Today there were no major projects in the works. Ron wanted to use some of our abundant rocks to fill in the massively muddy ruts he had been dealing with while using the 4 wheeler to move our mushrooms bolts to their shady resting spot. Every time he drives up the bank the wheels dig in a bit deeper. He had been out there by himself last week and had gotten royally stuck in the mucky mud. He managed to get himself and the 4 wheeler free but came home covered in mud.
We were going to try and make it safer for us to move back and forth across our second creek bed. We would pick up any rocks we found on the surface in our 3 acre field. Not only would that fill in the ruts, but would get just a few more rocks out of our way when tree and bush planting started. Seeing as how our field is still chock full of rocks, it took no time at all for our wagon to be filled.
We had a great time tossing rocks into the mud and watching them sink. More than a few times we hit the water and got seriously splashed. We really could have used a budding shot putter who was anxious to practice his technique. Obviously it was going to take more a couple of loads.
Back to the field for more rocks. We really should have dug these rocks out before the rye grass got so high. It has shot up since last weekend along with the dandelions. Won’t complain though, the rye has really helped cut down on the rest of the weeds. I figure five, ten years from now and we will really have a handle on both the rocks and weeds.
Two loads of rocks and we are starting to see a difference. By this time it is after noon and getting cloudy. Made it cooler which actually made it an easier work day. Even better, the bugs have not yet made their full appearance.
After the third load, we decided this was enough for the day. A much needed break for quick lunch of hot dogs cooked on the grill. Then we took a run out to check on the red wine cap mushrooms and the rest of plants we had out on other end of THF. No mushrooms yet, and while a few tiny plants popping up, but we aren’t sure if they are from the seeds we plants or just weeds. Time will tell.
Then we moved the last of our plastic pallets across to the mushroom bolt area and set up one more frame to lay the bolts onto.
Done for the day and we headed home. When we got there, Ron decided he had just enough energy left to help me weed wack the winter rye growing in our raised beds. I planted it last fall in the hope that it would improve our soil and cut down on the weeds. Let it go just a bit too long though and it is now about 2 feet high. Then he decided to mow the lawn. Jo had done it just over a week ago but it was already looking shaggy with way too many dandelions. I took over from him and he got busy with the weed wacker to take care of the edges. It is such a good feeling to have things done. And best of all, since we got all this done today, Ron can’t pull his usual routine and get me involved in seriously hard yard work on Mother’s Day.
Getting ready for pawpaws
Last fall, Ron, Jo and I worked for days tilling the ground and picking up rocks to get our garlic patch ready. It was quite simply – hard work. Now we have to get ready to plant our pawpaws and elderberries. This time Ron decided we would just clear rows for planting, not the whole section. On Saturday April 23rd Ron and brother Don went out with our trusty BCS tiller to get started. Myself, I was at home waiting for the cable guy to come, and then decided that I was just not feeling the farm that day. It was cold and damp and I really was more interested in baking cookies. Have to keep a ready supply on hand to feed our volunteers. I puttered around the house getting a few things done and was surprised to see Ron home earlier than expected. The ground, full of rocks had proved to be stronger than our tiller. Ron dropped it off at repair shop and came home to get the spare tines we had stashed in the garage. Should make the repair much easier, but it would still be a week or so before we got it back.
Bright and earlier Sunday morning Ron and I were at the local rental store hoping they had one of their large tiller available to rent. Bad news at first. Both had been reserved but if they weren’t picked up by 9 am, they would call us. Less than a hour later we were heading back to pick one up. This thing was at least 4 times the size of ours and it came with its own trailer and hitch. A quick lesson in how to unhook it, run it and we were off. One final warning about making sure we drive it as close to where we plan to use it ringing in our ears.
We stopped by gas station to fill it up and I had a brain storm. We can use our 4 wheeler to haul the tiller from the road down to our field. Of course it wasn’t that simple. Ron used the 4 wheeler to bring our trailer up to the road so we could get the tools and supplies down to the field. Then we unhooked the trailer and went back to the road to get the tiller.
The first row went pretty easy. Ron and Don had already done most of the hard work the day before. But the rocks, my God so many rocks. We hooked the trailer back to the 4 wheeler, lined it with a tarp and brought it along side so we could toss rocks in. It was going to be a long day. But we got a huge boost when Don and his son Jesse showed up to help. Between the four of us, we filled the trailer again and again with rocks, driving each load across the stream to dump onto Ron’s road. He is still working on a name for that. Maybe we should have another contest for that.
The day got later, but we were determined to get the job done. Shortly before 3 pm I called home and left a message for Jo. She would be home from work soon and I wanted her to pop back out to store and grab something for dinner. Ron had another idea. He told me to tell her to come on out and help us finish up. When she called back, I could tell she was not thrilled, but she came. A good little soldier. With her help we were soon finished.
Six rows of ground tilled up and sort of picked free of rocks. Ron promised all of us dinner at Denny’s but we still had to collect all the tools and get them back into the Transit. Then get the tiller hooked back up the to the 4 wheeler and up to the road. Then we all drove to the rental place to drop it off. So sore, tired and hungry. And dirty. Not sure why they actually let us into Denny’s. We ordered and talked and talked. Jesse and Don had so many ideas about what we would do next. Our food came and while our waiter was handing it out, he knocked my burger onto the floor. I couldn’t be mad at him. He felt so bad and I vividly remember my own waitressing days. So we were delayed a bit in getting home. But it was so good to get there. Showers all around and changed into comfy clothes. Collapsed on the couch and called it a day. We all slept well that night. Though the soreness hung around for the next few days.
I almost forgot, Ron arranged to rent a power auger for next weekend. Oh joy.
Yippee
Last night we finished the last of our 350 mushroom bolts. Jo had the day off and Ron swung by to pick her up after he left work. By the time I got there, Ron had drilled maybe half of the 15 logs we had waiting for us. Jo had inoculated those and they were waiting for me to wax them up. I jumped right in and soon Ron was done with the drilling and he and Jo were doing the last inoculations. For those of you who are keeping track, Ron is the winner of the inoculation dork prize. Not only did he skip filling holes on more than a few logs; he actually missed 3 in a row, on the same log. A feat that was unmatched by any of our other workers.
Then it was my turn.
Last log being waxed and then carried out to our trailer for hauling across the stream. Ron drove the 4 wheeler and Jo and I put on the tall boots and walked over. We unloaded the logs, again putting them in stack of 25.
Unfortunately as we are growing our Shiitakes in a forest setting, it is impossible to get a single of all of them. Not only are there too many trees in the way, but they are scattered about the place. The goal is to keep them in the “dappled” shade. Too much sun will dry the logs out. And I don’t want to be out there with hose or bucket trying to keep 550 logs damp.
A job well done. You would think that now I can take the rest of the year off. After all this is a mushroom farm and we have our logs all set for 2016. They just need to be monitored, shifted into leaning stacks, and tagged. Surely we are done for the year. Surely you jest.
What is next you ask? More rock picking. Oh joy.
What a crew; the sequel
Ron, Jo and I were out at THF this morning at 7 am. Ready to bust through as many of remaining logs as the 3 of us could manage. The plan was to work until the heat got too much for Ron. With Ron manning the grinder, Jo inoculating and me doing the waxing, we figured we could make a major dent before we ran out of steam.
We had just gotten into a good routine when Jesse arrived. Once again, to the rescue. With him taking over the grinding that freed Ron to help with the inoculation. And we just kicked it into gear. We took load after load across the stream to stack them in shade of the pine forest. Pallets of twenty-five to make it easier to tag them next week. That is a project for Ron and Don. No heavy lifting involved.
We had to move Jesse’s work station twice to get him out of the sun. Next year we will have a better plan to provide more complete shade. Ron’s plan is to have 1,000 logs out on THF. I figure that by the time we have that many out there, we will worked out all the bugs and each station will be just the way we need it to be. Until Don and Jesse come up with another idea.
We stopped for a quick lunch. Hot dogs on the grill again. Have to admit it was a bit hard to get going again. All 4 of us were tired by this time. But the end was in sight. Then Don showed up. Gave us the boost we needed to make that final push.
And then finally it was the last log we had to get done today. Such a feeling of relief. And Ron had been right about the time it would take us, it was just about 2 pm.
Ron and Jesse took the last load across the stream while Jo, Don and I gathered up all the stuff we needed to take home. We loaded up the trailer to get it all up to the car, hugs all around and we headed home. Ron was staying behind again to decompress and talk with the boys.
It has been a long weekend but such a feeling of accomplishment. Ron is right, this is better than a gym membership. But it will be so nice to go to work tomorrow and be able to sit down while I work.
What a crew
Home from THF. Car unloaded, leftover food put away, cleaned up and drinking a hard cider. So happy to be home, satisfaction of job well done. Ron stayed at the farm, wanted to decompress there. Once everything was stored away, he wanted to sit down, drink some cold water and listen to the stream and birds. That actually sounded nice, but Jo and I wanted to get home. I really needed to get my boots off.
What a wonderful day. The weather could not have been better, but thank goodness we were set up in our tent. Once the sun got going, it got a lot hotter. Very little mud to deal with. Tomorrow, yes, we are heading back out to finish up, I will just wear my sneakers. Will be easier on my feet.
Ron’s friend from work, Shelly was the first to arrive. She got there before Jo and I did. Very nice lady and easy to talk with. So much so that I finally had to tell Ron to stop talking and get to work.
No hesitation from Shelly, she jumped right, learning how to use the grinder to drill the diamond pattern in each log. Once Ron was assured that she could handle it, the 3 of us started in with the inoculation and waxing of the logs. We had just gotten into a rhythm when Don and John arrived. They ignored my offer of breakfast and jumped right into work. Then Vicki, her husband John and her friend Jeannie, Lynne and her son Carl found their way to THF.
Don, who I firmly believe should have been a teacher, took over showing our volunteers the ropes. Within short order we had a team up and running and the finished logs were stacking up in our trailer. What a crew we had. With a serious work ethic that really paid off for us. They just kept going. The energizer bunny’s got nothing on these guys. John and Shelly took turns on the grinder not wanting to do any other job. Jesse, once again came to the rescue with his battery powdered drill. Ron had, of course bought extra drill bits and Jesse was able to use one of them to greatly increase the number of logs we got done.
The rest of us rotated between jobs, filling in when a slowdown occurred. Even with the changes and upgrades we made this year, it is clear that more improvements can and should be made.
Another workstation for a grinder to start with. A better way of keeping up with the amount of melted wax we need too. The sun proved to be a problem for our grinders. They were the only ones stuck outside the tent. Next year – a new plan, just for you, John.
Once again, our Jo showed what she is made of. Once she gets going on a job, she is a such a solid worker and just gets things done. Though she did take a few breaks for more coffee.
I tossed the hot dogs on the grill and and we took a short break for food and rest. Refreshed we jumped back into work. Ron was still taking each wagon load across the stream with a different helper each time. He wanted to make sure they got to see the end result of their hard work. And he got a captive audience to once again share the story of THF and his vision for it.
We will be back out there again tomorrow . We got well over half the logs done today, but there is no rest for a mushroom farmer. For those who could not make it today, you are more than welcome to come tomorrow to help out. We three will be heading out at 7 am. Ron wants to avoid the heat, getting as much done before the sun takes the fun out of his day.
“I majored in shop”
This is Ron’s manta every time he starts a project. Living in Rome NY, he saw numerous uncles, cousins, his grandfather and one brother enter the local factories. Even his mother had worked in a factory during WWII. Something she is still, at age 94 so proud of. He decided early on that was not for him. After graduation, he spent the next 21 years in the US Army, learning even more about how to get things done. But while in high school he was steered toward the non college prep classes. So he spent a lot of time in shop working with tools and learning how to use them. Having all those local factories around, the school ended with lots of donated supplies. Hardwood lumber, steel stock and some industrial machinery. Lets just say, the shop class was well stocked.
Whether it is putting together a dresser, set of shelves, mushroom log support system or his latest contraption, the man figures out how to get things done. I don’t know exactly what to call it, but the log holder/spinner pictured above, we plan on using for our mushroom inoculation. It will hold each log and allow us to rotate them much easier. Last year we had to work on one side, put the tools down, pick up the log and rotate it. Then repeat; turning it a total of 4 times. Ron is always thinking about way to get things done easier.
Am not so sure where his need to take over the family room with every project comes from. Of course right now, it might have something to do with the current temperature outside and that our garage is not heated. And I have no intention of letting him buy a heated workshop to put out in our backyard or at THF.
Jo and I are usually dragged into each project, unless we are lucky enough to be working that day. More good family time.
Murphy cat will miss having the table right in front of the family room door. It gives her a lovely view of our backyard and all its birds, squirrels and other critters. If only we can teach her to fetch tools for Ron, she would become a welcome member of our work crew.