Homestead mailing list

[Bevanron <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Lynda wrote:

> Let's see, we bought 12 acres and moved up to the Trinity Alps.  Last
> winter was the pits and we lost a lot of trees but DH is putting them
> to good use and we now have 3 acres with split rail fencing.

How did he split the rails?  Conventionally with wedges or some other
way.  Is it stacked rail or did he use some kind of tenon joint?
(That's probably not the proper term, but it's the only thing I can
think of right now) I had two trees hit by lightning a few weeks back..a
split rail fence along the front of the property might be nice....

> I had to move my garden.  The original space turns out to have a lot
> of sitting water spots and we would have had to put in french drains
> to dry it out.  Surprise, surprise.  Now we know why the space had
> been abandoned as a garden by the last folks!

Yikes!
The east end of my garden is low, but it drains well and water doesn't
stand there.  The ground does stay soft, however, rarely drying out
totally.  I have often thought of trying to make some kind of rice paddy
at the east end.  Have you thought of turning that terrace into a rice
paddy, or is it just not suitable?  I have oft waxed philosophic about
growing rice-I know there are highland/dryland types-maybe Lee will
chime in and give us some of her expertise on the subject.  Back during
the Olympics this past winter, I researched a bit on the rice grown in
Italy, but never acted on it.  The area around Turin is a big rice
producing area.  If they can do it there, we should be able to do it here!

We've eaten all the strawberries
> this year (the last are dessert tonight) and will put in more for
> next year so there will be enough to make jam.

I can never seem to grow enough fruit.

> We just finished remodeling the kitchen  We didn't look close enough
> when we bought and later discovered the woman had painted the kitchen
> sink.  Found that out when I went to clean it one day and it peeled
> off in my hands. What was underneath was UGLY!  AND she had rinky
> dinked the stove piping together (one burner blew up).  So, new
> counters, new sink, new stove.  Next is new flooring!  This stuff is
> soooo ugly.  It is a project we are saving when it is too hot this
> summer to work outside.

We, too, are about to replace the floor.  Due to the doggies, I think we
will go with laminate...cheap way out...

Bev

--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W