After a cold and rainy day I realized I really need to get working on getting ready for winter. I still need to cover 2 1/2 sides of the chicken coop with some meta that I have from an old shed. This will keep the wind off of the birds for the winter. Further I need to decide where they will spend the winter and get power there so I can run the de-icer for the water and also have some supplemental light. Also close to the house would be nice when it comes to stomping through the snow to take care of the birds.
I don’t think I have enough wood for the winter and you really need to let wood season (dry out) for at least a year before trying to use it in the wood stove. However I have located a couple of dead standing trees that I think would be good for burning this winter. One looks like it has been dead several years as all the bark is gone. The wood is still solid and hasn’t started to go soft. I need to get it cut down, cut up, split and up by the house. Our wood stove is in the basement, but is very to the center of the house and the chimney goes up through the center of the house. The chimney radiates heat into the two story great room. I am very please with how it is working. I can keep all the wood mess in the basement and on the concrete floor. Since the basement is a walkout I have a relatively easy way to get wood to the stove and ashes to the outside.
Our Elec-Track came with a snow blower, but it needs some work. It sat outside for 20+ years and it doesn’t turn. According to the internet it might just be the drive chain rusted which would be the easiest fix. However it could also be the bearings or electric motor, which will be harder and more expensive to fix. I’m hoping that the fact that it was designed for the harsh conditions that a snowblower has to operate in will mean the motor and bearings are sealed.
There is also the matter of things that I have left here and there laying around that will covered with snow in about two months. Not the smartest thing I’ve done but I get busy and leave something where I had been using it, a habit I really need to break. So I’ll also need to spend some time going around and picking everything up.
I’m sure there are more things to do but these are the major ones.