by Winding Pathways | Mar 27, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Home Improvements
- Disclaimer: Both Milwaukee and Ego have provided us with tools to test, however, we purchased most of our tools at retail cost, including Milwaukee and Ego brands.
There it was, printed clearly in the owner’s manual. Clean the tool.
Review the owners manual before operating a tool.
I’d just bought a Milwaukee Brand Random Orbit Sander. Even before handling it I fished the owner’s manual out of the box, wrote the date of purchase and location I bought it on the manual, and leafed through it. Included were clear instructions on the importance of cleaning the backing pad.
Test and Clean
Wood dust on bottom of sander.
After testing my new sander, I unfastened the backing pad to find a surprising amount of wood dust packed in crevices. A bit of work with a brush and rag, combined with brisk blowing, swept the debris away, making the sander ready for its next use.
“It’s important to keep all tools clean, lubricated and well maintained. Saws, grinders, and sanders tend to create much debris that can lodge inside them, said Pete Carlson, my tool mentor and and an employee of Milwaukee Tools. “Keeping them clean helps the tool run efficiently, and safely,” he added.
Habit
I think I’m unusual. Right after buying any mechanical device, whether it is a new refrigerator, fishing reel, or tool, I write the date of acquisition on the owner’s manual and include where I bought it. Then I leaf through the instructions and place them in a permanent file for future reference. I also use a Sharpie pen and write my name and the purchase date on the new item. Above all, I immediately clean the tool when done using it.
Read the Manual
Reading the manual helps me learn the capabilities of a tool or reel that I didn’t know. Instructions also clearly detail maintenance needs and sometimes include troubleshooting and repair information if there’s a problem.
At Winding Pathways, we use chainsaws, trimmers, mowers, and snowblowers for outdoor land management and a diversity of carpentry tools for home maintenance. Years ago, I bought a starter kit of battery-powered Milwaukee brand tools and have built on the system often. I love ‘em for their efficiency, ease of use, and safety.
Lesson from the Army
Back in Army trainee days my squad’s crusty drill sergeant wouldn’t let us go to chow after a tiring day until we’d thoroughly cleaned our rifles. We were usually starved but knew the sergeant was right. It became a habit. Now, after a chainsaw session I may be tired and hungry but the priority is cleaning and sharpening the saw.
Clean the tool.
Rich’s Tool Tips
- Buy quality tools, but before using one read the owner’s manual.
- Wear protective gear. Usually, that means hearing and eye protection, sturdy gloves and shoes, and, when chainsawing chaps.
- Clean every tool after use.
- Keep cutting tools sharp, lubricated, and well-maintained.
Respecting Tools
Tools are amazing. They make the most difficult chore easier and faster. But they should be treated with care and respect and used safely.
Sourcing Tools
Side view with date of purchase.
Most of our tools are either the Milwaukee or EGO Brand. We like them both and occasionally buy a new tool to run on their battery systems. As we buy new tools or replace old ones, we tend to buy Milwaukee for the quality and convenience of using one battery system. Other companies sell quality tools as well.
The snowblower starts with a push of a button.
by Winding Pathways | Mar 13, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Chickens, Garden/Yard
Soaring Prices Cause People to Question
Does keeping a backyard flock make sense?
Store eggs come from one breed of chickens.
While shopping at a nearby grocery store, we noticed eggs for sale at $6 with a purchase limit of two dozen. After returning home, we visited our backyard coop and collected eight eggs, which is a fairly typical daily production from our ten hens.
With egg prices soaring and availability uncertain, many people are considering building a coop, buying chicks, and producing eggs in the backyard.
Consider Carefully
Does a backyard flock make sense, or is investing in one a way to save money? Is it a good idea to keep chickens?
It depends. Ask first, what is your lifestyle? Do you like working around a yard and tending animals? Will you keep the coop and run clean? How much space do you have for a small flock? What other animals do you have? How often do you travel? What is your relationship with neighbors? Is keeping a small flock legal in your community?
Then, do your research.
We’ve tended small backyard flocks for nearly 50 years and have much experience managing chickens. Fortunately, many towns and cities changed their ordinances to allow suburban and urban flocks and thousands of families have begun keeping chickens. For those willing to do the daily work, they are well suited for suburbia.
Will A Backyard Flock Reduce the Grocery Bill?
Beautiful eggs
For many families chickens are a rewarding hobby with a side benefit of delicious food and garden fertilizer. But, do those hens produce eggs at a lower price than at the grocery?
Maybe.
What is Economy of Scale?
Huge commercial egg producing farms house millions of layers of genetic strains developed for maximum egg production. They buy feed at huge discounts.
Their economy of scale has, until recently, enabled grocery stores to sell eggs at amazingly low prices.
In contrast, there’s no economy of scale in caring for a small flock. Stores offer no discounts when buying a bag or two of layer feed. It costs us about $5 a dozen to produce eggs from our ten-hen flock. So, at today’s prices we’re probably saving a little money, but during normal times our backyard eggs are more expensive than store bought ones.
More Than Money
That’s only part of the picture. We can count on our hens to lay eggs every day. Recently our grocery store was out of eggs. Reliability is a benefit and there’s more.
Chicken enjoy varied diet
We take pride in producing as much of our food in our yard as possible. Both garden vegetables and backyard eggs are absolutely fresh, delicious, and reliable. And, we know our chickens are raised humanely. We like them. They are fun. Our chickens give us a laugh with their comic peculiarities. They are beautiful. They talk to each other and clearly communicate, recognize us and eagerly anticipate the treats we give them daily.
Our End Benefit
For us producing food is a satisfying activity that gives us both peace of mind and pleasure.
Should A Family Tend a Backyard Flock?
Caring for any living creature entails responsibility. Chickens, like a family dog or cat, need daily care that can be time-consuming. If a family enjoys animals and is willing to devote time and energy to their daily care, a backyard chicken flock may fit perfectly into their lifestyle and yield eggs. Caring for chickens can be an enjoyable family project, an educational adventure for children with fresh eggs as a bonus.
However, if a family sees a flock solely to save money at the grocery and doesn’t enjoy daily animal care, establishing a flock is a mistake.
There’s a lot to learn when establishing a chicken hobby. Excellent information is available on our own website Winding Pathways or the Hoover’s Hatchery website. Many physical books and online sources also help with learning.
Final thought: Remember, make it fun!
by Winding Pathways | Mar 6, 2025 | Chickens, Garden/Yard
What is a Marshmallow Scramble?*
- It’s an easy, entertaining way to get chicks to come home for the night.
Every afternoon, with great enthusiasm, our chickens do the marshmallow scramble. Until recently we didn’t know chickens love the sugary balls of puff, but neighbor, Joann Hoffman, a chicken aficionado demonstrated with her small flock. As her small flock of hens gathered around her in anticipation, she tossed out a few mini marshmallows. The tiny treats vanished in a flash!
Chickens love treats!
We bought a few bags of baby marshmallows on our next foray at the grocery store. That afternoon we tossed a handful to our chickens. Cocking their heads, they eyed them with suspicion. Stepping close, cocking their heads another way, stepping away with disdain, then stepping back in as curiosity overcame their caution. One finally sampled the strange tidbit. Then, scrambled for more. Other chickens scrambled for a taste of this exotic, new “food.”
Understand, please that the marshmallow scramble is a special treat. We make sure the hens and rooster have plenty of nutritious foods and treats especially in the winter.
Now, marshmallow time happens every afternoon when we want to lure the hens into the coop for the night. They’ve even learned the phrase, “marshmallow time.” When we shout those words the flock scurries into the coop. We toss in marshmallows and enjoy watching the wild marshmallow scramble. While they’re busy snapping them up we close the pop hole door, securing the coop from nocturnal predators.
Take a look at this mad chicken marshmallow scramble.
While putting the blog together we even learned some about the history of marshmallows. Kind of interesting.
by Winding Pathways | Feb 27, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Energy Efficiency, Trees/Shrubs
After lots of experimenting, we’ve figured out how to create the best woodstove fire.
Wood heat is lovely
For a half century, our stoves kept us warm during winter’s chill. We’ve burned all sorts of wood, ranging from rather low-heat cottonwood to heat-dense black locust. We prefer using a mix of wood from different species to create and maintain the best warming fire.
Sources
The Internet is packed with charts giving the relative heat value of wood based on species. These are great resources that help choose the best wood species. All the charts assume that every species is dried to about the same moisture contact to make accurate comparisons. When given a choice it’s generally the best use of time and storage space to choose dense woods that have high heat value. But we make great use of lower-value woods like pine and cottonwood.
Curing
No matter the species, wood needs to be cured to make efficient firewood. We cut and split our wood and store it out of the rain for at least two years.
Trees Felled
In August 2020 a derecho’s 140 mile an hour wind felled 47 trees on our property. It made a mess. We hated losing shade and privacy but converted the downed trees into cordwood that’s kept us warm for the past four winters. The wind knocked down Douglas Fir, Black and Red Oak, Mulberry, Black Cherry, White Pine, Hackberry and American Elm. We use them all in slightly different ways.
Different Woods
Here’s how different types of wood burn and how to take advantage of their different characteristics.
Woods with Pitch
Douglas Fir has lots of pitch.
Pine and Douglas Fir: These softwoods contain pitch. Highly flammable turpentine is made from pine pitch. It burns like crazy. We split our White Pine into kindling. Finely split shavings are easy to light with a match even without using paper. Once the fire is going, we avoid burning smoky pine.
Our Douglas Fir is denser and harder than pine and holds more heat per pound. It also contains pitch. So, when starting a fire on a cold morning we put a large chunk of Douglas Fir in the woodstove, lean pine shavings against it, and strike a match. Soon the shavings are burning hot enough to ignite the Fir’s pitch and get a hot fire started.
Putting too much kindling or pitch-filled wood in a stove can be dangerous. It burns very hot with a yellow flame and some smoke. So, we don’t load the firebox with the stuff.
Hardwoods
Three types of hardwood.
Oak, Cherry, Hackberry, and Elm: These hardwoods lack pitch but are loaded with heat released during combustion. We put these woods on our chunk of burning Douglas Fir and keep adding them all day. They create a mellow burn that releases heat more slowly than softwoods. The Engineering Toolbox has excellent information on relative values of wood heat.
Relative Heat Values
Here are some relative heat values of the woods we burn.
Species BTU’s Per Cord Cord Weight
Red Oak 24 million 3760
Black Cherry 20 .. 3520
White Pine 14.3 .. 2240
Douglas Fir 26.4 .. 2970
Cottonwood 15.8.. 2272
Benefits of woodstoves
Burning wood saves money and provides ultra-comfortable heat, but it takes plenty of work to find, cut, split, move, and stack it. Then it has to cure and be moved close to the stove. To us, the work and patience have been well worth it, especially on frigid snowy nights.
-
-
Summer project.
-
-
Storing wood.
by Winding Pathways | Jan 30, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Energy Efficiency
Radon is an unwelcome house guest that we’re careful to boot out. We welcome wild turkeys, barred owls, and a local opossum to visit but radon comes uninvited.
Our house was built in 1947 atop an ancient sand dune formed when the glaciers receded around 9,000 years ago. Fierce Southwest winds blew sand from the Cedar River up to where our house was built thousands of years later. Down in that sand or the rock beneath it is uranium. As it degrades it turns into radon that percolates up and enters our house.
Noble Gas
Physicists consider radon a noble gas, but there’s nothing noble about what it can do to human health. Radon is a stealthy gas that is odorless, invisible, and tasteless. It’s the number two cause of lung cancer in America behind smoking.
Mitigating Radon
When we bought our home in 2010 the former owner had just installed a radon mitigation system. Basically, it’s a fan that vents radon outside. The gas has a half-life of only 3.8 days. That means half of it will have degraded into potentially nasty polonium in about four days. However, these gasses are diluted and break down quickly and pose little danger outside a building. Eventually, they further degrade into lead.
Alpha Emitter
Radon is a radioactive alpha emitter. A single sheet of paper can stop its particles. The particles are dangerous when breathed in and lodged in the lungs. There they can cause lung cancer.
Prevention
Prevention is simple and involves venting radon from the house to the outside. On a December morning Neil McDonald, a licensed radon mitigation specialist, visited Winding Pathways. He replaced our worn-out radon fan with a new one that has more oomph.
“Any house built after 2015 likely has a radon venting system built into it that channels the gas outdoors. Probably the majority of older houses have some radon inside and lack a mitigation system. Radon can be anywhere but many areas of the country have especially high concentrations of it and the Midwest is one of the worst regions,” he said while he replaced our fan.
-
-
Simple replacement
-
-
Neil McDonald, Radon mitigation specialist
Test Kits
Uneven is good.
A few years ago, we wondered if our radon removal system was working so we bought two test kits at a local home store. We ran a test with our system going and mailed it to a lab. It showed a pcl/L level under 2. Then we turned the system off and retested it. Radon levels were about 5. Our system works! The government recommends action in any building with a level of 4 or above. Test kits and electronic testing devices can be purchased at many home improvement and hardware stores.
When Is Radon Most Concentrated?
“Radon tends to be most concentrated in homes during the summer and winter when windows are closed and furnaces or air conditioners are running. Generally, levels are lower in spring and fall when people keep their windows open, allowing the gas to flow outside. Concentrations are usually highest in basements,” he continued.
Replacing the Machine is Part of Our Maintenance
We knew our old radon fan was on its last legs when its noise level increased. That’s when we invited Noel to visit and install a new fan. Switching it out only took about an hour.
Helpful Sites
Helpful information on radon can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Googling Radon Mitigation takes a person to many sources. For Iowans, Health and Human Services is a helpful site. Our tax dollars doing good work to keep people safe. Radon mitigation companies operate in nearly all larger towns. We hired MidAmeria Basement Systems to replace our fan.
Making sure radon is not a problem is similar to having health checkups and cleaning the woodstove and gas fireplaces. Maintenance! We continue to welcome our wild turkeys and possums to our yard while kicking radon out of the house.
by Winding Pathways | Jan 16, 2025 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Garden/Yard, Garden/Yard
Seed Catalog Reading
We trudged through the snow to retrieve our first garden catalog. Excited! So, we wondered what our gardening friends thought of about the best garden vegetables to grow in tiny spaces. They replied about small spaces and in general.
Garden seed catalogs hold spring’s promise in your hands. These seem to sprout in mailboxes during winter’s depth. In addition to being fun reading on dark winter nights, they help plan springtime seed planting.
Changing How We Garden
We have plenty of space at Winding Pathways to create a big garden, but we decided to grow vegetables on two small garden plots years ago. Their modest size makes them easy to manage, but mostly we wanted to learn how to grow a maximum amount of the best garden vegetables from a small area. Not everyone has large spaces and as people age adapting to how they continue to enjoy a practice, like gardening, is important.
During the 2024 growing season, our gardens produced an amazing amount of food. We saved money by providing ultra-fresh pesticide-free vegetables and enjoyed nearly year-round tasty vegetables.
Readers Share Their Best Garden Vegetables
We asked a few seasoned gardeners what their favorite small space crop is.
Master gardener, Iris Muchmore, has a small backyard garden. Her absolute favorite planting is a Sun Gold Tomato. She points out that tomatoes aren’t really vegetables. They’re a fruit, but most folks consider them a vegetable. “The Sun Gold tomato is indeterminate, tasty, as sweet as candy, and productive. Children love them. One plant will grow up to seven feet tall and produce all the tomatoes a family can eat with some extras for neighbors. In 2024 we enjoyed tomatoes from June until frost from one plant,” she said.
Jackie Hull is a seasoned Virginia gardener. Her favorite vegetables are string beans, both green and yellow. She’s 83 years old and grows beans in large pots on her porch. “It makes gardening easy. There’s no weeding, only watering and picking,” she remarked.
Tasty high summer garden fruits and vegetables.
Bruce Bachman & Nancy Sauerman buy from Pinetree Garden Seeds in Maine. They comment that their favorite garden vegetable is a “…tie between tomatoes and green beans. Although potatoes, chard, and broccoli are close seconds.” Then they added with a laugh, “Oh! forgot summer and winter squash! Oops, and okra and spring lettuce.” All favorites of theirs.
Iowa Gardener, Dave Kramer, responded by stating, “I like the challenge of growing different tomato varieties and growing string beans”
Kurt Rogahn also weighed in, choosing tomatoes as his favorite. “Tomato is my favorite. The ones in the store are so tasteless! I like different varieties— red, yellow, orange, big and small.”
Jill Jones, could hardly decide as she likes just about all vegetables. And, she prepares delicious dishes from her garden produce.
Joann Hoffmann weighed in with these thoughts: She starts greens in a colander!
“I would say my favorite is a nice salad mix with arugula, red lettuce and green lettuce. You can grow it in a colander. It’s an early vegetable, likes cool weather. It makes a great base for salads all summer long. You can start it in April when it’s too early for other vegetables. As the season progresses you can add kale, swiss chard, turnup greens, mustard greens, mint, peppermint, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, and cilantro. Try it and enjoy great tasting salads all summer long!!”
Our Favorite Vegetable For Small Spaces
We’ve gardened for about 50 years, growing all sorts of vegetables, and are constantly experimenting with new varieties. Along the theme of Small spaces” here is our number one favorite:
Swiss Chard: Chard is a green delicious when steamed or raw in salads. We plant it in April and often eat young leaves within a month. Unlike spinach and lettuce, chard doesn’t bolt, or go to seed, and get bitter. So, we eat chard from the same clump for about five months without replanting. About two square feet of space produce all the chard we can eat. It’s an outstanding plant for folks who live in apartments and only can grow a few things in pots on the deck.
Susan Fellows is one of those people. “It’s not strong like the greens grown in the South and less strong than spinach.” She enjoys snipping off a few leaves, steaming them, and adding butter. Delicious and nutritious!
Swiss chard is the same species as beet but it’s been developed as a green vegetable. There are several varieties. All are good. Beet tops are also delicious when steamed, but they are a bit stringier and tougher than chard.
Number Two of Best Garden Vegetables
Green and yellow beans are our second favorite for our small space garden. We use two methods to create a constant harvest from June through October. We plant a small patch of bush beans in May. They produce beans quickly and the plot yields heavily for a month before the plants peter out. Anticipating this, we start another small bean plot several feet away about a month after the first planting. By the time the first plot is done, the second one starts producing like crazy. We also plant a row of pole beans next to a garden fence. They mature slower than bush beans but produce from August until frost. String beans provide great food for nearly every dinner for months.
Promise of spring
Enjoy leafing through winter garden catalogs and place seed orders early in anticipation of delicious 2025 eating. Be sure to put Sun Gold, string beans, and Swiss chard on the order list.
Some quality seed companies we buy from:
Pinetree Seeds, New Gloucester ME
Seed Savers, Decorah, IA
Gurney’s Seed and Nursery, Greendale, IN
Burpee, Warminster Township, PA
Jung Seeds & Plants, Randolph, WI
