Category: Homestead

Change in the Weather

The fall equinox was only five weeks ago, and now we’re getting a hard freeze this week. Sheesh.

It may even be a new record low for the date.

I have a new space heater in my office.

The image is from a while back when Rahn was installing most of the insulation in my office. That needs to get finished before the weather really gets cold.

We just got a new space heater for Rahn’s room. He likes the 3D wood fire effect.

Rahn is working on getting the living room organized today. He also detailed how he plans to build the raised planter boxes and a new mailbox / planter box combination.

I need to work on study and more writing today.

I just watched a quick video on product photography that will save me endless amounts of work getting images for Amazon Handmade.

Next tutorial is a 6 hour course on Adobe Premiere Pro.

I may go upstairs and get my sock knitting so I can put more attention on the tutorial. I also need to start some new knitting projects. I’d like a knit headband and fingerless gloves. A new sweater would be a nice thing to have.

Since I wrote the last post, (number 51 in this series) Princess Mocha has passed.

She went peacefully in her sleep at home, and is buried just outside my bedroom window.

We certainly miss her.

Is it Time to Say Goodbye to an Old Friend?

Princess Mocha has been with me since 2011. She has been a wonderful kitty. She and her brother Jackson were both adults when I adopted them. I said then that I would never re-home them, that they would be with me until the end of their lives.

Jackson passed a couple years ago. We believe that he had eaten a rat that had been poisoned. We don’t use any poison baits, but Jackson had hunted the area quite enthusiastically, and the neighbors likely do use the rodent bait.

Princess Mocha has been getting quite frail and has been having trouble keeping food down. I noticed yesterday that she has at least one lump I could feel, and if there is one, there are likely others.

We will be taking her to the vet tomorrow, and see if there is anything to be done.

Back Deck Project Progress

From nothing to something. Projects like this tend to sit there for the the longest time and then BOOM! It like the proverbial rabbit out of a hat.

I had purchased the lumber for this some months ago. I hope it gets done before we get the forecasted snow this week.

Breaking down pallets to salvage lumber without breaking yourself.

Some people use a “pallet breaker” tool that frequently breaks the wood of a pallet. This renders much of a pallet unusable, and requires a good deal of strength.

We’ve come up with a method that does not require much strength, is quite fast, and leaves nearly all the wood usable.

Here\s the link: https://youtu.be/j2UhpE8kLJ8

Artic Blast Redux

This fast-moving artic blast is not nearly as long, as severe and lacks (at least in our county) the rolling blackouts, but it is testing some of the changes we made after February 2021.

(Lessons from a Dangerous Environment)

Health and Physical Ability: Despite my health challenges mentioned in my last post, both of us are in better shape now than we were in February 2021. Just having defined the problems are helping with handling them. More attention on nutritional needs, and more Kombucha are particularly helpful.

Food: I had more canned food on hand, and was able to put together a bean and burger soup that stayed warm on the wood stove. Hot food makes a great deal of difference in cold weather.

Rahn filled all the 5 gallon bottles, so we had plenty of water for us and the animals.

Shelter: The wood stove helps a lot, but is hard to get to draw. I think I need to get a covered ash bucket so ashes can be removed even if not cold. We still have not been able to improve the insulation, or make a couple key repairs, but the alternate heat source was key to our comfort.

Energy: We did not lose power at any time during this blast, and we do not depend on natural gas. I am still confident that the wood stove would have kept us warmer and safer than we were in February 2021

Progress has been made on the off-grid option. I have gotten two 2-kilowatt inverters, but have not yet obtained the batteries and bits and pieces needed to put everything together.

Clothing: I did get some more wool socks made for both of us. Rahn managed to felt his to the point where even I can’t wear them. I’ll cut them up and knit on new cuffs.

A couple more layers of clothing makes a big difference, fingerless gloves keep my hands more comfortable, and a heating pad to help keep Rahn’s feet comfortable when sitting at his desk are useful upgrades.