Clearing brush for the power lines

Last week I met with Jim Cornforth of Madison Electric to determine where exactly the lines for the electricity would run.

It would be great to be able to start up our farm off the grid, but with a very limited budget we’re forced to stick with electricity for the time being.  The electric company will install up to 300 feet of line and 1 pole for free, and we can install our choice in green technology later on to reduce our dependency on electricity.

As a result of that meeting, our focus this week at the farm-site has been to clear the right-of-way for the powerlines so that we can get Madison Electric out to Runamuk to install electricity for our construction crews to have access to.

Despite the miserable cold and wind on Sunday, Keith went out with his chainsaw to fell the trees, and on Monday I moved the chunked logs and the brushy undergrowth while Keith was scouring the central Maine area for parts for the Runamuk truck, which is acting wonky (something to do with a bolt in the “pumpkin”–I didn’t know vehicles could grow vegetables, but mechanics are not my forte!) and needs repairs.

What a gorgeous day to hang out at the farm-site alone!  The wind had died down, it was warm and sunny, and the birds called in the tree tops above me.

This is the mess I was faced with when I arrived.

Filled with my typical enthusiasm and determination I got straight to work moving the stuff.  But I stopped to watch a pair of-what I believe, after consulting our Birds of Maine field guide–broadwinged hawks circling overhead.  They soared effortlessly above me, utilizing the air currents above Pease Hill, which is one of–if not the–highest hill in the area.

By the time Keith returned I had made short work of most of the brush, and we worked together to clean up the remaining saplings and logs.  Here is what it looked like by the time we called it quits for the day.

There were many little saplings left behind, but those will be easy to get with my pruning loppers when we return.  Or perhaps I will simply leave them there for the goats later in the summer.  I’ll tell you all about our livestock plans in the not-to-distant future, so check back soon!

I made two tall brush piles, which we will burn during our work-party in a couple of weeks.  More about that in an up-coming post (who doesn’t like a good party?).  We’re going to have a very busy summer, so be sure to check in with us often!