Chores never end. We’re in a situation where we’re trying to build out a cabin and create a humble homestead, all while dealing with the necessaries of daily Life.
Some everyday tasks actually need doing every day, and I always try to knock out small stuff while Deb’s getting ready for work. This morning that included shutting the gray-water valve, in preparation for dumping both tanks two days from now.
Getting a head start on things does wonders for my attitude.
Once Deb was at work, I drove the Ranger down to the burn barrel. I’d already loaded it with a massive pile of combustibles, much of that the result of unboxing shit in the cabin the other day.
Most of the time I fill and light the barrel only once. Today it took six burns to make it all disappear.
From there, I made a quick run to the summit. This was a business trip — I wanted to assess any damage from the May 26th storms, especially on The Mountain’s south-facing slopes, which were closest to the second tornado’s path.
I pulled off at our parking spot and walked toward the high point. I found three small oaks uprooted and fallen across the path, and I lifted those out of my way. Near the summit I saw a pithy snag that had broken off about 15 feet up. No great loss, and useless as firewood.
On the south side, nothing — no tree damage whatsoever.
I’d been most concerned about what I call The Summit Oak, a magnificent old chinquapin that stands a good 80 feet tall with a crown spread of at least a hundred feet. To my surprise, it was intact.
As I drove back down the north slope toward the road, I did spy a mature oak that had snapped at the top of the trunk. Its considerable crown dropped about 20 feet away, almost upright. I put the buggy in park, walked over to the downed tree, pulled out my phone and dropped a pin at the spot.
The large branches will make great firewood in a year or two, and it’s close enough to the trail that harvesting it should be relatively easy. I believe I’ll wait ’til fall or winter to do that, though, when both heat and ticks have abated.
I saw one other bit of storm damage — an oak along the road, just south of the burn barrel, has a large broken branch about 40 feet up. It’s a bona fide widowmaker, overhanging the leach field.
Short of calling out a tree service, there’s nothing I can do about it. Considering where it is, it doesn’t really pose a threat.
Back at the shed again, I returned to my chores. A reminder I programmed into my phone told me that it was time to run our two-stroke tools — chainsaw, brush cutter and leaf blower — and the Predator 2000 generator. (Our 5,000-watt generator had gotten plenty of exercise during the power outage, so I didn’t bother with it.)
Everything started without drama and purred nicely. Stretching their legs every four weeks helps keep ’em healthy.
“Free spirits rarely get anything done.”
Zac Bauer, An American Homestead
Over the last week or so, I’ve watched the first two installments of Zac Bauer’s YouTube series on better homesteading through organization. The quote I included above captures the essence of his overall message.
The most recent video addressed the incalculable benefits of “routine, structure and discipline” — do the necessary stuff with regularity, do it in an organized way, and keep an unshakeable commitment to doing what needs to be done. (That is, ignore distractions.) He contends that’s the secret to a smooth-running homestead.
In the process, he needles folks who take a laissez-faire approach and wonder why it doesn’t work.
Whether by nature or nurture, I’m excruciatingly organized. I thrive on the rewards of self-discipline. It’s paid dividends throughout my adult Life, in ways both professional and personal.
That’s why, for example, I stick religiously to a six-day schedule for dealing with the RV’s waste-water tanks. It’s why I run those small engines regularly. And on and on.
When the odd Life we’re living now becomes a functioning homestead in a couple of years, it’ll reflect that same kind of organization.
That’s because it works.
The Mountain is home to a dizzying array of butterflies, and in great numbers. This was my companion at the summit today — a great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele).
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB