John F Dean

master steward

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since Sep 04, 2017

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Biography

In the early 1980s I quit a secure job in administration, bought 10 acres, and began homesteading. At some point we decided to relocate to an area with more job opportunities and in a warmer climate. We presently live on 11 acres. We have Nigerian Dwarf Goats, KuneKune Pigs, bees, and an assortment of chickens. Our driveway is the boundary between zones 6a and 6b. Annual rainfall for us is at 46 inches. We have been together 50+ years.
We don’t consider ourselves to be an expert on anything. For some, homesteading produces serious income. For us, it is fun. We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves in the adventure we created for ourselves.

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southern Illinois, USA

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Recent posts by John F Dean

Car buying

Hi Jill,

This reminds me of the rules of used car buying. Hit the buttons on the radio. Avoid heavy metal and buy classical. Frankly, I never tried it. There are too many other options.

9 hours ago

transportation

If you Could only have one Electronic Device, what would it be?

I am sympathetic with Tim’s choice; but, I might as well go for broke … air conditioner. I had considered an e-truck, but I don’t know of any with an air conditioner that I could easily cool a house with.

11 hours ago

meaningless drivel

Cosmic Truths of Cheap Grocery Shopping

Jay, you raise a good point. To make the 30 mile (one way) I drive to a larger grocery store, I make sure I can recover the cost of the gasoline with two or three items. Such trips are made about every two weeks. Trips to the Big City are only made when combined with medical appointments….those are months apart.

I have frequently been heavier than I would like. I have taken to the practice of buying higher quality items but less of it. I enjoy my meals more. There is less waste, and there is less waist.

16 hours ago

cooking

What signs does nature provide that it's going to rain?

Red sky in morning, sailor take warning.

1 day ago

meaningless drivel

How to install metal roofing to reduce the noise factor?

In MN had an aluminum roof. Insulation ranged from 12” to 36”. It was loud in a heavy rain. That said, my wife and I loved the sound. Then again, we once lived next to a railroad yard, and we loved that noise as well.

1 day ago

natural building

What is Whatsapp?

Hi Anne,

I find myself making fewer and fewer online purchases due to the retailers making it more difficult to take my money. Even my cell phone seems to want pins I never created. I do realize it (hopefully), is their was of protecting me. More and more I am thinking that if I need that much protection maybe I had better stay off their site.

1 day ago

meaningless drivel

Lead in soil and composting: am I overthinking this?

Do check your region’s history. Missouri has a history of lead mining. It’s not uncommon to find homes with lead roofs. Of course, there are other things one might not want in their soil. For example, coal mining and oil wells were and are common in my area. A realtor once showed me property where the soil was white. It seems that salt is sometimes used in oil wells. Odd, but there wasn’t a lot growing on that property.

1 day ago

composting

Car buying

…and kids don’t steal stick shifts….they don’t know how to drive them. The Trax, of course, has a non CvT auto.

Yes, the Nissan CVT has a rep for breaking down beyond 150,000. It also costs about $6000.00 to replace. The math added up to deal with it now.

1 day ago

transportation

Kombucha and diabetes

I have experimented enough to be convinced that my A1c drops like a rock as my Kombucha intake increases. Has anyone else experienced this?

1 day ago

fermentation