Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, July 28, 2014

Bugs Up My Nose, Dirt Between My Toes ~ Free? Is it always a good thing?





Sunday we were back in the garden - heat, humidity, dirt, and sweat. We picked a load of green and wax beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and squash.  We tied up more tomatoes, weeded more of one strawberry bed, and so forth.  I left a few cabbages to pick later. 

Today I need to freeze the green peppers, but will save the broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. Yesterday I got all the green beans in blanched and froze.

It was bound to happen.  I got a head cold on the way home from Georgia. I know, I should be resting, but things had to be done.  It's no fun working in humidity when you are sick.

While we were gallivanting in the south, the produce stand called us.  Our blueberries were in.  Those got picked up Sunday - 20 pounds.  I probably should have ordered 30, but 20 will have to do this winter and spring.  The younger two girls helped freeze 10 lbs for me.  We have the other 10 lbs. to work with today.

On a good note, the first thing I noticed while unpacking our car upon arrival home Saturday, was that my rose beds were completely weeded.  Thank you Mom and girls!   

You know how the girls were giving me a hard time with taking the free bag of corn?  Well, on our way home, Hubby got a call from a buddy - free wood.  He said yes, and to deliver it, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Well, we got home and found this!

Those pieces are mammoth size.  Of course I scolded him.  We do not have any tools to cut this size of wood up.  He was not happy either.  He was on the phone calling his buddy and asking for help.  I am sure it will be sitting there until he finally gets tired of looking at it.  I suggested he call our tree guy friend, and have him knock down the tree while he's out here helping with this pile of wood.  Look at the window height on the barn.  That is how big those pieces are. 
 






6 comments:

Carolyn said...

Well, that is a lot of "potential" fire wood. Just like the forest is a bunch of "potential" firewood, but unless you have the tools, it's not of much use.
Hope you guys can figure out something to do with it. Maybe "trade" it with someone else for something else? But you'd need a pretty big tractor to load it.

Susan said...

That must have been one ginormous tree! Maybe your husband could work a trade with someone who does have the tools - half the wood for the help. Boy, I thought that my 10 lbs of blueberries were a lot - what do you do with the remaining 10?

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I make blueberry jam and jelly. I would love to try making canned blueberry pie filling some year.

EMMA said...

Gosh look at all that lovely garden goodness.
We got offered a lot of wood this summer too, thankfully in easier to manage pieces.

RB said...

Yep, free's good; bugs and all.

Surely someone in your area must have a chainsaw. Kinda surprised you don't have one yourself, living on a farm, but not all are comfortable with them.

And like someone here said, try to barter some for the help of getting the rest of it broken down.

Try Craigslist if you can't find someone another way.

God bless.

RB
<><

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

RB we do have a chainsaw, but these pieces need a bigger one than what we have. Hubby is still trying to contact people to find one to borrow.