KW-50 Tree Planting Special

Winter finally decided to show up in all its magnificence. Daily temperature highs dropped to below freezing this week, and they’re likely to stay there now for quite a while. Who knows, maybe we’ll have a surprise blast of warm for a couple of days. Or maybe the AMOC will turn off, and we'll be plunged into Day After Tomorrow perma-winter.

yes, I know that it needs a clean up, and that the painting isn’t hanging straight, but look at that insane amount of wood! I brought it all in to dry off nicely. I have no idea how long it is going to last. It’s going to be interesting finding out.

I apologise! That was a very doomerry way to start the newsletter. I’ve actually woken up this Monday morning in a relatively good mood. I find saying things like that amusing sometimes. Seriously, it’s a messed up place inside this head. I shall have a nice cup of tea and imagine myself on a beach surrounded by palm trees. Or something like that!

I’ve been mulling over the first full year of the barracks newsletter. From the stats I can see that most of you read it most of the time, which is nice, and it’s been growing slowly, but steadily, and that leads me to think that you mostly like it.

So, next year, as soon as the ground unfreezes, I want to plant trees for subscribers. As a thank you. It really means a lot to me that you stick with me and the barracks and you listen to it all, from the day to day life here, to my mad ramblings and exhortations.

Listen up then, this is the plan:

If you are on a paid plan already, I will plant a tree for you. You don’t have to do anything, it’s going to happen all by itself, and I’ll post the photos and roll call next year once the deed is done

If you aren’t on a paid plan, but you share this post to your socials, I will plant a tree for you

If you get someone else to sign up, I’ll plant a tree for you

If you are a new or existing subscriber, and you take out a new monthly plan, but pay the whole thing annually by following this link, I will plant THREE TREES for you!

The “special offer” page says that you get 76% off …. this is because I had to jiggle the plans around a bit, and this is the only way I could make it work. It’s the 5-bucks-a-month plan, but all in one easy annual payment.

https://thebarracks.substack.com/annual_with_trees

I’m going to let the offer run until St Valentine’s Day next year. Partly because I am an incurable romantic, and partly because that’s about the right time to order the trees for planting in the spring. At the moment, I am planning on ordering from:

wild cherry / wild pear / hornbeam / beech / oaks various / holly / maybe a couple of conifers / silver birch

I’d actually rather like to plant a whole copse of Californian Giant Redwoods, but they are terrifically expensive, so I am going to attempt to take softwood cuttings off the one that I already have, and see how that goes. But that’s just part of the general tree-planting scene of the barracks.

The giant redwood, sitting in the middle of the area earmarked for the subscriber forest! In just 20 years or so, this will be thick with trees, donated by your subs!

Here’s a thing - I can buy baby trees probably a lot cheaper than you can. I know forestry folks :wink: - so almost 99% of your subscription goes where it has always gone - into pig food. Help the barracks, make me feel even more love, plant a tree and feed the pigs. I’m not sure you’ll see a more complete way to spread some Christmas cheer this year!

And that appears to have taken up all the of the newsletter. Well, I didn’t really do much all week anyway, except chop wood, bring it inside, shovel snow and feed piggies. I don’t think I’m going to be doing much different in this coming week, either!

So, for now,

Much love to you all

Your

Pirate Ben

xoxo