Filed under: March 2019 | Tags: 3-horse hitch, family time, maple syrup, old-fashioned, percherons, Small Farming, thankfulness
March 30, 2019
Our 2019 maple syrup season has come to a close. We had a cold start to the season and a warm end. It was almost hot (51 F) on the last day we gathered sap. I put our filly Abby in to help the geldings. The sled pulled hard on the dry ground, but three horses pulled it easily.
Abby did a wonderful job. This was her second time hitched in a 3-horse hitch, where we actually did some work. She was alert, attentive, calm and willing. The plastic sap bags, shiny and fluttering caused her no issue at all. The banging of sled, tank and bucket didn’t shake her at all. She knew that as long as the boys and I were there, everything would be okay. She preformed like a champ. Her training and my invested time with her paid off in a big way.
The season was much like this hitch, a tough job, made easy by friends and family. More than once I realized, just as Abby had, that everything would be okay as long as “they” were all there. So, thank you to everyone for the help, the company, the meals…some very late at night, as we harvested the season’s maple crop.
Now, the big job of clean up begins. It takes awhile, but well worth the effort. The woodshed will need re-filled, all tanks and such will get pressure washed and put away. Then in late winter, just before the next season, the clean up gets repeated as we get ready for the 2020 season.
Next however, will be the fun, satisfying job of spring plowing. Abby and the boys will get a work out, as we head towards summer and the work that farming brings. I love this farming life. I see God in the new born babies, the emerging crops and in the sweet, golden, reward that is maple syrup. I am thankful for the knowledge and where with all to make it happen. I am thankful for folks teaching and sharing with me like my grandparents and others who saw in me a light…I hope it shines for the world to see.
Filed under: March 2019 | Tags: boiling maple sap, flavor molecule, making maple syrup, maple syrup, reverse osmosis, Small Farming, sweet
March 14, 2019
Here we go, a very cold, late winter is giving way to a warm spring! We are getting help from family and friends to keep up with the running maple sap. It is a great time of year and the rewards are SWEET!
The boiling is going well. It takes awhile because we do it the old-fashioned way. We don’t take out water by reverse osmosis, we collect in bags, not tubing stretched all over the woods, we boil over a wood fire…all these factors (in my opinion) enhance the final product with an extra flavor molecule…. In the way of my grandpa, I continue..I think it’s worth it.
Filed under: March 2019 | Tags: antique wagon, horse drawn, parade wagon, Shop projects
March 12, 2019
After many years of monkey business, my parade/tank wagon project has been completed! This is an old fuel delivery tank, mounted on an Oliver running gear. The tank is circa 1900-1910, the running gear dates from the late 1940’s. I mated them together with the help of a couple friends who are true craftsmen.
This tank will never again haul liquids. It is simply a play toy for this old boy. I wanted a parade wagon a little different than everybody else’s. This old three-compartment wagon, sure fits the bill.
The nozzles for dispensing fuel can be seen under the cabinet. The cabinet once held three fuel cans of different sizes. The wagon driver would have dispensed fuel in one, three or five gallon cans, based on the needs of the home owner. He also carried three different types of fuel in the compartments.
I hope this wagon is a tribute to the men and horses who made our country run, back in the day when they did it with horses! The hardware on the cabinet came with the old rusty tank when I bought it. There was just enough rotted wood to make a pattern for the new cabinet. I thought it was a good idea to use the old hardware, some of which was hand wrought.
We worked in my buddy’s warm shop. This was another great project to complete. I am very happy with it. You’ll be able to read the complete story about the wagon and all my crazy attempts to restore it in an upcoming issue of Rural Heritage magazine.
Once the weather breaks and warm sunny days are upon us, watch for us on the roads near the farm. The project is complete and this old boy is very happy with his new toy!
Filed under: March 2019 | Tags: Amish Shop, Border Collie, Line shaft, maple season, patience, repair shop
March 5, 2019
Sam, our Border Collie pup, is learning very well. He is having to learn patience. Patience and Border Collies are not always friends! Often times, he wants to be patient, but just wiggles all over from anticipation. Here, he is learning to take the horses to the gate, but then sit watch and wait, until I close the gate. Oh yeah, and no chasing beyond the gate!
I have been hanging out at my Amish buddy’s repair shop. We have been working on another project of mine. That project is almost done too. I, just like Sam, have been having to be patient as the project nears completion. Also , just like Sam, I am almost wiggling with excitement. Photos and a post coming soon about this new project.
In my waiting and watching in the repair shop, I have learned a few new things. I am amazed at how the entire shop runs from a line shaft. This old method of powering machinery is a lost art among us “Yankee” folks, but is alive and well among my Amish friends. A motor turns a series of pulleys. The pulleys, once engaged, turn shafts that operate machinery like lathes, end mills, hacksaws and drill presses.
I watch with my head almost on a swivel, as belts change directions and are slowed or sped up by gear reduction. Small magnetic switches engage small clutches to turn a machine on or off. I am blessed, to not only be able to watch these machines work, but also to be able to ask questions about how they work. My friend will take a few minutes to explain things to me.
Much can be learned by watching, keeping quiet and just observing. I have to keep the “wiggling” down to a minimum as the excitement and questions want to gush forth. Just like Sam in the photo above, I keep my ears perked, my eyes open and patiently wait. Anyone who knows me, will understand just how tough that is for me 🙂
Our weather is unseasonably cold. The cold and freezing temperatures have delayed the maple syrup season. I am using the time to complete items on my “bucket list”. The things getting checked off the list, make waiting easier. The recently completed dump wagon was one of these projects. The good thing is that I can learn something new while I wait.
RicelandMeadows 