Yay - I've been invited to make apple cider with some folks this weekend (hard cider too)! Yay! Yay! Can you tell I'm excited? I'm going to do my level best to get every single apple off this tree so I can do my part, and take some of the treasure at the end. Since I don't have any tools designed for apple picking from high branches, I'm going to design something involving a rake and a bag. If all else fails, there's always knocking apples off branches and picking them up! The ground doesn't have any apples on it because the dogs have been diligent about cleaning up fallen apples. It looks like I'll have to get these babies off the branches and get them before the dogs can!The brakes on the truck are not working very well, which made the drive into work a religious experience (please stop, please stop ... thank you!). This is the first time I've ever had to use the gears to slow a vehicle down, but I've gotten semi-good at it since this morning, and thankfully the truck has, 3-2-1, and I drove slowly. So it's into the shop again for the truck. November is starting off to be not such a great month - we'll need to shake the Octobers off soon!
Afternoon Edit: One complete brake job on all 4 wheels + calipers + pad + rotors on rear + rotors + pads on front, and $1000 later .... ugh.
OH, I saw one of those apple pickers on blog a week or 3 ago. They looked cool. You got any apple neighbors around that could show you some trimming techniques? Seems around here, they flatten the tops and keep them sort of low and then they are easier to reach and the level top is all exposed to the sunshine. I don't know that much about them, just observations...How about ladder climbing?? I'm not as good at that as I used to be. DON"T send that cat up for them!! A wire coat hanger, a cloth collecting bag, and a rake...maybe a little duct tape thrown in for good measure!! You know I LOVE that stuff.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to call you Fred Flintstone if the brakes don't hold. You'll be draggin' your feet to stop!
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI don't recall all the details you've shared. Are you there year round? How many winters so far? Is this #2? How is your place heated? Is it good enough?
I'm curious because I am thinking hard about selling my house in a city in upstate NY (too much to take care of) and living full time at my tiny cabin in VT, which is kind of remote, in the country, just across the NY line.
Just trying to get a handle on it. It's not winterized, though the man who built it says it's well insulated, and it seems to be. I would need a new boiler/furnace, if I want to keep the water flowing. There are pipes in a crawl space below the house. Need to heat that too.
I'm just thinking out loud, and your snowy picture made me think about looking out my windows there.
Tough news about your truck. Bummer. You've had some bad luck lately!
Kate
Good suggestion Karen Sue!
ReplyDeleteKate - yes, I'm here year-round and this is my 2nd winter. Oil furnace heat, propane hot water and stove, + wood stove. Yes, it will probably be good enough now that I've got decent storm windows, but last year was awful - highest temp in the house was 58 even with the wood stove going. I closed off most of the house and am living/sleeping in front of the wood stove - just like the olden days! You're welcome to come see it - send me a PM and we can talk details thru email.