Steve Zoma

I have recently radically changed how I dress and from it I found I get a lot longevity out of my clothing as an additional bonus.

Myself, I wear the same set of clothes.

I have two clothing choices. Work clothing and dress clothing, but it is the same black pants, and gray shirt, just differing in type and construction of the clothes. I do this so I minimize the clothes I have (3 dress outfits/5 work outfits), and everyday I know what I am going to wear without thought.

But here comes the longevity. I think they will last longer because I chose dark colors that do not stain. No longer ring around the collar with white dress shirts that must be thrown out after wearing it twice. But they also last longer because I wash them much more often (I have limited outfits). Using a modern, gentle washer/dryer combo unit the fabric is not abused as much in the washer/dryer. Some outfits get worn a lot and often, such as worn that day, washed that night, and reworn the next day, while other outfits remain in the closet unused. This will cause some outfits to wear prematurely, but the other outfits will be much older before they are worn out making the two average out.

We shall see!

Our water here is bad.... and we have both a drilled well and hand-dug well. Despite what you would think, we use the hand-dug well.

We just got a quote to make the water drinkable and the quote was for $45,000, the most expensive water filtration system the company would have ever installed. Three reverse osmosis systems followed by filters.

It is high in iron, manganese, sodium, nitrates, and chlorides. So in other words, sea water with a lot of iron. Like 37% soluble iron!

Obviously we cannot drink it and don't, but we struggle using it for washing dishes and clothes as it stains everything yellow at such high concentrations. We shower using it, but have to use special shampoos to rid our hair of turning orange.

We are not sure what to do, thankfully it is brackish water and at 1550 ppm sodium so under the 2000 ppm standard in being sea water, and unless we drain the Atlantic, we will never run out of water, but its terrible water. Plenty of it, but terrible, but the whole point of the island has this water issue and not just us.

Ned Harr wrote:Sometimes I’m really excited about my future plans to buy land and build a house in New Mexico. My wife and I run the numbers and look at where we’ll be financially in this many and that many years, and all the skills I’ll have by then, and it all seems too good to be true. To be clear, it’s the experience I want, with the material aspects as secondary.

But lately I also sometimes feel crushing disappointment, like it’s a pipe dream, an unrealistic superstimulus shown to me by YouTube algorithms, and the reality is different in every way. Like I won’t actually have the amount of money I think I will. Or the cost of some part of the equation—land, materials, travel expenses (because I’ll have to keep going out there to look at properties), whatever—will be way higher than I’m predicting. Or that what I’m learning about construction now in this part of the country will be irrelevant to construction in another part of the country. Or that I’ve left out some important piece of the equation that I just don’t have the experience to realize exists yet (for example, when I realized that some parcels of land also require you to get permission to go through other peoples land just to access it! Another example would be something to do with the permitting process, which I know next to nothing about). Or like by the time I get to a place in life where I could make it happen, I’ll be too worn out or have lost my ambitiousness or something.

This really gets me down, so I start pivoting the dream itself, making compromises in it before I even get to them. I suppose this is a good exercise, because it helps me maintain at least a kernel of non-attachment to my dreams: as with writing a story, falling in love with your ideas is kind of a recipe for failure. Presumably. But the awareness that I’m doing it is kinda saddening.

I’ve watched my twin brother attempt something kind of like what I want to do, and while he hasn’t exactly failed yet, he’s definitely been beset by some things that could either be described as setbacks or traps, possibly wrong turns. I feel like my plan is leaner and more cautious, with more contingency options baked into it, but still my confidence is shaken pretty badly these days.

Assuming “enough money for land & house” goes well, how am I going to have time to fly out to NM and hunt for land? Last time we moved, just driving around my own city with my realtor looking at houses took a ton of time! What if all the good stuff in my price range is taken? I want to be remote, in a place with tall trees and scenic elevation changes, yet not have to drive an hour to get to a grocery store, hardware store, hospital, or restaurant—is that even possible??

Okay, putting that aside, when am I going to have time to spend out on my land in a tent or camper getting to know its little corners and secret pockets at different times of year so I can site my house in an intelligent way? How am I going to get truckloads of materials out there, even if I manage to salvage many of them for cheap or free? When am I going to have time to assemble them into a house, if I’m still working in Ohio? Even if I can take whole summers off or something like that, living in a camper for months or years while I build a house seems like a kind of roughing it I could do now in my early 40s for a while if I’m motivated by a big prize at the end, but what about when I’m in my 50s? 60s?

I have a high tolerance for this kind of stress, but not infinitely high. I’m not sure where this goes…

My suggestion?

1. Do not overthink. Everything is figureoutable! And despite what the world tells you, most things can be backed out of at a later date with little lost.

2. No one knows the future.

Myself, I grew up on a farm having been in the family since 1746 when my Great Grandfather to the 11th power died fighting for the King. In 1775 we joined the Rebels and were allowed to keep what we had. I took over the farm in 1992, and bought it from my father in 2011. Then I got divorced in 2023 and ended up having to sell it. All 400 acres of a farm of 11 generations.

Its sad, but not.

I am now free.

I have owed a beautiful Victorian Home on a river, fixed it up and sold it and now live on an island, off an island, off a peninsula on a point of land that has view of the ocean from every window in the house… including the laundry room. None of that would have been possible had I been saddled with my farm and the property taxes thereof.

Life is good now, not that life was bad when I was farming: it is just different. But the skills I learned, my understanding of animals, property, houses and systems have all enabled me to be where I am today. Not better off, not worse, just different.

I would have never envisioned I would be here in life, but no one can predict the future. And if island life does not work out, we sell the place and move somewhere else. EVERYTHING is figureoutable.

So be bold. Live out your life as you see fit and roll with it when given challenges. Were not our ancestors bold in floating across an ocean to come here with little resources? You are truly only defeated when you wallow in regret!

Not all hot melt glue is the same.

We have an industrial hot melt glue gun at work and it’s much hotter and uses bigger sticks. It glues a lot more than my wimpy home one.

But glues are different too. You can have plastic, wood, or paper hot melt glues to get better adhesion. So you can get woodworking hot melt glue and do some woodworking crafts or intricate origami.

And I use hot melt glue for my book binding machines, which is a fast cheap way to do perfect bookbinding EXACTLY like what you buy in a bookstore.

It’s used in industry a lot because it’s cheap, works and versatile!

I worked for the railroad for many years and in a few years will collect railroad retirement so I have a soft spot for trains. However, it just does not make sense to ride them here.

It comes down to money, times and convenience.

A few months ago we went to New York City and did NOT go by train. The train out of Maine leaves once per day, and with so many stops takes hours to get to NYC. Worse yet is the North and South stations in Boston which are a few miles apart. That means offloading on the north end, getting a cab or ride to the south station and then going again.

The alternative?

A bus with snacks and bathroom, direct into the heart of NYC that is half the cost, faster and put us midtown where our hotel was. It cost $84 per round trip ticket for the bus.

I love trains, but until trains start really competing with other modes of travel in terms
Of convenience it will be a struggle for them.

thomas rubino wrote:For the first twenty years we lived here, I only had a hand-drawn map of the septic tank's location.
Of course, eventually, the tank backed up and needed pumping.
The Dig was on... OMG, what a nightmare.
Large holes to nowhere in our driveway. We finally had to uncover the line from the house and follow it until we located where the tank really was.
After two days of digging, we finally found the tank!
I was concerned about what kind of "tank" might be buried. Since the cabin was built in 1930, there was a significant chance that our tank would be a 1928 Ford with the drain pipe stuffed inside...
Thank goodness it was a real metal septic tank. The next issue would be whether the tank was rusted out.
The pump truck was called, and shit started moving; as it emptied, I was happy to see that our tank was still solid!

Now I knew for sure where our tank was located.
I foolishly thought it would be 20 years or more before I needed to pump it again... so... I buried it...
Think again, bucko... a few years later, I had trouble again.
Digging up the tank was not a big deal, except the 4' of snow on top...
This time, the tank did not need to be pumped; it had become paperbound at the entry point.
Some "plunging" with a stick had things moving again.
Having muddy, frozen dirt, I opted to use free sand to cover the tank top and put plywood over the rest.

The following spring, I fixed it for easy access.
A 55-gallon olive barrel with a removable screw-on lid was purchased.
I cut the bottom off at the appropriate height (gaining a new drain pan for the shop) and rounded the cut to match the curve on the septic tank.
Mud and snow were long gone, and I used the sand and new dirt to backfill.
Now, just at ground level, I can open the barrel, reach down with the fancy hook I made, and open the tank for inspection or cleaning!
Takes about 5 minutes!  
It beats the hell out of the two days of digging the first time!

You were actually VERY lucky as septic tanks should be pumped out every 5 years. If they are not the solids that typically float on top get flushed into the drainage pipes called the leach field plugging the tiny holes in them. When that happens you need a new leach field where I live the cost being around $7000 . That is just the leach field as the backing up can do damage inside the house.

It really is sound practice to pump out the septic tanks every 5 years as it only costs $150 to do so. Also be sure to cut down any trees an anywhere close to the leach field as find roots grow towards the leached water ruining your leach field. This will save yourself thousands of dollars too.

I’ve cut wood commercially on and off for 35 years and I have never rebuilt one.

A chainsaw is so cheap compared to what it does, whether justifying its cost via the price of a load of logs or what a homeowner saves in oil or gas savings, that $800 chainsaw really owes you nothing by the time it’s worn out.

The last saw I bought a 365 Husqvarna the dealer told me it was a throw away saw. To use it for a year, trade it in for $300, and buy another saw. It just made the most sense.

If you need to replace the lower end (crank bearing) it is because you are using your saw when it is dull. A dull saw heats up the chain which heats up the bar which bolts to the bar super close to the crank bearing. This is what kills chainsaws. By keeping your saw always sharp you not only are more productive but also extending the our saws life by years and years. It is also very unsafe to operate a dull saw. Nothing good comes from a dull chainsaw.

Josh McDonald wrote:I've written a few novels and self-published one. I've also done a lot of reading and reviewing of other people's self-published novels, so here are my thoughts from that experience.

1. Almost all of the self-published novels I've read were weak. Most had ideas that could be made into a great story but missed the mark on execution--usually due to weak characters. My best guess is that they didn't get good editing or were unwilling to do as much work as their editors suggested. I look at my rough draft as about the 40% mark on writing a good book, as I think some fall into the trap of thinking a rough draft means "almost done".
2. People often recommend learning to format for e-book yourself, but you can also have it done for a couple hundred dollars, so it's really a time vs. money question. I spent the money, but I think the right choice is individual.

I may be available to read an early draft and give feedback: I say "may" because I am careful about committing future time, but I'd also like to help in your mission (and hopefully, I'll simply enjoy reading it). Feel free to PM me when you're ready, or maybe I'll see it on this thread.

I am not so sure on this. I have always said like any creativity there is a huge difference in being discovered and having talent. Take for instance Steven King, he never thought he was good enough and if it had not been for his wife Tabitha sending in his first manuscript he might never have been discovered. I have 20 books that I have done from Legal Thrillers, to Romance, to Childrens books and Memoirs. But that does not mean a person in Tanzania is a bad writer. They may be way better than me, just never to be discovered.

But the things you cite change too on the genre being written about. THE most prolific, successful writer EVER, Agatha Christie SUCKED at characterization, in fact she admitted her novels were void of good characterization, but she did mysteries where she focused on the plot because that was what her readers wanted. But she could not have gotten away with that had she written a lot of legal thrillers where characterization is everything.

Myself I view myself more of a story teller then I do a writer. Writing to me is just how I get my story across to others, but it is all about the story. In fact that is why I started my own publishing company, I HATED how the modern day publishers only care about marketing and not how the story is put on paper. I understand why, but I have two absolutes in my writing:

Focus on making the story the best it can be
Never forget the reader

But while I do not have time to disclose this now, people can print their own books and using the equipment they already have at HOME. A laptop, printer, a few snap clamps, glue, a laminator and a cutter is all that is needed to have a book that is identical to what you buy on the shelf at a bookstore. I even emboss, deboss my covers but granted that takes a cricket machine.

So everyone... WRITE... because you can get it published even if it means doing it yourself.

When we had a commercial farm we went on vacation. As the saying goes, the best time for a vacation is when you don’t have the time to take one.

We had sheep but went on a vacation during lambing season and paid some farm sitters. It was good for them and us and had no over-mortality from it.

And don’t forget, as farmers you can deduct 50% of the vacation off your income taxes!!!