were a bit tentative, which is not a bad thing, they did ultimately move out without having to be prompted.
Layers
It was hard to get a good picture; the pullets are all crowded into the shade. But, suffice it to say that they are ready to move to the coop. That task may wait for Timothy, but maybe not, we’ll see.
News and Notes
The more I read, the more I know; it’s all in the Bible.
It truly saddens me to see what is happening in Germany, and most of Europe. Some of the former satellites of the USSR have enough corporate memory to not fall for the lies, not so in the more westernized states.
Evidently courage is not a job requirement for United States Senators.
More on Federal Reserve…none of it good of course.
I’ve often said that we conflate an easy life with a good life. As it turns out, it is actually worse than that.
Books & Such
Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World. Still in this one, and making good progress.
Geri just rolled in, and so the after-hours work begins. She is on a roll, specifically with the work of preparing for Timothy’s arrival. Her inner hostess has come out, and it is a beautiful thing, I must say. Anyway, I’m off to handle the grunt work attendant to her hostessing!
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All the best, and may God bless you and yours,
John & Geri
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Thank you for all your grunt work...LOL It is magical when work together and see big results. Love ya