Life on a Southern Farm: The Saw Mill and Video

One day about 15 years ago as I was doing some yard work I could hear a clank, bang, clunk coming down our long dirt driveway through the woods.
As I looked up I saw FarmMan in his truck come through the gate. In the back of the truck looked like a big pile of scrap metal. I didn't even blink an eye. I knew that pile of scrap metal would become something useful around the farm.

And it did.


It was a very old sawmill. A friend of FarmMan's was going to throw it away. It hadn't been used in years and years. So FarmMan brought it home and put it to use.

One of the first projects was lumber for the barn.


The trees for the lumber came from the back of our property.


Some of the oak lumber became flooring for the kitchen.


more lumber was put to use as side bodies for the pick up truck.


for a chicken house


Cut boards were stacked out in the sun to dry for later use.


and stacked later in the barn loft to finish drying


which became more flooring for inside the house.





No, I wasn't concerned the least little bit about that pile of scrap metal that came clunking down the driveway years and years ago.

When a relative from the big city came to visit years ago she saw a collection of FarmMan's finds scattered around the farm. She asked " What is all that stuff? It looks like it was left over from the Civil War!". I just laughed. I could see beyond the rusty looks of the relics.
What looked like junk to someone else really wasn't junk to a hardworking farm man with plans and dreams. It was our future.



FarmMan putting that pile of scrap metal to use.



I am sure there will more unrecognizable piles of metal come through the gate here on the farm.
But... I won't even blink an eye!

Have a great weekend!