Messages

1

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: June 01, 2020, 06:07:05 PM »

This is so neat to see NF, congrats! It already looks like beautiful land and I know you're gonna transform it pretty quick into a proper Doomstead. 

house this year, the large main array as well. Some gardens next. If I was a fast collapse person I would emphasize food but its surrounded by agricultural land so I'll concentrate on the house and solar.

Very neat stuff. I've been watching the basics of setting up a solar array and it actually doesn't look crazy complicated which is actually pretty encouraging. Do you mean build a house or do renovations?

we will build a house. As a crusty carpenter I would find it darn near impossible to buy a house someone else built. Basic off grid solar is straight forward. The gear is much better and better designed then it was 16 years ago. Panels are much cheaper, there is more broad based info online now. There are still a lot of ways to mess it up. I came across countless ways people botched it while I was doing the solar consultant gig.

Cool I'm excited to see that. That's good to hear on the solar front because that's gonna be something I'll be getting into at some point. It'll be nice to have your expertise here and to watch you build here on the Diner (I hope you post pics).

I'll probably post up some pics. It's going to be a very busy year.

I could not even begin to contemplate doing what you are doing at this age and state of decay; but I wish you every success and also want toes your pix. Eddie is always good about posting pix, and it is really instructive to see what people are doing IRL.

well, its relative as well. My partner and I are both selling our houses that are paid for and combining households... we will be selling while the market is still ok here and building during what will probably be a huge downturn. Bad for society as a whole but building products get cheaper, subrrades are more available and it gives you something to do as the recession takes hold... I'm a gen xer also society has been kind of crappy my whole life.I have no glorious benchmark to compare today to. And honestly today at its worst is better then the economic conditions in my childhood with stagflation, 20 percent interest, imminent nuclear war a parent whose business collapsed, a forced move ... relative.

2

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: June 01, 2020, 09:14:23 AM »

This is so neat to see NF, congrats! It already looks like beautiful land and I know you're gonna transform it pretty quick into a proper Doomstead. 

house this year, the large main array as well. Some gardens next. If I was a fast collapse person I would emphasize food but its surrounded by agricultural land so I'll concentrate on the house and solar.

Very neat stuff. I've been watching the basics of setting up a solar array and it actually doesn't look crazy complicated which is actually pretty encouraging. Do you mean build a house or do renovations?

we will build a house. As a crusty carpenter I would find it darn near impossible to buy a house someone else built. Basic off grid solar is straight forward. The gear is much better and better designed then it was 16 years ago. Panels are much cheaper, there is more broad based info online now. There are still a lot of ways to mess it up. I came across countless ways people botched it while I was doing the solar consultant gig.

Cool I'm excited to see that. That's good to hear on the solar front because that's gonna be something I'll be getting into at some point. It'll be nice to have your expertise here and to watch you build here on the Diner (I hope you post pics).

I'll probably post up some pics. It's going to be a very busy year.

3

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: June 01, 2020, 08:50:31 AM »

The spread looks magnificent!

thank you. Yes there is a fair bit of open space. I'm so used to my forests and rock it is a nice change. My greenie self is confused; we bought a used ride on lawn mower...

4

Doomsteading / Re: My First Rocket Stove - Sort of

« on: May 31, 2020, 06:49:42 PM »

It works! And very well at that.  Take a look at the pics and you will notice that there's NO smoke  NF to one of your very first comments about sand as an insulator, that works too. The bottom half which is filled with salt (part I built in the winter with no sand or ash available) was too hot to touch after a few minutes of burning, but the sand filled part was just toasty even after 10 minutes of burning. I think I officially have a functioning rocket stove. I might try making some more tea on it tomorrow. Or some pasta. Why not?

busy busy busy... good job.

5

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: May 31, 2020, 05:26:06 PM »

This is so neat to see NF, congrats! It already looks like beautiful land and I know you're gonna transform it pretty quick into a proper Doomstead. 

house this year, the large main array as well. Some gardens next. If I was a fast collapse person I would emphasize food but its surrounded by agricultural land so I'll concentrate on the house and solar.

Very neat stuff. I've been watching the basics of setting up a solar array and it actually doesn't look crazy complicated which is actually pretty encouraging. Do you mean build a house or do renovations?

we will build a house. As a crusty carpenter I would find it darn near impossible to buy a house someone else built. Basic off grid solar is straight forward. The gear is much better and better designed then it was 16 years ago. Panels are much cheaper, there is more broad based info online now. There are still a lot of ways to mess it up. I came across countless ways people botched it while I was doing the solar consultant gig.

6

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: May 31, 2020, 04:31:26 PM »

This is so neat to see NF, congrats! It already looks like beautiful land and I know you're gonna transform it pretty quick into a proper Doomstead. 

house this year, the large main array as well. Some gardens next. If I was a fast collapse person I would emphasize food but its surrounded by agricultural land so I'll concentrate on the house and solar.

7

Doomsteading / Re: The new 'Stead

« on: May 31, 2020, 03:56:28 PM »

Pretty. Very nice!

Is this really far from your old place?

About 2 hours south and east near tweed ontario. Flatter, lower elevation, flatter but more agricultural.

8

Doomsteading / The new 'Stead

« on: May 31, 2020, 03:44:36 PM »

We spent a long weekend at the new property. This weekend was devoted to clearing some trees from around the existing 24x24 shed to give it better solar exposure mounting the rewired inverter setup for site power and mowing the back meadow. It seems we have about 30 mature maples we could tap and at least 2 old apple trees... lots of potential for coming years... pics are inverter, meadow, front pasture.

9

The Kitchen Sink / Re: Urban Permaculture

« on: May 31, 2020, 03:35:33 PM »

Nice score cam... even a small covered area will help you immensely. That first spring salad is always magical

10

Surly Newz / Re: The Surlynewz Channel

« on: May 27, 2020, 01:00:15 PM »

That is right off the boat launch on the lake at the end of my road.
Usually it's just a firepit for bugs or an afternoon cookout. The girls spent 30 minutes in the water. I topped out at 15.

11

Surly Newz / Re: The Surlynewz Channel

« on: May 27, 2020, 12:41:53 PM »

Looks colder from here....lol. But beautiful, nonetheless. What's the water temp?

21C 72f? close to the surface much colder about 4ft down.

12

Surly Newz / Re: The Surlynewz Channel

« on: May 27, 2020, 11:54:04 AM »

I'm guessing that you could do some interesting studies that would show that mask wearing is more common in people with better educations...and maybe just higher IQ's in general, than it is in the general population of the Great Unwashed.

Dumb people get it when somebody they know personally coughs up their lungs and dies drowning int heir own fluids. Otherwise it's "I can't see it so it isn't my problem".

What this pandemic will do, one way or another, is to educate the uneducated and even the intellectually challenged...which will eventually lead to this "anti-mask" social phenomenon  fading into history.

They will learn or they will die.....if this disease lingers for long, and keeps killing people.

The mask people will live and the unmasked will die....because wearing mask does protect the wearer as well as other people. But people are inherently selfish, and so saving oneself is a higher priority.

It takes a higher level of being civilized to care about the other...or indoctrination. In Asian countries there is a lot of the latter..and so the public good is an easier sell.

Yep. This flap will look much different in 18 months. And it will be viewed by the survivors, the people who wore masks.

Yeah the 'education' is certainly happening. Just a month and a half ago I would get eye rolls from some middle aged folks who saw me covering my face. Now they just look scared. And quite a few of them have started to have some sense.

yup, from where I am it all seems so crazy. Wear a damn mask in public and save grandma... Anyways, here is social distancing northern style... 31 degrees celcius at 1 pm...

13

Doomsteading / Re: Meanwhile back at the 'stead

« on: May 26, 2020, 08:51:35 AM »

Nice beds.

Weeds are always a problem.....so are bugs. I can't grow certain things here..like cabbage. Just not worth the struggle.  Learn about BT. (Bacillus thuringiensis) I can't pronounce it, but it's something that helps with the bugs and it's all natural and safe.

I had some other pics, but I apparently did not successfully airdrop them all the first time.

I've never really had to worry about bugs here as we are 8n the middle of the woods. The new site might be more challenging as there are a lit of agricultural lands around ..

14

Doomsteading / Re: Meanwhile back at the 'stead

« on: May 25, 2020, 03:49:36 PM »

Very nice. I will miss my garden this year...

15

Surly Newz / Re: The Jordan F. Peterson Bleach Enema Thread

« on: May 25, 2020, 10:41:25 AM »

Less is more.

But go for it, and I'll be there to disagree, with a cogent argument......but frankly, I'm as tired of this subject as Surly is, and if JRM hadn't gotten his panties so twisted arnd decided to come after me, I'd have never mentioned JP at all. He is a celebrity, and you can read his books, or not....You can believe the giant manure piles of  criticism by the people who want to make him out to be things he isn't...and believe whatever you want.

I notice he has gone walkabout. Easier than actually gardening and feeding himself.......still waiting for HIS garden pics...and his water catchment pics. I'm sure they'll be forthcoming......yeah. Soon.

yup that was the conclusion I came to. So determined to be an influencer that he had no time to actually do... It is a curse in most of the crunchie activities I enjoy. Everyone wants a sustainable world nobody wants to handle humane manure, weed a garden, cut down on energy use or live in a small house....

I've seen the 'crunchy activities' mentioned a few times on the Diner but I'm not 100% on what it means. Is it another version of 'getting your hands dirty'? Or something along the lines of 'we should all do this' but never actually doing anything practical?

crunchies/ greenies I identify with them but have some issues with them. I've been reading the stone kettle guy. Specifically issues with the transition movement and I loved the word "crunchie" and "woo" to describe a certain percentage of people who populate those movements. So yes people who advocate but dont do..

Interesting. I'll strive to be a squishy rather than a crunchie.

Yes I think the pragmatic person who gets it 75 percent right wins every time.