Summer of Maintenance & Repair: Garden Shed

 We didn't plan much project-wise for this summer. Food production and preservation are ongoing, of course, as are seasonal chores. Even though our infrastructure projects are pretty much finished, maintenance and repair are ongoing. This summer we decided to focus on upgrading appliances and working on things like fence maintenance and other repair projects. 

One such blog worthy project was the new driveway gate. Another one is repairing the garden shed foundation.

We got the shed our first year here, purchased with tax return money. Ten years later, we moved it to put up my clothesline. 

photo from June 2019

When he moved it then, Dan used pallets for the base. This worked well for awhile, but eventually the pallets began to break down. The floor became mushy and the building began to list.

photo from May 2024

This wasn't unexpected and we knew we'd have to replace it someday. Two years later was even worse. 

photo from July 2026

You can't see it in the above pic, but something dug out underneath it! We've had families of groundhogs and skunks live under there from time to time. Finally, this summer, Dan has been able to repair the foundation. 

After sliding the shed off the old foundation, Dan cleared away the pallets and then used cap blocks to build the floor framing upon. The frame itself is outdoor treated 2x4s and one-inch OSB board.

To deter diggers from making new homes under the shed, Dan cut corrugated metal panels to use as skirting. They are buried about 6 inches underground. The exposed OSB (which makes a very nice step) is coated with roofing tar. Flashing protects the OSB edges from rain damage.

Here's how it looks now. . . 

The path on the right goes directly to the garden.

It's wonderful having a firm floor under it again. Once again it can become useful for storing garden and seasonal items. 

So nice to have another repair project done. 

Summer of Maintenance & Repair: Garden Shed 

© Aug 2026 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

August is Applesauce and Vinegar Month

 The apple harvest is at hand. 

It's been a good year for apples, and that has meant my afternoons are spent making and canning applesauce. 

I'm made applesauce two different ways in the past. The first is to quarter the apples, simmer them till tender, then run them through the food mill. But then I learned how to make vinegar, and changed my prep method to save the peels and cores for making apple cider vinegar. 

The peels and cores go into a glass gallon jar, covered (submerged) in water, and allowed to ferment.

After a couple of weeks I'll strain off the new vinegar, jar it, and lid the jars to let it ferment a few weeks more. It will keep until we use it. The leftover peels and cores are fed to the goats.

The peeled and cored apples are simmered with a bit of water until soft.

Apple chunks simmered to softness with a cinnamon stick.

Once the apples are cooked, I can either puree them in the blender for smooth applesauce, or mash them with a potato masher for chunky applesauce.

The apple puree is scraped into another gallon jar. I work on this several hours every afternoon and when I have a gallon's worth, I sweeten if needed and add water or juice for applesauce consistency. Then I water bath can it in quart jars.

2026's first batch of canned applesauce.

Elderberry harvest is in progress as well, and the first of the muscadines are beginning to ripen. Cheesemaking continues, although production is slacking off. Busy days ahead. 

What's everybody else up to? Staying busy, or staying cool?

August is Applesauce and Vinegar Month 

© Aug 2026 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com

In Which We Again Become a 4 Cat Homestead

 After we lost Riley, we were down to three cats. I thought, 'Well, three cats is plenty.' 

And then, a few months later, this. 

So what's her story? One morning, I was in the garden and heard a scolding mockingbird. I looked around and didn't see anything. Then I heard a faint desperate "mew." It kept mewing and I saw a tiny kitten near the wood chip pile by our garden. On the inside of our garden fence. How in the world???

She was scared and didn't want me to catch her. She didn't run away but tried to hide, and she gave me a tiny hiss when I picked her up. Gosh but she was squirmy. We're not in a location where a tiny cat could wander far. That corner of the garden has a farm gate off our semi-busy road, so it's possible she crept under the gate, but how did she get there?  None of our close neighbors have cats. I can't imagine a tiny kitten wandering off farther than that.

I didn't know what to do with her. I couldn't leave her there, tiny and scared, so I took her to show Dan. Dan has an incredibly soft heart when it comes to critters. His response was, "Well, we lost one . . . "

She had a weepy eye and a patch of skin torn from her muzzle, but antibiotics soon made those right. What do the other cats think? Sam (13 years), Katy (also 13), and Meowy (10) are all slightly disgruntled at the kitten's presence. She's interested in them but none of them want to be bothered with her, and they warn her off. 

Dan has asked around the neighborhood and we've watched for "lost kitten" posters but nothing so far. Now that she's not scared anymore, she's friendly and sweet. There's plenty to catch around here, and our senior cats are slowing down a bit. So another good mouser wouldn't be amiss. This one is certainly feisty enough for the job.

How could something so small have such a large presence in the house?

It would seem to be our destiny to have four cats.

In Which We Again Become a 4 Cat Homestead 

© Aug 2026 by Leigh at https://www.5acresandadream.com