free stuff!!

jambaloney here!

in october, we pitched in to install new windows and re-side the framboise firehall - it was quite an adventure and i learned how to put up the type of plastic siding we have @ framboise manor. it was a great 3 days and we all felt good about it. (in the pic below i am the guy in the blue t-shirt leaning on the truck in the foreground - waiting my turn on the scaffolding ;-)



the firetruck on the right has since been sent for scrap - it no longer worked and the community has raised quite a bit so far for a new one, we should have it by this spring/summer.

as we were working on the outside, we also cleaned up the inside of old equipment etc. i was able to score some pretty useful "junk" !! i am a big advocate of free stuff ESPECIALLY stuff that is going to be tossed out - one person's trash is someone else's treasure! NOBODY can deny the magnificence of the following haul:


here is about 50 feet of chain, chain is expensive, not this!!


here are some high quality pipe fittings:


oh, this is just a big roll of rubber firehose, only a hundred and one uses for that ;-)))


MORE firehose...rubber for irrigation projects and the cloth stuff to uses as strapping, lumber cradles, a canoe cradle down at the river... there are another 5 rolls of cloth hose under that tarp!!


this old gurney has 5" wheels and the highest quality aluminum frame.... kymber wants to suntan on it while i wheel her around but i think it will make a fine garden trolly!


these 4 cinder blocks are now keeping our new washer off the basement floor:


these are 2 10 foot sections of large diameter rubber fire-hose. i have to put in a 'quick and dirty' culvert under the back road this spring, these will be perfect!!!



this is an old stretcher which has some great brackets and hardwood rails on it for later use, and some rubber and asbestos gloves!!




these window casements are about 2 1/2 feet high and 5 feet wides, the glass is thick and they have screens.... i smell a green house!!



these windows didn't come from the fire-hall, i got them during last years large garbage pickup week... i'll find more this spring and will take the whole load, sand them, re-glaze as needed, paint them all white and start a second hand greenhouse!! can't wait!!


that's a pretty good amount of free stuff. you will see it re-appear in future posts as i put it all to good use this coming year!!

cheers all!!

winter is finally here!

well it seems that winter, true and proper winter, has finally hit the Manor! we have been having a real mixed bag of weather for the past few days - wind, rain, wind, snow, wind, sunny, wind and more wind!!! there is only a bit of snow left on the ground as although it has been windy, it hasn't been too cold. but the snow that is left out there right now will probably freeze tonight as our temps are going down to -7C (22F) - brrrrrrr! we are supposed to have a cold spell until Thursday and then the temps will return to normal. there will be lots of home-made broth being made and lots of indoor chores getting done over the next few days. and lots of banshee-screeching will be heard for miles every time i get in and out of the hottub. so Duke, Stephen, 45er and JUGM - if you hear any banshee-screeching leave your weapons holstered - it's just me getting in or out - bahahahahah!

anyway, in other news, it looks like somebody took a stroll across the river the other day!



because the ice/snow had been melting for a few days, we can't tell if it is coyote or bobcat tracks. we always walk around our land and down to the river looking for tracks.





we haven't really seen any tracks - a bear cut across our road last winter but we haven't seen him again. and we have have seen a few coyote tracks at our compost but jambaloney scared them off - otherwise known as peeing around the compost regularly. he also pees at the top and bottom of the driveway, the top and bottom of the road and all around the perimeter of our cleared area. for anyone who has coyote problems - this is a nifty trick! because the cats sometimes think they are dogs, they have seen jambaloney do this and follow suit. although cats tend to do that anyway.

and lastly, here is a sight that always makes me happy - laundry blowing in the wind!

some interesting links

i received an email from a friend who was interested in the free, online canning course that ScifiChick and i took together a few years ago. both SciFiChick and i found the course very easy and informative and although she is a canning and dehydrating fool, i haven't really done much canning since getting to the Manor. i am hoping that will change during this year's harvest - fingers crossed!

so here is the link to the National Centre for Home Preservation. scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says: Preserving Food At Home: A Self Study and click the registration button. once you fill out the registration form, you will receive an email with a login and can begin your course.

the other great link that i would like to share is Instructables.com. this link takes you to a page where you can learn how to make a greenhouse out of windows. if you look on the right-hand side of the page you will see other related instructables. there are tons of instructables on the site related to pretty much anything. play around with the topics or search for something specific.

i hope that some of you will enjoy one, or both, of these links!

anyway, it's laundry day here at the Manor. and yes, i really love my new washing machine!

For Little Bit!

Little Bit is turning 7 today - woohoo! Happy Birthday Little Bit! i hope that you have a wonderful day with Nana and Papa!

love always, from your friend,
kymber
xox