Uncle Tim's Cabin

There are times when I feel like a throw-back to the past. We heat with wood because we actually like the experience of providing our winter heat with the sweaty torture of obtaining wood from mother nature. Each to their own. We are not most people. It used to be that economics was the major driver of this wood train, and it has made a difference for us again here in Idaho. The permit required to harvest 4 cords of firewood in the National Forest cost only $25, which is a far cry from the $600 we spent for 3 cords last year. Most of the folks in these parts heat with wood pellets and that is also an economical avenue to take. We would need about 4 tons for the season, and that would cost about $900.

Who is that strapping, overweight, old man? Believe it or not, I have actually lost about 20 pounds since that pic was taken. Our summer diet morphed into a six month effort to put us back on the trail to good health. I have lost a total of 37 pounds so far, weighing in at a fine 240 lbs. as of Oct. 7. Karren has dropped 20 pounds in the same time, which kind of makes sense since I'm twice her size. Pic was taken at about 7000 feet on the back side of Bonneville Peak, north of Lava Hot Springs. That's four wheel drive territory.

We choose to drive into the mountains and scrounge for firewood. And that has been our life for the last 3 weekends. It does make one more fit and trim to boot. We have focused on finding quality scotch pine, fir and other conifers, because we found out last year that the aspen and cottonwood (common to this area) are relatively poor woods to burn for heat. We now have under our wood shed roof about 3 cords or more of firewood, about half of it split. Because this is Idaho and not Virginia it will dry in plenty of time to burn this winter. You know, low humidity and all.

A gas-powered log splitter is a lovesome thing! I forced the issue and bought a nice Cub Cadet splitter last month and she is a splittin' machine! It is pretty much the same machine marketed by several well known brands but the differences are in the warranties and the service availability. I will come to think of this machine as my own personal friend before the end of the season. No more swinging the maul - YAAAY! We also bought a riding lawn mower this past spring. When we did this it was important that we get one that will be large enough for a small amount of utility work. The Husqvarna model we found at Lowe's fit the bill: 25 horsepower, 48 inch mower deck which has a quick release feature, and a higher-quality Kohler motor with cast iron cylinder sleeves for long life. It also had a ten year warranty on the mower deck, which is what usually wears out first anyway. Here she is hooked up to a cart of firewood being shuttled to the front porch for stacking. The new woodshed is the back side of the barn, so I call this the pinewood derby route.

The mower included a special promotion: a free lawn cart/trailer. Perfect for the cash-strapped homeowner that can't afford a real tractor, huh? Well, It is getting a lot of use. We are loving the ability to move useless crap from one pile to another with minimal effort. Life is good. Until the tractor won't start. "Was that can mix or straight gas?!"

The garden really had us in its grip for most of the season. This has been perhaps our most productive attempt at green-thumbing yet, and it really produced. Once we figured out that we had to provide the water, that is. A few dozen hoses later and the produce began jumping off the vines. Sweet corn was the most difficult to grow - we ended up with little dwarf ears that were good tasting but diminutive. Green beans easily became our favorite veggie du jour, with swiss chard growing like it was from some special irradiated test space vegetable. It is still growing out there even though it has frosted and frozen hard several times. Go figure - it's Idaho. However, there is one thing you just can't kill in this state:

Potatoes!

This is the land where the spud reigns supreme. When the garden was tilled we had tubers shooting out of it, all chopped up. I thought that would be the end of it, but NO! We witnessed the random ground breaking of perhaps 50 potatoes from the previous owner's efforts. Purple and red ones. What's more difficult than weeding potatoes? DIGGING THEM! Here is potato woman with her haul.

Well, I must tell you about the real reason I have not updated this page in such a long eon. I found a job. A real one. With benefits and vacation and sick leave and all the rest of the trappings of a gubmint boondoggle. Except this one is a STATE job. And that's a good thing in this day and age. IF you happen to live in a state that currently balances it's budget. Yes, I am a proud member of the Idaho Department of Transportation. That's IDT for those of you from VA. No common sense names here such as "I-DOT," noooo, it's IDT in this here neck of the woods. Managed brilliantly by human resource officers that live in caves under the state capital, it is a hugely understaffed and underpaid arm of the state government.

I had 60 days to obtain a Commercial Driver's License in order to keep the job. That entailed a complete month of study, practice and prayer that resulted in my passing each of three separate tests, all done without spending a dime (other than the exhorbitant fees for the license, tests, and examiner). It all turned out okay. I was able to practice driving the plow trucks and to use them plus a trailer from the shed to qualify for the road test. My examiner was the nicest guy in Idaho. He was also recently recovered from triple bypass surgery. That had me wondering about his health while I was driving...

This photo is interesting. Where are the drivers? Actually we are all waiting our turn at the "hot mix" plant. No, that's not a risque night club, but an asphalt plant. I typically carried 12-14 tons in the truck and drove to remote locations in order to pave roads no one ever sees. All the maintenance workers from the district and some from outside are recruited to haul the mix to save costs. Plus, we don't really have much of anything else to do, right? At least that is the public's perception.

This summer my shed repaired right of way fencing, paved roads, filled potholes, moved dead animals (large ones like elk are a pain), mowed grass (sometimes in the middle of a snowstorm), sealed cracks, and replaced highway markers. There's a lot more but I haven't the energy to list it all. Besides, the public doesn't care anyway, right? At least they certainly don't show they care as they blast by us at arms length at speeds approaching that of a rocket. Many one fingered salutes given and received.

Astronomy still plays an important part in my life and I have a new image to show off. This pic of M33, the Pinwheel Galaxy is one of my better efforts. It will be nice when I have passed my provisional period at work and I have a couple of extra dollars to throw at the hobby once again. I do so enjoy it. Karren and I attended the Craters of the Moon National Monument Star Party this past month. Glad we got to go before the "Shutdown." Cue ominous music. We were also able to attend the more relaxed Lava Hot Springs Star Party too. Both are fun events. Looking forward to the next one.

I promis to think about getting this blog back on a timely schedule. If it is not snowing I'll have more time to devote to it. If it is snowing, well, "See you next spring!"