rachels.haven's Journal

[Bruce]

A lady in Pepperell sells it for $20/gallon (which is going grocery store price, I guess). It might be magic though...or organic or something, and I'm not going to do that right now, so I'll probably ask for a fair bit less. Maybe I can pay for hay this way and enjoy milking as much as I want?

She must have some pretty hard core customers to get $20/gallon. I have no idea how many goat milk drinkers there are in your area but if you have a reasonable price I suspect you would sell all the extra.

Also, there's still that wasp nest in the wall of our house that I need to figure out. How do you poison a dormant nest that you can not reach?

Long stick, just knock it down. Wasps die in the fall from lack of food. Only the queens survive and it isn't in the nest you see. They build new every year and that one is empty.

I really need to take the slides and mouth piece out of that thing and HIDE them.

Just give him the mouthpiece and have him learn how to use it properly. Who knows, he might turn out to be a trumpet virtuoso.

 

[rachels.haven]

The trumpet is hiding now. Son 2 started teaching sick son1 and there was much giggling and intentional trumpet flatulence noises, then really loud trumpet honks started breaking out and things got real. So under the cover of lunch I spirited that horn away. The husband can enjoy their proficientness later. Plus there is some concern about them breaking it. They're little kids and not very careful. I'll let them play more later.

I think I'm going to try sealing up the void on the wasp nest hole with more trim next chance I have a ladder holder then and hopefully end this wasp saga for the year.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @rachels.haven,

It sounds like you have been and still are busy! Is your fence secure enough to keep the coyote out and the goats and dogs in? If so, then I know that has to be a relief for you. I hope someone takes care of that coyote (maybe SSS) so you need not be so worried.

Sorry that I can't help you with the goats. I see that others have commented so maybe they can help answer your questions.

Now, Miss Rachels.haven, what I am about to discuss is because I care about you. I certainly don't want to come across as condescending. You have proven yourself quite capable of doing just about anything. But I would prefer to ask and be perceived as condescending than fail to ask and you end up getting hurt. So my question is this: how familiar are you with using a chainsaw? I ask only because when my Beautiful Gal and I first moved to our place in Arkansas I had only used an electric home owner's type chainsaw, and that only a couple of times. So I knew I needed to learn as much as I could about chainsaws, felling trees, and safety. I watched a series of videos put out by the British Columbia Canadian government that explained chainsaw safety and how to fell different types of trees, located here. I am by no means an expert now, but I am so glad I watched them.

And in case you think you don't need to invest in some safety equipment, here is what I did one day using the chainsaw:

Hope this helps, and that you are able to get those trees cut down.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[rachels.haven]

Snow dogs.

 

[rachels.haven]

I'm not familiar at all other than reading, YouTube, and watching and listening to my dad. There's a good chance the ones I've got won't start at all. We took the snow blower in that was also inherited and it was too worn to be worth fixing. The little chain saws may be the same way. I will get safety gear, but only if I have something that starts and is in good shape. The neighbors said he used them a lot. They will probably need work if they start at all so I will have plenty of time for getting safety gear and trying to get prepared. The neighbor said he'd teach me the ins and outs if I wanted to learn, so I'm not on my own.

 

[rachels.haven]

And my fence is only 4' tall. It won't keep a coyote out, but that's what the dogs are for. With the dogs the predators have to be gutsy enough to approach the fence while being barked at, climbed the fence while the dogs harass them, and jump down into a pen already surrounded by dogs ready to get the animal that doesn't belong. As long as the dogs are on the job, the fence + dogs should work.

 

[Bruce]

Yep, best to take the saws in for a checkover and tune up. You want them running well.

I learned the same way as STA, YouTube videos, lots of them. I started with a small homeowner saw just shortening cord wood I bought since some of the pieces were a bit long for the stove. Cut some low limbs that were in the way. Cut up a few trees that had dropped on their own. Finally got to cutting standing trees. The little Stihl MS180 C-BE was really over taxed doing that so this year I bought an Echo CS 590 Timberwolf. BIG step up in power and speed, also weighs a fair bit more so I think I'll use the Stihl for limbing after dropping trees with the Echo, then buck them with the Echo. I still need to make another scabbard to carry the second saw on the tractor. Biggest issue is I really have no decent way to get the gear out to the woods. I'm still a rank amature but I do have the safety equipment.

 

[Bruce]

I think I'm going to try sealing up the void on the wasp nest hole with more trim next chance I have a ladder holder then and hopefully end this wasp saga for the year.

Oh, the nest is up inside the eaves? Bummer, yeah close up that hole. I've only had paper wasps and far as I know there are no nests that aren't in the open.

 

[rachels.haven]

Yeah, they left their hive out front on a tree in the fall (so I crushed it) and went into a void in the house trim and started coming through the house walls as they died for the year. I knew they liked to dig, but not go into walls. New to me.

 

[Bruce]

From what I read they will try to "winter" in attics and such if they can get in. Of course they come out into the house looking for food. I think the biggest concern is if a mated queen is up there hibernating because come spring, here comes the nest and eggs. Definitely DON'T need a nest in the attic!