I can’t believe how quickly these weekly updates come.  Seems like the last one was just yesterday.  I guess that means I’m keeping busy.  Week 19 y’all! Can you believe we’ve exhausted almost twenty weeks in 2017? Been pretty busy around the Suburban Steader Homestead this week.  Come along and check out what went on.

This Week’s Milestones

The Workshop Is The Place To Be

I spent a lot of time in my workshop this week.  It really is my sanctuary at times.  If I’ve had a bad day at work or just need some downtime from the family, I’ll head in there, crank the radio and just relax.

I think the most important thing I did in the workshop was getting it clean.

You know what they say about cleanliness and Godliness.  Even if you’re not a religious person, you know how rewarding a clean area can be to your mindset.  I feel ready to tackle a new project and get after it!

I used my Self-Centering Sharpening Jig and handmade hand plane iron sharpening jig to sharpen my hand plane iron.  Unfortunately, it looks like the modification I made to the self-centering sharpening jig didn’t work right and I ended up with a crooked iron.

Any suggestion on how to fix it?

Once I got the place cleaned up, I broke out my grandfather’s old toolbox.

It’s a pretty cool piece of work – looks like all the corners are rabbet joints and the entire thing (with the exception of one piece) doesn’t use any hardware to hold it together.  I’m trying to figure out how I want to finish it.

Thinking about hitting it with the orbit sander and throwing some boiled linseed oil on it.  What do you think?

Garden Getting Going

Despite the colder weather here (we’re hitting low 40’s at night), the garden is really cranking.  The parsley and peppers were introduced to their final spots outdoors.  Likewise, the sage got replanted into larger containers outside with the intent of them growing bigger and stronger before being placed in their final homes.

I’m having some concerns with my peppers.

The feedback I’ve gotten so far is that it’s probably just exposure to sunlight.  I tend to agree with that except for two things:

1. These plants have been under UV lights during their entire grow phase.
2. I hardened these off quite extensively prior to planting.

Not sure if that all makes a difference.  What do you think?

Guilty Pleasures

I’m not what you’d call a voracious reader but when I find a book I really enjoy I sure can sink my teeth into it.  The Survivalist Series from Angery American is one of those series.

I recently picked up the eighth book in that series entitled “Home Invasion.”  I’ve devoured over half the book in a few days and will, no doubt, be done with it before the end of the weekend.  If you like any kind of apocalyptic fiction, you’ll like this series.

In fact, if you like that kind of book, check out some of these fiction books.  I definitely recommend all of them.

Next Week’s Goals

Gardening

The cukes are growing strong inside.  Likewise, the basil and cilantro are making a strong push under the grow lights.  They should all soon be on the hardening process and eventually make their way to their final homes outside.  I need to get some thyme started outside as well.

The rabbits have definitely left and I’ve been able to prep that area of the garden for transplants.

Workshop

The toolbox is the next big project in my mind here.  I’m going to get the unit cleaned up with the vacuum and a damp cloth.  If it still looks kind of crummy, I’ll break out the orbital sander and go to town.  I’m really going back and forth in my mind about whether I want to remove the years of “patina” and character or not.  Any feedback you have would be appreciated.

That’s it folks – Week 19 is in the books!  How was your week?

Thanks for reading!

Dan

Founder/Owner at Suburban Steader

I am a middle-age guy with a wife, two young kids and a crazy dog. We live on Long Island, NY and had an interesting experience with Hurricane Sandy. That experience led me towards the self-sufficiency movement and eventually led to the founding of SuburbanSteader.com. I aim to provide suburbanites with the confidence and know-how to become more self-reliant by providing content on topics such as gardening, personal health, financial responsibility, cooking, self-preparedness and self-protection.