Life on the Farm

[Pappy]

Looks like you are coming along BJ, got some fine fire wood there. Ash is probably my favorite wood for cooking, it makes some great cols and as long as it is up off the ground it will lay in the woods a long time. We still have a lot of ash here, haven't had a kill off as yall have had up north, hope it don't make it's way down here. 
 Pappy

[bjrogg]

Looks like you are coming along BJ, got some fine fire wood there. Ash is probably my favorite wood for cooking, it makes some great cols and as long as it is up off the ground it will lay in the woods a long time. We still have a lot of ash here, haven't had a kill off as yall have had up north, hope it don't make it's way down here. 
 Pappy

Pappy I really hope you can keep your ash alive. It really was the prominent species in this part of the world. At least on the good dirt. My people settled in this area because of the trees that grew here. They knew what kind of trees would grow in certain types of dirt. Bottom land ash thrives in rich soil.

Unfortunately the emerald ash bore found a very good place to multiply and spread when it arrived here. The poorer ground with less ash trees it took longer to spread through.


People always ask what the ash bores natural predator is.

My best guess is fire.  This woods is sit up perfectly for one heck of a nasty fire. If this was all unbroken forest I would be very worried about fire.

And yes. The ash is so tangled up that it actually doesn’t lay on the ground. It still makes good firewood.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Have had a lot of meetings lately. I end up going to quite a few this time of year. We have to keep up to date on all of the new stuff. It is amazing how much equipment and technology has changed in the 40+ years I have been doing this for a living. And even more when you go back another couple decades and I was a little kid.

I try to keep up with the information. Sometimes I incorporate it into our operation and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I might even tweak it a little to fit our operation better.

Yesterday afternoon I went to my youngest grandson’s Christmas pageant at school. It was nice but it made me realize he only has one more year of these. Funny. Every year pre school through 5th grade, every grade sing the same songs.lol I am going to miss it when it’s over.

After I got home I decided it was time to go find a Tree. I have been doing this almost as long as I have been farming. This year I decided to thin a few cedars from our beach. I pick two a little taller ones with nice tops and then three shorter ones to fill in the bottom. It’s really more like arranging big flowers than putting up a tree but I like the final result.

Getting closer now. Starting to get in the spirit

Bjrogg

[WhistlingBadger]

Nice looking tree, Brian.  Or trees, I should say.  Whatever works.

Funny. Every year pre school through 5th grade, every grade sing the same songs.

That's one of the reasons I quit doing Christmas programs.   There are only so many songs you can do.  That, and everybody is so busy this time of year with parties and concerts and such, it's a lot easier for everybody if I just wait until later.  And we all need something to be happy about in February anyway.

[chamookman]

Great Tree ! The picture from the Beach looked KOLD, with the winds We have anymore  . Bob

[Pappy]

Good looking tree BJ, wished Miss Joanie like a real tree, got a lot of ERC on my place that would make a good one. She puts her tree up Thanksgiving and don't take it down until after the first of the year and don't like the mess of a real tree, I just love the smell it gives the whole house.
 Pappy

[bjrogg]

WB I have watched a couple of your kids concerts and I have to say I was very impressed. I might even say moved. Really, really cool.

Yes Bob it’s been a very windy fall and it’s definitely getting colder. The freighters have been busy. I have noticed a lot of traffic. The ice is just starting here. Not sure how things are a little further north.

Thanks Pappy. I love a cedar. We have white cedar but it smells really good to. They don’t make much of a mess. Don’t have needles that fall off. A bit of a challenge to put up and decorate but I think it’s worth it.

When I first met my wife she thought it looked silly. The next year we got a “real” real tree. It shed needles everywhere.

The next year we had an artificial but everyone missed the real tree. Now everyone wants the cedar. My grandkids to.

We usually don’t put the tree up until about now. Take it down new year’s. Don’t have a lot of room for tree in our house.

When we are done with the tree it usually becomes part of a ground blind somewhere

Bjrogg