Rebuilding the Transmission

This was one of my primary reasons for tearing the old truck apart. When I purchased the truck, I was told the engine had been rebuilt and it was also rather apparent given the “relative” cleanliness. But it appeared like the SM-420 4-speed transmission had not been touched recently, if ever. It was completely coated…

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Rebuilding the Steering Box

The steering box in the old truck leaked like a sieve. Surprisingly, and without obvious reason, it was about the leakiest area on the truck. Not having any idea the history of the unit, including past maintenance, I decided it was appropriate to complete a full rebuild. You can find almost any parts for these…

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Cayenne Pepper Sauce

This is a spin on Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Your results will completely depend on you and your peppers! Honestly: what a cool thing to be able to grow peppers here in the Puget Sound.  Cayenne peppers need lots of heat and sun and have a very long growing time. If you check out our…

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Raspberry Vinegar

Raspberries are important all summer long for our honey bees, and they are also a favorite around our house. In 2015, in preparation of hosting our first hives, we planted 50 Caroline raspberry plants. Those 50 have had a party over the years, and now we must have more like 75 plants, all bear fruit…

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Chamomile

In 2017, I had planted German chamomile seeds, with zero results. Nothing sprouted at all. Then, early in spring 2018 I noticed some sprouts near where I had placed the label for chamomile and much to my surprise, after a full year, we had our very first chamomile plant. It flowered early in May, one…

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