Benjamin Scribner's Blog, page 14

This Weeks News.

I’m a bit late this week, my anniversary was Friday, and we decided to have a lazy weekend.

It’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

It’s the first week of November, and we already have over a foot of snow up here.

I’ve been out once packing trails, and Allen has been riding around packing the trail from his cabin. It shows no sign of melting off, so it’s looking like a white Thanksgiving this year.

Winter is my time to settle in and write, which I have started again. I’m hoping to have two books finished by next spring.

There is nothing better than a cozy fire and a hot cup of tea to get the mind working once again.

I don’t know what is about fresh snow that turns both our dogs into puppies once again. Every time I turn them loose outside, they both jump and play as if they have never seen snow before. The St. Bernard especially becomes quite playful, almost knocking us down in her excitement.

The cats, forever wanting out, will suddenly decide that laying by the fire is better than the wet, white powder in the yard.

Down at My Kitchen, the topic of conversation turned to mountain lions, a few of the old loggers saying they have never seen one their whole lives, while others, like myself, have had the big cats cross our paths a time or two.

Tina and I had one cross the road in front of us just the other day on our way down.

They are magnificent animals.

Well that’s all the news for the week, bye for now.

The weeks news. Settling in for winter

   Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.
Halloween is this coming weekend, all the children are getting their costumes ready for the great candy rush. As for us, we are safe, nobody ventures up this lonely road in the dark. Tina and I will have a peaceful night.
   It is October, and the weather is as dysfunctional as ever, rain, snow, freezing, then warm. The only way to stay comfortable in a cabin heated with wood, is to have the dampers turned down on the wood stove,  and a couple of windows open.
Up here, I only have the outhouse to finish, then I can settle in for a winter of writing. I am looking forward to that.
   Since the weather is holding, this coming weekend, Tina and I are going after a couple more truck loads of firewood. This will be more than enough to get through the coming winter months. Even if I don’t get it cut or split before it’s buried in the snow, I will have it come spring, and can cut it as needed then.
   Down at My Kitchen, it seems the old loggers have missed my company these past few weeks. Tina bumped into one the other day while running errands, and he told her they looking forward to my being there Friday morning for coffee. I only go to town once a week now, normally Friday, do get groceries and wash clothes.
   Hunting season has ended, and now the deer and elk can come out of hiding once more. Peace and quiet once again, no gunshots far or near.
   I still have to service the UTV, but that will only take an hour or so, so I will take care of it soon. I also have to get the snowmobiles ready, and will most likely do all the machines at one time.
   Well, that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

Changes around the ol’ homestead.

In addition to the weeks news, which i posted earlier, i want to go over some of the changes that have taken place around here.

I ended up with quite a stack of old metal roofing from a guy in town that had had his shop roof replaced. I wasn’t sure just what i was going to do with it at the time, but i have never turned down free materials, and figured i would come up with something before long.

As it turned out, i had wanted to build a woodshed to store my firewood, keeping it dry during the winter with a tarp was proving to be a pain.

I had the roofing, now what to use for the frame? When you life on a tight budget, as we do, you learn to hunt the free sites online looking for any building supplies that will work for any given project. This helped, but i could not find enough, so i decided to find enough downed trees to use as the frame, combined with the lumber i was finding, and also use logs for the rafters.

Time is of the essence when you live at 42,00 ft above sea level, one cannot wait, summer is over all too quickly and fall rains hit. working outside after that is close to impossible for me.

I framed the woodshed and decided to move the old truck body further away and turn it 90 degrees, so the door was now facing south and we would have easier access to it during the winter.

I ended up with 17 feet between my new woodshed and the truck body. What a great time to add a shop. We stored everything in the truck body, from winter clothes off season, to my wife’s  extra yarn and fabric, to all of my tools, which were crammed into the rear and just kind of thrown together in a pile so that every time i needed something, I would have to dig to find what i needed.

More logs and used lumber later, I had framed a workshop between the woodshed and the truck body. it is big enough to store the UTV during the summer, and store the water trailer, wheelbarrow, and two other small trailers in the winter.

I lucked out and found someone giving away a couple of nice workbenches and an old beat up dresser. One of the workbenches went into my shop, as did the dresser, the other workbench will be in the greenhouse that is planned for next spring. it will be added to the west end of the woodshed, I already have the windows for it, found free online, so it won’t take long to put that up once the snow melts next spring.

We tore down the front wall and installed all glass there, again, most everything was salvaged from somewhere else. even the glass door we found. now we have a better view north without having to walk to the window to look out. this makes thunderstorms mush more exciting to watch!

last summer, we picked up some old hardwood flooring from a 1930’s house that was being remodeled. Out of some 300 sq ft, about half turned out to be usable, enough for the living room. Almost all of it had glue from linoleum or carpet tacks in it. We planed it last summer, then stored it for the winter. This summer we stained and sealed it and put it down in the living-room. Some newspaper wall paper (If you haven’t seen this, i recommend checking it out) old cedar fencing, nicely weathered, makes great wainscoting, and the living room is pretty much finished.

I also found a small chicken coop, it will be added to the end of the shed/ truck body combination next spring as well and a secure pen for the chickens to scratch in, safe from the predators that roam our mountain home. Chickens will be a nice addition, fresh eggs every day, and meat when they stop laying.

I have become a haunter of the free sites, jumping on anything that looks like it could be used or re-purposed in any way.

 

 

This weeks news from the mountain

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

It is this time of year when I miss New England the most, with it’s lovely colors, crisp air,  almost every small farm has something going on, from apple picking, hay rides, corn mazes, and a host of other things to excite and delight, it’s fun for everyone.

Up here on the mountain,winter has arrived early here this year, dumping a foot of snow at our elevation, and a few inches in town. We had an interesting time getting the pickup off the mountain, and luckily, had the UTV at the bottom already, since I had intended to service it at a friend’s house where I could do the work in a dry shop.

The sudden snow also messed up my plans for hauling in a few more loads of firewood, which i really need.  It was the middle of the week before we could drive back into our yard again, and since my wife has the pickup at work during the week, firewood is on hold until the weekend. I afraid i will be cutting, splitting and stacking in knee deep snow this year, but that’s life on the mountain.  Other outside projects have been slowed until the weather clears up a bit. Snow and rain have been in the forecast all week, making it difficult to work on anything.

Down at My Kitchen, almost all the old loggers are in the woods this week, deer and elk season opened for rifles, so most of them are up early and trudging through the snow, hoping to bag an deer or elk. Most, I’m sure are happy for what snow there was, since it makes tracking game that much easier.

Me, I no longer hunt, since the war, I have no desire to kill anything, unless it’s in self defense. I could if I needed to, but find that meat picked up at the local market is, by far, much easier to acquire than slogging through the woods, or sitting in some tree stand freezing.

Well that’s all the news for the week, bye for now.

The Weeks news

I’ve been busy getting ready for the upcoming winter. Sorry for the delay folks.

Well it’s been a quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.
It’s mid October now, and the weather is a little confused, as is normal for this time of year. Twice now we have woke to snow on the ground, then by mid day, it warms up to a comfortable temperature.
I finally got the last section of the original roof repaired, at not a moment too soon.
It has been quite a chore repairing everything the original builder built. Some days I wish I had started with a bare piece of ground.
We managed to complete a lot this summer, even adding things to my list as we moved forward. A woodshed, workshop were not in the plan, but after getting quite a bunch of cast off metal roofing, I decided a dry place for wood storage was needed, then room to store my tools for easy access, instead of having to dig through the truck body we have been using as storage.
The tearing out the front wall and making it all glass wasn’t in my plans either, but we are happy with the result.
Rainwater storage is still on my list of things to get done, but that will have to wait until next year. Another year of hauling in drinking water,and melting snow wouldn’t hurt.
I have almost all the firewood in, this takes about half my summer, time I could be spending getting other projects done. Hopefully next winter, we will have a pellet stove and I can concentrate on finishing other things.
Going after a couple more truck loads of wood this coming weekend, that will finish my firewood for the season.
Now that the weather is turning, I will be going back to my writing again, hoping to finish a couple of books I started last winter by spring.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that we have no major equipment issues this year,and I can write instead of repairing machines.
Well that’s all the news for the week, bye for now.

The weeks news. Fire on the mountain.

Well it’s been an interesting week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

The severe lack of rainfall has made the woods tinder dry this summer. We have had a few fast moving thunderstorms move through. But little rain and lots of lighting have been a constant concern.

One such storm moved through a few days ago and started a couple of fires up here. Thankfully, they were quickly brought under control and extinguished.

We were prepared to leave if nessary, having packed anything of importance up and stacked on the porch, ready to throw in the truck and leave. I also borrowed five gal of gas from Larry down below, to fuel the UTV and drive it out as well.

We are desperately needing rain and hoping the fall rains come sooner rather than later this year, even though I am nowhere near finished outside yet. I would rather work in the rain, than lose everything to fire.

Down at My Kitchen, everyone has been talking about the smoke from all the fires around us making it difficult to breath at times. It gets so thick at times we cannot see anything to the north of us, and the smell permeates everything in the cabin.

It seems I have been excepted into the old loggers circle. They have started including me in their conversations when I’m there, and even handing out goid natured ribbing a time or two, and if I haven’t shown up in a while, ask how things are when I do stop in.

In other news, our sheriff had a mini stroke earlier in the week. Thankfully, he was at the hospital when it happened and they were able to stabilize him quickly. He was eventually sent to Coeur d alene to a bigger hospital for treatment. He is back on the job once again and was sitting with the old loggers when I stopped by the other day.

I think I have written about the gun club starting up here in town. I, at first, was supposed to be on the board of directors, but instead I have found myself in the role of vice president.

Meetings are taking place, and I’m finding myself in town more than normal. My lovely wife has also been shanghaied for the role of secretary for the club. This is our new hobby now I guess, and I’m getting back into dealing with people once again, something I hadn’t wanted to do since I came back from the war in 05.

This is the last week of summer break, next Tuesday my lovely wife starts driving, possibly reluctant, kids back to school once more. I will miss the extra set of hands, as I’m not quite finished with the outdoor projects yet, including firewood, of which I still need two cords.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

This week’s news

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

August is quietly slipping away, the days are getting shorter, and the temperature is getting cooler. Parents are looking forward to the kids heading back to school once again. Kids are hoping for a never ending summer.

Up here on the mountain, things are being finished up before winter comes in once more.

I am still two cords of firewood short due to the restrictions on cutting, the fire danger is still very high. Hopefully I next month the fall rains will start early and I can finish the firewood.

I still have two more rafter logs to find, those I can grab without much danger of starting a fire, since I can drag them to my truck, if needed, and cut them to length there.

I started on repairs to the last part of the roof over the original cabin. All the old metal roofing is off, and plywood has been nailed in place. I’m hoping to have new metal on the roof by the middle of next month. This will be a big help keeping the cabin warmer this winter, as well as stop the leaks that happen every time it rains.

I have moved all of my tools into the new workshop finely, even though it’s not finished. The chance of rain is low, though we did have a quick shower yesterday morning.

Hunters are beginning to make ready for the season, some with moose tags have been up on the mountain checking for signs of moose. Luckily for the moose, my land is a hunting free zone, any moose there is safe.

We haven’t been to town much lately, only coming in once a week to do our laundry, pick up any thing we need, then home again.

So I haven’t seen much of the Old loggers lately.

We have stopped by the local coffee shop on our trips, Sam, the daughter of the owners, has been busy making lattes and espresso for the regulars needing their daily fix. The music is always good, as is the coffee and conversion.

The WiFi is also a big help.

Wel that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

The toolbox A humorous tale.

THE TOOLBOX

This tale is a complete work of fiction. In no way does it mirror real life. The only real characters in this tale are myself, my lovely wife, and the toolbox, who shall remain anonymous.

 

I have been slowly moving my tools and gear from the truck body, where they have resided since I first moved in, to my new workshop.last thing I had left to move was a toolbox, full of tools.

Now this box wasn’t large, but it was heavy and awkward when full. I had contemplated removing the tools, thus rendering the box light enough for me to carry by myself. But this would take time, and as I was wanting to finish the task, decided that, with the help of my lovely wife and a small wagon, we could accomplish the task in short order.

I asked my lovely wife to bring the wagon to the door of the truck body while I puttered around inside.

I was not paying any mind to her when she pulled the wagon up and stepped inside.

We carefully lifted the toolbox, and being the gracious husband I am, told her I would be the one backing out.

Things went as planned, until I stepped out of the truck body and my foot went neatly into the wagon.

Now the wagon, having suffered much abuse at our hands while hauling firewood from where is cut, to where it is stacked, had had enough at this point, and decided,at that moment, to head for the end of the driveway and freedom.

I can, with authority, tell you that those gals that can do a split, both legs out, butt on the floor, have nothing on me at that moment, though I really wish it didn’t hurt so much.

I, of course, had to let go of my end of the toolbox, causing my lovely wife to start to lose her balance. But not before each and every drawer had flung itself open, dumping their contents out, on me.

It was then my lovely wife let go of her end of the toolbox, causing it to join the tools, on me.

My lovely wife then, trying desperately to get herself balanced, lost it and followed the toolbox and tools, once more, on me.

I think the next time it have an idea to save work, I will just shoot myself in the foot and save time.

The weeks news

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

We had a day of rain this past week. Unfortunately it was not enough to keep the fire service from enacting stage 2 restrictions on the state. This means very little will get done in the woods, including getting in the last few cords of firewood I need for the coming winter.

Temperatures have been cooler since the rain. I have almost started a fire a few evenings, since it’s chilly when the sun starts making its way down the western horizon. Jackets and sweatshirts have been worn mornings and evenings. The cooler temperatures will help the firefighters battling fires all around us, and hopefully they can get them under control soon.

Up here, Allen has managed to get a part time job helping a friend of Larry’s. This has made him happy since he lives on social security only and it’s less than a liveable income. He is currently stocking up dry goods for the coming winter while he has the extra cash.

I haven’t done much this week, i’ve been pushing so hard, i needed the rest.Tina’s stiches from her carpal tunnel surgery came out yesterday, so now she can help with some of the work I need an extra pair of hands for. Though she still has to take it easy with that hand, at least she doesn’t have to worry about ripping out stiches.

I’m hoping to start repairs on the west side of my roof this coming week. The builder of the original cabin had just put metal directly on the rafters, and it is mismatched and doesn’t hold out the rain. It is the only part of the roof left that needs repairing.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.

This week’s news. Hot dry weather

Well it’s been another quiet week up here on the mountain, my little slice of heaven.

It’s been dry these past few months, no rain at all. Dust from the road covers everything, plant, animal and us.

The creek, that starts on this mountain to the west of us, has, for the most part, dried up.

Fires in Washington, parts of Idaho, Montana and British Columbia are putting out enough smoke that it often looks like, and is as thick as, fog. It’s so bad at times we cannot see the closest mountain range. Smoke is making it difficult at times to breath and makes our eyes water. Thankfully, no fires are anywhere near us up here.

Gathering of firewood continues, I have almost all I need for the coming winter. I’ve been cutting, splitting and stacking when I can, hoping to have it all under cover when the fall rains start, if they start, sometime next month.

I also have the shop to finish, as well as the new roof on the west side of the cabin, then it’s on to planning for inside projects for the winter months and making sure the material I need are where is can access it and not buried under snow.

Tina has been picking berries on the days we take it easy, though I’m not sure hiking through the brush is any easier, nor is bending over to pick berries. Pies, muffins and pancakes have been coming from our kitchen after these outings. Allen has been benefiting from her baking also, as we cannot eat that many sweet treats without the risk of our clothes no longer fitting. Next year, if all goes well, she plans on canning most of what she picks so we will have fresh jellies and jams stocked up for the winter.

Well that’s all the news for the week. Bye for now.