Amadou Hatfield

I know it has been some time since these posts but for those still wondering it is easy to find what lies beneath the surface soil. The state DNR site has the logs by county going back as far as they were required to file the logs. Each county has well drilling logs online with depth, rock type encountered, and output, usually with a hand-drawn stratigraphic chart. If you plot the log information from all properties surrounding yours you should get a reasonable idea of what to expect.
A note of waring; if you have a working well any future excavation afterwards could impact the well. We had neighbors contract to have their 400' long electric line buried and lost their 50 gallon per hour water supply, now left with a 3.5 gallon per hour water well. Not saying that will happen in all instances but it might be worth considering when to put the well in.

A note about warnings on signs.
There was a case in our area where someone had a 'Beware of Dog' sign, then the dog bit someone.
The owner was successfully sued because the sign indicated that the owner was aware of the hazard: their dangerous dog.
The dog had never bitten before, but the sign indicated that there was a known hazard, so there was much more to gain by suing due to the sign.
Officials in the news article suggested removing such signs. 

It is fun to read some of these, but better to find out what will legally protect the property owner, especially if someone hurts themselves in some way while trespassing. 

shaneaaron wrote:
DRAFT! Is it only happening when the stove is cold? If so get the flue "hot" somehow. If it's happening all the time the chimney may not be "tall" enough, general rule is " 3' higher than any structure or obstruction within 10' from the side of the chimney" (that includes trees, that could be cut down if necessary).
Hope I said that right.

Draft was my go-to reflex.
Chimney is the required legal height.
There are trees but they are deciduous and a distance away. We have a fireplace in the room that drafts perfectly. I have it closed so it doesn't present a negative draft.
Bought seals( previous post) and extra stove cement caulk. My project for today. I recently placed a bright light in the stove one evening and did find some points of light that will be sealed.
The stove to pipe contact is back drafting, too, so put a clamp on and that is getting caulked.
Beyond that I am stumped. I have successfully used woodstoves for 30 years so not a novice, by any stretch of the imagination.

Tinknal wrote:
Have you checked to make sure the flue is clear and not clogged up with creasote or debris?  If there is a channel for a seal in the door by all means put one in.

Not clogged- new flue & chimney, this is first use.
I don't see an actual channel, per say, but bought a seal package anyways.

DH bought a new wood/coal pot bellied stove. The black paint smoked like crazy the first few firings, setting off the smoke detector each time.
The paint smell phase seems to be past but now we have wood smoke leaking and setting off the alarm.
Could we adhere fiberglass rope to the leaky door where the smoke seems to be escaping, like the box models have?
I should mention that we had a masonry chimney with liners built for this and the draft seems ok on some days.

Wild strawberries as a small child. It was amazing that this stuff was just outside in random areas. Later I read every book on wild edibles and learned to ID nearly all native plants in my area. Funny how the desire to learn one thing leads to another.

I took my knowledge to the Appalachian Trail as a 4 state through- hiker to test my limits, solo with only my dog. I badly misjudged the availability of wild edibles on the trail. I began my northward hike in Pennsylvania in early April, but up in the mountains it was early March conditions, so I found little. As I continued going north I also continued in perpetual early March! There was also the possibility that the trail was pretty picked over by past hikers with the same idea.

I have a Chinese Chestnut on clay soil overlying shale siltstone. The clay is saturated in wet weather with poor drainage because the siltstone is impermeable. The tree is fine. It had a setback when the 17 year locusts, Cicadas, decimated it by laying eggs in the branches, killing them. As a result, the tree coppiced itself into a  wonderfully broad shape and now produces nuts. I was told that it needed another to cross pollinate for the vast amounts it could be producing, so I planted a few more.

My preference would have been for the native chestnut but when I planted ours that wasn't available.
About 2 years ago I went to a presentation by a native chestnut tree farmer who was attempting the improved hybrids in NE Ohio. He received good funding from the state but was discouraged with the loss. The method ended up being over planting a row knowing that he had to thin 85% of it. That is quite a loss. He wasn't just trialing them, but attempting to build several profitable venues. 
For our area it isn't a reality yet.

I haven't read Plank's book and only accept bits of Fallon's NT, which I have read twice.
To answer part of your question from my perspective;
I can my pear glut into pear sauce. I use fresh pears sauted with onions and spinach with balsamic, more as a vegetable.
I dry strawberries, cherries, and whatever other fruits for winter.
I can or freeze pure berry juice mixtures into the equivalent of the pricey fruit anthocyanins that I used to buy from my naturopathic doctor.
I do make blackberry jam but use it sparingly. I like to think that all the flavonoids counter the sugar in some justified way. 12 jelly jars last me 2 years or more.
We lose power on the average of 6 times per year so I've learned the hard way to not freeze my surplus.

Thanks for the ideas. The pollen in smoothies was a surprise and I intend to try it!
Did he say how he uses the seeds?
Vitamin C- always can use more of this and with little processing it seems.

My link leads to another link in the NYTimes with recipes, one of which is spruce vinegar. Pretty much 3 1/2 oz pine needles added to 3 1/2 oz Apple cider vinegar in blender. Mix briefly and set in sealed container overnight, then sieve. 
There are also recipes for spruce butter and spruce oil.

The United Nations has declared 2011 the International Year of the Forest.
UN link: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/

The site states that it is a global platform to celebrate people's action to sustainably manage, conserve, develop the world's forests by raising awareness.

Parks in our district are kicking it off with mostly kids activities, tree identification.  I will be quietly appreciating my little slice of forest and rejoice that I tuned out the people who recommended that I clear cut my heavily treed ravine.