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RnR
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# Posted: 19 Oct 2010 02:57pm
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Hey Bugs, thanks for the last post! I was pining for more lovely photos and an update.
So what's happening with the mice? can you get them out? is it just a matter of obstructing all orifices and entry-points? Is this a job for Billy The Exterminator?
RnR
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bugs
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# Posted: 19 Oct 2010 04:14pm
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We took this weekend off and stayed home. So not sure what the mice are up to. Last trip each hole they dug to escape through the gravel I closed up and took the pebbles away so the tunnel would collapse on them. I think they may be white mice the way they seem to be toying with me. I am running their maze!!! Next trip out we will see how they cope with pepper spread around the perimeter.
Forgot to mention the last trip out one morning we had bugling elk in stereo. Cool crisp morning, coffee in hand, sun shine dissipating the mist, colour on the trees, flocks of geese over head and these two elk bugling at each other. Can't beat that.
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bugs
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:43am
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Happy New Year to all.
We finally made it out to our little shed after two months. It is amazing how work and "life" get in the way of living. We were not sure what to expect after a number of storms, hunting season and partying (?) wildlife.
The 10 mile drive off the highway was a bit worrisome as in that short distance we saw almost 100 acres of native bush bulldozed up in piles to be burned to make way for more crop lands. At this rate it will not be long before our "neck of the woods" will just be barren crop land like so many areas in SK and other places.
Any hows: Everything was intact as we had left it back in October. Very relieved. The resident mice have either vacated (maybe the peppermint oil and cayenne pepper worked) or they are curled up in the walls nice and warm.
The batteries were fully charged and even with half the solar panel covered in snow it was still charging about a watt. We fired up our "Buddy" propane heater and started up the dc powered oscillating car fan we have directly wired into the controller (It takes about 4 watts of juice.). We then went for an hour long snow shoe along some of the trails we cleared last year. The strategically placed benches are really great to sit and rest and listen to the silence. We now have enough trails cleared that it takes about 4 hours to snow shoe them all. The trails seem to have become freeways for the residents judging by all the tracks. The salt blocks we put out are also heavily used.
When we got back to the shed for lunch it was a cozy +15C compared to the -14C outside temp. The ceiling was about +25C and the floor about +10C. The fan really helped a lot to circulate the air and even out the heating.
It sure is nice when things you plan and work on really do work.
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RnR
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2010 12:06pm
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Hey Bugs!
Thanks for the update, so glad to hear that all is well!
The photos are wondrous as always. I always breath a sigh of relief that nothing got damaged during our absence. Snowshoe run sounds awesome. We hope to acquire an additional surrounding 9 acres that backs onto crown land and make similar trails one day. The owner said she would get back to us by Christmas but we haven't heard anything. Oh well! Hope you enjoy the holidays at the cabin!
RnR
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bugs
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2011 10:14am - Edited by: bugs
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Made it out for another day trip to our little shed this week.
On the drive out the foggy, cloudy conditions provided an interesting picture of the sun reminiscent of Jupiter.
The snow was knee to thigh deep, which for our area is a good snow cover. Ideal for snowshoeing along our driveway and trails.
The salt lick we have created is a big hit with the animals. We have used over 150 pounds of blocks since we started putting salt out.
It was unusually calm all the time we were out there and barely a sound other than some ravens circling overhead, white breasted nuthatches, grouse and squirrels. In the distance we could hear some cows and horses and traffic from the highway 10 miles away. It is amazing how the ears, accustomed to constant traffic noise and regular house noises of fridges and furnaces, cannot accept silence. We were continuously thinking we heard something but nothing was there but silence and of course the pounding of blood from out of shape aging bodies coping with the exertion of snowshoeing.
Another great day at the shed.
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2011 05:57pm
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Hey Bugs....sounds like a lot of us on this site our "kindred cabin spirits". I'm looking forward to getting up to my bunkie in southwestern Ontario...It's been two months and I actually miss it. You're right how life can get in the way...both my boys are travel basketball and indoor soccer players, so it's hard working in a weekend when something isn't happening.
It's wild how we all can make 100 sq. ft. cabins look unique to suit out vision of "home Sweet Home".
My next project is installing a reconditioned propane gravity RV furnace...no electricity required. I tried to go for a woodstove....but two boys, my wife and our lab make it cosy enough...and too dangerous for a woodstove at this point.
Your little piece of heaven is really shaping up nicely....I really like the way the walls are finished....I'm eyeing your outdoor shower as well...that's project number two!
Cheers.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2011 08:07pm
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Wonderfull pix, Bugs.
Great sun shot.
Love the tree lined drive, especially in the snow. It reminds me of a previous property we had, nestled in the alders.
Often there would be morning and evening fog, kind of ethereal when the coyotes sing.
Thanks for the show
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bugs
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# Posted: 16 Feb 2011 05:25pm - Edited by: bugs
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Google improved the resolution of their coverage of our area of the world. It looks like it was 2007 sometime. Kind of neat to see more details and to plot all the trails we have cleared (No wonder we got in shape!!). Also interesting to see the changes between 2007 and 2009 when we got the place. Our driveway is in orange.
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 16 Feb 2011 08:03pm
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Hey Bugs,
What's your pond (small lake?) like?
Lots of wildlife? Much fishing?
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bugs
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2011 09:41am
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Hi Bushbunkie
According to the neighbours the pond was dry around 1990 due to drought. I think it was dry about 2000 as well. Now it has about 6 feet of water and getting deeper and larger as we seem to be headed into a wet cycle at the moment.
There is not a fish to be found in it of any sort. Altho an intermittent stream that feeds into it does have some fat head minnows in it so I suspect these will eventually get into the pond. I don't mind not having any fish as I am into the bugs (Should have about 120 aquatic species by the time I finish my survey.) However, in the area there are number of good lakes and the SK River is less than 40 km away and reservoirs ie Tobin Lake, so fishing in the area is very good.
Tons of wildlife as can be seen from our pix.
We still can not believe we got this place. Just wish we could have bought more. The quarter (160 acres) to the S was for sale by the owners as well but we felt we could not afford it. Hope it comes up for sale again so we can try and buy it cause that is where the vultures nest.
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2011 06:10pm
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Sounds amazing...having any water on your property, is wonderful.
It brings the wildlife...and the bugs...I guess?? Chuckle.
We just enjoy sitting by it and watching...
We searched high and low for acreage like yours...but anything in our part of the country was either 8 hours away...or a few hundred thousand dollars...it's just crazy.
We're near lake Huron and less than an acre on the lake is $100,000 without a cabin yet!
We took a different approach...2.5 acres of thick bush...with Lake Huron at the end of the road...so now it's just a walk to the beautiful sunsets...and the quite sanctuary of the bush when we need it...still 3.5 hours from home...but the Bruce Penninsula is a beautiful area.
I can tell by your posts that you've found your sanctuary...and your having fun...doesn't get much better.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2011 06:52pm
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what beautiful land.wow.and super wow.
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bugs
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# Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:22am - Edited by: bugs
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Cabingal3 /Bushbunkie
We were extremely fortunate to get the land and thank our lucky stars and the poor sods (there is that word again) that saw the real estate ad for 8 months but were too lazy to go out and see it. The real estate fellow said he even had inquires from BC about it. Turns out two of our friends were looking at the same land too but we beat everyone to it by going out to see it in a March blizzard complete with black ice and suv's upside down in the ditch. If you snooze you loozzzz.
Anyway... After "conversations" with MoB and MtnDon I started really looking closely at the google earth stuff. As you can see the immediate area we are in is essentially an island of trees that is getting smaller and being replaced by the squares of crops. The area of SK I was raised in, about 3 hours south, is all squares of crops now with only small clumps of trees around yard sites. This is what is motivating us to try and protect the property as best we can. (Red dot is our place.) It is likely a losing battle judging from the amount of bush clearing that has been going on this year (as grain prices go up the trees come down) but we can at least try.
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RnR
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# Posted: 25 Feb 2011 05:18pm
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Wow Bugs, that satellite image is very sobering if you ask me.
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Barrys Bay
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 07:09pm
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Hey bugs, we have used a little Buddy heater at our 12x8 cabin in -18C weather and it did not warm the cabin much. We don't have a fan and our cabin is not insulated. Could these be the reasons why it's so cold? By the way, love the bald eagle pic. Never seen one in Ontario.
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bugs
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# Posted: 2 Mar 2011 08:49pm - Edited by: bugs
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BB
Yes, the eagles are wonderful to watch. We usually get good views of them many times from spring to fall from the yard site. They feed on the coots, ducks and occasional goose from our pond. They are sure BIG awe inspiring birds, just like the vultures, when they soar over our heads at tree top level. Our yard is on a bit of a hill so we sometimes get views of them and the vultures from above as they fly low over the water. Really neat.
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neb
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# Posted: 26 Mar 2011 03:15pm
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Bugs you sure do have a great place. I'm still looking through a lot of the posts and again you have a great place.
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bugs
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# Posted: 27 Mar 2011 11:22am
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Thanks neb
It has been an interesting project to say the least. The relatively large size of the place adds some obvious benefits that we fully enjoy as well as logistical problems/$$ to solve ie driveway concerns.
We celebrated (?) on Mar 21 two years since we went for a drive through a March blizzard to check out the property for the first time. We put an offer on it the following day. It sure has taken over much of our thinking and $$$ but it has been a good hobby and experience for the most part and has kept us sane as other aspects of our life were in turmoil.
We were last to the shed on Mar 13 and the snow was waist deep in many places... and that is with snow shoes on! Talk about a good work out!! We figure there will be massive flooding when/if spring ever comes. Thankfully the yard site is on a hill so it may become an island by late May. The canoe maybe come essential! Thankfully all the major projects are done so we can sit back and enjoy the experiences that nature gives us.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 27 Mar 2011 11:25pm
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I also had to snowshoe in to my land this winter. I did it twice and will wait now till snow melts down. You have done a lot in 2 years and I just hope I can get mine done this year.
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RnR
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2011 10:05am
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Congratulations on your 2 year anniversary at the property! I think it's great to show prospective cabin owners that no one is getting bored with our places after a couple of months.
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:06pm
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Hey Bugs, the snow has cleared out pretty fast in southwest Ontario in the last two weeks...seeing any green yet in Saskatchewan?
I'm hoping to get to the cabin this week or easter..
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bugs
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2011 11:48am
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Hi Bush
Still snowshoeing as of last Sunday (see story below). The ice on our little pond is rotting and so is the snow in the bush. We expect we will be in "wellies" next weekend and hope to be staying overnight at Easter. That is if we can get to our place. Flooding is likely going to be significant this year in our area.
So you know you are an OLD golfer/duffer when: Last Sunday was MASTER'S Sunday. The lady wife and I spent the day out at our cabin snowshoeing. We get back home about 3 pm...So I am watching the Master's and she pops around the corner wearing "nothing but a smile" and suggests I join her in the shower ("Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more") and I look at her and say "No thanks, cause the final round of the Master's is on!!!! Hee hee. Sure was a good show... The Master's that is. Thought some of the golfers on the forum would enjoy this little story.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2011 01:30pm - Edited by: Gary O
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Yeah, sometimes not even wearing "nothing but a smile" can straighten out yer putz........
'Twas a good Masters though
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bugs
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 07:00pm
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We were able to enjoy the Easter weekend with an overnight stay at the shed even though we had to pack our stuff part of the way down the driveway because of snow. As expected there was flooding on some of the roads in the area. There was still ice on the pond but things were definitely spring feeling and geese were everywhere. We even had a phoebe sing to us in the morning when we woke up. Much more pleasant than the sound of sirens. We watched a coyote have its own Easter egg hunt at the expense of some Canada geese trying to nest on the beaver lodge. We suspect it will be a different story for the coyote once the ice is gone and the geese get serious about nesting.
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bugs
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 07:03pm
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We have almost completely refurnished our little shed in the last two trips. We replaced the homemade plywood bed frames with used army cots from Quinn the Eskimo and were able to position them along the wall with less than 1 inch to spare. And last week we found, at the Reno store, some wonderful oak table and chairs that came from a cafeteria that was being renovated at the university. The table and chairs also fit in well with the colour of the cedar. We also found a "dial-type" microwave oven at a surplus store.
We learned a lot about our solar setup on the weekend. (Specs: one 130 W Solar Panel Array, two 2.7 kWh Maintenance Free Batteries, 1800 W Inverter / Charger, 30 A Charge controller with meters.) Sat was really cloudy with essentially no charging occurring. We used the 1200 watt kettle (takes 6 minutes to boil 1.7 litres of water) not once, not twice but thrice to boil water during the day and then we warmed up some soup in the 700 watt microwave for supper. Just as the soup was finished warming the low battery alarm went on. So now we know how many power uses we have stored on a full charge without any recharging. Once the sun came out on Sunday the batteries were fully charged in about 4 hours. Not sure if we need to get another battery or not to meet the increased electrical demands of our new amenities. The kettle sure is nice in the morning to boil water for coffee and oatmeal though. And the microwave will be great when it miserable out to warm up supper. Guess we are getting soft in our waning years....lol or maybe it should be LOL
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bugs
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 07:06pm - Edited by: bugs
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Last weekend while we were walking along the driveway we scared up a vulture from the bush. Upon investigation we found the remains of a moose. Not much left. All the moose (1) and deer (5) we saw looked pretty thin. I think it was a hard winter for them with all the snow.
We were happy to see "our" beavers are remodeling their lodge much to the concern of a Canada goose pair who are still trying to build a nest on it. It looks like the pond is up almost 8 inches from last fall. The great horned owls are hooting but we have not found their nest yet. The grouse are drumming up a storm. All sorts of waterfowl from buffleheads to teal and grebes are displaying and setting up territories. And the pileated woodpeckers are hammering out their territories (literally), always it seems from the other side of the tree trunk! And new growth is everywhere.
We spent some time cleaning out our bird box line and putting up some new ones. Our "sentinel" tree swallow couple were looking forlorn when we arrived at their nest box as the roof was off. After cleaning the box and putting the roof back on with them flying anxiously over us they returned just as soon as we were a few feet away. Much happier I suspect.
Spring is slowly coming although it still gets down to the freezing mark at night. We are looking forward to enjoying this spring as this will be our first out at the shed that we can stay over night, sit back and enjoy the season in all its glory.
PS: The mice seem to have vacated the walls finally. Not sure it was the peppermint oil or it was just time to go off and do mousey things outside. An alternate hypothesis is that they returned to their own dimension after experimenting on us and finding we were not good test subjects!! Rejected by mice??!!!
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Gary O
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 08:26pm
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Excellent post, bugs.
Thanks for sharing the rewards of your efforts.
Kinda like a nip of a well aged single barley.....
Pardon, while I sip and re-read..........
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bugs
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 08:55pm
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Thanks GO
Arrow indicates the liquor cabinet/solar panel stuff. (I am two up on the single malts vs the Bailey's with the lady wife this year!!! All that farmin' and gazin' off in the distance it is payin' off). I am trying out some single malt Irish Whiskeys now and some English Porters. (Old Used Engine Oil is worth the effort to track it down if you are inclined to taste the darker side of beers.)
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Gary O
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# Posted: 9 May 2011 09:03pm
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Funny you should mention porters, got into a local porter here (Black Butte Porter).
The only thing I'd drink for awhile (nice coolant for the middle of the back nine), but lost my taste for it.
Now on the hunt for the perfect IPA....came close this weekend, but like a cabin never finished, might never quite get there.....
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bugs
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# Posted: 16 May 2011 11:53am - Edited by: bugs
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RnR mentioned in a post on their thread the Sawyer filtration method as a possible interesting (less costly) alternative to the Katadyn water filter that they use to filter their stream water. Since we have "water, water everywhere but not a drop that we would want to wash in let alone drink" and the idea of boiling water for washing and drinking sounded too much like work (We are inherently lazy!) and too much stove fuel usage we thought we would try the Sawyer system (http://sawyerpointonefilters.com/).
First issue was trying to get one in Canada! The company only sells directly in the US even though you can go through the entire purchase form until you find this out. So next stop was eBay as I could not find a Cdn retailer. We went with the basic SP1803 - Sawyer® PointOne™ Filter w/Bucket Adapter Kit W/ 3 Foot Hose (Current price $61.59 usd) that they claim removes "Bacteria, Which Cause: I.E.: Cholera, Botulism (Clostridum botulinum), Typhoid (Salmonella typhi), Amoebic Dysentery, E. Coli, Coliform Bacteria, Streptococcus, Salmonella Protozoan (Cyst): I.E.: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora." NOTE: No viruses. From what I have read normal filtration does not remove viruses from water but chlorinating it does. However, chlorine does not work well in killing off Giardia or Cryptosporidium parasites.
Next issue came up when I tried hand drilling the plastic pail with the provided self-tapping bit they. The bit dug in one side created an oval hole. Thankfully I was able to rasp it round and smooth and then silcon "to the rescue".
We tried it out last weekend with some pond water. We used a pillowcase to remove the big bugs (I think I will use a 75 or 100 micron Tyler sieve that I have kicking about instead of the pillow case in future.) The pond water was a decidedly greenish colour likely from the plant pigments in the water but not turbid. The filter did not require priming and it had a flow rate of about 500/min. The water that came out of the filter was ever so slightly greenish in colour. We think we will add some chlorine, household bleach or pool chlorine, ((0.05 ml) of bleach to 1 litre of water, shake and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes) to kill any viruses or maybe we will try a Steripen. The water should then be acceptable for washing and showering. We think we will still haul out drinking water just because we are used to it (We have had gut flushing experiences from drinking high mineral content "pure" glacial water that we were not used to!!). I hope to get the water tested for nasties some time in the future to see how well the whole process works. If we did decide to drink the water we would likely run it through a carbon filter.
On the other, errrrrr, "end" if you will so to speak... we finally stirred up the oldest "poo container" (green containers) which was filled in mid summer 2010. Everything was decaying nicely with no toilet paper or anything else recognizable. It looked like and smelled like ordinary compost! The biodegradable plastic bags we use to line the poo pail with were still evident but they were also disintegrating. We will likely keep stirring the container over the next months and maybe this fall or next spring we will transfer the contents into a normal style compost bin for final decay.
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