Michael Helmersson

I peel all my firewood, but usually I'm dealing with dead trees and loose bark. I use an otherwise useless little hatchet like this:



It's slim profile is great for getting under loose bark and removing it in sheets.

If I'm dealing with stubborn or fresh bark, I use a drawknife. I cut my logs in 4-8ft lengths so I can wedge them between two uprights on my sawbuck, leaving the log sticking up at an angle and gripped tight. I peel the available surface, then turn the log a bit to do more. Once I've peeled that end of the log I flip it around and do the other end. I'm not sure this makes sense.

My reasons for peeling firewood are:

1- it DOES dry much quicker, whether split or not
2- fewer bugs brought indoors. It sucks to have spruce bugs come out of their winter slumber and crawl around indoors.
3- Mulch! I can generate several cubic yards of bark chunks in one winter's work.

Nancy Reading wrote:My husband told me this morning that we are officially living in poverty... funny, I actually feel that I am rich and have too much stuff

Same here. It's quite enjoyable being income-poor while having all the intangible luxuries.

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Brody Ekberg wrote: And actually our walls arent just drywall. They seem to be 1” thick made of 2 separate layers. The layer closest to the outside seems like drywall but the layer we can see inside the house seems different. Its harder than regular drywall. Can’t pound a nail in without busting chips out. Its like drywall but harder. And not all uniform thickness. The 2 attached pictures were taken from a single piece I cut out of the wall and theres almost 1/8” different in thickness

Sounds like thermal mass.

Brody Ekberg wrote:

Our walls, from inside out are drywall, fiberglass insulation, plywood sheathing, tar paper then aluminum siding with that backer board.

No vapor barrier then?

Anne Miller wrote:

If you cannot make the dog like you then the dog is unacceptable in a AirBnB situation.

Has the owner of the dog explained to the dog that you are acceptable?

As often as you see the dog is the owner there and talked to the dog about the situation?

Yes, we've had many occasions wherein the owner and I are talking on his property and the dog is pestering me for affection. She's also accompanied them to our place for parties, and come inside, where she has spent hours watching and listening to us interact. It's very Jeckyll and Hyde.

I'm not scared of her, but I would be if I didn't know her.

tamara dutch wrote: Your neighbours dog is doing her job and you are annoying her about it. She is telling you, you need her humans permission to be there and that permission only applies with human present.

I should have clarified that I have blanket permission to enter the neighbour's property. I help maintain and operate his machinery, I bring food for his goats daily, and he's repeatedly told me I don't need to notify him when going over. The dog is completely unaware of this arrangement though, despite my repeated explanations.

Our neighbours have had an LGD for one year and I've been trying on a daily basis to befriend it. If the neighbour is outside, everything is fine. She'll snuggle up to me and let me pet her and massage her face, but as soon as we're alone she reverts back to a working dog. She'll circle me aggressively, clacking her teeth and barking angrily until I'm back on my property. It's impressive to see the power of her instincts, but annoying as hell.

That's pretty neat.

Has anyone tried planting apple trees using seed balls? I'd like to plant some apple trees in places where I have easy access in winter via snowshoes and wondered if it'd be possible to have success by burying them under the snow (or just tossing them on the snow?).

thomas rubino wrote:Went 100% off the grid in 1983 and have never looked back.
Solar and hydro

You're a pioneer. Wow.