Crunchy Bread

paul wheaton wrote:
Yesterday we completed another step toward moving to the new software.  The new software does support a thumbs up for posts that you like.

That sounds great!  I'm looking forward to seeing the new developments.

Any other hints what to expect?

Often I see a post which I appreciate and want to show my support for, but I do not feel I have anything meaningful to add to the conversation, so I just let it slide rather than cluttering up a thread with lots of "Yeah! What THEY said!"

I thought it might be nice to have an option to click a "cheer" button at the bottom of a post, just to show general support, agreement, or applause, so people would know their contribution had been read and appreciated whether or not any real dialogue was happening.

Your article was good.  I can see the efficiency behind the design, and the implied caring for the community, as well as the humility of recognizing the strength of its individuals (who may often be plenty wise enough to make executive decisions themselves).

If I may ask, what is this other online community to which you refer?  I'd like to check it out if I could.

greenthumb wrote:
Very interesting idea! I'm thinking any activity that allows a person to create something of value for the larger community would give a person a sense of connection and possibly redemption.  It doesn't have to be Nature Therapy, just productive. Like being tasked (and taught) to build 20 toy boxes for a local daycare center, paint a mural on a public wall, bake 100 loaves of bread--or better make 200 mini-pretzels (do you know how challenging it is to master that simple twist-flip technique of the perfect pretzel??)  You get the idea.  Just make it something the person and the community could point to in remembrance and appreciation for all it entailed.

The original idea (coconut cordage) was very intriguing.  Your interpretation/development of the idea is growing into brilliance!  I would like to see more of this principle discussed, and observe how it might be implemented perhaps especially with youth.  I love the teaching aspect of it, as well as the production/community responsibility aspect.

I think I'll suggest this idea to a mother I know who is having much trouble with her rebellious 11yo. It is worth a chance.

LasVegasLee wrote:
If your role was stipulated from the onset as being that of the subservient serf who is entirely dependent on the good will of the feudal lord, would you be comfortable with that?

I, for one, have thought at many times that it would be nice to have a benign lord who would care for me and handle important decisions wisely and lead responsibly.  Of course, that assumes the lord actually posesses those qualities of caring, wisdom, and responsibility.  I'm sure there is something there of a wish that I could have trusted my own parents to be more apt in those areas.

The trouble as I see it is that some people (parents) have authority without having to justify their fitness for the position.  Then people (children) are forced to put up with whatever system of values or ethics they are handed.  One benefit I see of an IC quasi-neofeudal system is that those who join will hypothetically be adults capable of judging and/or leaving if the leader isn't worth following, or mishandles the position.

We've come a long way since the days when people were seen as property.  I believe it was the "being owned and not being able to get away or change/improve your position" aspect of being a serf that was so objectionable, not the idea that one need not necessarily control ALL aspects of one's own life.  (As if any of us really do.)

Odd as it sounds, the old "hurry up and wait" does seem most sensible.  It takes time to get to know your land through all the seasons.  Going slowly and learning what is most needed will be much more helpful to you than to make quick changes you might regret and want to re-do later.

I'm very happy for you, though!  It does sound like you have a wonderful opportunity for a lot of good you can do.  May I ask what are your main goals in homesteading?  Some people just want a nice place to live with nature, or just feed themselves, but others really need their land to be their income and have particular ways they want to do that.  What are your needs on this property?

Specifically, though, downed trees says "hugelculture" to me! That's probably where I'd start, because that's what the land seems to be offering you immediately.

Oh, how sad.   

I guess I'd better not even bother finishing the project.  I had no idea I was so wrong.

Wonder what I can do with all that stuff now?  Seems a shame to just throw it in the trash.

I'm trying to sculpt a rocket stove for myself, and I'm flying by the seat of my pants.  I SO don't know what I'm doing.

I saw something about a rocket stove that showed mixing clay with perlite, but I don't know why.  Possibly for better insulation?  Maybe because it lightens the whole mix, for carrying around?

I've got some very nice white clay from the local pottery shop, and some perlite and vermiculite I've mixed in.  It feels nice and sculptey.  I'm not sure if I ought to add straw, though.  I have no idea what building properties straw is supposed to bring to the party.

I've rolled some tagboard into 4" tubes, and taped them together in a J shape to make a 16" tall rocket stove.  I'm just about to make this rocket stove today, and still have time to scrap the whole project and re-mix the mud with straw if that's what I ought to be doing.

Does anyone have experience building with a clay/perlite mixture? Will this be too brittle? 

Those are fantastic pictures!  Thanks for sharing!

Silverseeds, this guy did a test using coffee cans instead of iron pots.  I didn't see a follow-up but initially it looks like it worked.

Aaronj wrote:
Unfortunately didn't have handy two cast iron kettles. I figured it was worth a try anyway so used two large coffee cans. I did everything else according to instructions, except I added old horseshoes into each can, one at the very bottom and one at the very top. I used old deer bones from one that died on my property two years ago.

I burned the fire for about 2 hours, and the top can got red hot at some moments.

I opened it up and the bones had indeed turned to charcoal. I expected the liquid in the bottom to be more thick and viscous, however it was still quite watery, though a deep brown color.

To those worried about attracting carnivores with this substance I can assure you that it will not attract any living creature! It is a very intense smell, that is not organic at all, much more resembling a chemical compound.

I chose a sacrificial guinea pig, one of my seedling choke cherry trees, and took the fence off of it.  I put drops of the liquid on all the growing tips and around the trunk in a couple places. I know the deer love the budding tips of this tree, as they have pushed into the fences on other trees and nipped off all the buds they could get to. They do not appear to eat the bark so far.

Probably 50 deer pass by this tree each night as it is on a major deer path that heads to the river.

Ill have to get back to you on its survival.