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Despite the half inch of snow we got earlier this week, spring is rolling along. I jerry-rigged a rain barrel, and I like not having to rely on small supply of drinking water to take care of the garden. The thirty-five gallon barrel has a spigot on it and I set it up right next to the garden. Unfortunately, I do not yet have the barrel set up properly. I have a gutter that runs along the front porch, and a five gallon bucket that sits under the end of the gutter. When we get rain and the bucket fills, I take the bucket a few feet to the barrel and dump » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: A Rock in the Garden
Cabin Life: The Colors of Spring
The first clouds we’ve seen in a while are rolling in, and there have even been a couple drops of rain that have fallen from the sky. So instead of writing this while lying in the hammock, I’m sitting in the old rocking chair on the front porch. I can see the four-wheeler, the wood pile, and the lawn chairs that I’ve been too lazy to put away.
The grass is turning green except for the area where I almost always park. That grass is dead and carries the color of dried wheat. Other than that, the colors are coming out, and the rain we’re about to (hopefully) get will only make them » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Winter Without Summer
The last week has been nothing but sunshine and warmth. The change in seasons was quick, and it 
seems like we went from zero to sixty in the temperature department, but it’s been good for the mind. The trees are blooming and the daffodils are shining bright yellow in the hot sun. It’s a good time of year even though my nose won’t stop running and my eyes are always itchy.
The last time I got an allergy test was a few years ago in Jacksonville. The doctor pricked both of my forearms with different allergens. On my right forearm were things like dust mites and pet dander. On my left arm were » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Birds In The Yard
Spring has decided to show up fashionably late. I woke up to snow the last couple of days, and even though it’s been melted by lunch time each day, it has been discouraging to say the least. However, even with the new snow showers, it is clear that winter is gone, even if spring hasn’t set in completely yet.
Pico and I went hiking the other day up St. Regis Mountain. It was a crisp morning, but with clear skies forecasted all day, it seemed like a great opportunity to hike one of my old favorites before the bugs are out in any sort of force. We set off and » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Seeking Comfort When Tragedy Strikes
I made my maple syrup yesterday, and it turned out really good. I know because I drank more than a couple shots of boiling sap and syrup during the process. I did not mind the taste-testing.
Due to the incredibly windy conditions up here and the fact that there’s a residential burn-ban in effect, I decided to boil down the sap at Amy’s. I ended up with about five and a half gallons of sap which boiled down nicely to about a pint and a half of syrup. Not a ton, but enough to enjoy and even share. Making and tasting the syrup was a much needed break after the events of the » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: The Tardy Spring
So far, spring has been a big let down. There were two robins in the yard this morning, hopefully representing a soon-to-be change in the weather. Between the upper field and lower field, I’d say about two-thirds of the area is still covered in snow. In the woods, I can post-hole my legs up to the calf when not wearing snowshoes. Luckily, the freeze and thaw effect has left a fairly heavy crust on top of the snow, making it a little easier to walk around.
The little path that Pico and I have made to the sugar maples is a safe walk, and I have no problem doing it » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Mud Season
We’re here in April, and there’s still quite a bit of snow on the ground. The days have been warm enough to start melting the snow, but the cold nights and occasional snow showers have hampered the quick onset of spring. Pico and I went for a last ski down the railroad tracks near a friend’s house the other day, but now the snowshoes and skis are stashed, and unless something crazy happens with the weather, I think it’s time to call it a season.
A couple of weeks ago, it was so warm that we got our first taste of mud season. Now, for those of you who don’t know, » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: A First Syrup Season
I love my dog Pico. But there are times when he can be extremely annoying. Like right now, he’s licking my elbow and won’t stop. I lifted my arm up off the table but he just jumped up on me to keep on licking. I don’t know why he is doing this or what I could have possibly gotten on my elbow to make him want to lick it so bad. He’s just a little weird sometimes.
I noticed another oddity out here this week. I tapped a few maple trees so I could make a little sap this year. Last year, I was all primed to do the work, but then maple » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Patiently Waiting for Spring
Well, they say that spring is here, but the eighteen inches of snow on the ground out here says otherwise. While snowshoeing up in the back of the property, I took an old ax handle and checked the snow depth. There’s still two feet of snow where the sun doesn’t shine.
I needed a break this week. The wood stove is once again giving me problems with negative pressure causing smoke to come into the cabin. I would be a lot more worried about this if it was December or January, but since it’s the end of March, it’s really not bothering me that much. Obviously, the stove and the chimney need » Continue Reading.
Cabin Life: Reflecting On Winter, And Spring
Well, we had a nice March thaw. I’m not sure it really made things better, but it sure was pleasant to have a couple days of sunshine and warmth. I was even able to let the fire go out for about thirty-six hours, marking the longest period I’ve gone without a fire in the wood stove since January.
While I enjoyed shoveling in just a shirt with no gloves necessary, I was still a little upset at having to shovel. Needless to say, I have had more than my fill of shoveling this winter. The driveway is passable, but not in good shape. The ruts I made when the snow was soft are » Continue Reading.
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