Monday, January 16, 2006

And More Blessed Rain

This time it looks like we're in for a real 'soaking' rain too. Hopefully it will finally get the county burn ban lifted. This past weekend we spent getting firewood up. Kevin had a lot already cut in the woods behind the house, but getting it out of the woods was another story.

He took the truck down and low and behold, found himself stuck. Using the chains from the old Suburban, he finally got the truck back to level ground. (Reminder to self - pickup truck does not like damp ground in the middle of the woods.)

Daughter Dumpling moved back home yesterday. Don't know for how long, but both of us can sure use the extra pair of hands while she's here. There is the hope that she'll be returning to school come summer, but we'll see how that goes.

For today, I've got ham and beans cooking in the Crockpot and with the rain, it sounds like it will make a wonderful dinner with some fresh sourdough rolls. But I reckon, that before I really think about dinner, I should get that sinfull of dishes done first.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Rain, Blessed Rain

Finally. After over a month with no moisture whatsoever, it finally rained this week. We got over an inch and I’ve got to admit with all the wild fires, I was really happy for it. Then again, last night a storm rolled through and it looks like we got close to another inch. More rain is promised for Monday. I hope this becomes a pattern for the rest of the season.

Living where we do, fire is always a threat and when everything is dry, just the thought of someone throwing a cigarette out the car window is enough to terrify a thinking person.

Last weekend, we had the kids here and put them to work on the sawmill. While Erin didn’t seem too enthused with bucking boards, Justin took to sawing fairly well. Like me, he has a hard time reading the log ruler and some of his boards came up a bit thin, but perfectly acceptable.

Spent some time this week updating The Sawmill Project on the website. It was fun to write and I’m sure glad we took a lot of pictures as it helped me remember what we did in what order. (Trouble with growing older sometimes is remembering little things like that!)

Not sure what’s on the agenda for this weekend. I think we’ll probably work on adding an addition to the shed so that we can do some ‘real’ woodworking. Both of us are getting excited about what we can make with the wood we are cutting. One thing at a time though. The last thing I want to do is take the fun out of all this with a bunch of ‘have to get done’ stuff.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

A Few Thoughts on The Sawmill Project

Okay, I’ve got to admit, it’s been humorous to see some of the responses to The Sawmill Project on my website. Seems most, (read that men) have a real hard time believing that a woman is out working with her husband making logs into lumber.

Now, I admit, before we began this project, the most complicated machine I had ever operated was my Oster Kitchen Center. Honestly, though, the sawmill is much more straightforward. Move blade down, move forward and cut. Sure beats trying to find all the right attachments when you need them.

I am having fun. Watching logs turn into lumber is a very rewarding experience. Seeing that lumber pile up and knowing that it will help us achieve our goals is beyond fantastic to me. Knowing that in the future, our little sawmill may help us reach the point where neither of us has to leave the house to earn a buck is what motivates me to learn all I can.

So, to you naysayers, carry on. I’ll just bet you wish your other half would support your dreams as well.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Happy 2006

For us, 2006 brought us each a bad cold. Yet, that didn't stop us from enjoying our almost four day weekend. (Thanks to a vehicle breakdown on Thursday.) The skies continue to tease us with what looks like rain clouds, but so far we've had none. The weatherman said this morning that Arkansas was down 14 inches from the normal for last year.

I keep hoping that soon the cycle will change and we'll have rain for several days in a row. I don't mind the warmer temperatures though, in fact, today I let the woodstove burn out. I'll relight it after the sun goes down.

In spite of the cloudy skies, Kevin and I worked all weekend cleaning up what is now going to be our personal lumber yard. It's amazing how much stuff can be collected over the years - all in the name of - We might need it someday.

We also came up with a plan to extend the shed into a woodworking area until we get the shop built. And, we found the location for the kiln we want to build. But, we still have a lot of research on that before we do anything permanent.

After moving the bulk of the stuff on Friday, Saturday we took it a bit easier. Moved the rest of the stuff and just talked and made plans for our future. Now, if we could only figure a way to make the sawmill start paying off immediately, I would be one happy camper, but alas...
Saturday night, we shared a bottle of wine, but no way could we stay up to ring in the New Year. In fact, I think we were in bed by 9pm. If that makes us old foggies, well then so be it. We both knew the New Year would get here without us and if it didn't, well, wouldn't it be better to be sound asleep?

Our neighbor brought us down some logs to cut for him on Sunday. I reckon that's what we'll be doing this weekend, even though he said there was no hurry.

I hope everyone had a great New Year's eve and day, no matter how you celebrated it. Us, we had the traditional black eyed peas, brown rice and cornbread. Of the three, only brown rice is one of the things I cook regularly. The rest is saved for luck it is supposed to bring on New Years.