Almost spring

It is mid-March, almost technically spring and the snow has pretty much disappeared.  Quite early this year, but it may not be over yet.

Signs of spring

It is early March and the deer are returning, following a long used path that runs behind the house, just the other side of the septic bed (and putting green).   If you look carefully, you can see five of them moving from left (west) to right (east).   During a period of four days we saw ten of them go through, so there likely were many more.

Knows the routine

Early March and there is still some snow around.  Catherine finds a little time to start saddling Mago.  Afterwards he knows it is time to be brushed.  We will need a sense of humor to deal with this one.

Virtual golf

On February 28 back behind the house on the septic bed (which doubles as a putting green), Bob is imagining the arrival of summer and golfing.   Just how is it that he thinks he'll have time to golf?????

Big food packages

These nice big bales of hay are stored inside a dry barn and are on their way to feed the horses.  Catherine checks the load, safety first!  The bales weigh about 700-800 pounds each and they feed the three horses and a pony for seven days in the winter.   By summertime with a little pasture, one of them lasts about fourteen days.   There's no manhandling these babies, it's up and away with a tractor lifting using a special bale fork.

Hitching post and porch column

February brings an equine visitor, who we tied up to the front porch and he was treated to a nice warm blanket, tub of hay and bucket of water.  After a few visits, he would nicker to the sound of the wheeled tub when we went to get some hay for his visits.  For visitors on horses, naturally we have more conventional hot chocolate and cookies.

Beaver art

Only in Canada....... Catherine is pictured with a chunk of poplar log that Brian salvaged from cutting near the beaver pond.   This is not the largest log that the beavers not only cut down but also skidded in water and mud lined raceways to make their dam.   If we could only get those little guys to give us a hand with house construction without demolishing the place.  Hmm.   We should be OK because they are not fussy for pine.  We plan to carve some feet and a nose to even up under the low side, then use this as an end table.

Artistic help

Two of Bob's granddaughters help out by painting murals on the plywood floor.   These are a sort of time capsule because we expect that it will be another year or so before we put the permanent hardwood flooring over this plywood subfloor.   The only trouble is that we love their murals and now don't really want to cover them up.  We're thinking that photographing them might be the answer, we can get them framed as a collage and preserve them to see.

Tractor shelter

Bob may have to tough it out but the tractor has a temporary shelter for snow, rain and sun!   This is a Shelter Logic kit that we purchased from Canadian Tire.   Although it has many bolts to assemble it, the quality is good and it shed the ice and freezing rain very well.  Behind the shed you can see a swath that Meakin cleared for us to run a buried water line to where we plan to build a barn in the summer.

After harvesting

Bob is pictured in late January on one of the trails after harvesting.   You can see that the area is left with good cover and remaining tree density.   We have a red pine plantation area that we are tending as well as the balance of the property, which is all forested in mainly poplar, maple and oak.  The harvesting was for poplar and we hope to have 50 years or so of caregiving to the place to let the maple and oak really develop.   We are making the paths left by the forwarder and harvesting into walking paths, that's a good 50 year job.  No fear of running out of something to do.

Processor - amazing log harvest equipment

This processor is Brian's machine, Jari is on the other one and Jim is on the forwarder (a machine which picks up, moves and stacks the logs for hauling away by LA).   The processor is an incredible device, it fells the tree and then de-limbs and cuts it up into measured lengths - all in about a minute or two.   The lengths are neatly stacked and the limbs are laid out and flattened (for tidiness and fire safety) to make what will be future pathways through the forest.  Meakin is the company who did the selective poplar (trembling aspen) harvest and they did a great job.   The harvest was to remove mature poplar but not mature hardwoods, cedar or pine.   In addition, the forest was left with sufficient density of remaining young AND mature poplar to keep it healthy.   Meakin did all of this, including building roadways, installing culverts and restoring areas after they were finished.   All in all they practiced good forestry methods and generally improved the property.  We'd highly recommend them.

Selective poplar harvest - log transport

Looking out the front window before 8 am (no problem as we start work on the house early) - not everyone sees a big logging truck passing through.   The log transport for our harvesting was done by LA Trucking, a local transport company that did a great job of not only shipping the logs but also they kept our road plowed and sanded most of the winter.   Note the articulating grapple that picks the logs up and loads them in the front and back trailer section.   If only Catherine could back up the horse trailer as handily as LA does these trucks!

Winter wonderland

Despite a mid-January thaw, there is a winter wonderland at the end of the month.  This is the end of the meadow, next to the house.

Time out for skiing

Skiing is for fun, well actually also for checking selective poplar harvest cut lines.....   There was no problem for Brian, Jari and Jim from Meakin to see  Catherine in her "safety first" bright pink reflective jacket.   The other advantage with this jacket is that Bob would not be caught dead in it, so there is no fear of him borrowing it.  

Using the cookstove

Bob decides that we should test the cookstove by making some fried eggs....... just like camping, they taste terrific when taken as a break from construction duties.   Note the nice big see through door for loading   the firewood.   This is the feature that allows for the use of a longer log in a cookstove.  

Road kill

Our log builder refers to the "arms" on the wrap around porch columns as "road kill".  These lovely features are red pine and were being chopped down to clear a roadside area....... that is until Ronn arrived and made a deal to purchase them for the Angara project.  The red pine goes nicely with the main house white pine logs.   The latter originated from trees that were cleared to widen Highway 400, north of Parry Sound.

Wood cookstove installation

This is a "Flameview" stove made by  by a Mennonite family business in Ontario, Canada and marketed by Mealtime Stoves.  It is not as fancy as some of the other new ones, but it is designed as a "workhorse".  It has a full size bake oven, a warming oven and a cast iron cooking surface.   It will heat a 2000 square foot house and the feature that we like is the side glass woodbox door - this allows the use of up to 20 inch long logs for burning.  A practical idea  when this is your primary source of heat!   OK, now it is January so bring on winter!!!

Handy mobile hitching post

Our tractor proves to be a handy temporary hitching post for our January equine visitor.   His rider is in the house having hot chocolate and cookies while he catches some rest and sun in the sheltered south side of the house.  He was all for climbing the stairs up to the porch but we persuaded him to stay here instead.

Snow machine trail opens December 31, 2009

Maurice zooms by on the snow machine trail, which crosses through our 430 acres.    Maurice does a great job of keeping the trails clear and groomed in season.  The trails open December 31, 2009 - this means that the lake portion of the trail (just past our place) is marked and safe to cross.

Mid December visitors

Three lovely mid-December visitors to the field next to the house.  Usually they move off to the area west of here to "yard" for the winter, but it is so mild this year that they are sticking around.