Kate McRae

Deane Adams wrote:Clay, I've given my word to help by sending some coin for someone to attend.   I still intend to do this, "but" in full disclosure I was sent home by the oncology folks and told to prepare to die.  That was two years ago, daaang so if I'm to help, maybe a fund could be set up??  Talk to Beau about it.

I'm in no way saying the medicos were right, my ex once said I was too mean to die, I sure hope she wasn't right!

Peace

Deane,

I am so sorry to hear about your troubles, and wowed that what you're thinking about is giving forward. I hope the medicos are wrong, and that the rest of your life is good and long!



As for the advanced PDC with Alan, as I've written before, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
However, it is indeed advanced, and it requires some previous knowledge and an ability to absorb massive quantities of information in lecture format.

There is no time for practical portions, so it is like being in college, but with the most interesting and fun lectures handpicked for you.

For anyone out there who's got a PDC already, this is an excellent next step, and if you haven't taken one before, just come prepared to learn - a lot. It is expensive, and a time sacrifice, but I honestly can't think of any other PDC course I'd rather take. Or take again. It's that good!

So, if you're in the throws of indecision, this is an easy one.
Do it.

I love it, thanks!
William Prince has such an incredible voice.
Listened to his NPR Tiny Desk Concert during the pandemic, but kind of lost track of him since then.
Also, I work in a harbor, so very on theme.
You've inspired me to look him up, and it turns out he's going to be playing at Merlefest in April. I'm going to try to be in that general area for a cob course the week after, so now I might go volunteer at Merlefest to see both William Prince AND Mandolin Orange, aka Watchhouse. So many good musicians at that festival!

Speaking of incredible voices, I was watching the show Justified and found the little known Lynda Kay through a bar scene in it. She's a contralto with a very distinctive style, which stays with you. I think it was Jack and Coke in the series, but here's her Dream my Darling.

Peace and dreams to all, /K

John O'Connell wrote:Thanks Kate. Wow, that's a great one. Love it. I see your song about wolves and I raise you a song about the ocean. "Leave It By the Sea" by William Prince, a Canadian Native American singer-songwriter.

Best of luck, John!

Your post made me think of Mandolin Orange, and this song in particular.
May you find all that you are longing for.
Howl on!

Okay. Still don't have the sketchups done, so I am just putting up more of the very early sketches.

Q: Why did we "waste" beautiful cedar on the inside of the willow candy box?
A: we want the box to be fly-proof. Using good materials and building it without gaps and cracks, and a draw-bridge style hatch that opens downwards to easily pull the candy bucket out onto, and then closes completely, will make it so much more hygienic and far easier to keep flies out (as long as people remember to close the lid on the seat, too).

Let there be only one crack in the outhouse, and only when in use.

Okay, it's time for some SSSS-updates, isn't it?

Stephen asked me if I had some plans for his outhouse, and well, of course I do! Super clear, right here in my head.
I assured him I'd jot them down and send right on over, which... hasn't happened yet.

Since I asked him about 997 questions about what aspects he liked of the existing willow feeders, and his plot, and tried to design it according to all of his favorite features (as well as some I deemed super necessary), I have some very specific ideas. I don't know if people have been working on his sh*tter during the T-day week, but I did briefly consider going over in November to help out for a week... unfortunately for the sh*tter, I got hold of some half-priced building materials over here, and blew my budget on those, instead, so I can finish a couple tiny houses to sell. Ah well.

Since I'm working and also studying at 150% this semester, I haven't had the time to give the full sketch-up run down of my ideas. I keep meaning to get to it, but... yeah. So I decided something's better than nothing, and I'd post some hows and whys here, taking the pressure off the full presentation and just write a little bit when I can.

Q: Where is the SSSS placed, and why?
A: It's placed about 20 feet in from the road, on Stephen's property but easily accessible for other guests of the lab as well as Stephen.

Q: Why is the door on the south side, and why does it open inward (in the design, at least)
A: We wanted to make it welcoming for people coming both from where Stephen's camp will be, and the road. Having the door open outwards would always make it an awkward approach from one direction or the other (W toward the road, or E toward his camp). Having the door on the south side welcomes both equally, as does having it open inwards.

Q: Why are the willow candy box and hatch facing the road?
A: For easy access when it's emptied. That's also why the structure is so close to the road - so whomever's emptying the cans doesn't have to drag it too far.

Q: Why have I designed it with a pole barn extension to the north and west?
A: Because ANY starting homestead or building project needs LOTS of dry space to store tools, gear, and to work in while you're building stuff. I can't stress this enough.
I have built outhouses before, and I've built in remote settings, and in spartan ones, many times. Of course, in Northern Europe, rain, hail and snow are frequent visitors, and my pet peeve is poor use of resources. So I take care of my tools, and the building materials. A lot of energy has gone into making those, and it's just wasteful to not make the most of them. I don't put electric tools on the ground unless I'm actively using them, because they're bound to be left behind in a rain squall, and remember - wet batteries burn bright! Once the moisture hits the lithium, it lights up like a magnesium strip in chem class, and makes mighty fine holes in anything flammable around it (sadly, I'm speaking form first hand experience on this).
So, first things first, put a roof over your workspace - whether for rain, or to protect from the sun. Doesn't matter if it's a tarp or a real roof, just get it done and make sure it'll hold.

A pole barn is an excellent choice, no need to build walls, which lets air flow beneath it keeping it cooler in summer, and helping boards dry if they're stacked to do so.
The reason to have it on the north side is to give it some extra protection from the sun in summer, so the SSSS is under the south end of the roof. Extending it a few feet to the west means you can empty the willow candy box even in bad weather, but moreover, it brings some shade to the west side of the SSSS, which will keep the box (and the willow candy) from direct sunlight, thus keeping it from smelling as bad as some of the other willow feeders.
Remember, outhouses do really well in shade, just for this reason, but when you have a solar fan or a trombe wall, those need direct sunlight. This is an example of the Hummer limousine paradox - when you're trying to incorporate two very different functions, neither will function to the best capacity. A stretch limo won't ever be an excellent off-road vehicle, even if it's a Hummer. And a Hummer won't ever be a super comfy limo.
An outhouse doesn't do the best job out in direct full sunlight (unless it's really well insulated), but the solar fan and trombe wall do need sunlight, so... compromise. Thus, the extended roof to the west, allowing the candy box to be in shadow until the late evening in winter, when the angle of the rays are lower in the sky.

Okay, it's past midnight here now, and I'm just going to publish this first post on how the design goes, and what materials to use where, etc. etc., so here's the drawing of the SSSS from above. If memory serves, the rough measurements of the outhouse as seen in the pictures above are about 6'5¨x7'. I'm a firm believer in having a decent overhang on the roof, to protect the walls and sills from weather, again, more important in wet climates, but it's just good practice.

More pictures and explanations to come, now that I've started this little series.

christopher scales wrote:Loved this workshop and got so many helpful hints from it. Also go to meet  lots of wonderful like minded people.    Any chance there are pictures of the finished build?

I'd love to see pictures too!

Brilliant quote!

A friend of mine has crisis preparation for her municipality and region as her actual job, and she and her husband have a 20 acre farm. She has actively engaged the surrounding villages in crisis preparedness, making people aware of where to go in different scenarios. Also, they all learn together, and they've opened up their farm for others to help out and share the yields. This works kind of like a Master Gardener program, in that they learn from those who know the most.

It has already helped them during a huge drought in 2018, with massive wildfires in the area. People knew where to go and how to help each other, and I absolutely agree that this is the way forward - individualism will only get you so far, and building community you can count on is indeed resilience. Great point!

Nancy Reading wrote:

Kena Landry wrote:resilience is first and foremost a question of community.

This!!

Having your own home and family prepared for the worst is one thing, but things are so much easier as a community. I've been impressed by the people helping in the aftermath of the recent storms in the US, and forest fires in Colombia - churches and farmers working together to do what is necessary to support the whole community with protection, clean up, food and other forms of help.


source

What can be done to help build these community connections in advance? Do you know who your neighbours are and what resources they have or might need? If you need to leave your house due to disaster, where would you shelter in the community? Local shops are a lifeline, but only exist if people use them. Community centres and sports facilities are often used in times of disaster, schools and churches are other options. Maybe central facilities of a community shelter with electricity, and a form of communication that works in the case of mobile phone network failure could be organised.

Good question!

I'm set up to hunker down or bug out.
Got dried goods, about 250 gallons of drinking water in carboys, and another 1200 gallons of rain water (tanks emptied in winter).
Alternative heat sources if the power goes, and camping stoves to cook on. Propane, candles, wood heaters, and a few different camping stoves that have collected through the years - I'd rather use a twig stove if possible (https://www.uberleben.co/products/stoker), but I've got the spirit burners (triangia etc.) too.

Plenty and plenty of clothes for the outdoors in winter, hot water bottles and thermoses. I use these when car camping, too, my thermos holds heat at a near boil for 15 hours. Transfer a little into a hot water bottle, use it to preheat the sleeping bag, and it all makes for very comfortable living. Same thing goes for winter. I live in spartan environments, often staying at places I am building or renovating, and keep the indoor heating only in a few rooms, at about 46°F (8°C) so my gear doesn't freeze.

I've got fishing gear, knives, axes, ropes and tools ready to go.
For bugging out, I've got bikes, a tractor lawn mower (clears snow in winter), boats, sleds, and more.
I totally recommend for anyone to get a Life Straw (lifestraw.com) or something like it, so much cheaper than the old water filters for camping from 20 years ago!

More than any of that though, I think it's about having a mindset of preparedness, and thinking through what to do in different situations. Not believing every conspiracy, or living in fear, but just being prepared and ready if something happens, and know how you deal with stresses when it does.
Deep Survival: True Stories of Miraculous Endurance and Sudden Death, by Laurence Gonzales

We all want to be the ones with a level head when the feces and the fan collide, but it's how we react to adversity in day to day life that indicates how we will do when bigger things happen. Of all the things to keep in good working order, I think your mind is the most important one, so seeking help when you need it, and constantly working on resilience, is a good way to prepare.

If your dreams don't serve you anymore, it's time to change dreams.

As others have said, it's nice to live within your abilities and not take on the extra stresses of having too much, too big, and following dreams you had when you were a different person.

It hurts to grow (even growing out of dreams), so take care of yourself and give yourself some leniency while you do it!

Hugs!

Deane Adams wrote:After much meditation I no longer will be searching for a tract of land.  As I am indeed getting older, ok we're speaking about the truth, I'm old.
My overall health is somewhat in doubt.
My physical range of motion will never return to what it once was.
And as hard as it is to post this, I need help from my true "family" from time to time.

Now anyone thinking about land in SE West Virginia, the owners just dropped another 15K off their asking price.  Monroe County, Hans Creek should turn up in a search for undeveloped land in WV.  My last offer was $900 per acre., it was rejected.

I may remain here at my parents house, maybe start some raised masonry beds and the pit greenhouse., the rear faces to the South/South West  And fence the back yard, sorry Bambi!

Peace