catch up

Racing the weather trying to get stuff before winter. My two major projects right now are concrete and firewood. Last year I cut support posts for the house and drove them under the beams perched on flat rocks-thank goodness I didn't nail them since the rocks settled and the posts were just wobblying there.

So I have pulled out two of my posts so far, and dug a hole about 3 feet deep, centered under where the post would hang. Then I back filled with rumbly rocks and 3 bags of 60 pound concrete. No metal, I may regret that. Then I let that set up a couple days with rocks sticking up, supported the posts, spiked them to the beam, and then made a form out of half an old hot water heater jacket I coated with the bottoms of several old jars of Jif peanut butter so the form wouldn't stick.

Then I mixed two more bags of concrete per post and filled the form in up a couple inches over the bottom of the post.

I think most people would have leveled the concrete and then put the post on that, but I am not competent enough to jack the house up, and I didn't want to drive the post in place on fresh concrete in case I might crack it.

I just have 6 more holes to do and then put concrete collars around the bad posts...which may not get finished by the time the ground freezes, so I will just do as much as I can.

The proper way would be to replace the rotted posts, but I am going to run a concrete collar below and above the bad part at ground level and spike the post so it grabs the concrete. (the posts go four feet into the ground)

Tonia, if your hubby has a better idea, tell me now! LOL.


Firewood is the same old...trying to clean up the stuff in the goat pasture. Racing the snow on that chore...Have about a cord done so far.

I've had visitors a few days this week which has slowed me down, plus working at the farm everyday-I did get a lot done on Saturday but it was regular stuff like yard clean up.

Now if I could get the laundry done and three loads of trash to the dump before the raccoon gets into it AGAIN-I'll be able to get back to firewood and concrete.