AWOL Blade Keeper Bearings!

New board count!

Seems we’re currently on hold - the Blade Keeper Bearings on the Saw Mill decided they wanted to be come independent in multiple pieces. They are on order. Maybe UPS will arrive today........

All of or most of the lumber has been moved directly into the foundation for drying. Stickers cut from old plywood and fiberboard are laid between the layers to allow airflow for the drying process.

Total House Sub-Floor Package requires: 1376 Square Feet

Complete: 1015 Square Feet

In Progress: 361 Square Feet

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In the wait for UPS, Kevin has had some down time....

He’s been preparing the gardens for winter. We’ve going to have to hot-wire the wire in between our tinker toy conduit fencing. Not much will keep out a hungry deer when they’ve got a craving for pepper plants. They only eat the leaves, Jalapeño peppers doesn’t suit their palate, :0, but the plants do take offense and don't produce. I was so saddened that I dug up everything this year and now have my garden on the deck. Slower to produce, but ah, the green is so lovely!

From my friends at Olive Forge Herb Farm in Haddock, Georgia, I learned this year that Pepper plants can survive from one year to the next and produce again. I am tickled! Pickled Jalapeños are one of our favorites.

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Late breaking news:

Before the Keeper Bearing went AWOL, I learned that there is a good number of boards cut that haven't been counted. We may have already met our Sub-Flooring needs!

Next I believe we will be working on the Roof Package.

~ Cheryl

Summer Helper Goes Back To School

Arthur bought a new Nintendo DS this summer from the money he made working with Kevin. He says working the Backhoe is just like another one of his games. He has also decided that manual labor is NOT his future career (Yay!, but he is learning and will keep these skills to enhance his pool of talents.)

He begins 6th grade to day and Kevin will miss his summer helper. It has been a busy summer!

Board cut count has been updated!

Framing Package: COMPLETE!

Board 

Count:                Size:

93                        2x6x10

7                          2x6x12

97                        2x6x8

20                        2x6x16

52                        2x12x17

3                          2x8x16

Sub-Floor Package: Requires 1376 Square Feet ~ 1X6x Random Lengths

Complete: 576 Square Feet

In Progress: 800 Square Feet

~ Cheryl

Marigolds!

Greetings from the heart of summer in the heart of Georgia, 94 degrees humid!

Kevin and Arthur have been hard at work cutting lumber. The board count rises daily and I have yet to get a solid number from either of them. I expect an update this afternoon.

In the mean time, I am a dedicated ‘Un-sweet’ tea drinker, both iced and hot.

Over the years I’ve grown and tried many a dry herb for tea. Outside of Rosemary which grows abundantly at CherylWood Forest, I am very fond of Marigold for my tea.

The deer do not find Marigold plants a delicacy like our pepper and blueberries. 

Early mornings I pick the blossoms and let them naturally air dry in the house, either on a plate or in the turned off dehydrator.

The tea is somewhat pungent and I like it steeped alone or added to Lipton’s when brewing large amounts. Come lately I make a gallon at a time using the coffee maker. Recently I tried adding some Mint (also from the garden) and a hint of Hibiscus.  A most agreeable combination.

Cheers!

~Cheryl

Slabs From The Past

Hi All,

Kevin has been busy back at cutting lumber for the house, not sure of the board count but he is up to the 17 plus foot longs.

In the mean time I am sharing a picture of a few slab tables he's built in the past.  These have both sold.  The  current tables he has on the drawing board are more refined, but still have a wonderful rustic appeal.

~Cheryl

Tables and Benches - The First Cut

Kevin is back to building tables and benches.

Like the Native Americans who saw the spirit inside the tree before carving their totems, and the artist who sees the sculpture hidden inside the slab of granite, each new log that makes its way to the Mill is a piece of art in the making.

Whether it is to become a foundation wall, a planter box, a cupboard or a treasured piece of furniture, each piece of lumber with their natural unique knots and grains inspire and a vision is born.

The first step has been taken.

Immediate future posts will preserve the next steps.

~Cheryl

Repositioning Mill

The backhoe pushed its limit moving the heaviest log to date; this 17-foot log also came with a natural curve The saw blade did not clear this monster’s height so the blade could be pulled into place for sawing.

The log challenged Kevin’s maneuvering abilities with the Cant Hook, not to mention safety issues.

Arthur and I came up with the brilliant idea to remove the blade so the Mill could pass back to the cutting position. Eureka. Sometimes 3 heads are better than one on a 100 degree day in July in Georgia.

~ Cheryl

Burn Time!

Fortunate for us we do not live within the city limits and have the opportunity for natural burns. With a simple burn permit we make further use of the fall off wood, this time generated by us.

Living out in the country, 25 miles from town, we do not have ‘garbage’ pick up. You would be amazed at the amount of brush and weekender fall out that makes it way to our 5 dumpster dump, located on the only road into our sub-division. (Don’t get me started on what it looked like after the July 4th holiday!)

Arthur is in charge of cutting the fall off into manageable pieces with the skill saw. They are then were placed into the backhoe front loader and transported to our campfire site. A slow fire dries out the wood and the ash goes into the gardens.

~Cheryl

P.s. Arthur is in charge of the marshmallows, dark chocolate and graham crackers in stock! More S'mores!

P.s.s.  The Pesto I made is already eaten!  Its amazing what it can do for meatloaf!  :)  While waiting for the basil to grow back, I guess it time to start thinking about harvesting a horseradish plant or two....