Root Cellar

[Edwin]

The old homesteaders mostly all had root cellars that they used to put canned goods, usually in 1/2 gallon jars, because most of them had large families. When I was growing up, my Mom canned fruit and vegetables in 1/2 gallon jars. They also put potatoes, carrots, beets, and other tuber type vegetables in dirt in the root cellar, and that is why they called them root cellars. I decided I wanted one, and was going to dig it in back of the house where I dug a huge rock out leaving an enormous hole, but when my son-in-law dug with a backhoe a ditch for the pipe, he dug it a little wide in front of our house, so I thought, there is my root cellar, and also I will put the water system for the house, and the hot water heater in that cellar so they would never freeze and damage. I started digging in August of 2010, late because of my cut thumb, and went to the Philippines afterwhich when I got back it was too cold, too windy, too snowy, and basically too wintery to keep digging. The next spring I was a little late starting to dig because of necessary repairs and clean up on a rental house after a bad renter had moved out. I got sick the middle of June just after I had started digging, and had to have a prostate biopsy which proved non-cancerous, but I lost all summer, and managed to work a little while in the late fall after the doctor told me that I wasn't going to die right away! This spring I had another bad renter move out of another house, and I had to do the same thing, delaying my work on my cellar until quite late.

My son-in-law came over to look my cellar and water situation over. We have had bad times with them, and feelings just now improved enough so they don't hate us any more, by the way they act anyway, and I'm not sure why except the devil tried to destroy us, some of our kids, and our family peace. I have one son-in-law who still hates me, but I am going to attemp to repair that situation even though I don't feel it was my fault anyway. Sometimes you have to say, "I am sorry, even when it is the other person's fault! And for peace I am willing to do that, because I know in my heart that he is wrong, but God will take care of him, and I have to do what I believe in my heart that God wants me to do, and then leave the rest to God!

[Edwin]

Anyway when my son-in-law came over he wanted to argue with me about everything I was doing. It was too large! It was too deep! I agreed with some of what he was saying, and he was talking like he would help me with the construction of walls and so forth, so I told him I would compromise by making the cellar smaller, but I would insist on having is as deep as I was digging, as the depth is what prevents freezing in the winter. So I agreed to go smaller, told him I would do all the digging, as he has bad shoulders and can't dig, and I would let him help me with the wall and stairs construction, so he is happy, and I am happy! He told me that I need to be finished with my digging the 1st of August so that we have warm weather to do the concrete work and laying the blocks. I told him that as soon as I get the garbage hauled away from the house where the renter left me in a bad situation I would start digging as fast as I can. So I have spent one full week digging, and moved a lot of hardpan, rocks, and gravel, and you can't believe how hard it is to chip that lose so that it can be shoveled away. I worked far too hard at first both hurting my back, and playing myself out so that I didn't even feel like working, but now after a week I am on a roll, so I am hopeful. I have a little work to do outside the house, and I have a lot of work to do under the house, but I am sure I will meet my goal, and hopefully early, hoping and praying that my health holds out. When I finished digging my son-in-law will help me put up the walls, build the stairs, and put the water system, pump, pressure tank, and hot water heater under the stairs, then I will have the rest of the space to put things we don't want to freeze in the winter, like paint, garden produce, canned groceries, and anything else we don't want to have freeze. Yes, he is putting the rush on me, and yes, he talked me into going smaller, but I will be very happy to put an end to this project this summer, and I am very happy that he feels good enough about me to want to help me. I am thanking the Lord!!!! It will be a pleasure to climb down those stairs, where the water system is, and have anything there we don't want to have freeze. I have been wishing for that for several years, and I am going to be very thankful, both to have it, and also to have an end to that project! Then I will be playing the piano, not thinking that I really should be digging in my cellar instead of playing the piano!

[Edwin]

Well, I was tempted today to want to extend the room I am digging out by 10 feet. I took a good look at what I was doing, and it is do hard going that I decided against that idea, as really all I need is a place where the water system will not freeze, and I will have room for a few other things that I don't want to have freeze like paint, and garden stuff. I told my son-in-law where I was going to dig to, and that I would do the digging, and that I would let him help me with the cellar construction, so I think I am going to stay with that, as that gives me until August 1st to be finished with the digging, and I think I can meet my goal, and then I am going to be so happy to be finished with the digging. After that we will construct the walls of the cellar, put the water system in it, put doors and a roof over the 4 feet or so where the stairs will go down, and then we will be finished, hopefully by the time it starts freezing!

[Edwin]

This morning when I got up I couldn't cook my breakfast because the electricity was off because of the airplane crash. So I went right to work in my cellar until the electricity came back on. When the electricity was back on I cooked my breakfast. I put 1/4 measuring cup of water twice in the kittle. Then I put a few raisins, and I put the cranberry raisins in it. When it starts to boil I put 1/4 cup of dry old fashioned oatmeal in it, stir it once, turn the burner off, leave it for a few minutes, and then it is ready to eat. It was not quite enough for me, so tomorrow morning I will use 1/3 measuring cup, and I think that is what I did before, but I couldn't remember, so I will have more to eat tomorrow morning. I am okay, as I will not starve to death or anything like that!

[Edwin]

I usually don't get started working very early. I am not really trying to get out to work very early as I am not sure I could hold up to more hours of working like I am or not. I work until about 1:30 before eating my mid day meal. I eat after which I sit and even sleep for a short time. Then I get back out there and go back to work. I usually feel more ambitious in the afternoon. It has been cool to cold here, with it raining and storming a lot, so the cool temperatures allow me to work harder without getting too hot. Yesterday afternoon, early evening I felt so ambitious and so happy about what I was getting accomplished. Then this morning after waking up I felt the opposite. I felt tired and lazy! I feel so good in the afternoon, that I have started working until 7 p.m. before walking with the doggies. That helps me to accomplish more, and with the longer sunlight hours I can get finished walking before it gets dark enough not to be able to see. I need to keep working hard as I only have until August 1st to be finished with the digging, but I think I will make it okay.

[Edwin]

By the time I got all my morning chores done it was getting late, but I got out and hauled some dirt out of my cellar hole before mid day meal time, which is now! I went to get the mail, as Carol is not here to do that. Then I used the rock bar for a while chisling away at the wall. I am back about as far as I need to go now. I just need to make my wall straight and plumb which won't be hard to do. Then I will go to chopping off the ledge I am standing on which is about 4 feet or so to the cellar floor level. That may be hard to do, but I hope not. I have a lot less material to move, but harder picking. When I get it chopped to the floor level, I will be finished with my digging, and then look out piano, here I come!!!!

[Edwin]

Today for the first time since the first of April I have dug back as far as I need to for my cellar. I have the walls pretty much square and plumb, and now I just need to take off about 4 feet to the cellar floor level! I actually got started on that just before my dinner, mid day meal. It is not going to be a really swift, bang, bang, job and it is done, but I think I will make good progress, and I have until the first of August to get it done, and I think I will get there! It is very satisfying after all the extreme hard labor that I am where I am. When I finish with the digging my kids are going to help me with the construction of the walls and stairs for the cellar, and I am happy about that! I am just really going to be happy to have the digging completed. When I started on this project I had no idea how hard it would be!

[Edwin]

For the second time so far I am taking another layer off the landing to eventually get down to the cellar floor. It is amazing I always wonder why I don't make better progress until I get down there and begin working, and then it is crystal clear to me. It is just a very hard job! Our daughter whose husband is going to help my construct the cinderblock walls told me if I am a little late; don't worry, so I guess the pressure is somewhat off. She said, "Well, it is good to have a goal," so we will see. I will just keep working at it. I always think my progress will be faster and I will get more accomplished, but I just work as hard as I am able to, and I have to be happy with that. I am doing okay! It is really strange and funny that while I work the "Pomp and Circumstance" song goes through my mind. That song has a beat that works with each time I thrust the bar into the ground, so you can imagine me working to that tune! Our granddaughter recently graduated from high school and they played that song. I have play it with bands various times since I was in high school, so it is well ingrained in my mind!

[Edwin]

Just when I plan to make an accomplishment for a day, I get rained out! It is okay because I have no control over that, and I think I will make my goal anyway, or come close enough, so that it will be okay. We have had a number of these rain storms, where we have lightening, thunder, and then hard rain! So I think I will just be happy that I have a break, since I don't have much choice anyway.

[Edwin]

Storm of rain, thunder and lightning! 007reduced.jpg

Some of this dirt I shoveled twice; once to shovel it up out of the hole, and again to shovel it away. I am now shoveling it into buckets, carrying it up on the pile, and dumping the buckets.