A sharp chainsaw is like heaven with cookies and milk!

Chainsaw Sharpening & Painting the Stumps

The new chainsaw needed to be sharpened... already! Because so many trees, large and small, had been felled that the saw wasn't cutting through the wood as easily as it needed to and there are more trees to trim and log. Thus, a lesson in chainsaw sharpening (say that fast five times) availed itself. I'm such an interested student because I don't know this stuff, never even realized that chainsaws might get to a point of needing to be sharpened, and don't know when I might need to do this task myself someday.

In the era when I was growing up, in my family, there was a clear distinction between 'men's' work and 'women's' work and the two shall never meet. I remember going outside to watch my dad change the oil in the family car. When I came back in the house my mom said, "Don't you EVER do that again!" Wow... what had I done that was so criminal and deserved such a reprimand? Apparently it was watching my dad do a man's job... Now that my mom, and dad, are in the Abha Kingdom, I know that my mom understands these issues more fully and acceptingly and won't mind if I bring this topic to light.

Next weekend we have booked as Backhoe Weekend where we'll be removing stumps, roots, and other such pieces of wood from the ground to help prepare the way for the garden beds that will need to be worked up, the pole barn cement foundation that will need to be laid, and the pathways and driveways that need a smooth surface for traversing. To get ready for that busy weekend, I needed to mark all the wood protrusions with an flourescent bright pink spray paint to make it easier to spot the stumps that need to be removed. We agreed that I would mark them with an "X"... or something close to an X.

I walked and walked and walked around the areas where trees have been felled and knocked down with the Bobcat to locate all the protrusions that needed to be marked. Then Dan and I went around and he pointed out the one's that I had missed. Then I went around again and marked all the additional ones that I could identify by knocking them with my boots.

I just took one snapshot of stumps slated for removal, but you can look in pretty much any direction and see a similar sight. We have lots of work cut out for us for next weekend. My son and his girlfriend are planning to help us so they can get some real life stump removal experience in additional to learning how to drive a backhoe. My other son and his girlfriend 'may' join us the next day. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, there were branches to be removed from the huge cedar tree that was felled recently, so we needed to get cracking at sharpening that chainsaw. A week or so ago we had purchased a chainsaw sharpener at the local farm supply store. I didn't know what it was or how it worked or anything...  Dan had set up two saw horses and placed some OSB wood (Oreiented Strand Board) across the saw horses to make a table. Then he unwrapped the chainsaw sharpener from the packaging and connected it to the chainsaw... it just gets placed on top of the blade and screwed on... of course the chainsaw is turned OFF! You need to line up the angle of the sharpener with the angle of the tooth on the chainsaw. 10 degrees up and down and 30 degrees right to left for Husqvarna. The angle depends on the type of saw that you have. Every other tooth goes the other direction, so once you get the angle set to align with one tooth, you can sharpen all those that are aligned in that direction. Then you have to readjust the angle to sharpen the teeth that go the other way. It's a much more manual process than I would have imagined... but that's fine.

To align the sharpener with a tooth, slide the chain to bring up a tooth with the angle that you are going to sharpen...

Here's a close up to really see what I mean...

Then hold the sharpener and go back and forth like you would with a saw to sharpen the tooth. You can hear the sound changing from being a course sound and the sharpener is more difficult to move to when it becomes easier to move back and forth and the sound becomes more even and smooth. Then you know it's sharp and you can proceed to the next tooth that is aligned on that angle. The 'chain' part of the saw can be tugged on to move it into position. I didn't realize how easily the chain could slide. I thought it was more attached to the bar, but apparently not.

Then, one at a time, you move the teeth of the saw to the sharpener. Sharpen it and move on to the next. Do this around the whole chain. Then readjust the angle to align with the opposite angled teeth and repeat for each tooth around the chain. Then unscrew the sharpener attachment and you're ready to go.

When you fire up the chainsaw, it'll be able to cut through the wood much more easily than before... just like a knife sharpened to cut through that Thanksgiving turkey you consumed not so many months ago...!

Bon appetit!

More than a traveling road...

A Road Less Travelled...

When I read Pathfinders by Gail Sheedy back in the mid-1970s and decided to forge my own path in life, I had no idea that it would entail building a road from scratch in years to come. That day came this week...

In order to get access to the farm property, we needed to create an entrance since the land wasn't accessible directly from the existing county road. We started by clearing volunteer trees and brush from what was supposed to be a road and driving over it many times to 'make' a road. However, when it rained, the road became muddy and threatened to get us stuck on more than one occasion. We knew we'd need to build a road to provide easy access to the property.

Hmmm... what type of gravel to order? How many dump truck loads will it take to build the type of road we want? Where to go to get the best service and the best price? All questions we had to figure out beforehand. When we ordered the first load of 'gravel' to create a driveway over the culverts, they delivered road gravel, which was really thick sand... not exactly what we wanted. Lesson: What we mean by gravel and what the company means can be two different things. So then we learned there is AB gravel, road gravel, 1 1/2" gravel, etc., etc.. That didn't necessarily make it easier, but at least we knew we didn't want road gravel, because the sand caused us to get stuck more than once.

The first two loads delivered were AB gravel. Clearly, better than the sand and we can spread it over the sand driveway to give it more substance and into the parking area on the property.

The next two loads were to be the inch and a half size gravel. The driver showed up with a nice heaping load of gravel. It took me back to the days when my father used to work for the Huron County Road Commission. He had all sorts of road work stories to share at the dinner table. 

The driver was to back into the entrance, lift the dump mechanism, and slowly drive out to pour a layer of gravel over as much of the drive as was available.

Watching him work... I became a five-year old spectator again...

The driver did a nice job of pouring the gravel evenly along the road...

With the next load of one and half inch gravel, the driver shaped a triangular entrance to provide a wider area in which to come on the road. Then he dumped the excess onto the AB gravel piles so we have some extra to mix into that batch for the driveway entrance.

Assessing the job from the entrance side of the road, it looked like a job well done... We just have to drive over it for the next several months to pat it down. Yesterday when I walked on the new gravel road, I noticed that it was already settling in nicely and becoming very firm to walk on.

Ahhh....becoming a pathfinder has its own rewards... part of it is letting my core being be seen by the world, rather than just playing a part as an actor in someone else's play. The mysteries of the soul are intertwined with the mysteries hidden in the heart. I'm bringing those out into the open now... and it feels right... and good.

: ) Be happy and be at peace.

Mayo and other foods made at home!

Mayonnaise... from scratch!

Mayonnaise, to me, has always been a weird condiment. What is this strange matter that people spread on sandwiches, use for making a dressing for coleslaw and potato salad, and often put too much on for my liking? I've heard of recipes claiming that you can make homemade mayonnaise, but I had never taken the time to really look at the ingredients of what goes into mayonnaise. I don't know why, but it always seemed like a strange food; sort of like a non-food. And then there's the Mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip debate, which I won't go into here.

   Growing up in my family, my mother used Miracle Whip. I found it to be a bit too sweet for my tastes. Later in life, I decided to eat foods that hadn't been bastardized in some way, so I stuck to eating only mayonnaise and butter rather than any of there offshoots like Miracle Whip and margarine. I figured that the closer to its unprocessed, or natural, state it was, probably the better for humans. Only later did I find out that margarine is only one molecule away from being plastic and that margarine left unattended will not mold, mildew, attract bugs, or disintegrate. Glad I made that decision for myself early on in life.

   In this effort of learning to do more and more for myself and be less dependent on outside processing sources, I decided it was time to take a look at a mayonnaise recipe and do this for myself...

Mayonnaise Ingredients:

1 whole egg, at room temperature

1 egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon Dijon-type mustard

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon whey, optional

3/4—1 cup extra virgin olive oil or expeller-expressed sunflower oil or a combination

generous pinch of sea salt

I left the eggs out while I was out for the afternoon to get to room temperature. (They really only need about half an hour.) When I returned home I plunked the eggs in the blender first—one whole egg and one egg yolk separated from the white. Do you know how to separate the yolk from the white? I crack the egg shell in half and pour the yolk into one side of the shell letting the white run out of the shell. I pour the yolk back into the other half of the shell and more of the white will slide off the yolk. I do this back and forth a couple of times until the white has slid off the yolk into my container set below it to catch the white. (You can use the white in an omelette or other dish where you may need more whites like meringue, so you don't waste any.)

Then I added the Dijon-type mustard. I happened to have a little Spicy Brown mustard in my fridge so I used that.

For the lemon juice, I used concentrated lemon juice since I didn't have a fresh lemon laying around.

And the extra virgin olive oil. I used what I had on hand, but I forgot to take a snapshot of it. I'm pretty sure you've all seen extra virgin olive oil before though.

Here's my bag of sea salt that I purchased from the bulk food section of the health food store.

I processed the first four ingredients in my blender for about 30 seconds. The whey, which I didn't use, makes the mayonnaise keep longer (like up to 5 months). Without the whey, the mayonnaise will keep for two weeks in the fridge.

   Through the cap top that I removed, I poured the 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil into the blender—a bit at a time—while running the processor. It emulsified nicely; which reminds me of a vinegrette that I make using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and spicy mustard. I added a generous pinch of sea salt, which I just happened to have in my spice section.

and then tasted it... yum! I mean... really yum! It was soooo good. I could use it as a vegetable dip all by itself without having to add anything else to it! Why didn't I know how good homemade mayonnaise tasted before?! Why hadn't any of my friends ever made homemade mayonnaise? Oh yeah, because in this culture, people hardly cook anymore let alone make their condiments from scratch. For example, when I go to a potluck, my American friends typically show up with bottled dressing for their salads; however, my Persian friends still make their dressing from scratch, fresh each time and the taste difference is significant. Personally, I've long ago converted to eating fresh dressing on my salads. Now, I'll consider making fresh mayonnaise when I need it because 1) it's so easy to do, and 2) the taste is phenomenal. So... give it a try. You won't regret it; and who knows, you may never go back!

I put the date on my homemade label so I don't get confused by my busyness and forget that it expires in two weeks if I haven't devoured it in the first week. When I make something new like this, I take the opportunity to allow those around me take a taste and decide if they want to introduce a new food into their life too. It's a beautiful opportunity.

Bon appetit!

Plans for the little farm...

Following is a bit of stream of conscienceness (or however you spell that damn word!) on starting up a power grid for our little farm.

First is a power source. For us that will be solar panels.  We also want to get hooked into the power lines but the last quote was $15,000 and we can buy an awful lot of panels, and batteries with that money.  The first setup will be a couple 185 watt panels. Appx 2x4 ft they weigh probably 30 or so pounds.


These two panels will be hooked to several(now two) deep cycle batteries.  We purchase these new looking for the most bang for the buck.  They were appx 80 dollars apiece and now starts the search for used/reconditioned ones from golf carts or equipment. 

I need some type of electrical conditioner, probably in the future. 

I have a 400 watt and a 1000 watt inverter.  These will give 110ACv from the 12DCv batteries.  Not much yet but a start.

We will be using the old RV for the power point for now.  Later a shed will handle this duty and eventually it will move inside of the pole barn/construction warehouse. 

I don't have a final total or even a good estimate on the cost of the power center but following is a list of costs to come over the next year on the new little farm...

Small sheds to begin with compact living...

Small sheds for the asking...

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Woodworking can be time consuming but making the right plans takes even longer. My Shed Plans Elite provide you a wide range of design to choose from and once you have the design you will be able to construct your shed nicely and it will take less amount of time to build it. It keeps all things simple. The aim of My Shed Plans is to make woodworking a fun activity for you. Once you follow Ryan Henderson's instructions making shed will be a less time consuming and more fun thing to do.


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Some of the plans include a Garden bench, How to Build a Fence, Dog Kennel, Making an Easy Arbor,", Swing Pet, Nursery Wagon, Doghouse Plans, Outdoor Fireplaces, Feed Cart, Storage Shed for Pesticide and a lot more.
My Shed Plans Elite provides plans for garages and outbuildings too. You can learn to build Large Garage, Elevated Sawdust Bin, Lawn Tool Storage Cabinet, Garden Windmill, etc. It's a book that enables you become an expert woodworker and complete projects in far less time than you used to.
The book also teaches you how you can build shed that costs less. You will be able to build a good shed much cheaper than the overpriced ready-made sheds that you see. If you have the resources you can build a decent shed for nothing at all.


My Shed Plans Elite will explain everything in detail and you don't have to worry about running out of ideas anymore. My Shed Plans Elite package comes with 2 bonuses. The first one is about foundation, roofing and the second one is about woodworking secrets and contains tips and tricks that may prove very useful. The Total price of My Shed Plans Elite is 47$ and there is a money back guarantee in case you feel like returning the book. What's more, you keep the bonus books that you get with it.

I hope this information is of us.  I have been building these types of buildings for almost 45 years(maybe, more! hahahaha) and find that they can be not only very useful but now can prove to be the basis for a grand little living stucture.
Quick! Click on this to find thousands of plans for your small/tiny buildings!
Be well; peace....dan

I am wondering if this will show a hop page to find a wonderful offering of shed and small building plans. Thousands and thousands of plans!

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Machines only a woman can love...

Outward Bound 101...or how to get a handle on a treed lot

Every day is a new adventure on the land. Buying land with no amenities gives us all an opportunity to learn through each stage of the process. First order of business—surveying the land. If we know where the four corners of the property are, then we can begin to figure out where the various buildings go.

It was a cold, rainy day, but the surveyors came out and figured out the four corners...

Dan rented a brush hog to clear out some of the brush and start making a pathway where we could begin to work. 

After that I was introduced to a skid steer made by Bobcat. They make a small job of getting rid of smaller sized trees.

Before I knew it, I was getting skid steer driving lessons: pedals to manage the bucket, handles to push and pull for forward and backward, how to turn it—handles in opposite directions, and when in doubt you can always turn the key off!

So far so good! My son and his girlfriend came over last weekend and were super excited about learning to drive it, so off we went for nighttime skid steer lessons. Erin was a champ and was driving up a tree learning to fell it with the Bobcat. David went next and snagged his very own tree himself too! That was a fun evening. It made us all re-evaluate what we're currently doing for a living!

Dan picked up a couple of culverts to help with drainage at the place where we are making a driveway entrance.

We ordered a load of gravelly sand to lay over the culverts to start to make a driveway and allow for drainage in the little ditch that is under what will be the driveway.

Seems pretty loose and squishy. I think we should get something to pack it down with. I'm thinking it looks too loose and we could easily get stuck... What if we bought some plywood and placed it on top of the sand for a while while we drive on it to pack it down...

Moving the RV there... well, let's just say we're still working on that! Those boards might have been a good idea...

Onto selective felling of trees. We like that there are trees, but to put up the work structures some of the trees will need to be felled to make room for the buildings. Dan knows what he's doing when it comes to cutting down trees, but how about the rest of us?!

When I rented the chain saw with the skid steer, it was $55 a day. It wouldn't take too many days of renting one to cover the cost of buying one. Off to the local farm supply store we go. It's getting to be my new best friend. After doing some comparison shopping at the local big box store, we learned the farm supply store is competitively priced on this item. We ended up with the 455 series chainsaw by Husquavarna. It's supposed to be a better brand than some of the others and we didn't want an 'e-series' one—short for economy (read cheap). We have a lot of trees to be felled and cut; we need a machine that will do the job.

Danny had the task of reading the Getting Started Instructions out loud, while Dan got it started for the first time, putting in fuel and oil and then pumping the bulb a number of times to purge the air out of the engine. He had to pull the starter rope quite a few times before the engine engaged, but we met with success.

Ready for the first lesson... basic chain saw cutting... Don't sway the chainsaw back and forth; let the saw cut through the tree—like cutting soft butter—it can do it easily.

Then log cutting... Make each log only about 12-14" long so it'll fit into a fireplace or fire pit easily.

Now it's my turn to practice cutting logs...

Ok, I've got it... Danny.... your turn to learn how to cut logs...

Looks like he'll be able to cut logs from now on...

Now that we each know how to cut logs, let's have a real lesson in felling trees! I learned that first you figure out which direction the tree grows naturally—that's the direction that it will want to fall. If the top of the tree is reaching to the east, then you'll need to cut a wedge, or a notch, into the east side of the tree. I started with a horizontal cut about a third of the way into the tree. 

Then cut straight down to the notch making a notch. The bigger the notch, the easier it is to turn the tree the direction you want for felling. Here's a close up of Danny making his front notch...

Once the front notch is cut, then make a horizontal cut on the back side of the tree at least 1 inch above the bottom cut of the front notch. 

Be very aware at this stage of the tree felling process because if you need to retreat quickly go about 45 degrees back from the direction of the fall—not directly back and certainly not in the front of the tree. This mistake could cost you your life. Here's where you truly need to be careful because what you are doing is certainly taking risk!

With the tree down, the next thing is to cut the small branches from the trunk... of course, Dan made it look more like cutting butter again!

Then he started cutting logs...

We're back to full circle now because we already had the logging lesson...

Oh, time to take Danny to his piano lesson. I'll be back afterwards. Be careful Dan...

Here's a snap of the twig pile and the wood pile Danny and I worked on while Dan was cutting and logging in another area of the woods.

When I got back we had some strategic product placement... That Husquvarna gets the job done!

Look at the size of that tree...!

Today, we decided it was a good day to construct a fire pit/cook stove. We gathered 14 blocks and 6 of the little flat ones... They cost about $18.00 at the big box store, but I had 8 from home. Purchasing 6 of each type.

We placed the six flat ones three wide and two deep encasing them with six blocks and then stacking up from there...

Last week at the farm supply store we purchased a little rack ($12) to use on the cookstove. I placed it on top of what we had so far and with a few minor tweaks, we were good to go. For $30 we have a fire pit/cook stove that can work well for a long time to come. Living frugally gets the job done and can be fun!

Next up, let's gather some dead wood and get something easy to start the fire with. The box for the chain saw could be used as starter fuel and then we'll see if we can get the wood to light. I happen to have some lighters in my car... Having lighters was no accident. Stocking up on lighters when you're making fires frequently seems like a pretty logical thing to do.

I retrieved a newspaper from the car too. It helped get the fire started because it's easier than cardboard. Note to self: Keep some newspaper in the car for starting fires.

When getting a fire started, it's one thing to get the kindling to start... but will the big logs catch fire is the real question.

With the big log lit, it's time to bring in some campfire furniture...

In high school, that would have been a fellow football player he was carrying. With a bit of seasoning, he's directed that strength to carry wood blocks...

With a couple of these in place, we sat by the fire and watched the birds... we saw robins, bluebirds, cardinals, a meadowlark, sparrows, and geese. It was comforting to see and hear so many birds flying and flitting and singing their songs. At my house, I don't see so many birds. It concerns me because I wonder how many are left and how many have died off because of the toxins killing off so many species.

At the end of the day, it's good to practice fire safety and put out the fire. We happened to have a jug of water nearby... off when the fire!

We stacked a few more logs on the pile... not bad for a first effort... there's enough wood stacked to get us by for six months...

Meanwhile back at home this morning... inside the hoop house the temperature was 51 degrees and the veggies and greens where growing strong...

I picked three grocery bags full of greens and veggies this morning...

Check out these organic multi-colored carrots... growing away when most days hover around freezing...

Check out the harvest... kale, spinach, cilantro, carrots, onions, lettuce, swiss chard, arugula...

I made a fine lunch of fresh salad with a balsamic vinegrette dressing with pinto bean hummus, deviled eggs, tortilla chips, and sweet and sour pickles from the summer.

Bon appetit! at Chez Kansas... : )