Stone Baerm Adventures

Mary Ann Jones wrote:
Everything you are doing sounds like a lot of work. You must be getting stronger every day.
I love the fact that you are taking pictures of your activities. This is quite a journey you are on. Thanks for sharing your posts!

There's lots of exercise which is good! I just finished clearing out the last stall today. That is a good workout. First I gotta fork the hay into the wagon, then bring the wagon outside the barn and dump it. Then i repeat until the stall is all cleared up. The one I did today had about a foot or so of hay so it was a lot of lifting. The massage chair here is nice for after all that physical work.

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
I love the fact that you start with the wood and then figure out what to do with it.  What a great perspective change!
I"m glad your hands are feeling better.

Yeah it's a fun way of thinking. And yep they are tougher than they once were!

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So it has been a few days. One night we had some lightning so we had the internet turned off. Then I think we watched a movie another night, and the last night we had another storm that took out the wifi. So I am on the main computer now.

I am 40% through the PDC! I'm making some great progress I think. I just finished learning about house design in the three main climates - tropics, drylands and temperate. There is a heck of a lot of neat stuff out there about living in a more comfortable way with WAY less energy use.

For my exercise today I did a couple things. First I helped move some wood planks, then I put together a shelf. Back at the barn I emptied out the last stall that was real full of barn mix. That was a serious workout.

A couple days ago we put up some bird netting, and I keep forgetting to take a photo of it. It looks good though so just take my word for it.

The plants are doing well! The squash and zucchini are becoming a nice deep green, and I've got 7 of my mystery seedlings that look like they're going to make it! They got beaten by the hail but holy heck are they resilient.

Curragh is making great progress. She's off leash now in the barn, at least when there's only one goat out at a time. She keeps her distance from them which is good, and the goats seem very comfortable with her. She is much better with the chickens too. Just a week ago she'd lunge at just about every one that passed her - in a playful way mind you  - but today she had great restraint until the very end of chores. The chickens are much more comfortable with her as a result.

She did have a hard morning though. We are cracking down on the goat shit eating, because there's no way it can be good for her to be eating as much as she does every day. Every time she tried to eat some this morning I'd pull her off and say "Off" to teach her not to touch it. She learned very quickly, but she made it clear she wasn't happy about this change in rules. She looked ready to cry when she finally gave up on trying to eat manure. She has since recovered though.

Finally, we've got chicks! They're a bunch of different colors, and they all follow mom around like a little marching band. It's very cute.

Today was very busy. We had some trades folks come in and replace the chimney pipe or something like that, so we had to get everything cleared out from around the wood stove. When everything is cleared the room looks a LOT bigger, lol. The installation went perfectly and only took a few hours in total I think. While they were working, I put up a fence to keep Curragh in the garden (or out of the garden depending on your perspective). I think it looks as if a professional carpenter built it. It is perfectly level (if your level is broken) the boards are evenly spaced (mostly) and I used both screws and nails to ensure its longevity (or because there weren't enough of one kind to do all the attaching). I may have been joking about the looking like a carpenter built it part. I think I could make it look nicer, but it was better to just have it done until we can get a gate installed there. I'll let you judge by the photo whether you'd hire me for fence building on your property. I charge $45 per hour FYI if you are interested.  

In other news, I installed a new hub for WiFi as the old one got busted in our last thunderstorm. I also irreversibly damaged it. I like using the internet, but I've never installed a router or modem or anything and today I learned just how little I know about that stuff. I got the hub out of the box, and got it beside the computer. I didn't see a power cord anywhere, so I just assumed I could reuse the old one. So I pulled the power cord out of a little internet-looking thing and plugged it into  the hub - it fit perfectly and I wasn't surprised because the other internet thing I took the cord out of was made by the same brand. Great! I didn't see it light up or anything which was weird, but I pressed on. I got all the cords connected properly, but the hub still wouldn't power on. So I tried a couple different outlets - still nothing. It was here that it dawned on me that I may have screwed up. Kathryn tried to go through the process, but the thing still wouldn't turn on. So I took a look at the two adapters. The one for the hub was rated at 12V and 2A, and the one I plugged into it was rated at 30V and 2.7A...oh. Whoops. The poor thing got zapped by the higher voltage. So we called Xplornet and I told the rep what I did. There's another one being sent, and it may or may not cost $75...ouch. The rep was really nice and put in his report that the hub came already busted, but he said that might not fly. We will see. If it doesn't I will be $75 poorer and hopefully a little wiser. if it does go through then I'll hopefully still be wiser.

Other than that today has been relatively quiet. I had some cherries with real whipped cream we whipped up last night, and wow is that a good snack. I think I might go for a bike ride later to get some sun and some exercise. I'm gonna give my mystery seedlings a little watering tonight because they're getting that droopy sad look to them. Just a bit of water though because we got a big rain system coming in on Sunday I think.

We did some city stuff today. We brought a van full of stuff to the thrift store for drop-off which went well. Following that we picked up 6 barrels from a pet feed store to use as rain barrels. I think we're gonna cut one end off of each tomorrow. We're gonna make sure they're all set for this Sunday because we've got a real big rain system coming our way.

Other than that I'd say today was sleepy. It drizzled on and off all day, and at one point the entire house was quiet as everyone was sleeping - the people and the dogs. Tonight we've been watching Netflix, so this entire day has been very relaxed.

Morning Cam, Sounds like you are in dog training mode like us last summer.  I'm really glad that we don't have goats as I'm sure Fran would love that delicacy as well!

Not sure about the hourly rate but it's pretty cool that you can throw this together so quickly!

Ooh rain barrels!  That is something I'd like Dad and I to look into this summer.

*Edit*The tornado warning has since been dropped. Phew.*

Early post today. Why? Remember when I mentioned all the weird weather were getting, and I half joked about getting a tornado? Well...we may or may not be in the path of tornado tonight. The warning just came out about an hour ago. Combine that with another warning about ~40mm of rain and we're in for a wild ride. We are truly experiencing all the weather. Everybody do the twist!

In other news I smelled mango, strawberry, lemon, fruit punch, and boozy lemon. Did I travel to Cuba? Make some smoothies? Take a guess. I was rinsing rain barrels! The ones we got yesterday must have been from some juice box company because they all had some leftover concentrate in them. Well except for one - it had a warning label that said "CAUTION: FLAMMABLE". When I looked closer at the label it was 60-67% alcohol by volume! If I wanted to I could have gotten a serious buzz off the residue - I might have died though too so I decided against it. My guess was it was used for some sort of lemony alcoholic cooler. That one I rinsed BEFORE Kate cut it with the jig saw to make sure there were no flames to be seen.  So all in all we have 6 new barrels as part of the catchment system. We are now sitting at >1600 gallons in capacity with the barrels and the cube. Pretty good!  

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
Ooh rain barrels!  That is something I'd like Dad and I to look into this summer.

Yes it was fun! They smelled very nice too. If you guys get used ones just make sure it isn't something oily that was in the barrel before because I've heard it is very hard to rinse out.  

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
Not sure about the hourly rate but it's pretty cool that you can throw this together so quickly!

Hmm I guess we can agree to disagree then.

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
Morning Cam, Sounds like you are in dog training mode like us last summer.  I'm really glad that we don't have goats as I'm sure Fran would love that delicacy as well!

I am having to pull all the tricks with Curragh. She is very smart but she is currently at the stage of pushing boundaries to see what she can get away with. When she was barking at DW first I admonished her. Nothing. Then swatted her back, not to hurt her but to say,"Seriously, stop". That didn't work, so I strolled up to the house, grabbed the drinking pail, filled it, and stood right beside her with it. As soon as she started yapping I tossed the whole bucket of water on her head. It actually worked very well, and it had me laughing for a while afterwards. She wasn't traumatized or anything but it took some of her mojo away.

Well we are back to toasty weather. Seriously toasty. My brother, who lives in the same area, went for a run this morning and said it felt like he was running in an Instant Pot. The official temperature was 32C but it felt like 40C with the humidity.

Understandably we didn't do a whole lot today as we mostly just focused on staying cool. I put a board on a raised bed, and we put a temporary gate up, but that's about it project-wise. I've done a lot of reading. I'm into The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra for my non-fiction and so far it is very interesting. It's all about how some of the ideas coming from quantum physics connect well with Eastern philosophy. It was written in 1975 so some of the physics ideas are probably outdated, but I'm more interested in the connections with the Eastern thought. For my fiction I'm re-reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It's my nice light read.

Tonight to cool off (it is STILL 38C at 8:45pm) I had a rain barrel bath. Just got my bathing suit on, got a small bucket, and stood over a barrel and scooped rainwater onto myself. My oh my did that ever feel great. It felt like I'd gone for a nice swim when I was towelling off.

So you know I've been whining about the heat here. I think we got to 37C with the humidity today. Not fun, but my brother has got it worse. He's over in BC, and they were sitting at 44C WITHOUT humidity (47C with). Now that is some serious heat. He's also without AC, but he's thankfully close to the ocean so that helps a bit. We set the unhappy record of hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada today...I've got a funny feeling that we're going to be breaking that record again and again as time goes on. I remember the good old days when records were 'most hotdogs eaten in 3 minutes' or 'longest time balanced on a unicycle'. We're breaking records now, but it just isn't as fun (lol).

Here at the homestead it was another day of mostly just staying cool. I went for another homestead swim as I like to call it now. This time I used a watering can to shower myself with the rain water and that felt real nice.

In cute news, Curragh and Remi (the older Great Pyrenees) are getting closer literally and figuratively. I remember just a few weeks ago when Curragh had just arrived. Whenever she got within 4 or 5 feet of Remi there'd be some snarling and baring of teeth. Now look! Their butts are touching and I didn't hear a single growl.

It's been a few days because my sister came up to visit, so I spent some time with her and my brother. It was real good to catch up with them.

Today was pretty quiet but nice. I did some clearing out of the horse area and the goat area. I prioritized the horse area though because it's getting really messy with all of the rain. I brought Curragh out and tied her to the gate at the front of the chicken coop while I emptied the goat area. She was on a 20 foot lead so she had lots of room to trot around.  Periodically I'd peek out and see what she was up to. For the most part, she laid and watched the goats and everyone was very comfortable. However two times she got tempted by chickens running by and lunged at them. Not in an aggressive way mind you, more of a "wanna play" sort of thing. The chickens still ran like hell though. The first time she ran after one, I heard the chicken squawk and just peeked out in time to see Curragh reach the end of the lead and get flipped on her back as it pulled her. It's a real good thing the lead is attached to her harness and not her collar. I told her no but I was laughing too because it was funny to see her laying on her back, dumbfounded as to what had just happened.

15 minutes passed without excitement. Then I heard another kerfuffle. The chicken squawked, and immediately afterwards I heard big SNAP. I looked out and saw Curragh standing there confused with no lead attached to her anymore. She'd pulled the metal buckle right out of the loop! Needless to say I brought her inside after that. Kate repaired the harness and it is now double stitched I think which should be much stronger. Curragh is snoozing away. For dinner we are having burgers and I am looking forward to it because I'm getting rather hungry.

Curragh and DW are officially frenemies. All the other cats have swatted Curragh, so she just doesn't mess with them as much anymore. DW however will egg her on. When we're walking back to the house after chores DW will follow us, but a couple meters back. It drives Curragh crazy and DW knows it. Today they had a hilarious incident though. They were 'playing' if you can call it that. Curragh was sniffing and occasionally barking, and DW was writhing around in the wet morning grass. We were near a pile of sheet metal. Curragh  stepped on it, which made a big noise that caused her to panic and step on DW in the process of running away. DW hissed, but I checked afterwards and she was fine.

I went on a real long bike ride today. I went into town for the first time. I've been procrastinating because I have to ride on the highway, but I just put my highlighter vest on and rode on the shoulder and I was fine. I relaxed in a veterans memorial park by the lake which was very nice. Next time I'm gonna bring my ereader and get some ice cream or fries I think.

Other than that things have been quiet. I've started reading a book called the Rise of America by Marin Katusa. It's entirely against the popular sentiment that the US is on its way out as a superpower. It is so far very interesting. He reminds me of Mallen Baker - he's someone who tries to see the world  as it is  not how he wants it to be or thinks what it should be. I'm only a little ways into it but I can say I recommend it. It's made me question a lot of my assumptions and I like when stuff does that.

You plants look beautiful Cam!  I've extended our sheet mulches in our yard.  Now along the back of the house is a very long mulch.  I think I'll wait till next summer to plant in there (maybe... we will see)

Hey Cam.  I liked you comment that you like it when you read something that changes your thinking.  I am finally reading the Eat rich, live long book after having some interesting discussions with Dad.  I've also started to read the book called 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act.  Holy eye opening.  Books that nudge you out of your comfort zone are excellent.

Another good day in the books. For starters, I am officially done the PDC! At least the general part. Now I'm getting into parts where there are entire DVDs about one topic, ranging from starting a food forest to building soil. It's a different format from the whiteboard lessons and I'm really enjoying it.

We also repaired one of the ponds at the front of the house. Curragh had a blast in there when she first got here, and she punctured the plastic in multiple places. It quickly turned from a pond to a mud puddle. So today we cut some new vapor barrier and got it roughly laid out. We started to drain the bathtub catchment into the plastic to weigh it down instead of trying to tamp it down ourselves. Oh and the area is all fenced in so the worst Curragh can now do is look longingly.

Remember the nest boxes I put up? If not either you've got a bad memory or I actually didn't mention them and I think I did. Either way, good news. The swallows have built the beginning of a nest in one, so I stuck the other one up where our makeshift box nest was originally. They've got a couple of very safe options now inside the barn.

Finally, I did a little repair. A month or so after I arrived I decided to try sleeping in the cabin. When I was entering I stepped on one of the stairs and the plank broke. I almost fell but caught myself. It was only tonight walking Curragh around that I thought 'hey maybe I should replace that board' so I did. It was nice and easy and looks pretty good I think. The new plank is recycled and I reused the same nails I pulled out of the old one.

One of the bigger projects that is starting to get rolling is working on the summer kitchen, so get ready for some more talk of that in the days to come.

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Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
Hey Cam.  I liked you comment that you like it when you read something that changes your thinking.  I am finally reading the Eat rich, live long book after having some interesting discussions with Dad.  I've also started to read the book called 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act.  Holy eye opening.  Books that nudge you out of your comfort zone are excellent.

Yeah it's very easy and often enjoyable to hear what fits your narrative about the world, but I think it's a lot more beneficial if you read stuff that challenges your beliefs. That way you can either strengthen your beliefs if what you read or hear turns out to be badly argued, or you can change them with the new information. It's something I've been learning to enjoy over the past little while and it has made things even more interesting for me. If you want to try out The Inconvenient Indian next that's another good one that taught me a lot.

Lorianne Haslehurst wrote:
You plants look beautiful Cam!  I've extended our sheet mulches in our yard.  Now along the back of the house is a very long mulch.  I think I'll wait till next summer to plant in there (maybe... we will see)

Thanks, they have fully recovered by the looks of it! I know I've said this already but I'm excited to see things when I get home. Kate wants to see photos so I think when you got time I think you should make another post on permies. You could do the introduction too if you want, I'm sure folks would think it's cute that I got my mom involved in my gardening shenanigans.

Today was a quieter day. I was tired, and I've got a feeling it's because I ate a lot of cookies and cake yesterday. So today was a recovery day - the only sugar I've had has been in an apple and a banana lol.

We weighed down the edges of the temporary pond this afternoon, and it's looking good!

After that I took a nap, then watched some more of the food forest PDC DVD. To me it was very refreshing to see how positive an impact humanity can have if we just change our perspective a bit. Following that we put on a Youtube documentary about the Loess Plateau in China and its restoration. Again it is so neat to see the profoundly positive effect we can have if we put our minds to it.

Tonight I did some clearing out of the horse barn to get a bit of exercise. Now we're watching a cute movie called the Great Seduction.

And at the time of writing Curragh is trying to be a lap dog even though she is 46lbs now. Pics will be included.

Oh and I think I forgot to upload a pic of the finished fence, so here it is! Got one near the beginning and one when things were all done.