Tree and Explorer Gone...
I was outside, mucking out the girls' paddock when a couple of vehicles pulled into the yard. The first was a 1/2-ton pickup truck and trailer, and the second was a sedan. Turned out to be Dave Taylor and his son (and a friend of the son, I think) come to take care of the tree growing next to the house. Dave makes a living clearing trees and brushline, whether it be for the oilfield or for farmers. He's the sort of fellow that talks so much that it's hard to get a word in edgewise, and it tends to be peppered with a lot of explectives. But if you can get past that, there can be a lot of useful knowledge and information in it - sort of like surfing the Internet. ;)
In any case, the tree I'm talking about is the large maple (at least, I think it's a maple) that had been growing right against the house on the north side. That was the problem: It was literally growing right against the house. A seed must have wedged itself into a sheltered crack in the soil against the house years ago, and the resulting seedling was never pulled out. Twenty-or-Thirty-Odd years later, you've got a huge tree that's pressing against the foundation of the house, and could very likely crack it. I've already seen this kind of damage around the farm where un-checked trees have wedged themselves against the foundations of the out-buildings, and actually shattered the concrete over time! The sad part for me was that this was a beautiful tree, but it was growing in a place where I couldn't allow it to remain, so it had to come down.
I own a few chain-saws, mostly older machines that I picked up at auctions for a couple of dollars, but I also have a brand-new 18" Poulan-Pro that I bought when we first purchased this farm. I knew that I'd need a chain-saw to deal with all the deadwood around the farm, and at $155, it seemed like a good deal. Of course, back in 2007, I had no idea that I'd be opening a small-engine shop and carrying a professional line of saws a few years later. Then there's the fact that even though I own some saws, I've never actually used one, and I really don't know how to use one properly. These things aren't toys, and even a small home-owner type like the Poulan can be lethal if used incorrectly. That's why the tree was still standing three years later: I didn't know how to remove it safely, and I didn't really know anyone who did. It took Dave and the boys less than 15 minutes to fell the tree, and a bit more time to cut it up into 16" (or so) chunks that I can split into firewood. I'll have to poison the stump to make sure the tree doesn't grow back, or this will all have been for naught.
While they were here, the boys were looking at my old Ford Explorer; One of them needed a "project car" to fix up - just an old beater to get around for the winter. The Explorer still had winter tires on it, and it does run, albeit roughly and not at all fuel-efficiently. Still, the perfect vehicle for somone who's inclined to do their own work and fix it up. The cost of removing the tree was $300 (there were actually three trees, all growing together) and they offered me $500 for the Explorer. That seemed very fair to me, so at the end of the day I got rid of two things I no longer needed nor wanted, and I had an extra $200 in my pocket to boot! Can't complain about that! That $200 is half the money I need for the old Chevy I want to buy from the fellow in town.
I shocked the well yesterday, and now the heavy chlorine smell is starting to show up as the chlorinated water works its way into the system. I'll start pumping the well tomorrow morning, and it will take 48 hours or so of continuous pumping to get all of the chlorine out of the well. Hopefully that will clean the well and kill the rust-bacteria that are discolouring the water. We're still going to have to excavate around the casing and replace (or at least re-seal) the pitless-adapter, but this should get us through the winter. I filled a 200-gallon tank with water for the horses before I shocked the well, but it will be at least 24 hours before we can bathe, shower, or wash clothes due to the high amounts of chlorine in the water right now. This is yet another reason I really want to get a shower installed at Iron Pony; Maybe that will be something that can be done in 2012.
Trixstir and the kids got back from her mom's place around 5:30 in the evening. Sounds like everyone had a good time, and with the left-overs from the turkey-supper I had prepared for the Elk's Club last Wednesday, I had plenty of turkey here for my own Thanksgiving meal(s). In fact, I've had quite enough turkey for now, so if I don't see any more until Christmas, that will be just fine! :)
In any case, the tree I'm talking about is the large maple (at least, I think it's a maple) that had been growing right against the house on the north side. That was the problem: It was literally growing right against the house. A seed must have wedged itself into a sheltered crack in the soil against the house years ago, and the resulting seedling was never pulled out. Twenty-or-Thirty-Odd years later, you've got a huge tree that's pressing against the foundation of the house, and could very likely crack it. I've already seen this kind of damage around the farm where un-checked trees have wedged themselves against the foundations of the out-buildings, and actually shattered the concrete over time! The sad part for me was that this was a beautiful tree, but it was growing in a place where I couldn't allow it to remain, so it had to come down.
I own a few chain-saws, mostly older machines that I picked up at auctions for a couple of dollars, but I also have a brand-new 18" Poulan-Pro that I bought when we first purchased this farm. I knew that I'd need a chain-saw to deal with all the deadwood around the farm, and at $155, it seemed like a good deal. Of course, back in 2007, I had no idea that I'd be opening a small-engine shop and carrying a professional line of saws a few years later. Then there's the fact that even though I own some saws, I've never actually used one, and I really don't know how to use one properly. These things aren't toys, and even a small home-owner type like the Poulan can be lethal if used incorrectly. That's why the tree was still standing three years later: I didn't know how to remove it safely, and I didn't really know anyone who did. It took Dave and the boys less than 15 minutes to fell the tree, and a bit more time to cut it up into 16" (or so) chunks that I can split into firewood. I'll have to poison the stump to make sure the tree doesn't grow back, or this will all have been for naught.
While they were here, the boys were looking at my old Ford Explorer; One of them needed a "project car" to fix up - just an old beater to get around for the winter. The Explorer still had winter tires on it, and it does run, albeit roughly and not at all fuel-efficiently. Still, the perfect vehicle for somone who's inclined to do their own work and fix it up. The cost of removing the tree was $300 (there were actually three trees, all growing together) and they offered me $500 for the Explorer. That seemed very fair to me, so at the end of the day I got rid of two things I no longer needed nor wanted, and I had an extra $200 in my pocket to boot! Can't complain about that! That $200 is half the money I need for the old Chevy I want to buy from the fellow in town.
I shocked the well yesterday, and now the heavy chlorine smell is starting to show up as the chlorinated water works its way into the system. I'll start pumping the well tomorrow morning, and it will take 48 hours or so of continuous pumping to get all of the chlorine out of the well. Hopefully that will clean the well and kill the rust-bacteria that are discolouring the water. We're still going to have to excavate around the casing and replace (or at least re-seal) the pitless-adapter, but this should get us through the winter. I filled a 200-gallon tank with water for the horses before I shocked the well, but it will be at least 24 hours before we can bathe, shower, or wash clothes due to the high amounts of chlorine in the water right now. This is yet another reason I really want to get a shower installed at Iron Pony; Maybe that will be something that can be done in 2012.
Trixstir and the kids got back from her mom's place around 5:30 in the evening. Sounds like everyone had a good time, and with the left-overs from the turkey-supper I had prepared for the Elk's Club last Wednesday, I had plenty of turkey here for my own Thanksgiving meal(s). In fact, I've had quite enough turkey for now, so if I don't see any more until Christmas, that will be just fine! :)