December 20, 2024
Today was cold; it only got up to 45 degrees F. It was windy, eight miles an hour with gusts up to 20 miles an hour. The wind and humidity made if feel a lot colder. The high of the day was early, around 9:00 AM. The wind blew in colder weather.
We decided to work in the yard anyway. We dressed warmly and wore gloves.
Bruce hitched up the leaf rake and started learning how to use it. It works a treat!
I picked up sticks and carried them to the fire ring. The leaf sweeper handles small branches just fine, but vines and larger branches cause get caught in the sweeper, causing the wheels to jam.
After lunchtime, we headed back out. Bruce switched out to the new trailer to pull behind the lawnmower.
We loaded the cart up with some cinder blocks and some of the found lumber. We found this lumber in the area we cleared the other day. I’m guessing it is the remnants of a picnic table.
We built a simple firewood holder on the south side of the house.
This was not the final version.
We loaded up the cart with firewood and unloaded the firewood onto the rack. We changed the wood rack up because the wood was shorter than we originally thought.
We loaded the cart with trash we found in the woods while clearing out the undergrowth. Some trash we put in a large trash bag, other pieces, we placed near the trash cans. We aren’t sure if the garbage service will take it. We’ll have to check to find out. We may sell the metal for scrap.
We decided to move the t-post Bruce pulled out to the barn. After we loaded the t-post (fence post) in the cart, Bruce drove the mower to the barn. We leaned the post against the wall.
Bruce wanted to move the rest of the lumber to he barn. We had to do some clean up in the barn. Bruce didn’t want us to trip on anything.
We decided to open the third door in the barn to make it easier to unload and store the wood. I got the shovels so we could dig out the third barn door. Dirt had piled up against the large metal door and grass was growing in the dirt.
We loaded the boards onto the cart and Bruce pulled the cart to the barn. We moved the boards to the barn and leaned them against a wall.
We accomplished so much today!
I was glad to get inside where it was warm and have some herbal tea.
Blackberry Homestead 
Y’all are mighty fine workers!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks!
LikeLike
Julia, this reminds me so much of the work I did at Dad’s after he could no longer keep it up. It was hard work, but very satisfying and necessary to prevent future work. I loved reading this. I learned about making a dead hedge from short 2x4s and cement blocks and stacking dead limbs in them. It was very helpful, and I am about to embark on making another one. They give protection to birds in winter as well as making a cool looking fence!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have never heard of a dead hedge before. I’ll have to see if I can find some information on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I learned about it on Acts of Restorative Kindness, but I am not sure about that. Just a cinder block with a short 2×4 in the 2 openings. How many blocks you need depend on how long you want the hedge.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I bet Bruce is having fun using all the accessories for the new lawn tractor! And getting a lot done in the process.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He is really enjoying all the accessories!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bruce looks very happy! My husband also wears his military hat while working outside!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bruce does love to use his toys, umm, tools. In this case, I love them too since I don’t have to use a rake to rake leaves! I do like the cart as well since it means I don’t have to carry things very far. Convenance wins!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bruce doesn’t wear military hats since he never served. For some reason, people very often mistake him for ex-military. I think it is the haircut.
Bruce and I have the highest respect for the men and women who have served our country in the military. I have several family members who served or who are now serving in the military.
LikeLike