Saw Chain

We've got some firewood stacked in the yard . . . which is better than last year. But, it is time to find more. Unfortunately, the chainsaw is dull. The street tree that we found last winter had some hardware in it. When the chain found the hardware, the edge came off. Now what? We've got a file, but it doesn't seem to work well . . . probably operator error. When the chain is machine sharpened or factory sharpened it makes chips; when it is hand filed it makes dust. We can keep trying, but it would be nice to know how make a saw chain sharp without taking it to the shop.

Apples

The Homestead came with two producing apple trees. We gave them some amateur care and watering and they grew some pretty nice apples. Unfortunately, we only sprayed once, and that was not enough to keep them from becoming wormy. Probably about sixty percent of them are too bad to eat. (It would be good to have a pig to feed.) But, even with just 40% of the crop, we are filling the freezer: apple sauce, apple butter, apple crisp, dried apple, apple scampi. OK, not that last one, but we're almost ready for winter. The harvest is well underway.

Roofing

Like the rest of The Homestead, the roof is ramshackle. Mostly it works, but there are a couple of bad spots. This one is probably the worst. There is a little low roof over the screen porch where everything funnels off the rest of the house. At the point where all the snow and ice and water come down the valley and off the main roof it has been leaking for some time. Probably for years. We were able to stop it temporarily this winter with some heavy plastic. But, now we're trying to put a better patch on it. We really need a new roof, but can't afford it right now, so maybe some metal will get us through the winter. Ugly, ain't it? About that day job . . . better keep it.

Not Just Eggs

Last month we blogged about the backyard chicken craze. At that time, we noted that some New York based members of the family had established a flock. Well, it turns out that chickens provide more than eggs. Once my brother-in-law determined that they owned three roosters (which is two too many), he set his mind on a chicken dinner. The way he tells it, one can behead, pluck, gut, stuff, and roast two chickens in as many hours. Now my brother-in-law is well known for his squeamishness when it comes to blood and guts, so if he can do it without breaking a sweat, it should be a good option for most homesteaders. When it was all said and done, I asked him how it tasted. He answered, predictably, "like chicken."

Forebears

I came across this picture of Poppop today. Talk about homesteading. He'll want to do a little something about that roof before winter. Actually, despite Poppop's possessive look, no one at Rural Ways grew up in this cabin; no one at Rural Ways even knows anyone who grew up in this cabin. But, it doesn't look too bad. With a little water piped from the spring, a shed full of dry pinyon, and some clay and wattles for the roof, it might even do for Willie Yeats. (Sorry for the obscure reference.)