Tappin' Trees

Maple syrup season is upon us and everything is in full swing!  We were a bit late getting this show on the road but we managed to get the trees tapped just in time.

This is our first year tapping trees and we've learned A LOT!  First and foremost, we need to do a better job of identifying our sugar maple trees this summer.  We moved in only 9 months ago and we weren't very observant as to what trees are where so this time around we'll make sure to keep a better record or journal of where they all are.

Bear ordered a spile and tubing kit from Amazon.

Lesson #1, use longer tubing if that's the route you're going.  These tubes are too short so it limits how high we can go on the tree if the bucket is on the ground.


Bear also ordered 1 gallon buckets and cut a small hole in the lid to accommodate the tubing.

Lesson #2, use larger buckets.  When that sap gets flowing, this lil' bucket will fill up within hours.  

And finally, Lesson #3.....have plenty of storage and a plan.  We filled up all of our buckets and reserve storage faster than anticipated.  We were scrambling to boil it all down and make room for the buckets that were filling up in the meantime.  

In order to spare my kitchen from the steam, Bear rigged his grill to accommodate a large pot. He set bricks on the top of the grill and put the pot on top of the bricks so he could feed sticks in to the fire between the bricks and keep the syrup boiling.  It was tedious, and next year we plan to build a rocket stove to spare his grill.  In the meantime, I'd boil down a smaller pot each night in the kitchen just to keep up with production. 

Overall, we've loved the experience and plan to make this a tradition.  

My Wooden Clothesline

Now that we officially don't have neighbors, I was biting at the bits to have my very own clothesline.  We talked about metal posts versus wood, mounted retractable versus umbrella style, you name it!  In the end, we really liked the look of the wood and it was sturdy as all get out, at least this video by Jon Peters made it look pretty impressive.  I stumbled on the video (found at the very bottom of this post), which provides a fantastic tutorial on how to build your own clothesline.  We followed the directions and here's the outcome....

I couldn't wait to try it out, this photo was taken before I even put the stain on!  Here's a photo with the stain, proudly displaying the clothespin apron I threw together.  I wish I could say I had a pattern for you on this apron, but I don't.  I totally winged it.  (winged, wung?  whatever, you get it)

The clothesline has become a place where the kids know they can find me and have quiet one on one talks. It's become our bonding place where the chickens come watch the action and the dog lays in the shade keeping me company.  It's everything I imagined it to be.  Oh, and it dries our laundry for free, delivering a crisp, fresh smelling product every time without fail!

Oxidizing Wood

With the building of the headboard complete, it was time to give it some character.  There's been a lot of talk lately about "reclaimed wood" and its popularity in various building projects.  Obviously I didn't have wood to "reclaim" so I had to make do with what I had.  After some Googling and Pinterest stalking, I stumbled on the oxidization process.  The look was stunning and it seemed relatively simple, so I gave it a shot.

Supplies Needed:

1. Glass jar with lid 
2. Steel wool
3. White vinegar (I didn't have enough white vinegar so I mixed white with apple cider vinegar and the process worked just fine)
4. Tea bags (preferably a black tea but any will do)
5. Paint brush
6. Sealant/Protectant (in this case, wood oil)

Preparation

Plan on allowing 6-7 days for your vinegar mixture to set up prior to beginning the oxidizing process. 

To create your vinegar mixture:

• Fill your jar with enough vinegar to paint on to your project (more if you plan on storing it for additional projects in the future)
• Break apart the clump of steel wool and add to your jar
• Loosely place lid on and swoosh the contents so all the steel wool is covered
• Each day, give the jar a swoosh
• This mixture is ready for use 6-7 days after it's creation 

To Start

• Brew 2-3 bags of tea in about 2 cups of water, the darker the brew the better.  
• Paint the brewed tea on to your wood project.  You won't see much of a difference but you need the tea to soak into the wood to enhance the chemical reaction.  The end result is deeper and richer in color.
• Allow 30 minutes drying time
• Rinse your brush with water (you'll reuse it for the next step)

The Reaction

This next step happens fast...right before your eyes.  Here is where you simply paint on the vinegar mixture that's been steeping for the last week and Voile! the magic happens.  

Sealant/Protectant

After the project has dried, protect the wood with the sealant of your choice.  In this case, I used a wood oil.  I chose an oil because, unlike a dining table or coffee table, the wood would not experience a high amount of traffic or use.  Options for actual protection and durability include water based or oil based polyurethane.

TIP: Be careful of drips, painting over areas that have already started to oxidize due to drippage will cause the wood to be darker in those spots.  

Our Rustic Headboard

Bear and I needed a new headboard.  I can't stomach spending hundreds of dollars on a silly headboard and would rather go without but I had some scrap wood left over from a few projects that I decided to put to good use.  I had found brown plaid bedding from Woolrich that we liked and I tailored our room to the bedding.  Since the plaid was screaming "rustic!" I decided to go with a wood headboard that would scream back.  In order to achieve the proper balance of screaming, I decided to oxidize the wood (more on the oxidizing tomorrow).

I measured the height that I wanted the headboard (which needed to fit just below my window ledge). Then used two long "posts" (1x4's) on either end and using the measurement from the width of my bed, laid them out on the ground.  Then I cut a piece of plywood to size, laid it over the top of my posts and nailed it in.  I flipped the headboard over and then cut random sized pieces and nailed them in to created the rows between the posts.

Stayed tuned for the oxidizing process!

The Chicken Coop the Grand Finale

Color, color, color.  Oh, what color was a girl to choose?  Go whimsical and quirky or neutral?  We decided on neutral to fit with the coops surroundings.  I decided on a blue pine color (exact name to come, as soon as I mozie out to the garage and dig through the countless paint cans to find it).  I liked the look of wood stain with greens or blues so I found a gallon of stain left behind in the garage from the previous owner and decided to put it to good use.  The run would be stained, the coop trim would be stained and the rest would be painted.  Here's the coop before we attached the run....

And here she is with the run attached.....

I allowed the hardware cloth to hang 2 feet below the bottom of the run and used it as an apron topped with river rocks.  That's a half log border you see trimming the run.  I added planters not only for decoration but for planting my herbs in.  Lavender, cilantro, oregano, and mint.

So after all that hard work, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say, it paid off.  In case you're wondering, the design of the coop is the Daisy Coop.  We purchased the plans online and it was our first official build, not bad for newbies.

See Part I
See Part II

Linking up to Chickadee Homestead.

Chicken Coop (Part II)

At this point, Bear and I were beginning to get at each others throats.  The weather was getting hotter and the kids sports and work schedules only allowed us to work to the bone on the weekends. Frustration was getting the better of me and while Bear was at work one day, I decided to roof the coop without him.  He sure didn't complain and I definitely proved to myself that I could pull off such a feat with minor cuts, a few scrapes and an aching back that lasted a week.

The one dilemma I ran into while roofing was the shingles didn't line up well once I reached the top....I was just an inch short of clearing the cap line which required another row of shingles and aesthetically, it didn't look very good.  If I didn't just point that out to you, you probably never would have known.

If I were to offer a tip....wear pants.

For Part I, click here.

For the Finale, click here.

The Chicken Coop (Part I)

The very first thing we had to do when we moved here in June was build a chicken coop.  Our chicks were no longer "chicks" (more like juvenile delinquents) and they were busting at the seams in their little brooder.  So while my poor children slept on a mattress on the floor in their room, Bear and I slaved over the construction of the chicken coop.

Bear Clearing a Spot for the Coop

I wanted a coop that was raised for multiple reasons:

• Safety
• Shade and shelter underneath
• It kept them off of the cold ground in the winter
• I didn't want to or have time to lay a cement floor

On my hunt for the perfect coop plans, I came across the Daisy Coop.  You may have seen it at CleanCoops.com, or MyPetChickens.com.  It's a beautiful coop and I thought it may be a stretch for Bear and I to make....we had never built anything beyond a headboard.  There were a few parts of the plan that we had to rig and brainstorm to figure out but overall, it really wasn't too bad for a beginner builder.  

Location

The Coop Wall Framing

Choosing a location was tough.  We thought about clearing out a section of brush to the west side of the house but we wouldn't be able to see them without having to walk through a patch of trees and it would be too time consuming considering the crunch we were under.  Plus, it wasn't near an electrical source in case we ever decided to run electricity to it. 

We ended up deciding on a spot on the east side of the house close to the driveway, close to the garage for electricity, and viewable from the windows of the house.  Bear rented a brush hog for a few hours and cleared out a nice spot beneath a pine tree in a matter of hours.  We were officially on the road to building our coop!

Tools

Before we started, we made a trip to Lowe's for the proper tools.  Out of all the tools we bought, I have to say, the Bostitch air compressor nail gun was by far the most appreciated.  I can't imagine having to do the project by nailing in each nail manually.  It would have taken 3 times as long to complete.  I truly feel like I can build just about anything now that I have one of those...stay tuned for other posts on things I built using it.  

Coop Base and Framing

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow, or skip ahead to the Finale!