I have to admit that when the news first broke in mid January about this new and scary virus, my immediate reaction was worry about getting our new series of logs inoculated. Ron had ordered 600 logs again this year so we had a lot of work to get done. I tried telling myself that, surely this would all be over with by the end of April. Or that it wouldn’t be as bad as predicted. Obviously I should not quit my day job to become a psychic.
After looking at the calendar and checking previous dates, we had settled on Saturday, May 2nd and had started putting out feelers on Facebook. I had plans to change up our event this year. We were even thinking about having a two day event. Either Saturday and Sunday or two Saturdays. I had ready taken both the April 30th and May 1st off so we would have lots of time to get organized for the hoped for swarm of workers. Friend and seriously good worker, Josi recommended that we try pre-drilling a good supply of logs so we could jump right into the inoculation process. There was also thoughts of making sure every volunteer would be committed to working at least 4-5 hours. Having done this event many times over this years, and being comfortable with the process; watching the weather forecast was going to be my only major stress factor. We always warn folks; only blizzard or flood will stop Tiny House Farm from getting the inoculation done. And it was nerve-wracking. The May 2nd forecasting icon went from sun hiding behind cloud, to only a cloud to a large snow flake, back to cloud and sun, again and again and again. I finally had to stop looking at it every day.
We had never considered what a pandemic and stay at home orders would do to us and our plans for Tiny House Farm.
Saturday April 25th was a bright and sunny day so we decided to gather our supplies and make a stab at getting some of logs done. Ron had already been out to THF and pulled his oyster mushroom shelf out of the tent, but it was still full of things that we had moved from down the shed last fall. We just haven’t gotten around to moving it all back up. I have dreams of a set of shelves in the shed to hold all the small stuff. But that will have to wait until we get the logs done.
Keeping social distancing in mind, after all Jo is still pulling her overnight shift at Walmart, we got ourselves set up and starting working. Ron did the drilling, I was stuck with the inoculation and Jo was waxer and wagon loader. We had two tables in use, one at each end of our work tent. And we each had our own masks to put on when we had to work closer together. When loading 25 logs into the wagon for example. Those who talk about muscle memory have it right. None of us had done this work for a year, but we jumped right into each task. By the time we decided to call it quits, we had a respectable load of 30 plus logs across the stream and stacked up on south end of our property. Not a bad first time effort. But this was going to be a long month of May.
Sunday, Ron and I headed back out. This time it was cooler and raining, but the work needed to get done. We were still tweaking our work space trying to get it right for us. I was safely inside while Ron, in order to use his drilling rig-up, was outside in the rain. He insisted he was fine with his rain jacket and cap. He didn’t pull the hood as because that tends to make one hotter and less able to breath.
Monday morning, I was back to work at my in home office setup and Ron was on his own with the logs. He began his new routine. Loading up with water, spawn and supplies and heading out to THF. I was done with work at 330 pm and Ron would get home shortly after that. His goal was to get 25 a day done. The pile of undrilled logs is his elephant, and all he can do is take one bite at a time.
He was a faithful log inoculator, heading out morning after morning. I joined him on Thursday and Jo came, too on Friday. Saturday, May 2th was a bright and beautiful day. After our rainy Friday, it would have been a perfect day for our full fledged event. The work had been going nicely for just over an hour or so when we hit our first stumbling block. Trouble with the grinder. One of the blasted set screws that hold the bit in place unexpectedly fell out. Ron lost it in his pile of wood chips. This was not the first time flying set screws have caused issues. We really need to get one of those big magnets that is used to collect roofing nails. After a general search of the immediate area, he gave up and swapped bits so he could get back to work. Luckily one of his, slightly less than annoying habits, is to buy multiples of just about everything. He is one who always wants to have, not just plan B or C, but plan H, T and Z if needed.
It really was a good day for working. The sun was shining, birds were singing and the stream was babbling. Can a stream babble the same way as brook does? We had a goal of 75 logs to get done. If Ron, as one person could get 25 done in a day, then 3 people should be able to triple that number. Ron had also come up a change in our process that made the work day much easier. He left our generator at the top of hill and ran extension cords down to the tent. I think he was just tired of hauling it down and then back up the hill. But what a difference that made. The noise level dropped to almost nothing. Especially when the drilling stopped. We could actually carry on a conversation without yelling.
With the three of us working, we easily met our goal for the day. It was a long day of hard work, but we kept at it. Because Ron was once again standing outside the tent, the sun was taking a toll on him. He ended up wearing my big floppy hat to give him some protection. I think it looks better on him, doesn’t it?
With the weather channel saying that rain coming our way again, I insisted we couldn’t leave until we got a tarp over at lease some of the remaining stacked logs. On Friday, Jo had worked with wet logs and hated it. The wax she covered each drilled hole with, tended to stick to everything but the log it was supposed to. We needed to make sure we didn’t run into that again. It is bizarre, the little things that can cause such aggravation. The list of things we need to get done before any project can be started seems to grow every year.
Ron worked all the next week; every day getting 25 more logs inoculated and stacked up on the southern end of THF. He decided not to try getting more of the plastic pallets to use for stacking. They were a hard thing to find and haul. He ordered 4 x 4 x 12 beams made of larch wood. They will hold 3 stacks of logs on each set of 2. On my last day out there with him, I took needed action to greatly improve his work environment. He is not one who enjoys working in the sun as it tends to wear him down quickly. For the last few years we had attempted to use the end flap of our tent to provide shade from sun or protection from the rain. As this involved trying the ends of the flap to a rope strung between two trees, it was happenstance at best. My brilliant idea, which Ron insisted was not necessary, was to use our old canopy frame as support for the tent flap.
It doesn’t look pretty, but it makes such a difference for Ron. We will need to figure out a way to attach the flap to the frame. Otherwise a good wind gust will send it flying. But that is for another day and for Ron to take care of.
On Friday Ron got 25 logs done again and came home to order more spawn. Once again his log to spawn ratio was off and he had to call Field & Forest with another order. This time we had about 125 logs still to inoculate and needed 5 more bags. The plan was for him to out again today and use the remaining spawn to get about 15 logs done. Waking up to winter once again today, changed his plans. The snow itself isn’t too bad, just a couple of inches, but the stinking wind is the worst part. Ron hates working in the wind just as much, if not more than in the sun.
The additional spawn will be in next Thursday and we will be able get back to work. Might even get all the logs done before June comes around. But it will be such a relief to have them all done. Then we can get started on the next project.
I do have to send kudos to Field & Forest for the quality of their spawn. We had some left off last year and planned to toss it in the woods just for the heck of it. But of course, we forgot all about it. While digging something else out of the shed, Ron found it and tossed it into the open field.
A few days later, he spotted these shiitakes. Slightly overgrown to be sure, but there they were. Nature is amazing and it almost always finds a way.