Thirty Dollar Storage Shed

We’ve all been there. You find you need extra storage but, it’s mid-summer and what with graduation parties, weddings, vacations and family reunions, you just simply don’t have the $200 or $300, at the moment, for the cost of a new shed kit, not to mention the $100 or more you will need for wood and supplies for the base. The solution? Look around to see what you can find that you can recycle and breathe new life into.

Gathering Supplies

That’s what we did and we saved more than 90% off the cost of a new shed. Here’s how we did it. My brother John, was tasked by his landlord with clearing out an old dilapidated shed from a tenant that had been evicted from their rental community. The shed, while yet intact, was laying over on its side. He called our brother David and enlisted his help to load it up on one of our trailers and haul it over here to the camp. It was pretty beat up, but they worked on it awhile and soon got it straightened out.

Then, because he works for a prominent hardware outlet, who tosses out older pallets, some of which retain usability, he managed get some for us, at no cost. The pallets that are yet basically whole, we keep for things like bridges, deer stands, decks, etc. The rest, we piece out for various other projects around the camp. The broken-up stuff makes good fodder for the fire-pit. 

Finally, for the price of doing the work to clear them out, he scored a load of building bricks. Once again, no out-of-pocket cost. So, the lesson here is, keep your eye out for opportunities and don’t squander them! Since I already had a screw gun and screws, all I needed now was a couple of 4x8 sheets of plywood and, as it turned out later on in the project, some wasp spray. Combined cost, $30.

Building the Base

We started by laying out the brick pattern for four 48”x40” pallets. Then, using only a pick, a flat-bladed spade and a level, I cut the sod and dug out the patches to fit the bricks in such a way as each pallet laid level on top of them. It took a few hours but in the end, I had a level pallet base, eight feet wide by six feet eight inches long. 

Then, David and I laid out the two plywood panels on top and screwed them into the pallets below. After that, using a hand rip saw, I cut off the remaining excess plywood. Now, we were ready for the last step, moving our repaired metal shed onto the base.

Mounting the Shed

That’s when the wasps began to bite. David took three stings before we realized what was happening. Fortunately, he does not have an allergy to wasps or bees and we had some anti-allergy topical ointment medicine on hand. I went to the store and picked up the wasp spray and in minutes, we were back to work.

Basically, because the shed has no bottom, we simply stood inside and lifted it by the “rafters”. Then, we walked it over to the newly built base. There, we lined it up and screwed it down to the plywood edges. Lastly, we removed the plastic runners which the doors use to slide open and closed and re-seated them in their tracks. Finally, we reattached the doors to the runners while making certain they were properly slotted in the base track. After a little clean up, the result is a solid, working shed.

Tally

Supplies	Retail	Our Cost
1 – 8x6 Shed Kit	$299	$0
4 - 48”x40” Used Pallets	$16	$0
2 - 4x8 Plywood Sheets	$26	$26
100 – weather resistant wood screws	$5	$0
Pest Repellent	$4	$4
Totals	$350	$30

Red Beans and Rice Dinner

This is a fantastic recipe for easy preparation in the Camp or at home. Turn an ordinary, ready-to serve side dish into a full-blown meal with just a few additional ingredients. A great one-pot dinner making clean-up a breeze.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. of your favorite ready-to-serve Red Beans and Rice.   
1 small onion (diced)   
½ ring Polish or Smoked Sausage (thinly sliced)   
1 15oz. can Chili-ready diced tomatoes   
Garlic salt   
Rosemary   
Olive oil   
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (opt)   

Directions:

In a medium-sized saucepan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and the onions cut in small dices. Season with a bit of rosemary and garlic salt and sauté until translucent. Thinly slice up the sausage and add it to the onions. Continue to sauté another one or two minutes, stirring regularly until the sausage is nice and hot. 

De-glaze with the vinegar and tomatoes and simmer until hot through and through. Add the two pouches of ready-to-serve Red Beans and Rice and cook, stirring vigorously for another couple of minutes.

Serve as is or with a garnish of your favorite shredded cheese.

Serves 2-3 (for 4-5 servings add an additional pouch of the rice and another half of the sausage).

Variation:

Wild Rice Sauté

(Make the following substitutions)
Rice:	Long Grain and Wild
Meat:	1 lb. of Chicken or Venison (or any game meat)
Herb:	Sage
Moisture:	Mushrooms or your favorite cream/onion soup.

With Camporee just a couple of weeks away, I thought it would be a good idea to show off a little of the work we, David, April and I have been doing to clean up the compound and make it ready for the picnic.

Don't forget, we will be doing a hamburger and hotdog pre-picnic followed by a bonfire on Friday night, the 12th. Then on Saturday, I will be laying out the meats on the smoker (wild boar, beef and pork country ribs, turkey and polish sausage). Please feel free to bring a cold dish and your favorite beverages! Sunday, the 14th will be the clean-up party where whomever remains all pitches in to clean up and then partake of picnic left-overs.

Hope to see you all there!  Enjoy the video!

Franken-Grizzly

This year on August, 13th, I will be 56 years young. I have made a lot of changes in myself to prepare for "middle age", including bariatric surgery, which helped me to lose over 150 lbs and tuning up my health issues, like new glasses, dental updates, etc. This way, come Camporee time, I will be better able to participate and enjoy the festivities.

Yesterday, for an early birthday present, Mom and John got me a little red sports car. Of sorts. My very own personal red dragon. I call him, Franken-Grizzly (note the really bitchin' scar on the right-front fender down by the brake). Oh and yes, by the way in which he growls, he is most definitely male.

Thanks guys!

Sparrow's Flight

Well, I know it's been a while, but we are still here and doing quite well. This year, I attempted to do a little "snow-birding" so as to be able to assist my mother while she undergoes knee surgery. As a result, I have been working right here from camp on a daily basis. Also, I have managed, without the influences and noise of all of the hustle-bustle of the city, to find the time to finish my first novel. It is called Sparrow's Flight and is the first installment in a series entitled "River Brooke Saga". Read my interview with the publisher (Smashwords) here, and please check out my book.

OUR CAMP GARDEN

 

John and Dave made three raised garden beds approx. 12’ x 4’ and one bed 16’ x 2’ at the end of May. And Mom bought two self-watering garden boxes and 20 - 5gal. buckets for our camp garden project.

 

                    

 

                   

 

 

Broccoli and Cucumbers

Made some Broccoli Salad and Cucumber/Onion Salad yesterday from the broccoli and cucumbers from the camp garden, yum!

 

 

 

2013 Hunt Report

Seems as though nature got the best of us this year. I had a very young and small yearling walk right under my stand during early archery season so I let him go. Now I regret that decision as we got neither deer, nor turkey, goose nor duck nor any other game at all this year.

Our hope is that we will better prepare our property early on in the Spring next year to hopefully drive the game into the land and provide forage and fodder for them to stay so we can harvest fresh meat again next Autumn.

Bridges and Benches

The Family Get-together this past year came and went rather quietly due to scheduling issues around Dad's latest open-heart surgery. Even though he was opened up twice in the same day, his recovery was inconceivably quick and as a result, he was able to spend the day with us after all. Consequently, August passed without much more ado and September arrived before we were even aware.

Our final projects of the year involved rebuilding the bridge over the creek behind the deck and building a sitting bench behind the deck facing what will eventually become the ash cemetery. The only hitch however was my desire to do these two building projects the same way they were done in the pioneer days, using wedge and sledge.


The task involved the use of three 8 foot oak logs for long lasting support and digging out the banks on either side so that the log beams, once laid, in parallel fashion would reveal a level top-line for the cross bars to rest upon.

Next, each cross bar, measuring 5 feet in length, was scored lengthwise with an axe head or wedge. Then, we continued to work the wedges up and down the score line, hammering deeper and deeper with the hand maul until the log split apart right down the middle.

Finally, in order of thickest to thinnest, we worked from the middle out and nailed the cross bar halves directly into the 8 foot beams using 6 inch barn nails. This, of course did not come about without mishap.

Our niece Malissa's boyfriend Brian came out from Michigan to get work so we could bring Missy and the kids out with us. He happened to be with us on this day building our bridge when, while digging out the end holes for the 8 foot beams, and attempting to pry out a large rock that was in the way, Rob slipped off the beam and his shovel handle flew right into Brian's face causing a pretty severe contusion under his left eye.

This caused us much concern for a bit, but we are well stocked with first-aide gear and Mom, with her nursing experience patched him up pretty quickly and so well that he didn't even require stitches. Merely a butterfly was all that became necessary and soon we were back to work.

At last, with the bridge complete, we turned our attention to making the log benches we've been planning. And so, using the same technique, we built the bench on the path to the bridge that back-faces the ash cemetery. We will be placing the other bench below the cabin down by the creek for use when we put in our horseshoe pits and boxes next Spring.

Skeeters and Flies and Bears. Oh My!

July brought us more fun in the form of mosquitoes and black flies. Never-the-less, work progressed on our camp expansion project. When we arrived at the start of the first weekend, we were surprised to discover a clear set of very large bear tracks right through the front yard of camp near the log piles. Obviously, this was the creature that was our mysterious bird feeder marauder which we had discovered on previous weekends up north.

After doing some fishing and cutting up yet more logs for our piles and doing some re-stacking, we finished the week-end out with some more grounds clearing and mowing. The camp is starting to look ship-shape as the navy types are wont to say!

Of Boxes, Tree-zebos and Flaming ATVs

June opened with an interesting weekend which permitted us to finish our Outhouse box in shingle and paint and to build, paint and hang five little bat boxes in hopes of luring the little night critters away from the exposed corners of our cabin and into their own little lairs.

For the outhouse, we chose a barn red to color the outside and keep it in fine fashion with the rest of the structures on our property. The bat boxes were built from kits bought on the internet and each was painted a different color; Blue, Red, Yellow, Green and Purple.

As the month wore on winds and weather caused a tree to blow down across our deck and smash the gazebo right down as if to fold it in half. Shortly after we started clean up of that mess we decided to see if we could start the ATVs for a quick run and in the process of firing up the Polaris, caught it on fire which gave us quite a scare. We actually used a sort of bucket brigade from the creek to get the fire out. This was beginning to feel like a harbinger for the remainder of our year.

Spring Projects Have Begun

We began our new Spring projects to clear out space for an orchard, expand our main grounds and build a new outhouse. We also have plans for a few other projects including a bridge rebuild and some rustic benches. But first, a little fishing and a little fun! Rob, John and I went down to the river falls to do a little fishing. It was a truly magnificent morning even though the fish were failing to participate. Dave and the ladies stayed up at the camp to look after Marley and do some hold-over school work.

After awhile, we began the outhouse build. It would be a 4ft by 6ft structure to include space for our home-made wooden compost toilet with a shelf overhead and room in front for our portable shower system so clean-up would be so much more comfortable. By the close of the week-end, we had the structure built and the plastic and sheeting on. Finally, we had the roof attached and ready for shingle. We used the old door from the old tower John built as our door and Rob cut out a moon and drilled some stars in the shape of the big dipper to cap it all off.

The birds are back, and boy are the colors amazing! we have some really beautiful red birds and blue birds to compliment our usual woodpeckers, flickers, grosbeaks, chickadees, finches, hummingbirds and the occasional oriole. I can't wait for warmer temps and more wildlife variations.

Four Men and a Moo

Robinson Park Waterfall

So March went out like a lamb in the frozen north woods even though signs of winter, remained scattered all around in the fields and drifts of the ditches along the roadside. Never-the-less, it was time at last to make a break for the woods! And so John and Dave, Rob and I along with our precious Marley Moo, packed up John's big Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab pickup, late on a Friday night, near the end of March of 2013, and, sunrise not 6 hours away, turned her nose north and hit the road.

After one brief stop for supplies (mmm, doughnuts!), we made our way without a hitch to end of Ed's road facing Pine Hill Trail and the unknown depths of the snow-laden path beyond. Without hesitation, John throws her into 4-wheel low and right on down the road we went. It turns out, we had little to concern ourselves with as the deepest part was a mere 6-inches or so. Then it was quickly build a fire to take the chill off the 23-degree night air and a doughnut and some coffee later we were in our bunks attempting a little sleep before the morning.

Saturday came in rainy and gloomy and looking anything but promising to us. So we decided to feed and water Marley, lock up the cabin so she'd be safe and warm and head into town for breakfast at what is still (Yay!) Amy's. After breakfast we decided to check out Robinson Park and the river level as well as see how things were melting up. The melt-water over the cliffs made for a lovely little waterfall (see photo right) and Rob was particularly delighted as he had never been to the park or the quarry before.

By the time we arrived back at the cabin, the skies had cleared up and the day had warmed significantly. So Dave and John decided to break out the 4-wheelers and pretty soon we were all having a blast turning doughnuts in the snow and making rooster tails (check out our mini movie below). What great fun! Even Marley was getting into it by chasing balls and even swimming in some of the melting pools. We topped the evening off with our first barbecue of the season of Brats and Beans. Mmm, good!

All in all, 'though we had to cut it a little short so we could be back downtown in time for what turned out to be a fantastic Easter dinner at Mom's, it was a fabulous weekend and a great start to our 2013 camping season. Please continue to keep an eye on our blog as we continue to improve our land and post our progress a we go.

2012 Hunt Report

Well folks, the hunt seasons this year were both fun and frustrating. For the first time in many years, Minnesota opened up the Fall Turkey hunt without a lottery. Many of you who know me well will now realize how excited I was for that! I've been trying without success to get a turkey license for many years. Last year we had so many turkeys in the area, I could call them up from my cabin porch with just a few chirp and gobble noises I can make without the need for any hardware assistance. Well, as it turns out, after getting my turkey license and my waterfowl, HIP cert. and sand hill crane license and a new ground blind I was ready for the hunt. Unfortunately, the birds had migrated to the top of the hill outside the hollow this year and I had no access to them. Nor could I call them down no matter how hard I tried. And even though John and I tried several WMA parcels, there was nary a big bird to be seen. And so my bird-less hunting streak continues.

John and I went through the archery season dry, but not without some incredibly exciting sights! On opening weekend, I happened to notice about a half dozen or so does being herded along by a small 4-pointer and at the same time, John saw a 4-pointer come out trailing a doe in the meadow. Then, just as his little herd begins to grow in size with a couple more, the 2 groups met down by my little seasonal pond at the foot of the meadow. So John and I started making our deer calls, and the more we called, the randier they got until they were practically jumping all over each other out there! But they stayed just out of bow range. Then, all of a sudden, out steps this majestic 10-pointer with a good 2-3 foot neck strutting across the field in a slow manner as though he owned the place, which well he might! I didn't catch a glimpse of him but John did and here I relate his tale. He watched that beautiful creature cross below the pond and over toward the corner of the property before he remembered he was here to hunt! Well, needless to say, once he got his bow up and shot off, he was so twisted around in his stand that the shot went wide and we haven't seen that big fellow since.

But such are many of the stories we had this year. We could see them, but they were just out of our range. When in range, we could hear them, but not lay on eyes enough to bring our sites (or scopes) to bear and bring home our quarry. Tom again joined us for the hunt during rifle season and what a blast we had! Just us three brothers, in our cabin in the woods, hunting for meat for our families back home.  At last, in the final weekend of the firearms season, John brought down a little doe which eventually yielded about 20 pounds of ground meat, 33 pounds of homemade sausage and the straps, loins and liver. 

Now it's on this last point that I want to address you hunters out there.  Do you process your own or do you take it in and have someone do it for you?  There is certainly nothing wrong with letting someone else take on the burden of the butchery and grinding of the meat, especially if it is someone you know and can trust and who doesn't gouge you in the wallet.  But let me once make a small case for the idea of processing the meat yourself.  First, you know where every piece of that meat came from. Second, you control the percentage of cut to grind, and the mixed in meats as well, such as pork or lamb.  Also, if you are making sausage there is another benefit.  Many butcheries use a standard venison seasoning for all of the sausage and only give you the shapes and sizes that match your favorite store-bought links. So the venison brats and Italian sausages taste the same except that the butcher added a little cayenne to the Italian to heat it up a little. And they all taste the same as the summer sausage except that that one is smoked. The only thing that really stands out is the breakfast sausage, and that's because of the excess about of sage the butcher puts in.

Do yourself a favor next year and try this.  Buy yourself some Backwoods sausage seasoning in your favorite flavors and make sure to buy enough pork shoulder and pork fat to give your ground sausage meat a 25-30% pork to 70-75% venison mixture.  Follow the recipes on the seasoning packets to the letter with the following exceptions:

• for the Bratwurst, use your favorite beer instead of water and add about 1-2 tablespoons of coarse ground black pepper for every 5 pounds to the mix. You won't regret it. 
• You can also add a 2 cups of cheese for every 5 lbs ( or as much as you like) to make Cheddar Wurst.  
• Use a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 red wine in the Italian and always buy the sweet recipe. If you want it hot, just add cayenne to taste. 
• Buy only the sage breakfast sausage and add your own favorite syrup (Maple, Honey, Blueberry, etc.) to the mixture to taste.  
• And don't forget to get fresh apple wood, mesquite, oak or hickory chips for your smoker. Nothing ruins the flavor of your meat faster than old or mildewy wood chips!  
• Also, don't do this alone! You hunted in a party, so process in a party as well and get all hands on to help. you'll have a great time extending your hunt into the processing phase, and you'll bring some really tasty, quality meats to your holiday tables. 

If you follow these tips, you may well find you enjoy your venison sausages so much more than your local butcher can provide and have a real blast doing it!  Well that's my 2 cents for now. Hope your hunt went well and your Holiday season goes even better!

New Beginning

“AT LAST”! Its official…there’s a new Covey in the family. After all the hard back breaking work of cleaning up the camp, we had a beautiful wedding outside at Woodpecker Hollow. On August 11, 2012, David and April were united in holy matrimony with their loved ones looking on. Everyone had a nice meal, and tents were set up for those who decided to stay for the weekend. Music was also played all through the day, thanks to DJ brother Dan. Thank you everyone for making our day unforgettable.

David & April Covey

Thoughts from Mom ~

There’s an  old saying that goes, “In the spring a man’s thoughts

turn to love.” Well in the fall, his thoughts turn to hunting!

Here’s a little poem I jotted down one evening as I sat thinking of

our little piece of paradise we call Woodpecker Hollow.

We Are Deer Hunters

Three of us at the family camp

Dressed in green camouflage

Guns and ammo ready

Quietly walk down the trail

Then climb high into the deer stand

I hear not a whisper

Just the sound of my own breath

Warm and moist against my face cover

Suddenly a snort of a passing buck

Rifle raised, resting firmly against my shoulder

Deer in the sight, hammer cocked

Squeeze gently now

Goodnight deer, goodnight

Mom Reese- Vorp

"Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that He will"

Interior Walls

May has arrived and so have we with over 30 sheets of drywall, mud, tape screws, sanding blocks and other sundry tools and materials.  Operation "Inner Walls" has begun.  Weather was against us, but fortunately we thought to bring an enormous tarp with us so we could keep the contents of our cabin -- which we had moved out to the picnic tables -- protected while we worked indoors.

John got right into supervisor mode and Dave and I just threw in as directed.  Pretty soon we had the cabin emptied and contents covered and the truck and trailer unloaded and set up inside the cabin.  We began almost immediately and soon had the entire downstairs sheeted.  Then we moved upstairs and did as much of the loft as we could reach. Finally we put John's homemade scaffold together and finished the vaulted area.  Then cam the mud and sanding. By this time, we had worked for a couple of days straight and were already beginning to feel the effects of our effort. It took us 3 days to finish the mud and sanding stage and finally, paint.  The colors chosen were "Soft Sage" for the ceilings and "Antique White" for the walls.

Take a gander at the slideshow above to see a brief run-through of our work and then note the pic at right of our beautiful new Cub Cadet 19-horse, 44in deck, lawn tractor.  I have since already mowed the main access-way into our part of the woods and our own driveway, as well as the trail down to the center of the property and look forward to completing the trail grooming later on this summer.

Looking forward to the weekend......

Hopefully, this will be the weekend the guys install the solar panels on the cabin. So far the weather forecast looks fairly promising. Another of our projects involves "cleaning up" scraps of this and that, tossed aside from previous projects. Possibly this may be something that April and I can start working on. 

We are also planning to clear a real nice area not far from the cabin that will be dedicated to our loyal, loving four-legged friends. I recently lost my beautiful Sheltie companion of fourteen years - Sheila Nicole. She loved going up to camp with the family,even though, unlike Marley, she preferred the cabin to the woods and water holes. She will be the first of our beloved pets to rest forever near "the cabin at Woodpecker Hollow."

Mom

And the work continues..........

Harvey, John, David, April and I spent the weekend up north working on the cabin. Saturday the guys wired the cabin in preparation for solar power. Not fully understanding how it works, the only way I know how to describe it is that we now have “electric” by way of a car type battery through the use of an inverter. Is this correct guys? Ok, stop your laughing……I did my best to explain it.  I am completely in awe of what the guys did! After getting it set up, we went out to “celebrate” another project done on our cabin………and an awesome project it was to say the least. When we returned back at the cabin we turned on the inside overhead light with the use of a remote, as we drove up to the cabin. It was the most weirdest, wonderful thing in the whole world……….to see a light come on inside the cabin that has only been lit by  propane ..…….and that was turned on by remote control yet!!!

Today the guys finished installing the insulation up in the loft and covered it with plastic. So except for a couple small areas downstairs where they had to remove a small portion of insulation to install the breaker box and the wall receptacles, the insulation work is finished, yay!!! We are now getting excited over the possibility of covering the walls and ceiling with finished plywood or nice paneling that we can live with, is suitable for our home away from home, yet hopefully is fairly inexpensive.

April and I did our best to help out by sweeping, washing some stuff, straightening things out and getting rid of junk, handing things to the guys, carry stuff and trying our best to help where needed.

The solar panels have been ordered and should be in some time this coming week. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the guys will be able to install them next weekend. I couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate my 70^th birthday.

Mo Vorp