Green Acres Weekend Update

Byron has spent a lot of time the past couple weeks clearing out an old fence row that had become very overgrown over the past couple decades or so.  His reasons were to try to eliminate the copious amounts of poison ivy growing there, open up the land to the back of the property so it can eventually be used for pasture, create fence posts from cedar trees, and obtain more firewood.  Here's some of what he did, in photos:

Poison ivy root.  I helped Byron pull these up because I supposedly had this superpower that made me immune to poison ivy.  Seriously, I spent the whole summer steeped in to while I was picking blackberries.  But the roots have become my kryptonite.  I'll spare you a photo of my leg.

Here's a photo of what the poison ivy did to Byron's arm.  Our advice?  AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Amazingly enough, Byron's Great-Granddaddy's fence is still somewhat intact in places (including the cedar posts he used). 

Byron would like to build a fence using cedar, and began stockpiling posts by cutting cedar trees from the overgrown fence row. 

Cedar is very rot-resistant, sustainable, and for us, free!

Right now we supplement our heat with the woodstove in the winter, though we'd like to heat only with wood in the future.  Here are maples that were cluttering the fence row. 

When stockpiling firewood, you have to think ahead.  Firewood needs at least a year to dry out (am I right, Byron?)...otherwise the moisture content makes your woodstove less efficient.

Byron has since cleared out the maples, but this gives you an idea of what he's been up to.  He cleared out the whole area from the huge pin oak on the right all the way over to the woodpiles .

A small bite of all we need to do, but a bite nonetheless.

I'm linking this post to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop #4.  Click on the button below to visit some other homesteads!