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PEP Badge: Oddball

BB oddball - sand badge
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oddball
instruction, regulation, insurance, safety, etc

There are no specific tasks for these badges.   This badge is for unpredictable projects or creative solutions that aren't covered by existing BBs.  Maybe you're building a tiny home.  Maybe the mailbox needs to be re-installed.  Maybe a conventional floor needs a small mend.  Maybe a conventional window is broken, or a chair needs to be repaired.  These solutions might involve paint, glue, tape, cement or other materials typically frowned on.  

Any projects that are in the Food Prep and Preservation or Gardening realm do not count here in Oddball.

Points rewarded are based on a number of factors.  Regardless of how long it took you to do the task, the math starts with:

The "Pro Factor":  This is the number of hours it would take an expert to accomplish the task, with all the tools and materials in hand, and a bit of luck.   It is expected that the person submitting a BB for scoring might have put 3 hours in and the evaluator will say that an expert would have completed that task in 15 minutes, therefore 0.25 points.  From there the score is further adjusted by:

The "Piano Factor": This is an adjustment based upon how useful the project is to Otis.  1000 hours of piano construction is worth less to Otis than 1000 hours spent building a barn.

The "PEX Factor":  This is an adjustment based on how closely the project aligns to X's permaculture values.  For PEP it's Paul's values.  Projects could be awarded extra points if they're particularly elegant solutions using permaculture principles.  Generally though it's a way to discourage use of man made materials and toxic gick.

The Failed/Almost BB Factor:  This is an adjustment based on if the project is shy of an already existing BB.  In these cases the score will be significantly reduced, typically 1/2 point will be awarded.  We strongly encourage people to complete BBs properly.

As you progress through the levels of Oddball, the scoring shifts to put more emphasis on the PEX factor.  So a good Otis-worthy project using conventional paint and caulk that takes you 16 hours may be awarded 4 points if you're at the Sand level, 2 points in Straw, 1 point in Wood or 1/2 point in Iron (this is just an example, not a formula)

Bonus!  Any valid task that has a photo put up on permies for evaluation, that an expert would have spent at least 7 minutes accomplishing, and that passes the the PEX factor, will earn a minimum of a half point.   Awarded points will be rounded up to the nearest half point.   So for a task that the evaluator would award 45 minutes, rather than granting 0.75 points, the evaluator will grant 1 point.  

Note:  If your submission will take a while, don't post partial chunks over time in this thread.  Start a thread elsewhere on the forums to document the project and then post a summary here.

sand badge
The sand badge is granted for a score of 5.

This badge is designed to be more challenging to acquire than any other sand badge.

straw badge
The straw badge is granted for a total score of 40 (including points from the sand badge).

This badge is designed to be more challenging to acquire than any other straw badge.

wood badge
The wood badge is granted for a total score of 220 (including points from the sand and straw badges).

This badge is designed to be more challenging to acquire than any other wood badge.

iron badge
The iron badge is granted for a total score of 1250 (including points from the sand, straw and wood badges).

This badge is designed to be more challenging to acquire than any other iron badge.
COMMENTS:
 
gardener
Posts: 3073
Location: Central Texas zone 8a
818
2
cattle chicken bee sheep
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Probably 1 hour project to fix this jack. Mental note-always store them "closed".

Removed rust from the cylinder. Used oil and scotch pad. Finished with a drill attachment.

Unstuck the screw adjuster. Oiled it. Hit it with drill attachment to get rust out. Still stuck. Pliers wouldn't budge it. Welded a big bolt to give me leverage.
It6s now functional and stored in correct position.

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Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify 1 oddball point for this BB

 
wayne fajkus
gardener
Posts: 3073
Location: Central Texas zone 8a
818
2
cattle chicken bee sheep
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Bottle feeding a newborn lamb. When we found her, she was on the other side of the fence and very cold. Momma won't feed her. Duties are split between my wife and I. We keep her in the house overnight to make feeding easier. This will last 4 to 6 weeks(?) until she can eat on her own.
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author and steward
Posts: 52407
Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)
hugelkultur trees chicken wofati bee woodworking
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wayne,

I think you end up needing to supply a buffet of pics.  

And then there is the idea of "how much of this do you do, until you have hit "maximimum experience level""?   For example, in tool care, how many knives do you sharpen before you get to the point of sharpening any more doesn't really build any new skill?

So for bottle feeding ....   there is figuring out what to feed, and then getting it to the lamb ...   Doing that part 300 times doesn't build your skill more than doing it once.   And then, during a 20 minute feeding, the first minute built all the skills you need for all of the other minutes.    I think it is fair to say that there is half a point here for the first feeding and maybe a full point after two weeks. And maybe 2 points (cumulatively) after three months.

Sound about right to you?

 
wayne fajkus
gardener
Posts: 3073
Location: Central Texas zone 8a
818
2
cattle chicken bee sheep
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Yes. Any tid bit is fine. The only real experience is the discipline to keep it alive at the expense of your sleep habits. Or having compassion to save it.

This is part of homesteading. Dealing with stuff you didn't think you'd have to deal with. I thought it worthy to include it in oddball.

The biggest "must do" is getting colostrum into her. That seems critical.
 
steward
Posts: 21553
Location: Pacific Northwest
12040
11
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
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I'm going to submit my shaded play area/gravel pit/kiwi trellis and play structure. It's been a work in progress for months! Here's two threads documenting it:

Kids playpit
making the roundwood pergola

I couldn't have done it without the help of this awesome community, as well as my neighbors, who deposited the gravel by our driveway for us to move, and donated the WesternRed cedar trunk for part of the pergola. Without the round wood BBs, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea of how to go about this. Without the advice of fellow permies, I would have been lost. And, without my strong husband, I would have had a much harder time hauling these cedar polls around!

This was all done with hand tools.

The sand pit was cleared out by me with a hoe and a rake, and 6 inches of soil was excavated and used to make the kiwi garden bed. The logs were pealed by me and moved there by my husband and I. The gravel was moved by wheelbarrow to fill the playpit.



I even filled it with some gemstones to make it extra fun for the kids:


Kiwi garden bed was made by weaving bamboo to make a wattle wall, as well as using bamboo stakes to hold up small logs to form the walls. The bottom of the bed was filled with wood, then topped with the excavated soil, and then covered with mulch




The pergola-trellis thing was made with WesternRed Cedar logs that were from a few years ago (before I knew to peel the bark!), and sawed by hand to the right size.

I peeled them with my grandfather's old drawknife, which I sharpened.

Before it was sharpened:


After it was sharpened:


It in action


The climbing rungs were drilled by hand with my grandfather's old hand drill.



Here's a picture of the posts and climbing area built



And the kiwi bed planted with kiwi and strawberries


The "ceiling" was made with fresh cedar polls, with their limbs left intact and then woven together to make it a bit more stable.


I then added some more fresh, peeled cedar to weave in the "ceiling"


It still needed a poll for the kiwi to be trained up, so we carried the poll 1/2 mile from my neighbors' property. I peeled the bark, dug the hole with the post hole digger and carved a notch at the top for the upper beam to rest on.



Here's some action shots of the kids enjoying it:






Now the kids have a nice, soon-to-be-shaded-by-kiwis place to play, and us adults have a shaded place to sit and watch them play. There's a climbing structure for them to climb on, and garden bed with kiwi's and strawberries for us all to munch on.
Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify 6 oddball points for this BB

 
Nicole Alderman
steward
Posts: 21553
Location: Pacific Northwest
12040
11
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
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If you need some before pictures, here's some:


The bare, brown grown in the middle right of this picture is before the logs or gravel. I had just excavated the dirt (that was April of last year)



The top left of this picture shows it without the gravel (June of last year)


 
Nicole Alderman
steward
Posts: 21553
Location: Pacific Northwest
12040
11
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
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Shawn Klassen-Koop wrote:

[img]sand badge
The sand badge is granted for a score of 5.

This badge is designed to be more challenging to acquire than any other sand badge.



paul wheaton wrote:I certify 6 oddball points for this BB



Oh wow! Does this mean I've earned the Oddball sand badge?
 
steward & author
Posts: 38367
Location: Left Coast Canada
13630
8
books chicken cooking fiber arts sheep writing
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I submit moriculture and feeding silkworms for half an hour (half a point?) worth of work.  

It took a lot longer than half an hour for the first dozen times, but now that I've got it down, it's about half an hour a day total time.

It involves basic care of mulberry trees - in this case, I coppiced them (although next year I hope to pollard these trees) to make for easy harvest and more tender leaves.  I planted the trees next to the chicken yard to provide shade for chickens in the summer and so that the chickens will fertilize the trees.  Chickens and moriculture (the growing of mulberry trees) go hand in hand as quite often the waste from sericulture (raising silkworms) gets fed to the chickens.  

When harvesting the leaves, we have to be mindful of how the tree will regrow.  Open up the centre so that air and sunlight can get in there.  Be careful not to break off any buds that will grow into new branches.  I've taken to nipping the top of the branch so that it will branch out more as it regrows.  

After washing and drying, I can put a days worth of leaves in the fridge so I don't have to harvest every 2 to 4 hours.  



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harvest the leaves in a basket. While we are at it, feed weeds to the chickens.
harvest the leaves in a basket. While we are at it, feed weeds to the chickens.
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Wash the leaves and make certain they are very dry. any moisture left on the leaves will kill the silkworms
Wash the leaves and make certain they are very dry. any moisture left on the leaves will kill the silkworms
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when dry, feed the leaves to the caterpillars.
when dry, feed the leaves to the caterpillars.
Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB has earned 0.5 oddball points.

 
r ranson
steward & author
Posts: 38367
Location: Left Coast Canada
13630
8
books chicken cooking fiber arts sheep writing
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I submit re-sizing a skirt for half an hour (half a point?) of oddball

The problem is that I like eating ice cream.  Some of my clothing isn't as large as it used to be.  Instead of throwing them out, I decided to change the waistband on the skirt to make it fit better.  

Note - this should take a normal person about half an hour.  It took me four hours because I kept making mistakes.

I took apart the existing band and cut the elastic so that it was only on the back instead of all the way around.  I also made the waistband bigger because the skirt is about an inch too long.

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before - waist is too tight so I took it apart.
before - waist is too tight so I took it apart.
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sewing the new elastic in place. I marked the sides and the middle with tailors chalk. (note the non-electric sewing machine)
sewing the new elastic in place. I marked the sides and the middle with tailors chalk. (note the non-electric sewing machine)
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finished with new waistband. Elastic only in the back.
finished with new waistband. Elastic only in the back.
Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB has earned 0.5 oddball points

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