[Michael Colby]

Sorry, John. I’m sure you did all you could do and gave her a great life. Hang in there.

[Michael Colby]

Finished the last of the 2000 taps today. Now I’ve just got to hang the 50 buckets for the tourists. 🙂

[Michael Colby]

Began tapping today in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont — Walden, to be precise. Only got a few hundred taps in (out of 2200ish expected) but was alarmed by the instant sap flowing (tasted wonderful, by the way). This is several weeks ahead of the norm. I’m buckling in and preparing for a weird season.

[Michael Colby]

I really like the pigeon blinders because they don’t seem to crowd the eyes as much.

[Michael Colby]

I like the Viking logging boots — the ones with the laces on the back, with thermal inserts.

[Michael Colby]

$35/hour. And be careful about the landowner felling the trees. I recently had a landowner do this “favor” for me and it only caused more headaches because he had no idea about how to fell them correctly for horse extraction. Worse, he didn’t know how strong my horses were and cut rather small firewood trees in 10-foot lengths.

Good luck.

[Michael Colby]

Pat Palmer is a good man. And a great horseman. Thanks for posting this.

[Michael Colby]

This mare has been sold. Thanks.

[Michael Colby]

I almost always agree with you, Carl. But to say that it is “disingenuous to find fault” with Ben & Jerry’s seems a bit odd coming from you. Just because they’re nice guys who have been honest about bullshitting people into thinking the purchase of a pint of ice cream will lead to peace doesn’t mean we should look the other way on their use of chemicals and farming techniques that are very, very harmful.

I would argue that it is disingenuous to believe in organic agriculture and turn a blind eye toward Vermont’s largest non-organic entity — Ben & Jerry’s. But, then again, I never got a Ben & Jerry’s grant. Only a job offer from Ben if I would just “shut up” about their atrazine addiction. Oh my, another bad career choice….

[Michael Colby]

Ah, Ben & Jerry’s — a subject near and dear to my activist heart. I waged a battle with them in the late 1990s while I was running Food & Water. We were putting a spotlight on the herbicide Atrazine (a carcinogen that is forbidden in organic agriculture) and thought we could get one of the state’s largest users of it (via its farmers), Ben & Jerry’s, to phase it out and go organic. To make a long story short, we got our asses kicked. Worse, to this day, Ben & Jerry’s is still not organic — relying, instead, on the meaningless “natural” label.

Here’s a link to a more detailed version of my encounters with Ben & Jerry: http://www.broadsides.org/food-waters-memory-lane-the-ben-jerrys-campaign.htm

[Michael Colby]

LostFarmer: I’m having a hard time visualizing your last bit of advice. Would you, by any chance, have a photo? Because I think we’re nailing down the problem. Thanks again.

[Michael Colby]

I think you’re onto something, Mitch. And there seems to be a connection with how the body is bolted and a lack of play in the bolster. I’m going to take it apart and reassemble it with those things in mind.

Thanks for the great feedback.

[Michael Colby]

It was built last year and just felt really stiff, like we had it bolted in too tight to take advantage of the bolster/bunk/two-runner scenario that should give it some give. I’m going to unbolt it on the two diagonals (front right/back left) to see if it give it some room to maneuver.

I’m also still curious to know if anyone has ever attached a body to the bolsters/bunks via the same pin that connects those two? To my very non-mechanical mind, it seems like that would allow the body to float more with the natural action of the two runners.

[Michael Colby]

Yes, I’ve got the bolsters pinned to the bunks. The four metal strakes come up from the bolsters and are bolted to the sides of the sleigh to keep in place. I’m wondering if it would be better to either not bolt it in all four places to give it some wiggle room or bolt/pin it to the bolsters — perhaps using the same type of pin that connects the bolsters and the bunk?

I’m going to try and attach the best photo I can fine (not very good). Hopefully you can see where I’ve bolted the body to the strakes.

[Michael Colby]

Well said, Tim. I recently filled out the NRCS paperwork for a client of mine in the Northeast Kingdom. The deadline in Vermont was September 1st. It’s not going to make me or my client rich but it’s going to allow me to do things for them that would otherwise be ignored due to cost — apple tree release, brush/thicket management, etc. It’s too bad the federal money we’ll be getting won’t be taken out of the defense budget. 🙂

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