September Journal

It looks like everyone is either too busy working in the woods or is taking time off from maple to start a September Journal!?!?

It feels like every year we plan our weekend to cut and split evaporator wood on the hottest weekend in recorded history! We managed to grunt our way through 2 days of drenching sweat and get 10 chord of evaporator wood ready for next spring. We still have another 3 chord left to get done so all the pallets are full but we have the lion's share of it finished. Once that is done we can get into the woods and start working on tubing.

Attachment 18819
Adding some storage on the back of the shack this summer.

Ran all the mainline wire for my expansion. Adding 4-500.

We have been getting ready for a tap expansion. We had the clear some brush and fence off the area first. We got our new piggy back installed Saturday night. We still have to plumb it having installed is a major accomplishment. We got a new 3,800 gallon tank we have to get into place. We hope to be tubing the new woods within a week. Sales have been pretty steady as well.

I've been working on getting things fixed in the sugar house. I got my new arch early last winter and the refractory cement didn't cure right because it was too cold. I rebricked it this summer and I'll be putting the pans back onto it tomorrow. I've got most of my sugar wood cut and when the evaporator pans are out of the woodshed I'll be able to start putting it in.

Running behind this summer on getting my wood done. Been working on getting it split up.

New electric releaser should be wired and plumbed in a day or two. I need to walk my wet/dry lines and add some wire ties. Bow season starts the 6th so everything needs to be done before that. Right after bow season I will make one pass through the woods making sure all lines are off the ground. Also i will cut all trees off lines if needed. I'm in my woods a lot during rifle and muzzleloader season so if any additional trees have fallen on lines I will get them then.

Spud

Finally got going on the new garage.
We started the process back in March.
It’s been 3 weeks since we broke ground and to date only the foundation has been poured.

They managed to rip out about 10 feet of the sump pump discharge line.
We’re all clay here and don’t perk, so the line was run to an engineered septic field.
Not much hope of splicing the line back together so they’re looking at other options.

Getting anxious for them to pour the slab for the garage as I want to epoxy coat it.
Slab needs 30 days to cure and it has to be still warm enough for the epoxy.
Timing is getting tight, being mid Sept already.

Not really happy with the slow progress but it does have its blessings.
Everything we wanted done has been well documented and was included in the quote, yet we’ve headed off 3 large mistakes they were about to make.
Gotta watch ‘em like a hawk.

On the plus side though, this coming weekend is the annual fall tour for Michigan.
We’re going to break away for a few days and spend Saturday checking out other producers.
Hoping to get some telescope time in Friday/Saturday night on a nice dark site that side of the state, weather permitting of course.
Skipping the farmers market on Sunday so we can mosey back at our leisure.

Attachment 18820

I have had a lot of damage to my lines this summer. I have three totally on the ground and broke and all others need tightening and limbs removed. I will have to totally re-route one line because of blow downs. I have 5 down trees to cut up off lines and roads yet. All my wood has been cut for at least 6 months, but I am still cutting ahead for next year or even the following year. I am going to add a new line this year and maybe switch to the anti-bacterial spiles. I will probably wait until November to do most of the line work. For September I might move my sugaring wood to the shack....it's in the back field now. So September is slow for me.

Getting ready to install a digital temp probe in my stack. Just need to get a box to put the controller in.
I have a big pile of wood to split yet. But... I had 2 neck vertebrae fused on August 29th. I'm not allowed to do anything yet,
including driving. However, I can set and drink coffee and go for walks,so all is not lost!!!!!
I should be able to pick up a rifle til deer season rolls around. Bow season, out of the question this year.
Hoping to be in good shape come sugar season!