Kioti CK 20HST

Tractor

Friends,
As noted in my last post, we have been searching for a tractor in recent weeks for the various mowing, hauling, and earth moving needs of Two Boot and Shoe Farm. We purchased a CK20 HST Kioti from our friends at Upper Valley Tractor and Supply last Saturday. Rob, our sales person, delivered the tractor this morning and patiently tutored me in its operation. Shortly after, Laura and I moved some gravel to fill in a large rut by our mailbox, one that had been troubling our USPS delivery driver. I think this machine will keep us happy for years to come. Picture to follow this post.  

Spring Nigh

Friends,
Sorry for the absence of posts in recent months. We have endured a longer than expected winter on the mountain and spirits have been low as a result. Not much to update about the house except to note that the siding job is complete and looks particularly good. I cannot tell as of yet whether we will see any engergy savings with the insulated version of siding we have. Speaking of, #2 oil prices have sky rocketed in recent weeks due to what npr's market place tell's me is the unrest in Libya. I experienced acute light headedness when reading our most recent oil bill. Thus, I am determined for next years burning season to use cord wood as exclusively as possible and to have the state conduct a thorough draft audit in the summer so that I might identify where I am losing heat. However, cord wood too has experience recent price spikes and so I am of the cynical opinion that regardless of my efforts, New England is a terribly expensive region to own a home. In recent days I have consulted neighbors about the efficacy of a proper tractor. We had orginally planned to purchase an industrial version of your typical riding mower, but after neighbor counsel we are convinced that a tractor, with loader and larger mower, may best suite our rural living needs. With much wood, gravel, and snow to move, a proper tractor may be best. I will keep folks posted.    

Snow

Winter has brought to the mountain a cozy 2 or so feet of snow. The Holly family, whom we were hosting for the holidays, did not know that their trip included 4 hours of shoveling snow. With the snow thrower down, Neal came to my aid with a shovel and a strong back and we made a nice day of it. It wasn't all work as we built a fun sled run down the hill and enjoyed a couple hours of sledding. I will post some pircures of the track and sledding fun following this post. As for the house, the contractors are here tearing the old siding off the house and wrapping with polyethlyne. The new siding will go up in the next few days and will provide much needed improvement in the R value of the walls.

Winter is Here

Winter has arrived early here in Orford. As Laura and I have found, the minor elevation gain that we experience here at the base of Mt. Cube creates for a very different weather as compared to Hanover, where we work. While we may have 3-4 inches of snow here, there may be only a minor dusting down the mountain. We are still doing work on the house. I have waterproofed the garage door, which after several bouts of minor flooding during heavy rains appears to be cured. I also painted the upperstairs landing. It is a yellow that is an aquired taste. As for heating, I am experimenting with anthracite coal as a supplement to wood. While it requires a bit more time and attention, it does provide a very cheap and intense heat. I am convert. I did have some hesitation at first provided my anxiety about the CO2, but from my research it burns more efficiently than wood with only a marginal increase in CO2. Last, please take a look at my recent pictures. Several dozen deer and fishercat tracks were found around the grounds. It has made me realize just how wild the area is.