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| Look at the size and amount of shredded brush in the foreground! |
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| Progress continues on recovering the pasture. These pictures were taken after 4 hours, by-the-clock, of brush-hogging. |
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| Based on the number of rings of the brush I cleared for SB's garden in the spring, I believe the land was abandoned about 13 years ago. |
The area beneath the power lines are heavily loaded with brush. I assume that most of the seeds were imported by the birds that roosted on the lines.
The area in the center of the pasture is mostly goldenrod and bluegrass/red fescue.
On the side opposite of the power wires is a drainage ditch and beyond that, on the other side of the property line is willow/cottonwood swamp.
I asked Josh where a fellow might go to rent a brush-hog like the one he is using. He suggested Michigan Cat.
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| The apple tree mentioned in the previous post. Ditch in the foreground and cottonwood trees in the background. If you zoom in, you might be able to see some apples still hanging. |
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| The trunk on the left is about 12" in diameter. I estimate the age of the tree to be 30-to-40 years. |
I opened a jar of the 2025 pickles. My goal was to make crunchy pickles. Changes to the process included adding 1% food-grade calcium chloride (a type of salt) to the pickling juice and to process the cans at 180F rather than boiling water bath (210F at my elevation).
Yes, Virginia. The pickles are crunchy!
D-Ring shoe eyelet update
I purchased D-rings from Amazon and they were easy to install by crimping the speed-lace hooks down with a pair of pliers.
However, they spun within the crimped hooks and did not stay oriented the way that I wanted them too.
I was able to remedy that by stretching a rubber band and then working it under the hook in a way similar to using dental floss. I released the ends of the rubber band and they swelled up and filled the loose space between the hooks and the straight leg of the D-ring. That stopped the mis-orientation problem.
Durable boot-laces update
Not worth the trouble. They don't hold a knot very well.
Muzzle-loading update
A spent 30-06 Springfield cartridge holds about 68 grains of ffg black powder when filled to the rim of the mouth and a snip of masking tape keeps in in the cartridge.
A spent .300 Winchester magnum cartridge holds 90 grains.
In the last 20 years there has been a trend to push velocities up to 2400fps and powder loads to 150 grains.
That is ironic because the 45-70 is often described as "a thumper" and the original load for the 45-70 was a 0.45" diameter soft, lead bullet and 70 grains of black powder.
The only two potential downsides of a pedestrian, 70 grain load is the rainbow-like trajectory and limited expansion of the bullet at extreme ranges. Within ranges of 80 yards, 70 grains of black powder in a muzzle-loader will kill whitetail deer just fine.
I must admit I thought HH/SB's property was a LOT smaller. That pasture is pretty significant? Maybe an acre? Wow, the opportunities in your mind must be reeling! LOL! Get your fruit tree's in the ground ASAP! I have 7-year old Apples that have yet to give me anything but branches and leaves (they're about to be replaced - I'm half tempted to leave the stem and graft over based on your blog, but I think the stem is the problem.. unknown root type, but clearly a semi-dwarf at least.)
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That pasture will be 80,000 square-feet or a hair smaller than two acres.
ReplyDeleteTwo peach trees, five apples, three pears and one mulberry were planted this spring.
Rubbing the bootlaces with a piece of sandpaper breaks the fibers and aids friction. May help?
ReplyDeleteTry paracord - remove the inner strands to leave a flat tube (technically, the outer sheath is called a sinnet) as laces.
DeleteI bought a 100 foot reel of sinnet a while ago for a project and when the laces on a pair of boots wore out, I replaced them with this stuff. It has outlasted the original laces and grips and ties well.
Phil B
Mom made some crispy pickles with alum one year. I remember them being a nuclear waste green and there were cloves in them. They crunched like potato chips and were transparent. My mouth just watered…. Stxar
ReplyDeletePeople are terrified of aluminum in their food, even though it is the second or third most common element in dirt. It has been blamed for dementia.
DeleteThere is aluminum in alum. “In an abundance of caution” canning guides no longer list recipes with alum”
My grandmother made 'iceberg green tomato pickles' with a recipe that included a long soak in pickling lime solution and cooking in an alum solution as part of the process. Crispy & sweet...loved them, and made a batch myself, as an adult, but it's way more trouble and effort than I'm willing to expend these days, and I sure don't need all the sugar that goes into making them.
DeleteUnder the black powder theme. The original load for the 303 Enfield was 70 grains fine powder compressed under a 200 grain round nosed lead bullet.
ReplyDeleteI did some a few decades ago and found that aside from adjusting the zero it worked just fine on Western Washington Mule Deer.
Thanks for the follow-up on the high priced shoe strings. I’ll stick to 550 cord
ReplyDeleteIdaho Bob
The local utility comes by every 3-5 years and sprays under the powerlines to kill back the brush. Last year (?) they brought in a machine that worked like your bush hog and left the ground mulched. I tilled in some sunflower seeds with very limited success. I liked the hedgerow for small game and it grew back quickly minus the quail.
ReplyDeleteBought some "will-never-wear-out" bootlaces made of kevlar and other space-Age $tuff. Wouldn't stay tied, wore out too bloody soon and WAY expen$ive. Hmmph.
ReplyDeleteI have a 54 caliber Hawken and I shoot a 180 gr 308 sabot. A full 30-06 case is the powder load for the sabot to push it 2230fps. When I go hunting with it the gun rides in it's case in the bed of the truck. I have had a misfire due to condensation when I kept the rifle in the warm cab with me.
ReplyDeleteI have about 60 more sabots and I am changing the barrel to the 50 Cal. I can't get any 54 Cal 308 sabots anymore. There is a lot more options in 50 Cal.
I took it out this morning as it is the first day of privative weapon deer season. A 54 Cal Hawken with a red dot hologram sight as primitive. The faun's spots have faded into the gray winter coat. I passed as it was probably less than 50 lbs processed. I was looking for the 4 point that got fat in my garden. There is now one less sabot. Cleaning this beast is a pain.