Sunday, December 30th/2007

-Went to the bush to start whittling away at my pile from last spring. It was really wet, and the snow was still deep despite the warm weather. As a result, I almost got stuck on the way in. I only cut enough off the pile to fill up one third of the trailer because I was sure that I would have problems getting home. All went well though and I'm glad I opened the road and packed the snow so that it'll freeze when the cold weather returns. Unloaded at home.
-Brought in wood. Emma helped bring in the wood. She had to reach above her head to pull pieces out of the loader of the tractor. I showed her how to hold her arms out in front of her and then loaded her up. She took this job quite seriously and kept at it until all the wood was in the house.

Thursday, December 27th-Saturday, December 29th/2007

-Stripped the Jeep, Buick, and Mazda pick-up of copper, aluminum, and the radiators; it took me two afternoons. I estimate that there is $150 just from the stripping. I was feeling pretty crappy and was feverish for the past few days so it was kind of miserable working outside in the damp. Danny Pelletier (owner of the scrapyard) charged me $50 to come and pick up the cars. They sold for $500.00. It came in handy as it paid for the brakes and undercoat on our new car.

Friday, December 21st-Sunday, December 23rd/2007

-On Friday we had to put Shadow down. He had a tumor near his eye that was causing glaucoma, detached lens and other eye problems. The poor bugger was almost completely deaf too. He was in pain and we had him on pain killers for the past couple of weeks; so it wasn't a very hard decision, however it is never easy to put a dog down. He was 12 years old, but still a tough machine. Celine did a house call and gave him a double dose of tranquilizer to try and minimize any potential problems. Despite the extra dose he refused to lie down whatsoever. I remember when I had Alley fixed she was out of commission with a few minutes of the tranquilizer. Anyway, Shadow knew something was wrong when we got him to lie down and began to administer the euthonal. He became aggressive and we had to muzzle him. At least he got to die at home beside the fire with all of us around him. I'm happy that I gave him another five good years of life as he was going to be put down by his previous owners. He came from living in a shit-hole apartment in Montreal and landed out here where he never had to be tied, had all he could eat from the abbatoire, could swim in the river, and roll in dead animals or shit. It was rewarding to adopt an adult dog under such circumstances and provide him with a dog's version of heaven. This is the first time in my life that I don't have a dog. I was kind of sad and crying a bit after he died because there are many signs of Shadow still around outside such as his half-eaten beef bones and paw marks in the snow. I was also missing his quiet company as I worked outside that day and into the night. I was always comforted having him on my heel as I did chores or other jobs.

-Richard and I processed and sold some contaminated aluminum on Friday afternoon.
-Picked up scrap in St. Chrys. Got an electric cut off saw and a power pack with a 1000 watt inverter. I was happy finding such treasures.
-Attempted to repair the snowblower.
-Apart from that there has been much Christmas festivities and not a lot of work getting done.

Tuesday, December 18th/2007

Post storm calm.
When the storm is raging it's like we are underwater, closed in and cut off. Once the wind dies down the silence is everywhere. The snow muffles everything and stifles all sound. The house is actually warmer as the snow helps insulate and hold the heat. Light snow is still falling in the wake of the storm; the horses are white-backed with their noses in the hay. Occasionally, they shake off the snow and steam rises from their backs as they bear the weather. The colts still play chase. I wonder how they manage with the bush only as shelter, but the Juncos and Chickadees amaze me the most how they make a living in the winter.

Saturday, December 15th-Monday, December 17th/2007

-Saturday: Hooked up push button bypass to the started on the David Brown tractor. Put the snowblower on the bastard just in time. Annie's staff party for the Clinic.
-Sunday: A pretty good North Easter came on around midnight, the first snow began falling as we came in the house from the staff party. But the wind had been blowing from the east all day. From Sunday until Monday morning a total of over 50cm fell, with 70km winds. I went out on Sunday and cleared out from behind the cars and blew out the driveway. Broke a shearing pin in the process as the snow is so packed and dense. I went back in a finished off the remainder of Crown.
-On Monday the wind finally died down in the afternoon. Richard and I finished the clearing operation. Some of the drifts were as high as the cars and spilled over the tip of the blower. I was officially cold so I went to the village for a little jug of Jack Daniels, it helped warm me. Richard and Margaret came for chicken dinner.

Thursday, December 13th/2007

-Went to the feedmill and got 4 bags of layer mash for the chickens.
-Cleared the snow out of the driveway.
-Brought in wood.
-The water in barn freezes right at the tap by the back door despite the heated wires and heating element under it. It's a hassle to uncoil the hose from the box, then drain it and bring it back to the house. I hope that Dale takes them home soon.

Wednesday, December 12th/2007

-Rested my shoulder. It's been sore since the big clean-up before the snow; this past weekend I seemed to aggravate it by loading the wood.

Tuesday, December 11th/2007

-Finished unloading the wood. Hurt my little finger on my left hand badly in the process.
-Pushed the remainder of snow out of the yard before the next snow coming tonight.
-Brought in wood.

Monday, December 10th/2007

-Unloaded half the trailer of wood we brought back from the bush, put it on the haywagon.
-Installed another heatlamp in the chicken coop.

Friday, December 7th-Sunday, December 9th/2007

-Put chains on both tractors.
-More trim in bathroom around shower stall.
-Went to the bush on Saturday alone to assess the stockpile from last year. I wasn't happy to see a set of 4 wheeler tracks that looped around from Cameron's property and went out at the ditch about 1.5 KM to the east. The trespasser is using the old 4 wheeler trails as entry points and is just making a loop around the bush. I know this because I followed the tracks. I told Francois Albert (the property owner) about this and he wasn't pleased. I was a little concerned as well considering the fact that I have at least 12-15 cords of wood back there. I reckon though that anyone who is going to steal wood isn't going to bother with logs and will prefer the cut and split variety.
-Annie and I went to the bush in the afternoon on Sunday. We piled on a good trailer full (approx 3 cords) and got home without any problems. I plowed a trail in with the John Deere, this should help the wet spots to freeze. Emma went to my parents while we worked.
-Did maintenance on the 4 wheeler: put some 0/40 synthetic in the motor, cleaned the radiator and air filter. Towed Emma around on her sleigh behind the 4 wheeler, she can't get enough. The part she likes best is to see Shadow run along beside her.

Thursday, December 6th/2007

-Brought in some high-test wood; what a difference the heavy maple makes overnight in the fire, the house was still very warm even though the last logs were put on at midnight.

Tuesday, December 4th/2007

-Cleared the snow out of the driveway and yard. The wind makes it hard to keep the house warm. Also the wood stove is not very central, but the main furnace blower running seems to circulate the heat well enough.

Weather
Picked up another 4 or 5 cm of snow. The storm total is over 40cm now.

Wednesday, Nov 28th-Monday, December 3rd/2007

-Teacher Convention on Thursday and Friday, thus the extra long weekend.
-Fixed back wheel on the backhoe.
-Went to St. Lambert with Richard for a clean-up of Jup's shed. Drove back with a load through some awful snow squalls.
-Took a load of scrap to St. Urbain.
-Picked up 4 wheeler.
-Big clean-up at home in the yard and around buildings as a big storm was coming; it took me two days of 12 hours each to get done what needed getting done. Lots of scrap to organize and get under cover.
-Cleaned chicken coop and put new straw.
-Got Irwin to pick up John Deere from the farm.
-Fixed wiring problem on my truck.
-Brought in wood.
-Monday school was canceled. I slept until 10am I was so sore and tired from the hectic weekend.
-Annie, Emma and I cut down a Christmas tree in our front copse of mixed wood. It is a really nice tree.
-Emma is trilled with the big snow.
-Stayed pretty close to the fire on Monday.


Weather
-20 CM of snow Sunday to Monday. 30-50 KM winds
-On Monday there was another 15 CM. Windy again.


Wildlife
-Saw the first Goldfinch and European Starling of the season. Also a big event was the appearance of a Cardinal. It was really bright and Emma was very excited and smiling to see one for the first time. She kept asking all day if it would come back.

Monday, November 26th/2007

-Delivered and sold a load of scrap in St. Urbain. It started to rain heavy as soon as I got unloaded. This was the first time I unloaded in the dark.

Friday, November 23rd-Sunday, November 25th/2007

-Ran power to outdoor Christmas lights for a surprise when Annie and Emma came home.
-Put fresh straw in the shelter for the horses, they still prefer taking shelter in the bush at this point.
-Removed and loaded big radiators from the apartment above Country Harvest store in Hemmingford.
-Saturday was really sunny, clear day; it was quite beautiful with all the ice on everything. Covey Hill appeared to be luminescent.
-Emma sat on the back of one of the mares. She was quite happy.
-Started the clean-up of the scrap storage facility between the barns.
-Went to pick up Vicky and Steven at the airport on Saturday night. They were getting back from Hawaii. I saw a plane taking off right above my parking spot; not something I've seen often.
-Brought my 4 wheeler to Lorne's as the 4WD system isn't working.
-Kung-fu lunch at the farm on Sunday.

Thursday, November 22/2007

-There was quite an ice-storm today. The forecast called for snow, but there was only an accumulation of a few centimeters, the rest fell as freezing rain. The birch trees were badly bent and some of them were touching the ground. One of our big willow trees beside the pond got knocked down and blocking our roadway. I cut it up and moved it away.
-Put straw down in the shed for the horses. Annie said they looked very pathetic and all caked in ice.
-Emma was eating snow and icicles. When she would pick up an icicle she'd hold it like a cigar and say that she was Boss Hogg.

Wednesday, November 21st/2007

-Brought in wood.

Weather
Rain. Snow. Ice pellets. Freezing rain. The snow accumulated to a few centimeters.

Tuesday, Novemeber 20th/2007

-Installed the main lights above the mirror in bathroom. Also installed the toilet paper holder.

Monday, November 19th/2007

-Went to Chateauguay to buy a 2003 Cavalier. It cost $3500, that is a pretty good price for a fully loaded car. Our dollar is strong though and I think that factored in to the cost. Also the people selling it were motivated as they have 2 other cars. We bought it from the psychologist from the school board.
-Put up some Christmas lights in the living room and in Emma's room. She did a lot of "Oh wowing" when she saw the lights. Seems that all the Christmas lights are now LED.

Friday, November 16th-18th/2007

-Finished splitting/stacking wood.
-Opened up bottom pasture for horses to get in to the shelter. Cleaned out cow feeding troughs and equipment.
-Put rebuilt starter on tractor.
-Cleaned out bar-be-que.
-Patched roof shingles on extension with tar. Also put silicone on flashing where brick meets roof. Tarred around the chimney.
-Cut down some Manitoba maples behind chicken house. They are over-run with grape vines. Some of the grape vine trunks are bigger around than my arm. Had to burn a pile of vines and branches in the field as they were impossible to transport.
-Put up trim along bathroom ceiling.

Tuesday, November 13th/2007

-Installed fancy new light fixture in Emma's room.

Monday, November 13th/2007

-Split and stacked wood.
-Brought the starter for the tractor to get rebuilt at the shop on Rt. 209.
-Well water was brownish/yellow today-maybe because of the rain.

Weather
Cool. Rain

Monday, November 13th/2007

-Split and stacked wood.

Weather
Cool.

Monday, November 13th/2007

-Split and stacked wood.
-Brought the starter to get rebuilt at the shop on Rt. 209.
-Well water was brownish/yellow today-maybe because of the rain.

Weather
Cool. Rain

Friday, November 9th-Sunday, November 11th/2007

-Picked up scrap at Richard's. Put table saw on his tractor.
-Repaired line of electric fence around horse pasture.
-Installed de-icer for horse water.
-Took starter off David Brown tractor for rebuild.
-General ongoing pre-winter clean up of yard.
-Repaired battery holder on truck.
-Installed 12v lighting for Margaret in her root cellar so she can store her vegetables.
-Split wood.
-Annie worked on moldings for bathroom.
-Brought in wood.
-Quick cut saw is missing.

Weather
It went down to minus 10 this weekend. I did some sirloin tip steak open hearth style. Potatoes too.

Wildlife
We saw snow geese for the first time last week. A big flock flew over Annie's parents' farm on Friday.

Wednesday, November 7th/2007

-Our meat was ready and Annie went to pick it up. I find it somewhat disconcerting that a living animal got on the truck last week and came back in boxes. Two years ago I was able to dispatch our cows myself and I somehow felt better about that; it seemed that I saw things right through to completion. If I had the skills, I'd even prefer to butcher them myself. This year we found a butcher in Huntingdon who can make jerky for us with the sirloin tip roast. Emma believes the cows went back to Grandpa-pa Maurice. I guess she will know how things work on the farm soon enough.
-I stacked wood.
-Checked to make sure the horse water wasn't frozen yet. Dale brought another round bale, so the horses are here for another week.

Weather
It was snowing this morning, no accumulation though. Windy.

Wildlife
Blue jays, chickadees, junkos at the feeder. Emma is really into the birds and looks for them as soon as she gets up.

Tueday, November 6th/2007

-I split wood; Annie and Emma stacked. Every time I split a piece of wood Emma would yell "good shot dada!". Each time she did it with the same intense enthusiasm.
-Annie also sanded door frames for the ongoing bathroom project.

Monday, November 5th/2007

-Began to stack the wood that Annie and I had cut on the weekend. Had to work by halogen work lights as the time has now changed.

Friday, November 2nd - Sunday November 4th/2007

-Stanley and I changed out the entire water supply in the house with Pecs pipe. It is super easy to install and did not leak. It took us 12 hours and cost around $300. Installed heater in bathroom.

-Tightened alternator belt on my car and repaired loose wires. Installed after-market dash lighting to replace the failing old lights; much easier than taking the dash apart.

-Annie and I finished sawing up the pile of wood that was drying on the haywagon. A good 3 or 4 cords.

-Returned the saw to Richard.

-Installed clothes dryer upstairs for Annie.

Thursday, November 1st/2007

-Went to Chateauguay for various winter supplies and a fancy heater and lights for the bathroom.

Wednesday, October 31st/2007

-It was Halloween. Emma was a cow. We went to visit up at the farm.

Weather
It was a really windy night again.

Tuesday, October 30th/2007

-Annie and I sawed up the pile of birch, etc.
-Stanley and I took measurements for replacing the water pipe system in the basement.

Monday, October 29th/2007

-The beef calves left today. It's always a sad time. Last night I gave them an extra bucket of apples and watched them butting heads and playing for the last time; I'm happy they're oblivious. I watched them from the back of the farm and thought about the first day they came: they'd never been outside before and they went wild in the pasture. Now it was their last night. I like to think that Annie and I gave them a pretty good life outside in the sun with a warm place to sleep. We always brought them wild apples and they had second cut hay along with their corn and feed. They were better off than in a barn or feed lot anyway. Whenever it is time to do the cows or chickens it always makes me think of the impact I have on other living things. Let's say I live to 80 years old. I eat one cow every four years, that's 20 cows that have to die for me. The calves leaving is always a catalyst that causes me to think that at one point I'll have my last night on the farm too.

Friday, October 26th-Sunday, October 28th/2007

-While I was in plumbing mode I installed shut off valves on the kitchen sink and put a new Moen tap since the old one was leaky and old.
-More final finishing touches on the bathroom cabinets such as trim and handles.
-Cleaned up the flotsam and jetsam in the basement that was leftover from the bathroom project.
-Vacuumed out all the ductwork in the house and changed the filters on the furnace.
-Cut some firewood with the table-saw.
-Peeled the remainder of the cedar pickets and stacked them. Then cleaned off the hay wagon on which they'd been stored.
-Repaired cable and spring on garage door in barn.
-Installed new reel for compressor in garage.

Weather
-It rained all day on Saturday, the pond is 1/4 full and the river is high. There was a big windstorm on Saturday night.
-On Sunday it was really cool. It actually snowed for a few minutes in the afternoon. The day was a weird kind of grey day with a foreboding sky. The evening was especially eerie as the sunset was visible below the low cloud cover.

Thursday, October 25th/2007

- Plumbed the sink and fired it up. Emma was the first one to turn on the taps.

Wednesday, October 23/2007

-Cut and installed trim around counter. Screwed down counter-top and siliconed the sink in place. Annie put clear silicone in between the boards on the bathroom ceiling. Tried to change the motor on the table saw, but ran into technical difficulties.

Tuesday, October 23rd/2007

-Finally got all the cabinetry finished. Worked on the trim. The bathroom reconfiguration really makes a good use of the small space.

Weather
Rain. 4 degrees Celsius.

Monday, October 22/2007

-Installed cupboard doors and drawers on bathroom cabinets with Annie. Took measurements for final plumbing under sink.

Friday, October 19th-Sunday, October 21st/2007

- Delivered tin on Friday night.
- Delivered metal on Saturday morning. Processed scrap the rest of day.
- Dug the taters on Sunday. Took down the fence and cleaned up garden.
- Work continues on bathroom, installing the counter-top and sink.
- Went to Annie's parent's cabane to eat supper. It was beautiful in the bush with the leaves and the nice weather. We brought a new cookstove to replace the old one. This one is bigger and of course was a gift from the scrap.

Weather
-There was a big downpour on Friday night. Our pond filled up, the low spots of the pasture flooded and the river was very high.
-On Sunday it was 23 degrees Celsius, very sunny and summer-like.

Thursday, October 18th/2007

-More renovation in the bathroom, putting in the counter-top.
-Loaded more scrap.
-Did the chores and sat on the swing with Emma as it was unseasonably warm.

Weather
17 degrees Celsius.

Wednesday, October 17th/2007

-Processed and prepared scrap for weekend delivery.
-Installed/leveled bathroom cabinets to receive sink.

Tuesday, October 15th/2007

-More plumbing for the bathroom with Stanley.
-Went to Ian Reese's for a good load of scrap. It was easy on as it was all on palettes and he has a forklift.
-It was a long day.

Weather
It went below zero for the first time this fall: -1. Heavy frost.

Monday, October 15th/2007

- Cut slab for the week.

Saturday & Sunday, October 14th/2007

-Allison Walker invited me to her highschool grad at Billings. She was in the first class that I'd taught at Harmony in 1998. I was at Harmony the year before, but I was doing resource and did not have a class. It was neat to see a lot of the kids I'd taught now that they were all grown up.
-Stanley and I worked on the bathroom. Plumbed the drain for the sink and cut all necessary holes in new cabinets. Annie has put all the cabinets together and got them ready.
-Brought in wood.
-Took my 4 wheeler to Lorne to get a new starting jet.
-General clean up of building materials and junk.
-Annie put our dried onions away.

Wildlife
Four wild turkeys in the field across the river. They ran into the bush. When we went down to take a closer look a flock of over 200 Canadian Geese wheeled over us.

Weather
More October-like. There was frost on the car windows on Saturday morning.

Saturday, October 6th-Monday, October 8th/2007

- Went to Montebello on Saturday to take a walk around Annie's mother's family farm before it sells to Parc Omega. It is beautiful country-a nice balance between mountains and farm land.
- Finished the ditch. Dump trailer fell apart. Leveled the piles of dirt.
- Placed boulders to serve as a retaining wall along the road that I'm making at the north-west corner.
- Scraping at Tooles, Jackson Road, and Naults. Got a cookstove that Annie's father wants to use in the Cabane.
- Put saw on tractor and started to cut wood.
- First fire on Monday night.

Wildlife
- Lots of geese.

Friday, October 5th/2007

- Ped day-took it off. Did my snow-tires for my car and sent it for alignment. Also did a bunch of other tires for ATV wood trailer and my truck while I was at the machine.

Thursday, October 4th/2007

- Went to St. Jean to renew my class 1 learners permit.
- Stayed with Emma while Annie worked.

Wednesday, October 4th/2007

- Ditching. Leveling.

Monday, October 1st-Tuesday, October 2nd/2007

-Continuing on the ditching project. The end is in site.

Friday, September 28th-30th/2007

- Got a load ready and delivered it on Saturday morning. A very nice paycheck.
- Re-attached the power line from barn to barn so that the back-hoe boom can pass safely underneath it.
- Continued work on the ditching. It's taking longer than I expected because of equipment problems and I'm also having to put the project on hold often due to scraping duties.
- Daryl Ness and Kim Tannahill's wedding in Elgin; a very nice day. Annie and I like Elgin, if we ever move it would be there.
- Cleaned out the wood storage area in the house.
- Went and picked up scrap from Line on the 209.
- Caught that motherfucking German Shepherd from Duncan road, took it home and informed the owner that it will not come home if I ever see it again.
- Our neighbours on Cowan that are three houses down on the south side told me that they'd seen a moose and bear cubs in their bush on the weekend.

Thursday, September 27th/2007

-Dragged home the two scrap trucks from Mike Hebert's place.
-Did the chores, went to bed.

Wednesday, September 26th/2007

-Diesel fuel arrived. Fueled the fleet.
-Went to Mike Hebert's to prep two trucks for transport to the scrap.

Tuesday, September 25th/2007

More pictures from morning chore time.




-Another first: I was up before the chickens. When I opened their door they were all still on the roost and looked quite startled to see me there so early-it was just first light.
-Changed out the old turlette for a bigger, better one.
-Primed the pump on the surface well.

Weather:
Really hot and humid. Back to doing the chores in my underwear.

Wildlife:
More geese.

Monday, September 24th/2007

- Took it easy as I was still tired from the weekend. Played with Emma. Did the chores. There was a first today: when Annie, Emma and I went to do lock the chicken house door there was one female duck perched on the peak of the roof. I had to throw pebbles at her to convince her to come down. The ducks on a few occasions have been flying further distances lately-maybe a few hundred feet at a time.

Wildlife:
The Canada Goose migration is getting underway. We saw a few flocks today.

Weather:
Unseasonably warm. 28 degrees Celsius.

Friday, September 21-23/2007

- Set up for the chicken processing operation.
- Processed 41 chickens.
- Shipped 2 of our 6 cows.
- A little bit of back-hoe work.
- The surface well went dry with the demand placed on it this weekend. Now I am hoping for some rain.
- Unloaded and processed scrap.
- Changed filters on fuel tank.

Thursday, September 20th/2007

- Went to feed-mill and restocked the feed for chickens and cows.
- Removed the filters from the fuel tank and discovered that I don't have the right filters in stock.
- Changed bad tire on my car.

Wednesday, September 19th/2007

-Delivered our load of scrap.
-Processed scrap.
-Finished before 8:00PM and felt like I was on vacation. I sat on the swing with Annie and Emma and we chit-chatted about the day.
-Update on Windmills: A Gleaner article said that windmills might go up in St. Chrys. The town council has been approached by a company called Skypower and they must decide what to do after all the impact studies and paper shuffling is done. If they get installed I think that we'll be able to see them from home as they are to be put in the local of St. Joseph, St. Michel and RG. 4.

Tuesday, September 18th 2007

-Pictures taken during my morning chores.






- After work I went on scraping detail with Richard: 4:30PM until 9:30PM; that was a long day. We had a pick-up in Ormstown and 2 in Franklin; filled our trucks and trailers. Not even enough time to have a beer when I got home. I miss spending time with Annie and Emma, but we need the cash.

Monday, September 17th 2007

Temperature at 6:15AM: 2 Degrees Celsius.

- There is no more going to do the chores in my underwear. When I went to take care of the cows down at the lower pasture I noticed frost on the big round bale and on the grass nearby. There was also frost up at the garden so I think that is it for the award winning tomatoes.

- There is such a peace early in the morning when the sun is just coming up. I usually take a minute as the water fills for the cows and look at the fog dissipating over the river. As the sun starts to warm things up the fog rises and literally peels back depending on the wind direction. This morning I heard a duck calling; the only other sound was our rooster. By the time I get back to the house I'm fully awake because of the cool air. This morning I really wished I'd lit a fire last night because it was quite chilly after taking a shower.

I take the .22 with me every morning in hopes of startling that fox again. I swore I caught his scent in the barn again the other morning. I am constantly scanning for any sign of him in the fields as I make my rounds during chores. I thought that I would probably like hunting because of the productive feeling one gets as you search for an animal during the early morning. I don't think it would bother me if I didn't even get a deer, just to be out in the bush in November and doing something besides firewood might be nice for a change.

Saturday, September 15 - Sunday, September 16/2007

- Worked on the ditching project all weekend. The routine went as follows:

- Use backhoe for 2 hours.
- Something breaks on backhoe.
- Fix backhoe.
- Use backhoe for 2 hours.
- Something breaks on dump trailer.
- Fix dump trailer.
- Repeat above steps.

It sure beats shoveling though. I am rushing to get this job done as I am way behind on firewood detail since the scraping lifestyle has possessed me. My goal is to get the low test wood pile sawed up next week and then get my high test pile out of the bush by hunting season. I know that November seems like a while still, but there is a whole pile of minor construction projects that need to get done before winter as well.

- On Sunday Annie, Emma and I went to her parents farm to eat. There is a really good view of Covey Hill, Lyon Mountain, and the Adirondacks. On Covey Hill-near Chateauguay, NY-there are now 19 power generating windmills that have been erected; they are visible with the naked eye. Apparently there will be 125 altogether. You can also see the enormous cranes that are being used to put them up. I'm not sure what I think about the windmills. On the one hand I am happy to see alternative energy sources being used, but on the other hand they are quite an eyesore. An interesting fact about the energy produced: 22 to 34 turbines will produce as much electricity as about 1.5 million gallons of oil a year. It would be nice to eventually tell the MFers to choke on their oil.

September 10th-14th/2007

-Scraping all week. Price is up to $210/ton for #1 short metal. I think I've arrived in the scraping business because I was given an honorary baseball hat with the St. Urbain scrapyard logo on it by the owner of the scrap-yard.

Saturday, September 8th/2007

MONKEY MEADOWS FARM RECEIVES TOP HONOURS AT HAVELOCK FAIR

Saturday was rather hectic. On Friday night I'd partaken heavily of my birthday whiskey and was deliciously hung over when I woke up at 9:30AM Saturday morning. This year Annie and I had decided to enter produce from our garden and the deadline was 10:30AM. Annie had been primping, priming, picking and choosing her cherry tomatoes carefully since 6:30AM. I on the other hand had nothing ready.

9:33-10:00
I put on my big, orange chainsaw boots and ran out in my underwear to do the chores. As luck would have it, Mrs. Pycock was at her mailbox as I careened for the barn in my skimpies and flimsies. She began waving hello to me, but then her hand quickly covered her heart and she did a quick shuffle down her driveway as she cast backward glances at my inappropriateness. I could hear many "Oh my goodnesses" as she headed back home with the pornographic image still in her head.

10:00-10:15
Chores got done and I dug taters. The last plant I dug produced a 2 pounder and I wielded the mighty potato above my head and thanked the gods of sun and rain; I knew I was in contention for "biggest and best potato". I also washed a basket of taters for the "best crop" category.

10:15-10:25
Loaded in the car and raced for the fair. Not much time to spare. Lucky Dan Whyte was at the gate and let us park close to the office to register.

10:25
Went to the exhibition hall and was accosted by some mean old lady fair official. She was shaking a rolled up newspaper in my face as she chastised me, "You need to get your exhibitor's card at the office before you can register and you only got 5 minutes before I'm shutting you down sonny, so hurry it up."

10:30
Arranged our produce in the following categories: Best red cherry tomatoes. Best yaller cherry tomatoes. Best potatoes. Biggest and best potato.

11:30
The competition was fierce and almost unlimited as people from all over the Valley enter produce. But we managed to collect first prize for Best Yaller Cherry Tomatoes. First prize for Best Potatoes. Second prize for Biggest and Best Potato (my potato was actually the biggest, however it was not as nicely shaped as the winning one).

I have now been referring to myself as the POAWP (pronounced Pope) It is an acronym for Producer Of Award Winning Potatoes.

Friday, September 7th/2007

- One of the broilers was crippled so we put him in the freezer.
- Cleaned up in the garage.

Thursday, September 8th/2007

- Picked up a load of scrap in St. Louis at Ferme Brault on RG. 40. Went to Annie's parents' to get corn while I was in the neighbourhood.

Wednesday, September 5th/2007

- More ditching with backhoe. Using smaller rocks as fill along back road by the river.
- Big thunderstorm at 4:30 AM. It was so overcast that it was still completely dark outside at 6:00AM.

Tuesday, September 4th/2007

- The forecast was calling for a low of 8 degrees, but it was 3 degrees when I went out at 6AM to do chores. Just about fire lighting weather as it was uncomfortably cold after my shower; in fact I saw smoke coming from a chimney in Riverfield on the way to work.
- During breakfast we watched a huge flock of starlings leaving the bush from Mrs. Pycocks. They flew out in a steady stream of 6 to 7 birds wide for a good five minutes. They came our way and landed in the trees around the house. There were so many of them that it reminded me of bats leaving a cage. Maybe this is how they migrate.
- Continued work on the ditching project with backhoe.
- Got three calls for scrap within the past week. God-damn full time teaching job gets in the way of all the important stuff I have to do.

Friday August 31-Monday September 3/2007

- Weekend of the Cornroast at Montcalms. Eric brought his boom truck and upstaged my potatoe gun demonstration. Emma was afraid to go up for a ride, but she screamed and jumped as she watched everyone else going. She also watched a calf being born and didn't like it very much.
- Built a new potato gun because Richard got a bin full of taters.
- Worked on the backhoe. Leveled and reinforced the washout on the north-west corner of the property. I've been filling it in with rocks, but it needed work on the retaining wall, so I piled up some boulders and that did the trick.
- Began cleaning the debris from along the ditch behind the chicken house.
- The big bull got his head stuck in the page wire and mangled part of the fence. Therefore I ran a strand of electric along the west and south side of the small pasture.
- Went for a 4 wheeler tour with my girls. We sampled fruit from our three apple trees and decided to prune them this fall. Two are good for eating and one produces good cooking apples.
- Took a break and went fishing for a bit on Monday. I was just about to give up when I caught a 4 pound small-mouth on a top water weedless frog. He was lurking under the overhanging branches of a tree and exploded through the surface to grab the frog. He gnawed up the lure pretty good. I feel pretty lucky to be able to fish in my backyard.

Friday, August 31st/2007

- It was really foggy this morning. I couldn't see the house when I was at the gate halfway to the calf shelter.
- I heard geese calling to the east. I thought for sure it was summer residents, but a minute later about 20 of them wheeled over my head in "V" formation. They were so low and so close that I could hear the wind through their feathers. They really looked big and healthy. I guess the migration is starting.

Thursday August 30th/2007

My birthday. Got a box of beer from Mark and a jar of whiskey from my parents. It was a good birthday.

Wednesday, August 28th/2007

- One of the culprits that has been dispatching, kidnapping and eating our chickens and ducks was spotted today. I went to water the horses and upon stepping into the barn I startled a fox that had been eating the chicken eggs from an old, unsanctioned nest. I suspect it is a kit from this spring that hasn't yet become a proficient hunter and is choosing to live off our animals and compost pile instead. I now have a live trap set and plan to relocate him. Just in case I can get a clean shot, I bring the .22 with me to do morning chores, but it is like trying to find a ghost.

Friday, August 24th/2007

- A change of tenants took place. The 5 yearlings were replaced by 3 mares along with their respective colts. The fence suffered damage in the process of loading or unloading; I'm not sure which because I wasn't present at the time. I found the fence spliced with bailer twine, so I had to fix that. The mares drink a lot of water as they are all still nursing.

Summer 2007

- Accumulated a load of scrap every two weeks.
- Scrap processing/organizing.
- Had some hydraulic hoses rebuilt and installed them on the back-hoe.
- Fence line required trimming every two weeks.
- Regular care and upkeep for the animals. Feed mill, sawdust runs, regular maintenance.
- Installed rain-gutter on the shelter for the calves; rain-gutter and down-spout was a gift from the scrap.
- Stanley and I worked on the bathroom renovation for 17 days straight. We still are not finished. Rot had done lots of damage. Had to replace about 1/4 of the floor and rebuild one beam. The air-tools came in handy for impacting the lag bolts and chiseling various materials. Highlights of the new bathroom include: tile floor, a self supporting modular bath/shower unit, heat lamps in the ceiling fan, extensive user friendly cabinetry, heater with fan, new electrical infrastructure. I hate doing renovations or other projects that require the careful use of a measuring tape. So far approx 6k was spent on project, we'd estimated about 5k so we are pretty happy.

August 24th/2007

Update of the summer is soon to come. I had to work 17 days in a row on the bathroom renovations so there weren't any time left over to write this blog. Also my ass is tender from 17 days of shitting into a bucket, so the last thing I felt like doing was sitting at the computer.

July 13th-July 15th/2007

-Went for a load of corn and straw at Ferme Montcalm. Also picked up Lionel.
-Processed scrap with Richard.
-Loaded scrap to sell on Monday.
-Cleaned out blue van at Richard's of all 6.2 pieces and other motors.
-Cut the grass.

July 7th-July 12th/2007

-Went up North for a weekend off with Annie's family. It felt good to take some time off, but after 2 days we felt rested and were anxious to get back home.
-Annie began the demolition on the bathroom.
-I processed/organized scrap.
-Cleaned out the chicken coop in anticipation of the arrival of meat chickens. That is a dirty job that I don't really like.
-Annie and I weeded the garden and hilled the potatoes. We also killed the potato bugs. Emma worked with us the whole time watering with her new watering jug. She also ate a whole bunch of ground cherries. We also got our first zucchinis and cucumbers. The potatoes have started to flower.
-Annie and Emma have been picking black-raspberries every day.
-Got our 50 meat chickens on July 11th. Set them up in the chicken coop for now. Eventually they will be moved to the front barn once I clean out a section for them.
-I went on the truck with Mark for practice, it was great as we were just moving trailers to Leahy's. It has been several months since I went on the road. I was a bit rusty, but got in the groove quickly.

June 27-July 6/2007

-More bush-hogging.
-Finished cleaning and whipping fence lines.
-Repaired north fence line, 3 pickets.
-Stacked fence pickets on fancy rack provided by the scrap.
-Removed old wood storage pickets and supports.
-Clean up of scrap wood for bombfire.
-Did a load of scrap with Richard. We also cut open 10 oil tanks for storage/organization of scrap; it has really cleaned up that corner now.
-The attention that the garden requires is endless.

Friday, June 22-Monday June 25/2007

-Picked up a load of corn in St. Louis.
-Dale came to do the hay on Saturday morning. He bailed it green this year for haylage. 19 bails on our farm and 2 from Mrs. Pycock. We didn't put fertilizer this year and there was 1/3 less hay.
-Bush-hogged all around the fields and rough section in the back field.
-Went to see the fireworks in St. Chrys for St. Johnny day. Emma liked it a lot.
-Cut the grass, repaired the steering on the lawn mower.
-Did a lot of weeding in the garden and put grass clippings and left over hay between the rows. Weeded and hilled the potatoes.

Wednesday, June 20th/2007

-Interview in Montreal. I used a GPS to get there-it works really well. Interview went well.
-Went to the neighbour's bush with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We took a little ride to check on our wood that we'd skidded during the winter. All was well, but I was a little worried to see some other four wheeler tracks coming into the bush from the old ATV trail. Anyway, I'll try to get it out this summer.
-Toured around home with Annie and Emma on the four-wheeler. We discovered that the wild-strawberries were ripe, so we spent some time picking and eating. Emma loved them. When I asked if she liked them she said "yes", when I asked if she'd give me one she said and emphatic "no!"
-As we went to the cows to do the chores there was a really nice sunset. Emma looked and pointed at the sky and said "is nice outside".
-Finished processing birch.

Tuesday, June 19th/2007

-Nervous. Interview for Customs tomorrow. Just did the chores, played with Emma outside and went to bed early.

Monday, June 18th/2007

- Processed the half of the birch that I'd skidded on the weekend. Branched it and cut it up into four foot sections. Piled it behind the woodshed.

Friday, June 15th-Sunday, June 17th/2007

- Had graduation ceremonies at school on Friday.
- Stayed with Emma in the AM while Annie was at work.
- Holly Tools Party in the PM. It was a fun party. When it was dark someone began to set off fireworks. It was the first time Emma had seen fireworks. She was in my mother's arms and was looking at the sky in amazement. And of course because I am in love with her so much, I was watching her reaction. I had this idea that her eyes reflecting the fireworks were more beautiful than the fireworks themselves. I forced myself to narrow down the thought to a cinquain. Here it is:

Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Seem more beautiful to
Me

or

Fireworks;
Your eyes
Reflecting the explosions,
Are more interesting to
Me

Can't really decide between the fourth line.

- Sunday was Father's day lunch at Ferme Montcalm.
- Skidded some birch trees from the ditch along back hayfield.
- Leveled the road along north-east corner of property with the back-hoe.

Thursday, June 14th/2007

- Fueled the truck. Topped fluids in it and Annie's car.
- Did the chores with Emma. She has to make sure she says "hi" to each and every cow and horse.
- Took it easy. Filled up the horse water barrel for over half and hour even though it was full. Watched the sun go down. I have to get ready for the easier pace during the summer.

Wednesday, June 13th/2007

-It was Maurice's birthday so there was a little party at the farm. After supper Emma and I went to supervise the haying operation.

Tuesday, June 12/2007

- Reinstalled the 3 point hitch on the David Brown 990 and prepared it for transport.
- Raised the calf feeding trough on a wooden stand because the little bastards are always standing in their food and then they won't eat it when it's full of shit.
- Had to re-string a strand of wire on the east fence of the big pasture. Minimal damage, but a bother none-the-less.
- The calves and horses began to stampede (in their respective pastures) in a very disconcerting manner; they seemed to be getting more excited by seeing each other run. They eventually calmed down, but I was worried someone was going to go through the fence for sure. I also worry they'll go crazy like that when no one is there to supervise them.
- Finished up the lawn as there were uncut strips from the grass piles.
- I sat down for a beer just before dark, first time that happened in a while.

Monday, June 11/2007

- Went for ice-cream with my girls. Unloaded miscellaneous stuff at my parents (spare barbeques, toys for Emma, etc)
- Mowed lawn. Blew it into piles for the garden. Annie and I picked it up just before dark and she started putting it between the rows.

Friday, June 8th-Sunday, June 10th/2007

- Actually took part of a day off to go to the Ormstown Fair with Annie and Emma. Emma really liked the pony ride. At the petting zoo she didn't care about the animals, but was more interested in the soap dispenser. We went swimming at Isabelle's house after the fair. Emma has no fear of the water, she jumps in over her head and doesn't want us to touch her or help her.
- Went for a load of corn at Ferme Montcalm.
- Whipped lawn and east fence line.
- Processed and prepared a load of scrap with Richard.

Thursday, June 7/2007

-Had to go to the fair to help with the float for Howick School.

Wednesday, June 6/2007

-Picked up more supplement at the feed mill. Refilled silo. (Don't worry Mel, I haven't forgotten about your picture.
-Quite a surprise that 5 yearling standard bred were in the pasture full of piss and vinegar. Dale was supposed to bring them earlier this spring, but they arrived late so the grass has got a bit ahead of them. The horses look really good in the pasture, they make the scenery really come alive and look like they belong here. It's always a nice time of year when the animals bring the farm to life. Emma was curious about them and wanted to see them, but she wasn't as super thrilled as Annie and I thought she'd be. Anyway I'm glad I'd started my repairs last night as it took me until 9:45pm to finish up this evening (and not even one damned beer in the fridge at the end of it). The power is on and the electric is good. I also replaced about ten pickets and one corner post. The skeeters were out, but it was too cold for the black-flies.

Weather
Cool for this time of year, about 12 Celsius. There is actually a frost warning tonight for the townships and Adirondacks; the Valley is supposed to be okay though-good thing as our tomato plants are already in the garden.

Wildlife
I heard a strange croaking sound coming from the river as I was finishing the last few pickets. It was reminiscent of the drumming sound that the emus would make at Parc Safari. Upon investigation it turned out to be two ducks, however it was too dark to identify the species. That's the first time I heard them making that sound.

Tuesday, June 5/2007

-Began fence repairs on the big pasture. Quite a few pickets need replacing and the electric wire is down on the north section. It was a cool windy evening after a strong cold front moved through. There had been thunderstorms all day, but the weather really changed. It was perfect for pounding pickets: cool and no bugs.

Friday, June 1-Sunday, June 3 2007

-Went to Montreal to pick up some hardware.
I came home Friday night and Annie was doing some extreme night gardening with an LED headlamp at 9:30PM.
-Finished putting in the garden on Saturday. We had to separate all the seed potatoes because the shoots and roots had started growing in the buckets of sawdust.
-Changed the worn out tires on my car and finally got around to putting the summer tires on my truck.
-Went to open the Bang Bus(TM). I was quite surprised to find that a grass snake and big ass field mouse had taken up residency in the bus. Oh well I just cleaned it out and did not install the deep cycle batteries or propane tanks. I'll have to see if moth balls work. I dreamed all night that I was in bed with snakes after that incident. I'm not sure how much camping we'll do this summer.
-Helped Richard and Margaret work on their big garden near the Bus.
-It was a nice, breezy night with no bugs on Sunday, so Annie and I sat on the swing out back until 11:00PM - way past our bed time.

May 31/2007

-Took my newly mounted wheels to St. Chrys to get them balanced as they won't fit on Richard's balancing machine.
-For supper we had T-Bone cooked on my fancy new Weber BBQ that was procured from the scrap. Damn good steak.
-After supper I rotor-tilled our newly expanded garden (appox 1/4 bigger than last year to accommodate squash and cucumbers, as well as to have more space between the rows.. I did it up and down and back and forth, it took me an hour. While I tilled Annie and Emma picked rocks. Emma really seemed to enjoy working and stuck with it the whole time. She patrols all over the garden, bends down and really looks for the rocks; she especially likes to throw the rocks in the loader of the tractor. Then we raced to get the fence installed before dark. Of course the page wire fence came from the scrap as well as the metal fence posts. Now the garden is ready to plant, a little earlier than last year. Annie went over her notes and made the plan before bed.

Weather
Humid, rain forestish. There was lightning and heavy rain during the night.

May 30/2007

-I had a spring concert at school.
-Annie picked the rocks in the garden and finished one of her flower beds. At this time of year it is hard to do anything outside with the blackflies; Annie and Emma get bad reactions to the little buggers.
-Annie and I finally finished watching a movie together, it only took us 2 weeks to finish during our sparse spare time.

May 29/2007

-Finished mounting my tires.
-Disced the garden.
-Mowed the grass(more of a hayfield).

May 28/2007

-Found some tires for my car that were stored in the hayloft; all of which came from the scrap of course. Went to use the tire machine at Richard's and began breaking and mounting them.

May 25-27/2007

-Finished repairing discs.
-Went to St. Anicet to get swimming pool and trampoline as well as scrap.
-Supposed to start the garden, but it rained. I cleaned up scrap wood out of the arena and closed the big doors to keep the pigeons out.
-Did some scrap processing.

May 23/2007

- Picked up scrap in Howick. Did some processing and prepared the load to deliver on Thursday. Fueled the truck; I've nearly gone through half my 1000 liter fuel reserve and haven't even paid for it yet.

Farm News
An undetermined amount of ducklings hatched last night. Emma was thrilled. It should be quite something to see them on the pond.

May 22/2007

- Picked up scrap in Hemmingford with Richard, lots of good non-ferrous and hardware. I also go the fanciest BBQ of all time There was a lot of sorting to do when we got home.

May 18th-21st/2007

Friday
-Scrapping until 10:00pm with Richard.

Saturday
-Delivered load from last night.
-Went to Montreal with Uncle Stanley for important secret purchase. I hate going to that crowded, traffic choked shit-hole. I was so happy to get home. I ate and had to go pick up a scrap car in Ormstown. Got home at midnight.

Sunday
-Went to see Mathiew's new property in Franklin. Real nice.
-Worked on the backhoe along east ditch. Leveled the road from the ditch clean out last fall. It started raining so I didn't get finished as the wet clay was causing me to sink.

Monday
-Delivered car.
-Got another call for scrap on my parents road. Went and fetched and sold it.
-Went for ice-cream and to play in the park with Annie and Emma.

May 17th/2007

- Peeled some cedar pickets.
- Put my discs back together. Need to weld the nut back on as the threads are stripped. I'd lost a spacer, but as usual salvation came from the scrap.
- I got 2 calls for scrap missions last night. One woman heard about me from Peter Dagg Real Estate and the other dude had picked up my card from Gary's restaurant in Howick.

Weather
Still rainy and cool. A fire was necessary again last night.

May 16th/2007

- Restocked the silo with 3 bags of supplement 32.
- Replaced the broken feed trough with a modified bathtub.

Weather
Cool for May. 5 degrees Celcius during the day and it went down to 2 last night. Had to light a fire.

Wildlife
Redpolls at the feeder.

May 11-13th/2007

Friday: Finally finished my page-wire fence. Also patched the electric cable. I had to put two braces at the top of the west fence so I could pull the page-wire tight.
- Richard arrived after trucking and we prepared a load of scrap to deliver on Saturday AM.
- Also sorted and organized a bit in the Scrapatorium(TM). I got in the house at 11:30pm.

Saturday: Delivered scrap to St. Urbain, unleaded myself because Richard was trucking again.. Went to St. Louis to pick up the other three cows and some corn.
- Unloaded the cows. All went well, only one collided with the fence.
- Cut the grass for the first time this year. I finally got to sit on the back porch and enjoy the sunset for the first time in a long while.

Sunday: Trimmed the yard. I also went around the entire pasture and trimmed the fence line. It looks really good now and was done just in time as many of the little brambles were taking root again. The fence will stay in good shape now that it will be cleaned regularly. I just hope that I can stay ahead of it this summer.
- Did the maintenance on the tractor: oil change, grease and filters all around. Took the saw off the tractor. Moved the wood trailer and hay wagon out of the hay field behind the house while the tractor was going.
- Disced the garden in anticipation of planting. One of the sections of discs came apart. I'll have to fix that soon as all the discing wasn't completed. The garden looks good, not too many rocks and the sod came apart nicely. I was worried about that because I'd plowed a new section last fall.
- Put the tailgate back on the big trailer and delivered the lawnmower to Richard.
- Fueled the tractor with summer blend.
- We had a nice little supper with my parents and Mark and Amie for Mother's Day. I slow cooked/hickory smoked chicken and beef brochettes on the BBQ; it was really good. After eating good meat like that all the fencing and hassles with the cows seem worth it.

May 10th/2007

- Ran the page wire on the east and south side of the cattle pasture. A few problems occurred; I had to reinforce some corner posts. Stupid ass me cut the underground electric line for the electric fence when I was driving in wedges to straighten a post: more work. I never get in the house before 9pm, then I have to drink appox 2-4 beers and eat supper. By the time I take a shower and finish pissing it's around 11:30pm; I'm tired.

Weather
Still too hot. Around 27 degrees Celcius. There was a little bit of thunder and rain.

Wildlife
The mosquitoes have joined the black flies. I'm weak from blood loss.

May 9th/2007

- Richard and I went scrapping in St. Matthew. Lots of good hardware salvaged. A good load of scrap too.

May 8th/2007

- The Jeep has changed roles: from chicken house storage facility to grain silo for our calves. It looks real redneck having a scrap car acting as a silo/storage facility. I will have to submit the idea to Farm Show magazine.
- Put the snow blower away-I guess it's safe to do so.
- Picked up scrap from Harold Allan's. Shot the shit with him and some dude from France that was working at the Vineyard.
- Pounded 5 pickets to reinforce the back fence in the little pasture. Those bastardly black flies make everything so much more fun. They bite you in your ears, along your hairline and around your eyes. They certainly are hungry right now.
- I have to make a list of all the jobs that I do regularly with my pick-up. Yesterday alone it was used for the following:
-Annie picked up 2 beams, 6 bags of corn and 5 rolls of page wire in St. Louis.
-I got 2 freezers in Havelock.
-I moved pickets down to the pasture and stood on the tailgate to pound them.
-I moved the rest of the calf paraphernalia from the barn to the pasture.
-I put out the garbage.

I would say that it is most versatile and used piece of equipment we own, surpassing the tractor and the 4 wheeler. I feel it the most when the truck is out of service.


Weather
Too hot. 25 degrees Celsius. The weekend we still needed a fire. Not anymore this week.

May 7th/2007

- Cleaned up all the flotsam and jetsam around the machinery shed that was left over from the resurrection process. Put tools away.

May 4th-6th/2007

-Finished straightening and reinforcing machinery shed. Put tin on the west and north wall to provide a wind break, I'll finish the other walls eventually. Made a barbed wire fence to span the gap from the electric fence to the building. Verified the electric fence all around. Brought two cows down and both little bastards busted out; one went through Mrs. Lavallees garden and almost on the road. Just as I got them corralled back in with the 4 wheeler people started to arrive for Emma's birthday party. I spent another hour fixing the fence they broke. An hour later we walked the female down. She only went through the horse pasture fence and damaged just one wire. I was running thin on patience after working all week on the building and fence and then having to do a big rodeo.

May 3rd/2007

- Worked on machinery shed with Richard. Replaced the sill and two of the posts on the west wall. Removed some of the rocks from the building. The building looks a lot straighter and much more solid already. Emma and Annie came for a visit. Emma is a little bit afraid of the chainsaw; she always says "voila!" when I'm done cutting and wants me to put it away.

- I regret not going camping at my Bang Bus(TM) yet this year (before the skeeters); especially with the full moon this week, but there seems to be a lot pressing in the spring always, especially with the new projects that I have lined up. Also the scrapping is cutting in on my time a lot, but definitely worth the money it brings. I need a little Bang Bus retreat soon. One night by the fire with a small jar of whisky while listening to the coyotes will do me good.

Note
Still lighting a fire at night so the house is warm in the morning for breakfast. I have to get up at 6AM now to deal with the gang in the barn.

May 2nd/2007

- Worked on machinery shed again. Cleaned out dirt, rocks and roots to lay the sill on the west wall. Jacked up the wall to support it. Richard removing the old sill which consisted of big rocks. I began cleaning them out of the building.

May 1/2007

- Sold scrap. The price is down to $190/ton for tin and $200/ton for metal.

April 30th/2007

- More work on the machinery shed.
- Still lighting a fire at night. Put the long underwear back on last week.

April 27-29th/2007

- Brought 3 calves from Annies parents. Set them up in the barn until the machinery shed is ready. Two males one female.
- Picked up, processed and loaded scrap. A good couple of tons. Lots of good hardware. One interesting item was a suntanning machine complete with Blaupunkt radio. It was really heavy.
- Started to replace the sill on the machinery shed with railroad ties. Straightened the east wall with the loader. Amazingly it was still standing despite the strong winds this winter. The brush that I'd cut last spring was blocking a lot of the wind and the building began to lean dangerously once it was in the open.

April 26th/2007

- Went to purchase filters and oil for my tractor: $125, all my scrapin' money gone.
- Found a swing set to give away on Bean River Road. I managed to lash it to the roof of my car. I got a few stares on the way home. Emma was very happy.
- Went to see a golf cart for sale. It has long been a dream of mine to own a golf cart as I was somewhat of an addict during my tenure at Parc Safari.

April 25/2007

- Delivered the John Deere to St. Louis with Irwin on his flatbed. He charges a buck a click.
- Sold scrap.
- Processed scrap.
- Had to light a fire as the temp went below zero(celcius).

April 24/2007

- Sold a load of scrap in St. Urbain. Tin-$200/ton. We had almost a ton. The price of Aluminum is as high as it's ever been also: 75 cents/pound for extruded and 65 cents/pound for mixed. I have mixed feelings about the fact that most of the metal ends up in China. I like the cash but them Goddamned china-men have created record levels of pollution as they continue to evolve as an industrialized nation, and they also might end up bombing us one day with the metal we are selling them.

- Fixed the new horse water-trough with Richard.

- Took the chains off the John Deere as it is going back to Ferme Montcalm for the busy summer season.

April 23/2007

- Processed scrap. The price of tin and metal is still over $200/ton. Got the feeder ready for the calves; found it in the scrap of course.
- Took a ride around the place and got discouraged at how much needs to get done; I had trouble sleeping as a result. This Goddamned job gets in the way of getting things accomplished; I really could use that extra 7-8 hours a day during prime daylight.

April 20-22/2007

Friday
- Changed oil on my truck and did general spring maintenance. Did the oil on Richard's flatbed too.

Saturday
- Did some tar patching on the roof of the new Bang Bus(TM).
- Activated the H20 delivery system to the barn and repaired the hose going down to the little shed for the calves. Grover showed up so the wobbly pops hindered some productivity.
- Processed scrap. (Radiators)

Sunday
- Went to the cabane for Julie's birthday. It was a most wonderful day. The kids all had a lot of fun.
- Loaded scrap at the farm.

Weather
Real nice 20 degrees celcius. Sunny all weekend.

Wildlife
Frogs are in full chorus. It is literally deafening at our pond. The damn mosquitoes are already out. Hard to believe there was a major snow storm this time last week.

Note
I have bravely shucked my long underwear for the first time since last September. Never in my life have I ever done such a thing prior to the 1st of May. Well I guess climate change affects many things.

April 19/2007

Last night I didn't have to light a fire for the first time since last fall. However, it was a little cold after taking a shower this morning. Putting on the electric heat is one of the most sinningest things I could do, right up there with putting water in whiskey or not picking up a scrap fridge on the side of the road.

Weather
Still nice. 14 degrees C. Everything is drying up nicely.

Wildlife
Lots of geese in the fields. Their presence is heard or scene quite regularly.

April 18/2007

Helped Richard put the bastardly fuel pump on his flatbed. I got the laying in the mud part of the job, but even so Richard still did most of the cursing. We finally got the thing all bled and running just before dark.

Weather
Finally nice. Around 12 degrees. Sunny.

Wildlife
Saw a beaver in Russtletown Flats beside a waterfiled ditch in a hayfield. The frogs are gradually increasing their choir members each night.

April 17/2007

Finished cleaning up all the scrap lumber that I had ejected from the barn in a fit of cleaning rage on the weekend. When I light the burn pile this summer there certainly will be a big fire that will have the neighbours running for the phone to call the fire chief; I predict flames in the 75 foot range. Click here for a picture of the fire back in 2005.

Weather
Still shitty.

Wildlife
Saw the resident owl patrolling over the back hayfields. We assume that she took one of our chickens this spring as we have seen her do in the past.

April 16/2007

-Started cleaning out the machinery shed: old lumber, hay, some stored stuff. The building will be used to accommodate the 6 Holsteins that will be raised for beef on our farm until November. Three are going to be shared between my parents, us and Mark. The other three are for Annie's family. Emma will be happy to have cows again.

Weather
Cold, rain, snow. The storm is on its second day now; it feels like December. The fields adjacent to the river are flooded; the river is almost breaking its banks along the road.

Wildlife
While on the 4 wheeler with the family, we saw a beaver headed downriver. He was cruising right along, often submerging to avoid flotsam and jetsam. Shadow was really interested and was barking at it from the bank. Even after living with us for 5 years he has still not ever gone completely into the water.

April 14-15/2007

- Cut slab.
- Processed scrap. (aluminum)
- Cleaned up the Scrapatorium(TM).
- Moved and organized my lumber pile.
- Went to the cabane on Saturday.

Weather
North Easter. About a foot of snow. Lots of rain and wind. Power was flashing all night.

April 12-13, 2007

- Processed scrap (aluminum). I love breaking stuff apart; it's kind of therapeutic for me.
- Went to practice driving at Suttons (and to have a beer or two). After working with women all day I need a little dosage of testosterone from all that the garage has to offer: diesel fumes, beer, boys, trucks, stories, immature behaviour, and tobacco.

Weather
Snow. Rain. Cold -2 Celsius. We have a few cm on the ground and it is still snowing this afternoon. Sort of strange for this time of year.

Wildlife
I saw 2 more Canadian Woodland ducks at the pond in Russletown flats.

April 10-11, 2007

- Peeled pickets with Richard.
- Delivered the shucked tires to the recycling depot in Hemmingford.
- Picked up a bundle of slab from Sommerville's on the way back. I decided to try hemlock that was milled last fall instead of the poplar. If it's not dry enough then I will stack it up for next year.

Weather
Temperature hovers around zero. Grey.

Wildlife
Many Brown Headed Cowbirds at the feeder lately.

April 5-9, 2007 (Easter Weekend)

- Trimmed fence line on west side of pasture.
- Picked up scrap.
- Processed scrap (rims).
- Cut one and a half bundles of slab and brought it in the house.
- Went to the cabane and finished installing lights. Got badly stuck on the way in, had to be rescued by the tractor. On the way out I gave it to her in order to blast through the mud; Emma was laughing all the way and asked to do it again when we reached the road.
- Went on a search and rescue mission to find a chain that I'd lost off the winch in the bush this winter. I went as far as I could down the old 4 wheeler trail and walked after that in an attempt to find the proverbial passage to Ferraros and then Hendersons sugar shack. No luck. I think I went too far as I found myself all the way on rang St. Joseph. I did see a lot of signs of deer though, I even came across a place under a tree where all the snow was melted to just the size of a deer and there was a pile of pellets too; must've been one bedded down there.

Weather
Wintry. Cold and even a few cm of snow on Sunday.

Wildlife
Saw 2 Canadian Woodland ducks land on a pond in the bush.

April 4th/2007

It was a cold rainy day, we're supposed to get a few cm of snow tonight. I went to Summerville's Saw Mill to pick up a load of slab poplar. I've been holding off burning my good seasoned maple by cutting up 8 foot slab; it's a perfect fuel for this time of year. It costs $15 a bundle and it will last me 2 weeks during spring weather, need to stoke often though. It started snowing when I was unloading it with the tractor; I put a chain at the bottom of the trailer before it gets loaded in with the forklift, that way I just yank it out with the loader and put it on a haywagon at home.

April 3rd 2007

Peeled over 30 pickets. Threw a couple in the pond to soak as the bark wouldn't come off.

April 2nd/2007

-Started trimming the brush along the back pasture after supper. I did the south fence -line(approx 300-400 feet). Emma and Annie came for a visit and helped remove the cut brush. Emma wanted to go see the ducks in the pond so they didn't stay long, I think that she's doesn't really like the sound of the chainsaw either. Once the trimming is complete I hope to stay ahead of it this summer just with the whipper; we'll see.
After that the 3 of us went to check on our pile of cedar pickets that we'd cut (from Lavallee's bush) and piled up last year. The bark was really wet and came off easily. We peeled 10 pickets before dark. The fence is really on my mind. It will be a race, as usual, to get the pickets peeled and sharpened and in the ground when it is still good and wet.

Wildlife Observations
Robins are back.
The Goldfinches are changing from their drab winter plumage and turning bright yellow.
Annie and I saw the owl a couple days ago. Maybe it will take a chicken or two as it has done in the past. It lives down near Feraro's sugar shack complex.

April 1st

-Cut slab
-Cleaned up Scrapatorium(TM)
-Checked on my camp back at Richard and Margaret's.
-Peeled a couple of pickets for the upcoming fencing operation.
-Went for the first Samurai tour of the year.
-Fell asleep to the sound of the first frogs in the pond, rain on the roof and coyotes singing.

March 24th & 25th

Cabane

It's hard to do anything else except to go and eat, drink and breathe maple syrup when the season starts. Emma learned the words "cabane" and "pallette" within 15 minutes of arrival. While eating maple toffee she says: "neige est bon".

March Highlights

-Worked in the bush skidding logs.
-Cut a lot of slab from the sawmill to hold off on the good wood.
-Shipped a lot of my stockpiled metal as the price was up to $245/ton.
-Processed scrap.

Wild-Life
-March 5th- Red-winged black birds returned. They had a hard time as there were a few storms yet to come. They ate 2 gallons of seeds a day.
-March 17th - Geese.

Alley

March 1st
I was away at winter camp with the kids. Alley wasn't feeling well (throwing up, trouble getting up) when I left so Annie brought her into work with her for x-rays and blood tests. They opened her and found cancer so they put her down right on the operating table. She was healthy right up to the end and Annie and I were both surprised that she fell ill so quickly-literally over night.
She was my first official dog. I got her as a puppy in 1999 and she's been with me through some of the worst times in my life (major break-up, a few really awful teaching assignments) and some of the best times (buying my farm, meeting Annie, Emma being born). She liked riding in the truck, swimming in the river, and going with us to work in the bush. I loved her a lot. I was sad that I wasn't with her at the end, but I was happy that Annie was there. Annie told me that Emma was sitting beside her on the exam room floor; Emma was colouring and Alley was really calm and comforted by Emma being with her. Emma liked giving her "bon-bons" (dog treats) and "Alley" was one of Emma's first words. I'm writing this in April and Emma still goes to the back room and calls for Alley. The other day she said "Alley, booboo, ventre, bye bye". I guess she finally understands.

Highlights of Alley's life:
- Eating an entire deer over the course of one winter that I'd brought home as "roadkill delight".
- Getting her own dog in 2003.
- Jumping out of my truck cab while doing 60km/hour to attack a neighbour's dog.
- Moving to the farm and having her own private pond and river for swimming.