With the nice weather we’ve been busy. The pile of logs and down trees next to the granary/chicken coop had encouraged tall grass and weeds that had turned it into a wild . . . mess. So with clippers and saws Brandon and I started working on it.

As much as we were making progress, it was going painfully slow. Using a bow saw for several down trees does the job, but it is far from fast. Time for Brad’s favorite type of shopping – tool shopping. Asking a few friends for advice he pulled the trigger on a chainsaw. Living in the city a chainsaw is a nice piece of equipment to maybe have around. Looks like living in the country with this many trees in the yard and this many down trees to deal with a chainsaw is going to be a necessity.

Brad went with a Husky, a Husqvarna 16″ 130 Mark II. It got a workout making short work of the down trees. Brad had some time away from work to try his new “toy”.

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There’s still work to do, but there is a marked difference. With some instruction and learning the dead trees around the granary/chicken coop need to come down next.

Firewood has been stacked in the barn to keep it out of the weather. Yet another brush pile has been formed. We are patiently waiting until the burn bans are lifted so we can have a much needed bonfire.

We also took some time and replaced the surveyor’s fiberglass poles with more visible fence posts. Standing looking out it is hard to know where the actual lot line is with 10 feet or so plowed and left in ridges and furrows that weeds have taken over. We spray painted the tops with fluorescent red and the fence posts no longer blend in with the weeds and greening grass.

When we are out for any length of time we bring Sophie with us. We are convinced she thinks she should have been a farm dog, or at least a country dog. She’ll have lots of opportunity to accompany us as we continue with projects.

Next project – the homestead.