So you think you had some extra money huh?

Hey there loyal readers!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans.  For my Canadian friends...Happy Thursday!

This year I cooked the turkey and then we packed it up and headed for the inlaws where the MIL made all the rest of the side dishes.
A friend of mine suggested the upside down cooking method for roasting our turkey.  So I tried it.

Rinse turkey, pat dry, rub all over with olive oil, season inside and out (unstuffed) then place breast side down on your roasting rack and cook on 325 degrees for one hour.  Pull it back out and flip it back over breast side up.  Baste every so often.  With one hour to go I cover the breast with foil to prevent it from overcooking.  It turned out perfect.  It was a 22 lb. bird and barely fit in my roasting pan.  A cook time of 4 hours and my thermometer read 172 in the thigh.

Once I had waited the hour and flipped I headed out to cut some wood with the neighbor.  I returned home around 1:15.  Turned on the Lion's game and cracked a beer.  The lion's put a good whipping on the Bear's and it was almost a perfect day!  Thankful for that!

On a different note I am still in the midst of cleaning up from deer camp.  The camper was wet and frozen  and has been in my garage half opened up to dry.  I still need to clean it and put it away but I just need a break in the weather.  It hasn't been above freezing so water and a sponge won't take me very far.  The deer finally unfroze just enough for me to get the hide off them and get them boned out and at least in the fridge.  One deer I actually drug into the laundry room and let it sit for a few hours to thaw.  Mamma was pretty stoked about that!  LOL

Last Sunday I was able to get one of the tubs of meat cut up and was planning on grinding and packaging it during the week which I did but not without a few mishaps around the house.  We'll get to that in a minute.

Last Saturday I received an offer from Lowe's home improvement store.  Use your Lowe's credit card for purchases between Nov. 22nd through Dec.11th and get 18 months interest free or 5% off purchase.  Well my wife works at Lowe's and we get 10% off anyways so I opened up their website and started browsing washing machines.  We needed one anyways as ours is so old and doesn't work all that great anymore.
Well what to my wondering eyes should appear but 40% off appliances with money left for beer.
So I started doing the math and now the washing machine she has always wanted is now within our monetary reach.  With change to spare for a new dishwasher as well.

So we ended up purchasing a Samsung front load high efficiency washer with optional steam cycle and a Whirlpool dishwasher with steam sanitize as well. (great for canning jars).
Take 40% off those and then an additional 10% of that and add an extended warranty all for 18 months interest free.  We dropped $1200.  Not a bad deal at all.  I am stoked with the appliances.  Although only a week old I love them.  The washing machine is out of this world.  You can't even tell it's running.  You have to look through the glass door to see if the clothes are moving it's that quiet.

So as we are walking out of the store I look at my wife and say,"We really should have bought a generator."  Given our power outage frequency in this house.  Last year if you totaled all the days we were without power it was probably close to 30 days.  Oh well, I thought.  It can't be as bad as last year.

Monday
Powerful front moves through the area.
Wind in excess of 50 mph.
I pull into the driveway after work and hit the button on the garage door opener.  Nothing.
Yep you guessed it.
No power.
Irony...is a bitch.
Then I notice that a tree from the neighbors woodlot has fallen into our yard, across my lawn and has hit my garage.  Luckily it only hit with the topmost branches but it still left big gouges in the wood siding as it scraped down the side.

So me being me I get out the lanterns (that I just put away from deer camp) and the little propane stove (that I just put away from deer camp) and I proceed to boil up some noodles for dinner and I move to the couch with the lantern and my book and settle in for the evening.  It's comfortable camping.  My wife then texts me and tells me to get my arse off the couch and get to the getting place to buy a generator.  She is not going through this again!!!!
Reluctantly I drag myself off the couch and out into the storm which is still blowing like mad.

I meet her at the store (she is working) and pick out a generator.  It is a Generac brand which is supposed to be top of the line.  7000 watts, enough to power my entire house.  I won't tell you the price but it was under a grand...barely! :(

So I open the box at the store so I can access the fuel tank.  I will stop and fill the genny and my gas cans on the way home.  Into the filling station I pull and jump up on the tailgate and slide the genny out (still in box) open the flaps and the gas cap.  I put the nozzle in and pull the trigger.
Well lo and behold the tank has a filter screen in it and will not accept the full pressure from a gas pump.  Gasoline bursts from the opening in the tank covering my face, in my eyes and all over my clothes.  Yay!  This is fun!
After spilling gas all over everything trying to fill the damn thing up I give up after half full.  I fill my cans and head for home.  This is when a deer decides to jump out in front of me.  How I missed it is beyond me.  She should have been whacked by my bumper.  I think I may have actually grazed a hair or two.  It just gets better and better!

By this time the wind is so bad that I am driving with two hands just to keep my truck on the road.
I arrive home and assemble the generator on the tailgate of the truck while wind and snow pummel me.  My neighbor arrives shortly after to help me unload.  This is a heavy unit and I can't lift it by myself.  The genny comes with a big extension cord made for 30 amps.  One end plugs into genny and the other had 4 standard outlets on it.  So I grab a knife and cut the outlet ends off.  Strip the wires and I wire it directly into my fuse panel being sure to shut off the main service breaker.  I toss the cord out the window and plug the gap with bath towels.
By this time it is about 9:30 at night and my wife is just getting home from work.

I roll the genny outside, start it and plug in the cord...nothing.  No lights, no nothing.
The generator isn't idling up like it's supposed to.  I reach over and thumb the governor lever on the carburetor, the idle goes up and the lights come on in the house.

I look the machine all over for an auto idle switch or something that will make it run right and no dice.   So into the garage I go.  Read the manual from start to finish and nothing.  Luckily my internet service is on battery back up so I start searching for an answer online.  Nothing rock solid but from my readings I'v deduced that the genny should run a constant 3500 RPMs.  This model does not have an auto idle.  So back outside I go and by flashlight I can see that the idle screw is backed all the way out.  Sorta like they forgot to set the idle at the factory.
So I spend the next 30 minutes adjusting the idle, running back in the house and checking the lights, the fridge, the blower on the wood stove.  Trying to get the idle right so it is putting out the correct amount of power.  I have no tools to measure idle or power output so I wing it.
Eventually I head off to bed tired and smelling a bit like petrol.

I am pretty sure that is what is wrong with the unit but I am taking it back to the store in hopes that a replacement will be factory set.  Too much money involved for guess work.  All in all it is a really nice genny though.

So needless to say the venison grinding and packaging had to wait a few days.  I did get the one tub all finished though.  It made a bunch of steaks and about 18-20 lbs of burger.  I wrapped it all in saran wrap, sealing out the air and then wrapped it in freezer paper.  Then once it froze I put it in a small cardboard box about 7 packages to a box and put it back in the freezer.  Hopefully the extra steps will protect against the inevitable freezer burn.  Today I will finish the rest of the tubs and hopefully even get the camper put away.

So as you can see it has been eventful around these here parts.  I don't mind really, it's entertaining in an odd sort of way (except the outpouring of money).

Culligan is coming today to install a water softener system to help protect our new appliances and give us better water overall.
Our water isn't bad it just needs a bit of help to be optimal.  We all know how hard water can ruin a dishwasher or washer.

I'll tackle the tree when I get these other things done although I can't help but wonder what people are thinking when they drive by and STILL see a tree leaning against my house.  Lazy guy lives there!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Cheers,
-Bushman

A Fire in the Night

Firelight flickered, reds and oranges danced in time with the darkness, while the blues and whites preferred to stay to themselves deep in the center.  They swirled their colors around the flames as if it were a dress on a ballroom floor.

The pops and cracks of the fire were soft and subtle.  Quietly appreciating the silence of the night and embracing her sleek stealth, not willing to break the music of her silence.

In their soft flickering, the flames illuminated the smooth round stones that surrounded them.  Pulled deep from the earth's cold grasp by some enormous force they lay at the edge of the cold, clear creek where years and years of rushing water had softened their edges, shaping and polishing them into the shapes they now held.  The water had brought out their true colors and the firelight enhanced them. Blue and grey, white and red.  It was if fate and destiny had combined them for this purpose alone.

Holding close to the fire, the stones watched her dance and slowly released the warmth into a spreading circle which reached into the night, beckoning and drawing near all within it's reach.

Outside of the warmth of the stones the ground sloped gently away.  Tall brown grasses moved ever so slightly in the night.  Illuminated only slightly by the reach of the fire.  Their greens, long ago tucked into bed for the winter, dreaming of spring and a return to warm sunshine.  Poplar saplings mingled with the grasses.  Ever vigilant in their race for the sun.  These too slept the winter away. Soft brown buds clung to their slender trunks waiting patiently for spring.

The ground beyond the grasses and saplings began to descend sharply and took the shape of a small creek bed filled with more stones and gravel.  The  cold, spring fed waters babbled quietly in the night.  Moonlight reflected off its ripples creating small crescents of lights.  They appeared to smile up at the night sky.  Tucked  halfway into the overhang of the sandy bank a small brook trout waited for dawn. Even the faintest colors of red upon its side caught the moonlight and twinkled in the dark.

The air was fresh and cold, the smell of the forest enveloped the senses.
Fresh earth and the slender needles of the white pine combined with the pungent smell of decaying leaf matter and the sage like smell of the ferns to create a heavenly perfume that exhilarated the senses.  A slight wisp of wood smoke added a nobility to the evening.

Beyond the glow of firelight the forest deepened into blackness where towering pines and gnarled oaks slept in peace.  Poplar groves stood stark in there slender contrast to the giant beech trees which commanded the attention of the all who passed by.  Their immensity only outdone by the enormity of the cloaking night.

It was among these trees where the animals of the forest lived.  One in particular roamed these brush filled draws and steep wooded ridges.  His keen eyesight gave him the ultimate advantage at night and his sense of smell conquered the day.  High up on a ridge he stood.  Lean and proud he raised his nose into the night air smelling for danger.  Wood smoke, they were back.

He made his way down the ridge for a closer look.  Through the trees he could just make out the faint light at the end of the sandy trail.  Creeping closer he stood within 50 yards of the fire.  He counted 4 of the uprights.  They talked quietly in the night.  Telling tales of the hunt and the hopefulness of great success for this year.  He bounded away into the blackness leaving only his tracks in the sand for the uprights to see in the morning.

The fire died down and night regained its control over the land.  The big buck ambled his way down the trail in search of love while the 4 uprights softly snored the night away with dreams of the day to come.

26 more days

Update on Bushman's Acre

It's cold outside this morning.  Not cold as in, it may snow cold but cold enough that being outside in nothing but underwear was a bad move...so I put my sandals on too.  Thermometer says 44 degrees. For my out of country friends that is 8 degrees Celsius.

The windows are open in the living room and every so often I hear a car drive by but it is few and far between.  It is after all 6:30 on a Sunday morning.
I slept in, sort of.  I awoke at 5 am and my head was so full of congestion that my eyeballs were protruding out past their sockets.  My lungs felt like the first time I ever smoked weed cigarettes. Even my teeth hurt.  I could feel and hear my heartbeat in my teeth.  Damn this sinus infection/cold/flu/killer thing.

I let the dogs out for a spell and as I stood there shivering I knew I was going back to bed.  This never happens.  I am the king of mornings.  I love 'em.

I hit the kitchen, slammed a bottle of water, two Sudafed and a handful of Ibuprofen.
Back into bed I crawled.  I snuggled deep under the covers, wiggling into the puppy pile as the dogs fidgeted and found their respective spots.

Then I began to sweat.  Off with the covers, the dogs grunting their dissatisfaction.  I lay there head pounding, snot running, sweating and I began to laugh.  Quietly of course.  Why?  All night long I couldn't get warm.  I was buried in the blankets and my teeth were chattering.  I'm dead serious I was so cold that my teeth were chattering.  Now I'm sweating.  Ugh!
So I got up and here I am, in shorts with the windows open, sitting on a cold leather couch but drinking hot coffee.

There is a crow outside the window and he is cawing pretty loud.  It reminds me of deer camp.  There a lot of crows in the big woods.  Right now everything reminds me of deer camp. I'm pretty excited to go and we still have about 54 days or so.

The weather is turning  a bit.  Cool nights and mild days.  My favorite time of year.  Time to start preparing for hunting season and winter.  The garden is all but done.   A few bell peppers are still lurking here and there and there are 4 nice pumpkins just waiting for October.

I spent Friday cutting down a bunch of dead trees on the back property line.  I piled the wood up and I will burn it in the stove this winter.  The brush pile I burned.

 It's been raining a lot lately and the cooler weather has got the grass growing like crazy.  I almost have to mow it twice a week.  The lawn looks great though.

Once mid October gets here I will start hauling the winter wood supply closer to the house.  I'll stack it on the patio so it will be right outside the back door.  I'll have to fill the entire patio with wood in order for it to last the winter.  Last year I didn't put enough there and had to drive my truck up to the woodpile once a week and then stack it in the house.  That was OK until the snow got so deep that I couldn't get the truck to the woodpile any longer.  Won't make that mistake again.

The honey is in from the beehives in the backyard.  I have about 4 lbs of it on the counter.  It is delicious.  So much better than the store bought and the coolest thing is that the honey was made right here on my property and the surrounding area.
My friend Jesse, the bee keeper, has 3 hives total and he ended up with about 160 lbs of honey.

He sells it for $7 per lb or $13 for 2 lbs.  I will be having it for breakfast this morning.  Toast with peanut butter drizzled in honey.  Hopefully I can taste it!

I tried my hand at spicy pickled eggs last weekend.  I'll let them set for a few weeks and then try them.  Can't wait.  If they're good  I will make some more for deer camp.

That's about all that is happening around here.  September 15th is the opener for small game season and I think I am going to try and hit the woods and bag a few squirrels.  Squirrel stew is delicious.  Plus it gives me a chance to get out in nature.

I will be headed up north for the opener of archery deer season in a few weeks. (Oct. 1st) and hopefully I can take a deer so we can have fresh venison in deer camp in November.  Plus I will turn it into snack sticks and summer sausage for camp as well.

Stay tuned for all the deer camp updates and pics of everything as I get it ready.

Here is an old picture I found of our chimney up at deer camp.  We came back the next year and got the other half.  It is a big hollow beech tree and we stuff it full of sticks and light it on fire.

I'm off to blow my nose,
-Bushman