Chipping Branches, Spitting Chips For Hours, Hen n Chicks, Cover Ga...

We got down to 34F yesterday morning at 7am and it lasted for about an hour right before the sun came up. I'm glad I covered the gardens but as I walked around uncovering I found little effect on the plants.

Mid morning after getting my clothes washed I got out and started up the chipper then ran the pile of branches that I had stacked the day before. It took me about 45 minutes to get them done along with a few other piles that had been staged. I have over a yard of chips on the ground now and I need to decide what to do with them for winter. I may just cover them where they lay but I think they would be better held in something like one of the truck bed liners.

Next was cutting the tree up. I had sharpened chains on Tuesday so they were ready for action and I am quite pleased with how my sharpening went, the thing cut like a champ. I started at the top of the tree and worked my way down to the base.

Only 15 minutes to get the top section bucked down. It was the smaller diameter and went quickly.

30 minutes more and I had the next 2 sections bucked. Each cut took longer and longer as I went.

I got down to the bottom section and was making starter cuts when I ran out of gas for the second time. I needed food and to swap chains so I went back to the house.

I figured I might as well put on the other chain to help cut through the up to 2 foot diameter tree as the one I was working on started to dull. I ended up resting until I had to pick the boys up from school which also gives me about 15 minutes of reading time each day.

Pulling back into the farm from picking the boys up I heard a cheeping unlike the turkeys and I saw a hen with chicks by the big studio and a rooster was pecking at a chick. I jumped out and threw a pan at the rooster and the hen gathered her brood.

I gathered all of them up and got them into the brooder hut so the chicks will be protected and we might actually get some to live. They have food, water, and bedding and were seeming nice and happy later in the day.

Spittin chips for hours. The base of the tree was a bit harder as I had to work at each of the cuts.

Finally about 3:30pm I had the tree cut and the stump cut flush. I will be cutting the stump even further and plan on using those cuts for throwing knife targets. Nice big rounds that will be about 6 to 8 inches thick and hopefully won't crack to pieces on me.

The forecast called for frost overnight again so I went around and got the rows covered again. I am glad I did as it is 34F and has been for a few hours now and may have just touched 32 for a bit.

I still have seed squash in the house and the big Raven got hacked open. I pulled all the seeds and got them washed and drying on the paper towels and cardboard while Hive account@stryeyz made stuffed zucchini for dinner.

Which turned out amazingly delicious.

I have 40 of my acorn squash going tomorrow to the co-op which will be my last delivery day of the year. I can say I am quite happy to NOT have to make the commute for deliveries until next year. I will be picking up a bunch of grain though so will have a fully loaded truck on the way home.

Today I need to keep on the trees. I have 2 smaller ones that are coming down in the cool garden area as one is dying and the other has roots invading my frost-free area. Branches need to get piled by the chipper to get run and the rounds need to get moved to the yard and staged for splitting. We have one more night of frosts then a slight warm up so hopefully the garden makes it.