Our growing forest

We love to see our forest grow with the addition of new trees every week.

Here is the link so you can all view. http://createyourforest.ca/visit/turn-a-new-leaf

We started this forest project after seeing so much of the forest around us being cut down.   We once enjoyed our hikes through these lush forests with our children, the beauty of the moss, lady slippers, nests and so much more to explore. Much of this is now gone., but we can do our part and give back and so can you. The trees that are being planted in this new forest will never be cut down and will contribute to a renewed Boreal Forest environment.

A big thank you for all the contributions so far.

Another reason for this initiative is to help offset the shipping aspect of our products which has always been of concern to us. It was so disheartening to send out single item parcels on a daily basis knowing full well that the same customer would be ordering more single items from me later on or from other sources elsewhere in North America. Think about the impact this shipping creates overall. When I send out one item through the mail, I am using envelopes, cello packages, tape, shipping receipts and lets not forget the gas required for this one item in it’s delivery. We feel this is far too much embodied energy required for just one item, what a waste!

Sales at Highland Wood and Turn A New Leaf Designs will contribute a tree to this forest.

To make a positive change that will directly impact our concerns with shipping I am in the process of phasing out single item shipments. The Turn A New Leaf Designs shop will now have listings of larger quantity diapering items and accessories. This does not include the already large items like bedding. To further contribute and enhance our natural environment and as an incentive for our clients we instituted this “Plant a Tree” concept.

We are making this change within our business to better ourselves, our lifestyle, you as our customer and most importantly the world we all share.

Spring unleashes her Fury.

Once again we are under a deep blanket of snow. The second storm in a week buried everything under 2 feet of fresh snow with huge drifts over six feet deep in places. We were “Off Grid” for most of the day on Friday, caused by high winds knocking  big trees over the transmission lines.

Early this morning I strapped Silas to my back, threw on my snowshoes and plodded through the fields and woods.  Spring seems to have gone back into hibernation. The only respite now from this wintery wonderland is the warmth of the sun on our cheeks and enjoying the lengthening days.

Thoughts “Turning to Stone”

The sap has started running in the Maples and the other hardwoods. Buds on most trees are starting to swell, showing promising signs that Spring is approaching.

At the building site bare patches of soil are starting to peek through however most of the site is still under two to three feet of hard crusty snow. The two piles of  crushed stone and gravel have consolidated with a large snowdrift over the Winter and are just vaguely perceptible. Even with the grips of Winter still evident my thoughts and efforts have turned to “Stone”.  As soon as the snow disappears I will begin the next phase of construction, the stonework for the house. The lower half of the house will be built with stones taken directly from the site. There will not be enough rock on site to complete the project so the remainder will be trucked in from a local quarry.

Stone is a prominent feature in many old barns and homes here and was used extensively for foundations and basement walls. In later years when concrete became readily available it fell to the wayside as a primary building material.  In some cases only loose stones were piled up and interlocked, called the Dry Stone method, and in other instances a lime mortar was used to create very stable walls, many surviving 100 plus years of sustained use and still holding strong.

 

 

Today …..up here on MacMillan Mountain

Making fresh Soy Milk for Silas is a daily activity, it’s much easier and cheaper than owning a cow and he loves drinking this.

Two bottles finished and more beans soaking for tomorrows batch. This soy milk is so much better than even the organic store bought stuff which has a ton of unhealthy additives.

Snow, snow and more snow,  maybe later some rain if the weatherman is accurate. It’s pretty stuff but makes our move a bit more challenging.

Add a bit of wind to the snow and you get a supreme frosted look to your house.

Peeking through the trees along our driveway. I’ll miss the daily strolls through snow filled meadows and forest up here once we’ve move down to Middle River.

 

 

So this is “Forest Stewardship”?

Once again the Once-ler has been up here on the Mountain wreaking havoc amongst the trees. The destruction has been somewhat more devastating and thorough this time, totally displacing and destroying a small Watershed and altering several other natural drainage’s.  Adding insult to injury MacMillan Mountain Road has also sustained a major pummeling with the heavy equipment and trucks. It’s quite the obstacle course trying to avoid both potholes and large debris everywhere on the road. It definitely demonstrates that our public roads are a” Free for All” for these contractors with their “Hit and Run” method of forestry. The reprehensible fact is that the wood from this – and other clear-cuts of this nature- is destined for processing facilities that have FSC Certification.

The picture above demonstrates the complete disruption and upheaval that is created by the heavy equipment tearing through the forest.  It will take many years before this tract of land is able to begin regenerating and once again sustain anything resembling a viable forest environment. The 4 foot wide ruts left by the tree skidder/forwarder have created deep murky, festering pools – up to four feet deep – in place of the natural seeps and runoffs that once contributed to the lower Rice Brook watershed. The debris on this lot is piled three, four and five feet deep in many places. How many years will this require to regenerate?  This demonstrates one of the reasons why I am not a proponent for FSC certification and believe it to be a misleading farce at “Green-Washing” the public.

Santa is sure to find some good branches to put in this contractors stocking from this lot, along with the coal I hope he will get.

For a more thorough view of this woodlot you can preview a slideshow at this link    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28959174@N06/sets/72157632211216898/show/

 

12 km before noon

Today home schooling for Hanna and Liam was a 12km hike up the abandoned Rear Hunters Mountain Road to explore a beaver dam I had discovered there about a year ago.

With Silas strapped to my back we headed out on our early morning hike. Having all the kids out of the house gave Tracey some much needed quiet time to focus on completing several urgent orders. The fog cleared and for the first time in about a week the sun came out. The beaver pond is about 5kms up Hunters Mountain through  dense Maple and Balsam forest. Both the trail and forest floor are covered in thick moss, strewn with colorful fall leaves.

Hanna and Liam were extremely excited to visit the beaver pond with hopes of possibly seeing an actual beaver. We carefully crossed the dam to get a close look at the lodge were the beavers live.

There were tracks and signs of recent  activity everywhere when we got close to the lodge.  We didn’t see a beaver but noticed several spots in the water where a curious head popped up and some bubble trails along the surface.

After our exploration at the  pond it was time to start heading back down. We decided to take an alternate route back, taking us along the highway.  As we walked I mentioned to the kids that I knew about an old house in the woods not too far off the road. When we got near to where the building was we scooted into the woods.  This place would have made a great haunted house for Halloween.

Hanna and Liam loved exploring this old building and wanted to find out more about who had lived here. It will be fun to incorporate this into their lessons as they learn more about the local history.

At some point someone seems to have made an attempt to remove the old tub but given up, probably because of its weight. This structure is in remarkable shape for its age, a testament to the effort that went into placing it on a solid foundation.

As we started back on out trek down we passed through the remains of an old apple orchard that had once graced the grounds surrounding the old house. Tall old apple trees gnarled with overgrowth from lack of care and pruning. They were so big that there was very little undergrowth and walking among them was quite easy and enjoyable. Who had lived here and why had this place been abandoned? I can’t wait to research this with the kids.

Once we turned the corner and started walking up Macmillan Mountain Road we knew we were home ….. well almost …. only 2 more kilometer’s, but we’ve walked this so many times that its just a short stroll. We were fortunate enough to see a Spruce Grouse as we walked up the drive. It was well camouflaged among the rocks and hastily flew off as we approached.

It was truly a wonderful morning for both students and their teacher. Silas got in a great nap and Tracey had some quiet time to finish orders. The kids are already planning our next adventure.

Taking it all in.

Time is flying us by. So very much to do, get done and think about.

I decided to walk papa’s lunch down to our land and see how things are coming along. Each time I go, I still need to remind myself that this land is ours. After 11 years of wishing and dreaming, we own our part of heaven. 

My favorite part of the walk with our children is our driveway.

Papa had to clear this out first to get to the perfect spot to build our home.

This OLD road is still closed in as you pass the spot where we have cleared.

I see many adventures ahead with our children exploring these parts.

At the end, there is a stream where there once was a bridge.

Hanna and Liam love climbing the mounds of roots that had been torn out from the clearing.

I can’t wait to burn them but for now they serve as forts and secret hide outs.

My days are hard homeschooling 2 kids and chasing a crawling baby. Keeping our home organized, feeding everyone and still trying to run my studio.

Some days I want to pull my hair out and give up…. then I see papa.

The hardest working man I know.

I’m glad I stopped to take it all in.

Walls

A large square looking box is emerging in the woods. The walls are up and ready to be sheeted in. With the walls in place it is beginning to feel more like a building than just a dance floor.Rather than use 2 x 4 blocking diagonally between the studs, I “let in” 1×4′s at the corners for braces. This method is quick and extremely stable. It also reduces the amount of thermal bridging in the walls if I ever want to insulate them.

It looks like we may be getting a bit of rainy weather over the next few days so the pace may slow down a bit here at the building site. Good time to catch up with all the furniture orders.

Rainy Day Projects

We’ve had our first late summer storm systems rumble through, dumping lots of much needed rain. There’s been flooding in low lying areas of Nova Scotia but up here in the Highlands the water drains off quickly. With all this rain, work down at the building site came to an abrupt standstill. I placed a large tarp over the floor to shed most of the torrential downpour.

The rain provided some time to catch up with several of the furniture orders needing completion and also gave me some time to prepare the windows that will go into the shop. The windows are salvaged wood framed sealed units I saved from a job I did earlier this summer. With a couple of minor alterations and a coat of fresh oil these windows are perfect for the shop.

First I cut the beveled edge off of each unit, then the grooves off the ends. This provides a nice square simple window which will be easy to install and frame in.

The next step was to plane and sand all the cut surfaces. Then the whole frame received a thorough scraping and sanding. A fresh penetrating coat of linseed oil/turpentine was applied and the windows are ready to install into their new home.

Typically with most windows I salvage I remove the sealed unit and replace the old wood frame with a new one, however the wood in these is still solid and sound. They have a pleasing patina and will weather well. Only a small portion of the frame will be exposed once they are installed. They will also be well protected from the weather by a deep roof overhang.

 

Groovy

Is summer drawing to a close?  The nights are cooler, the days shorter and the weather slowly shifting with unsettled air. Where did the summer go? It’s been so busy, July melting into August and now we are already in September.

Down at the building site support beams are leveled and in place. The floor joists and rims are assembled, squared up and waiting for the plank flooring. Several month ago I found a local supplier for tongue and groove flooring but when it was time to buy some there was no stock available. The mill had shut down temporarily for maintenance. I opted for some 2 x 10 planks from the same mill for the floor.

The driveway turned into a millwork shop for a day as I machined grooves into the edges of the boards. I also rounded over all the ends and edges of the planks to deal with any slight discrepancies at the joints once the floor is fastened down.   A plywood spline will be inserted into the grooves to create the same effect as typical tongue and groove planks.

The boards go down nicely with only an occasional one requiring some coaxing from a pipe clamp to straighten it out. The 4″ dipped Ardox nails hold these planks firmly in place. It’s a solid floor with no deflection or bounce typical with plywood or composite floor panels. The look is so pleasing Tracey wants this same flooring for the house.