Week of 12/1/24
This week started out cold on Monday with the low being only 12 degrees and the high being 26. Th ground is now froze and that’s a good thing as we had 5 inches of rain in November, and the ground was a bit muddy so now that the ground is too froze to plant walnuts I started on the wood splitting. I will need about 12 full cords to take care of wood needed to heat the house and for the maple syrup operation. On Monday I put 3 gator loads of wood in the barn from cherry trees that had blown down last summer and I had cut and split earlier this fall.
On Tuesday, a cool and pleasant sunny day, after chores and taking large round bales of hay up on the riidge to the beef cattle, I went to the woods to cut down a hickory tree. I brought it down on the loader tractor, cut it in blocks, and was starting to split it when a syrup customer stopped by. It was a retired school teacher and he came running over asking if he could help. I said he sure could. He hadn’t split wood since he was a kid growing up on a farm many years ago, but he enjoyed it.
On Wednesday it started out clear but it warmed up fast to the mid 30s by noon. In the morning I had to cut a mule load of white oak wood as all the oak trees are dying from a beetle infestation. I split that and cut another load that afternoon. By evening th eweather was changing again. The wind was now coming from the northwest and the temperature was falling fast. By the next morning it was down to 8 degrees.
On Thursday after chores I went back to the wood splitting. I took a nice nap after lunch on Thursday before I cut another gator load of wood.
On Friday morning I split wood also. On Friday afternoon I bedded the calf barn and filled the bale feeder on the ridge with big round bales of hay. Friday evening I took the products that we would be selling at the Highland Christmas Market on Saturday. It’s held in the Highland School Gym and we sell maple syrup, pies, and my book. A nice young man helped us carry all of our stuff in, thank you so much Miles.
On Saturday at the market we did very well, all of Ruth’s 35 pies sold out. We sold lots of maple syrup and many books. I think it was our best year ever at that market and we have been going there for over 20 years. That evening I went to the Highland parade, it was a very good one, and then had a meal and played some bingo at the Highland V.F.W. Christmas party.
Sunday was warm and sunny almost spring with a high of something like 52 degrees. After chores I watched some T.V., had a big dinner and took a long nap. In the evening I had a good syrup sale to some very nice people, who have been long time customers.
Thats it for this week,
-Helmuth Krause
