Devin Lavign

pollinator

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since May 01, 2015

Biography

uggg...I hate trying to describe myself. * last updated spring 2019 *
I moved to 40 acres of raw land with an existing pond in the WA Okanogan Highlands 3 yrs ago. I have been busy observing and making trails.
I am planning to start building a house this year. Though I am probably going to hold off on planting anything until I finish building a house and just work on infrastructure.
I am looking forward to finally put into practice the ideas I have without having to compromise due to it being someone else's land.
Some history and background about me.
I have traveled and lived most of the continental US. So have a decent grasp of the different areas of the US. As a kid I preferred going into the woods to play over going to a park or friend's house. Still I will almost always pick nature if given the choice.
I worked trail maintenance in the Cascades and that was likely my most favorite job ever. I lived, worked, and played in the forests of the Pac NWet. I learned a massive respect for pack goats during this. As they hauled the majority of our gear up the trail every day. Amazing smart animals and I can't wait to get my own goats to enjoy.
I lived and worked at Arcosanti for 4 yrs in AZ. Including managing their 15 1/2 acres of edible and medicinal landscaping. A fun place to meet lots of wonderful people and pick up skills. I have spotted at least one other Arco alum here who I know. Who lived there previous to my time, but who I did meet and hang out with several times both at Arco and to go see him in Prescott.

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Pac Northwest, east of the Cascades

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Recent posts by Devin Lavign

Wheelbarrow vs 2-wheeled cart

I've gotten both the Gorilla Cart 4 wheeler and the Gorilla 2 wheel barrow.

I like them both. I'm planning to get a single wheel barrow for concrete as my old one got a hole that leaked concrete out with. The big reason I'm going with a single wheel is the are cheaper and it's just going to get coated in concrete.

1 week ago

haulers

You know you're a permie when...

You know you're a permie when before you even finish your house you make sure you has a fridge for your seeds working and stocked.

6 months ago

meaningless drivel

Buying a gun today (one that won't piss off the neighbors)

BTW i just saw two deer ( a young doe and a young buck) outside my living room window. Now they are eating grass over by my solar panels

7 months ago

predators

Buying a gun today (one that won't piss off the neighbors)

I have an Umerex Emerge break barrel rifle

https://www.umarexusa.com/2251386

It has a 12 shot auto advancing magazine, so you don't have to reload all the time.

I use it for dispatching pests on my homestead, or less than lethal shooting big predators. Just a couple weeks ago I shot a bear that was less than 50 FT from my house, I saw it out my living room window. A week before that I used it to shoot a mamma bear. And yes she was fine, shortly afterwards she was stalking some turkey. So I shot her again, didn't scare her but she turned around. Her cub (who I didn't shot) scurried up a tree.

Personally if the bear were farther away I wouldn't have shot them with an air rifle, but near my house I don't want them to get comfortable with.
A couple years ago I had a young bear within 5 FT of me. I hung out with him for about an hour or so.

7 months ago

predators

Seasonal Allergy Treatment Recommendations?

Something to remember about local honey is that you need raw honey. Also it's a preventive not a cure. It works best if you start using honey BEFORE allergy season. This gives your body time to recognize the pollen before it's all over the air.

7 months ago

medicinal herbs

Tips and tricks for splitting firewood

Kelly Craig wrote: but the mallets are big, round aluminum cylinders. Heavier, so more effective, and aluminum and iron froes play well together.

That's because the aluminum is softer than the froe steel.

7 months ago

wood burning stoves

Tips and tricks for splitting firewood

So your asking for some tips?

One I don't see often but I use a lot is a froe. I actually have a froe by my front door. They are super helpful splitting wood on grain.

BTW never hit a froe with a metal hammer, always use a wood mallet or some sort of piece of wood.

Something I just got last year is a drill powered splitting head.

These work on end grain, if you go into the middle it doesn't break them apart.

Something I've posted on the thread here I started COOL TOOLS https://permies.com/t/61693/Cool-Tools-lesser-tools-improve is the Splitz-All. This is a slide hammer style wood splitter. Which is basically a slide hammer and a splitting wedge together. There is multiple sizes for different needs and bodys. They also sell something to go around the logs to hold them, but if you can access old tires that would be better.

7 months ago

wood burning stoves

Permies Poll: How do you mow your lawn?

I don't have a lawn per say. I do use a gas powered brush mower from DR to mow my easement road and my septic drain field. I also use an electric trimmer to get things the mower can't.

But then I live on 40 acres in a rural area rather than suburban or urban.

P.S. I have watched a lot of sickle videos on youtube (over 3hrs of them). Unfortunately my land is too rocky and woody for a sickle to work well. Not to mention most of it is very uneven with little to no flat ground.

7 months ago

lawn

Windup technology

There are wind up clocks and wind up kinetic sculptures. There was a really cool wind up invention, I think from the 1800's, but I forget now what it was for. I was kinda hoping I would see it here,

7 months ago

alternative energy

Livestock Guardian Dogs for Small Farmsteads

The problem with an LGD is they have to grow up, which is about 1-2 years.

So I'm thinking of getting guard geese for my poultry while the dogs grow. You need to raise the geese alone with the chickens or ducks. Otherwise they will hang out with each other rather than the other birds. So I'm planning to have 1 with my chickens and 1 with my ducks while the LGDs grow up. This will also give me time to train them.

While I'm looking at the Grand Shepard because they are more breed for modern homesteads rather than 1000's of acres that the older breeds for for. But I found out that my local shelter has Great Pyrenees and Anatolian puppies every year. So I'm planning to get a couple puppies from them and train/raise them while the geese keep the poultry safe. Then after a year of have those puppies I plan on getting a Grand Shepard and raising/training it. I have 40 acres so 3 dogs would work there. I also have plenty of predator pressure including some black bears, so I want the dogs safe as well as the poultry. Numbers will help keep them safe.

BTW I judge land by how healthy and many predators there are. Healthy land supports healthy predators. But they sure are a pain when you have livestock.

8 months ago

dogs and cats