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Showing posts from September, 2020

Today was a Productive Day! Yurt & Greenhouse...

From morning sniffles to building a structure or two by myself from natural surroundings. Not only is nature plentiful but, if resources are used conservatively and saplings are chosen selectively rather than clearing areas, the forest can thrive through our utilitarian needs. A maintained woods is a happy woods where the underbrush doesn't choke out growth and the trees don't need to compete against each other. Some say cutting trees for use as heat or building materials is bad but the trees grow better and stronger when clusters of 4 or 5 in one spot are thinned to only 2 or 3 and the briars aren't there to pull them down. There are two sides to every coin and electric cars with iPhones don't make trees happy or thrive - that's city folk propaganda to get you to spend more money on the next new thing. Anyone born or raised in the boonies knows that nature was meant to serve a purpose other than go unmanaged and turn into a tinderbox and briars. Too much

One of Many Global Warming & Climate Change Debates (it's hot outside today...)

Current climate theories rely upon metrics already known to our planet without explaining the changes to others happening simultaneously and without taking these new variables (or solar activity at all) into account. Solar system temperature increase: It is documented the sun projected more radiation this past 140 cycle (1878-2018 including the pause) than it had in the past 140 year cycle (1878-1738) matching the last mini-ice age and those that predate it. The poles are getting warmer at a faster rate than the planet as a whole and the same is happening to Mars. Neptune is now glowing with a charged atmosphere showing aurora and a ring. Jupiter has several new storms moving. Many other temperature related events are being observed and noted with causes under debate in planets and moons. All of these are happening at the same time our planet is getting warmer at the poles in the same fashion as our closest celestial neighbor. Periods of high solar activity bombard the s

Engineering my solar for the fall, winter, and future...

So today it is raining and I have some time to investigate my options for solar power optimization. With fall approaching I am in a unique situation where the foliage is still on the trees but the angle of the sun has fallen lower on the horizon creating many hours less of full sun on my panel array. The morning doesn't light them until after 9am and it becomes again shadowed around 3:30pm. First I need to revisit what it is I have and recall the specifications. I was able to find an old Amazon.com listing to retrieve information on size and electrical specifications here: SEC Monocrystalline Efficiency Module 160WATT This is a closeup of the panel specifications (I bought 4 panels) you can click on any of the images in this page to see them larger & Don't worry, any links will open in a new window if you wanted to try any of the cool website tools... I also bought some standard 12 Volt outdoor wire. Here is a link to a current offering of the same company: FIRME

Nature Advances as Humans Cope...

Quite an interesting story I read today from "Gulf Today (Beta)" titled "Nature advances as humans retreat". I found the majority of what Writer/Editor/Consultant, Meena Janardhan, posited a breath of fresh air but I do hold view points that I feel are equally compelling. Firstly, I really enjoyed hearing about herds of spotted deer, or swamp deer, near Rajaji National park in Haridwar, Dehradun, and Pauri Garhwal districts in Uttarakhand. However, while more people stay inside it only makes sense the animals are less hindered and less likely to get spooked allowing them to investigate areas people typically bustled around all day. While this is good and nice to see I do not believe this is anything more than the way nature typically reacts. The same could easily go the other way around where humans may decide to either stand their ground or allow use of land to others if those others are bears, snakes, or tigers. It was very good learning that the rare sights of

Day5 Perimeter Trail is Done!!!

Today was the day! Front half and back half of trail are connected. Plenty of water features and tunnels under tree cover & vines. Watch the video to take a hike with me... Tags: tiny house, off-grid, DIY, frugal, free, nature, natural, trail, hike, nature walk, forest, woods, creek, briars, trees

Day3: Free Firewood Sort & Cleanup

Broke out the 20+ year old Ryobi sawzall to finish the large limbs then cleaned up by grabbing some of the thatch to complete my firewood setup. Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,frugal,free,nature,natural,livinmicro,fairlyadept,Steve,trail,hike,nature walk,forest,woods,creek,briars,trees,ryobi,hedge trimmer,18v,vanon,battery,one+

Day2: Free Firewood from Fallen Tree

T oday was sorting, processing, and explaining how and why I am doing things the way I do them. Tomorrow will be almost all work of my 20+ yo old Ryobi blue sawzall... Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,how to,frugal,free,nature,natural,wood,firewood,circular saw,Ryobi,dead standing,sorting,wood stove,forest,tree,winter prep,18v,one+,blue,vanon

Day1: Free Wood Process & Planning

F irst day of wood processing and future plans for the surrounding property. So many sticks and twigs to size up and large limbs to sawzall... Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,frugal,free,nature,natural,wood,fire wood,firewood,free fire wood,kindle,kindling,split wood,log,landscaping,trail,damage,tree,Led Zeppelin,ryobi,18v,vanon,one+,blue,circular saw,sawzall

The Other End of the Loop

S tarting the other half of the loop for the perimeter trail on the property. Decided I should carve this one from the end back to the mid point. Didn't get as far as I could have but I already cut and processed a downed tree then cleared out and rehashed a connector trail that the tree falling put out of commission... Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,how to,frugal,free,nature,natural,landscaping,trail,woods,trees,briars,hiking,ryobi,18v,battery,vanon,6AH,4AH,hedge trimmer,one+

Blocked Trail or Free Firewood?

A dead standing tree fell over an access trail last year during a severe and windy storm. The trail has been cleared and carved out again & the tree will be used as firewood :) Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,frugal,free,nature,natural,van,landscaping,firewood,trail,damage,storm,tree,wind,ryobi,blue,circular saw,sawzall,battery,18v,one+,vanon

The Trail Day 3 & Water!!! YaY!!!

3 rd day of trail carving around brush, trees, and briars. Some areas were so thick with vines and briars I was able to make tunnels. I found there was running water at the side of the property too :) Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,frugal,free,nature,natural,landscaping,creek,water,drainage,forest,woods,ryobi,hedge trimmer,one+,battery,18v

Insulation, 12v Wiring, Speakers, & AC

A 16 hour day trimmed down into a quaint 4 minute block of time with a background track and a joke :) Tags: tiny house,off-grid,DIY,D.I.Y.,do it yourself,how to,frugal,construction,electrical,12v,wiring,speaker wire,cat5,cat 5 cable,110v,AC,DC

Hiking Trail Day 2

W ent out for a few hundred more feet of trail making this morning and these are the results... Tags: off-grid,free,nature,natural,landscaping,trail,hiking,woods,forest,ryobi,hedge trimmer,18v one+,vanon,batteries,battery