I have watched a few of his videos. Love him. Used his chicken tractor model (with some mods). He wrote a book a year or so ago that is good for people starting/rejuvenating a small to medium farmstead. If I were still pursuing that life, I think I would get it. Polyface Designs: A Comprehensive Construction Guide for Scalable Farming Infrastructure Paperback – March 1, 2021 . I think it would be a bit much for a simple homesteader.
I wish you could have too. We moved. We had a lovely place in WA state then a drug selling group of people moved in to an abandoned property next to ours and made it impossible to feel safe. Gunfire, all sorts of crazies, one of their children wandered over when he was forgotten and it got dark. I fed him, sat him in my livingroom to draw and prayed his father would appreciate it rather than... the opposite. I didn't call DHS. I am sure it saved our lives. Not even the police chose to do anything about them. When we picked up and left, it was a dream gone.
That is so awful, Raptor. I'm really sorry you were driven from your home. I sincerely hope you have either found something better, or will have a chance to try again in a more hospitable political clime.
It was Perplexity. We are in Utah now and lead a very different life. BUT we are searching for a place again (back East this time). Sort of slowly sorting out where we might live safely, where the state isn't full of nuts or nuts running the state for that matter. We are not so young anymore so I think a small homestead might be just the thing. A place we can grow a few things have a small cadre of animals that are not too mischievous (goats!) and that we can defend. It saddens me that the last reason is a real consideration. I used to just think weird kooks or dogs. Tho they are still a thing.
I wonder how my fellow readers live and why. I see you are in Michigan. Don't think I could live there what with the snow and politics, but I have never met a Michigander I did not truly like. Then again... I only have known a handful! Haha.
Sometimes I wonder about our family's intelligence level, having banked most of our assets in this house on a little 10-acre chunk of ground, in the land of lockdowns. Our governor here scares the heck out of me. She seemed far too gleeful about locking the common folks down, and probably will do so again after the mid-terms are over.
We may end up fleeing pretty much empty-handed in the end, also.
We have 28 fruit trees in so far, some grapes, and a couple filbert/hazelnut trees. None will produce for a few years yet, it would be nice to get some fruit, but it's less important that our lives and freedom.
We only have a dozen hens.
I wonder how long you can keep chickens alive in a U-haul ...
Your governor WAS crazy requiring roping sections of department stores off! For some reason that really stuck in my brain. Such a little villain she is. It would be hard to leave something you haven't reaped any reward from, but trees grow everywhere - except for Utah (haha). We had lots of fruit trees in WA. I miss them. I cannot bring myself to buy cherries and I dream of greengage plums.
I bet you can keep hens in a uhaul for a while. I greatly admire your hen restraint.
Close inspection of the photo prompts the question whether Traditional Skills includes Viking Raids and the Art of Looting 101, a.ka. How to Pillage and Pick Your Spoils, a.k.a. Only Farm When You Have To/When There Isn’t an Available Farm to Raid.
We have a government full of "moroons". But using that word insults baboons. I have it on good authority (my orangutan uncle), that many baboons are much better educated, (and behaved), than many of our legislators.
Sadly, that does not take much. I got chased by 50 baboons in Saudi once -- even though they were throwing things at me, they STILL seemed far better behaved than our legislators...
Still, you bringing it to attention is much appreciated! While we do have a stack of books and knowledge to draw on, more is better - especially with different perspectives. Love that feeling of "Oh, so that's how they do it, and that's why they do it that way!", even for the most basic stuff like splitting logs or making kindling.
Digital smoker - the name tickles my pun-bone. I guess it's a high-tech smoker as opposed to a large wooden box with a chimney and vent built into a slope?
Am trying to put together a drier (called "ria" in swedish, 'reee:ah!') out of old junk myself. Spare planks and whatnots from tearing down old dilapidated buildings*, odd panes of and panels of thick heavy glass with weird measurements - think one is an old front for a home sound system.
That looks awesome. I’d love to go to something like this, if it was on the east coast. Honestly, I should just move to Idaho at this point. The pictures really sell it.
Everyone knows that a moroon is your second macaroon best partaken with good English tea at 5pm on a weekday. Replace with a small pile of Bourbon chocolate flavoured sandwich biscuits at the weekends. Traditions like these must be respected.
I would be seriously interested were I not now seventy years old, as for the past ten years I have lived (with my two English Setters) in a twenty-five foot Airstream, and traveled the country. That said, I seriously believe the smart folks are headed in this direction, as survival in this country appears to become a harder thing based upon the politics in Washington, DC today. I would also recommend firearms training. (Hoping you had a good weekend shooting your new pistol.)
I have been sticking to private instructors for many years now, but I will absolutely share public firearms classes with the community when I see one that would be of good general interest.
There are so many platforms and sites that are just kind of chunky. Like the Substack issue with not registering input on the likes without refreshing ... or having to manually unblock in my profile every day or so in order to get anything in my inbox.
Some of these things drive me up a wall. Sometimes I miss old fashioned BBS's.
stooooked I recognize so many people's photos
Farmhouse on Boone
Sally Fallon Morell
a coupla chicken vloggers and gardeners I watch
Yeah, everyone is a heavyweight, this should be the absolute shit.
Hope you enjoy.
Nice pic
There was an Eastern-tailed blue resting on it later, but I didn't have my camera. It was a beautiful day. I got sunburn on my sunburn.
decades old reference to moroon...
Bugs Bunny, 8 seconds
https://youtu.be/hxGgnI6kCrs
I wanted to but it didn't fit the anagram.
I'm sending you hugs and kisses for posting that! I love Bugs and have said, "What a maroon!", since I heard it the first time.
There;s nothing wrong with being a baboon though.
Absolutely not. Baboons are awesome. But a moron who is ALSO a baboon? That's a force multiplier.
If I'm being honest, though, I prefer gorillas and great apes in general. They have better table manners.
😀
I do stick my little finger out when I drink tea or Champagne though. It's because I have huge hands though (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).
You're a very classy baboon. I may have to revise my sentiments.
I have shared a PB&J with a lowland gorilla. We sat on adjacent rocks and munched in silence. It was very much like going on a date with a cowboy.
Shared this one with my wife. She's still laughing. Thank you.
That sounds amazing!
They let volunteers do really dumb shit at the zoo 30 years ago. I miss our deregulated past.
Well, we can't live in a society with any risk/fun can we?
The UK is a particularly egregious place for this, hence I often call it Health and Safety Land these days.
I have watched a few of his videos. Love him. Used his chicken tractor model (with some mods). He wrote a book a year or so ago that is good for people starting/rejuvenating a small to medium farmstead. If I were still pursuing that life, I think I would get it. Polyface Designs: A Comprehensive Construction Guide for Scalable Farming Infrastructure Paperback – March 1, 2021 . I think it would be a bit much for a simple homesteader.
Polyface Micro came out around the same time. It's much more what you're talking about.
Didn't know that. I bet it is terrific.
I'd love to see your setup
I wish you could have too. We moved. We had a lovely place in WA state then a drug selling group of people moved in to an abandoned property next to ours and made it impossible to feel safe. Gunfire, all sorts of crazies, one of their children wandered over when he was forgotten and it got dark. I fed him, sat him in my livingroom to draw and prayed his father would appreciate it rather than... the opposite. I didn't call DHS. I am sure it saved our lives. Not even the police chose to do anything about them. When we picked up and left, it was a dream gone.
That is so awful, Raptor. I'm really sorry you were driven from your home. I sincerely hope you have either found something better, or will have a chance to try again in a more hospitable political clime.
It was Perplexity. We are in Utah now and lead a very different life. BUT we are searching for a place again (back East this time). Sort of slowly sorting out where we might live safely, where the state isn't full of nuts or nuts running the state for that matter. We are not so young anymore so I think a small homestead might be just the thing. A place we can grow a few things have a small cadre of animals that are not too mischievous (goats!) and that we can defend. It saddens me that the last reason is a real consideration. I used to just think weird kooks or dogs. Tho they are still a thing.
I wonder how my fellow readers live and why. I see you are in Michigan. Don't think I could live there what with the snow and politics, but I have never met a Michigander I did not truly like. Then again... I only have known a handful! Haha.
Sometimes I wonder about our family's intelligence level, having banked most of our assets in this house on a little 10-acre chunk of ground, in the land of lockdowns. Our governor here scares the heck out of me. She seemed far too gleeful about locking the common folks down, and probably will do so again after the mid-terms are over.
We may end up fleeing pretty much empty-handed in the end, also.
We have 28 fruit trees in so far, some grapes, and a couple filbert/hazelnut trees. None will produce for a few years yet, it would be nice to get some fruit, but it's less important that our lives and freedom.
We only have a dozen hens.
I wonder how long you can keep chickens alive in a U-haul ...
Your governor WAS crazy requiring roping sections of department stores off! For some reason that really stuck in my brain. Such a little villain she is. It would be hard to leave something you haven't reaped any reward from, but trees grow everywhere - except for Utah (haha). We had lots of fruit trees in WA. I miss them. I cannot bring myself to buy cherries and I dream of greengage plums.
I bet you can keep hens in a uhaul for a while. I greatly admire your hen restraint.
Close inspection of the photo prompts the question whether Traditional Skills includes Viking Raids and the Art of Looting 101, a.ka. How to Pillage and Pick Your Spoils, a.k.a. Only Farm When You Have To/When There Isn’t an Available Farm to Raid.
PS - enjoy class
We have a government full of "moroons". But using that word insults baboons. I have it on good authority (my orangutan uncle), that many baboons are much better educated, (and behaved), than many of our legislators.
Sadly, that does not take much. I got chased by 50 baboons in Saudi once -- even though they were throwing things at me, they STILL seemed far better behaved than our legislators...
Too bad it's over that ocean.
Still, you bringing it to attention is much appreciated! While we do have a stack of books and knowledge to draw on, more is better - especially with different perspectives. Love that feeling of "Oh, so that's how they do it, and that's why they do it that way!", even for the most basic stuff like splitting logs or making kindling.
It is virtual but running live, recorded for later consumption if desired. You may absolutely attend.
Virtual you say? Will have to look into that then, though just getting a list of good sites and persons is plenty too.
I'm excited because it seems there's going to be stuff on a lot of levels, from "this thing is a chicken" to advanced food preservation.
Just got a really nice digital smoker. I want to start converting more into sausage/jerky this year.
Digital smoker - the name tickles my pun-bone. I guess it's a high-tech smoker as opposed to a large wooden box with a chimney and vent built into a slope?
Am trying to put together a drier (called "ria" in swedish, 'reee:ah!') out of old junk myself. Spare planks and whatnots from tearing down old dilapidated buildings*, odd panes of and panels of thick heavy glass with weird measurements - think one is an old front for a home sound system.
What's wrong with sarcastic and scatological? Makes you even more worth reading...lol.
Maroon is a color. --- Or in Bugs Bunny's world a moron.
Signed up thanks for the link!!!!!
That looks awesome. I’d love to go to something like this, if it was on the east coast. Honestly, I should just move to Idaho at this point. The pictures really sell it.
It's all virtual! You can absolutely go.
Everyone knows that a moroon is your second macaroon best partaken with good English tea at 5pm on a weekday. Replace with a small pile of Bourbon chocolate flavoured sandwich biscuits at the weekends. Traditions like these must be respected.
I would be seriously interested were I not now seventy years old, as for the past ten years I have lived (with my two English Setters) in a twenty-five foot Airstream, and traveled the country. That said, I seriously believe the smart folks are headed in this direction, as survival in this country appears to become a harder thing based upon the politics in Washington, DC today. I would also recommend firearms training. (Hoping you had a good weekend shooting your new pistol.)
I have been sticking to private instructors for many years now, but I will absolutely share public firearms classes with the community when I see one that would be of good general interest.
Thanks, Gutter. This looks helpful.
I'm interested in what the MOOC will look like after this.
Yes, and I hope it works smoothly.
There are so many platforms and sites that are just kind of chunky. Like the Substack issue with not registering input on the likes without refreshing ... or having to manually unblock in my profile every day or so in order to get anything in my inbox.
Some of these things drive me up a wall. Sometimes I miss old fashioned BBS's.
Yeah, I'm that old.