BROKEN OAK HILL(R) Dispatches from the heart of Wisconsin At the Farm
Previous report
Matt splits some of the oak we brought back from the top of the hill.
The gauge on the propane tank shows less than 40 but more than a 30% fuel supply left. By sometime in January, we will probably need a refill.
The Black Hills spruce that came down in November's snowstorm. I finally had the time this trip to start cutting it up.
Matt splits some of the oak we brought back from the top of the hill.
The gauge on the propane tank shows less than 40 but more than a 30% fuel supply left. By sometime in January, we will probably need a refill.
The Black Hills spruce that came down in November's snowstorm. I finally had the time this trip to start cutting it up.
Dec. 20-21
A winter cookout, a trip to the top of the hill mark a holiday visit
Sure, it was Dec. 20 and the temperature was hovering around 30 and it was dark by 5 p.m. But there was no wind or rain or snow and besides, we had a crowd of four - so it seemed like the perfect night for a first cookout on the deck. We got a fairly late start to the farm, and the debate was whether to get burgers for grilling or go out to eat. I was staunchly on t
he side of grilling out, because I wanted to enjoy a fire in the fireplace and not leave the farm for the evening, and everyone else seemed to agree.
The four of us - me, Gayle, son Matt and his girl friend, Kristi - stopped in Elroy at the IGA on the way to the farm and got supplies for the next couple of days.
When we got to the farm at 5 there was a little daylight left, but not much. We got the fire started in the fireplace, got more furn
iture moved in from the garage, and then got dinner going. Our plan was almost thwarted when we couldn't get the smokehouse door open to get the grill because the ground was frozen, but we managed to chip away enough frozen ground with a pick ax to get it open just enough to squeeze the grill through.
Dinner was wonderful: burgers, baked beans and chips and just enough condiments - including fresh lettuce - to get by.
We still miss not having comfortable furniture to sit on in front of the fire, but all things in good time. With the holidays, we just haven't had time to see about that or window coverings. Come 2012, we'll renew the effort. We still have a ways to go to get the place furnished as we want it.
It was good to find the rest of the plumbing in place for this trip, the sink in the laundry room/mud room and the faucets and shower head in the upstairs bathroom.
Wednesday we were to meet with a landscaper to get an estimate on building a retaining wall with the stone from the old foundation and getting a lawn put in. He arrived a little after 9. We talked about where to put retaining walls and other details of getting the place adequately landscaped, and he promised to get back to us with an estimate - although I am not sure we have really resolved how and where we want the retaining walls. My ideas are influenced by the old house and our former foot-traffic patterns, and of course the landscaper knew nothing of those.
Later Matt, Kristi and I took the tractor and wagon up to the top of the hill to get a load of firewood from downed trees we had cut up in September. The tractor struggled a little going up empty, but had no trouble pulling the full load down the hill. I also changed the chain on the Stihl saw, something I had been putting off thinking I would just do a touch-up sharpening of the chain that was on the saw. There wasn't time for that, so this was the expedient thing to do. I wish we had more time to work up there this trip, but hopefully before May I can spend at least a day or two up there protecting the few little trees still doing well. One sugar maple has grown to almost 8 feet in the past two or three years, from a 4-inch seedling - but of course it is fenced.
Our afternoon was given over to organizing in the new house, particularly in the kitchen, and bringing in more things from the garage that had been stored there when the old house was torn down. As the day progressed, it was clear we couldn't get everything done that we wanted to. We toyed with the idea of staying until morning, but decided there was too much left undone on the holiday front. Gayle and I started packing up around 4, and by a little after 5 we left the place in Matt and Kristi's hands and headed home.
Coming down from the top of the hill, you can see the house through the winter woods, and even the hills beyond.
A winter cookout, a trip to the top of the hill mark a holiday visit
Sure, it was Dec. 20 and the temperature was hovering around 30 and it was dark by 5 p.m. But there was no wind or rain or snow and besides, we had a crowd of four - so it seemed like the perfect night for a first cookout on the deck. We got a fairly late start to the farm, and the debate was whether to get burgers for grilling or go out to eat. I was staunchly on t
he side of grilling out, because I wanted to enjoy a fire in the fireplace and not leave the farm for the evening, and everyone else seemed to agree. The four of us - me, Gayle, son Matt and his girl friend, Kristi - stopped in Elroy at the IGA on the way to the farm and got supplies for the next couple of days.
When we got to the farm at 5 there was a little daylight left, but not much. We got the fire started in the fireplace, got more furn
iture moved in from the garage, and then got dinner going. Our plan was almost thwarted when we couldn't get the smokehouse door open to get the grill because the ground was frozen, but we managed to chip away enough frozen ground with a pick ax to get it open just enough to squeeze the grill through. Dinner was wonderful: burgers, baked beans and chips and just enough condiments - including fresh lettuce - to get by.
We still miss not having comfortable furniture to sit on in front of the fire, but all things in good time. With the holidays, we just haven't had time to see about that or window coverings. Come 2012, we'll renew the effort. We still have a ways to go to get the place furnished as we want it.
It was good to find the rest of the plumbing in place for this trip, the sink in the laundry room/mud room and the faucets and shower head in the upstairs bathroom.
Wednesday we were to meet with a landscaper to get an estimate on building a retaining wall with the stone from the old foundation and getting a lawn put in. He arrived a little after 9. We talked about where to put retaining walls and other details of getting the place adequately landscaped, and he promised to get back to us with an estimate - although I am not sure we have really resolved how and where we want the retaining walls. My ideas are influenced by the old house and our former foot-traffic patterns, and of course the landscaper knew nothing of those.
Later Matt, Kristi and I took the tractor and wagon up to the top of the hill to get a load of firewood from downed trees we had cut up in September. The tractor struggled a little going up empty, but had no trouble pulling the full load down the hill. I also changed the chain on the Stihl saw, something I had been putting off thinking I would just do a touch-up sharpening of the chain that was on the saw. There wasn't time for that, so this was the expedient thing to do. I wish we had more time to work up there this trip, but hopefully before May I can spend at least a day or two up there protecting the few little trees still doing well. One sugar maple has grown to almost 8 feet in the past two or three years, from a 4-inch seedling - but of course it is fenced.
Our afternoon was given over to organizing in the new house, particularly in the kitchen, and bringing in more things from the garage that had been stored there when the old house was torn down. As the day progressed, it was clear we couldn't get everything done that we wanted to. We toyed with the idea of staying until morning, but decided there was too much left undone on the holiday front. Gayle and I started packing up around 4, and by a little after 5 we left the place in Matt and Kristi's hands and headed home.Coming down from the top of the hill, you can see the house through the winter woods, and even the hills beyond.
