We finally broke ground on the barn shop. I finally did it. I mustered enough courage to break ground on the barn shop. The initial plan was to have me use the tractor and box blade to level the ground, but I didn't have confidence to do it. Eventually, from calling and pricing the creation … Continue reading Breaking Ground on the Barn Shop
living off grid
Learning from Others’ Mistakes… Pole Barn Dream
Continued from last week's wind "gym" sock. I use the the Zoom's new wind "gym" sock to record the sound for this video. You'll notice my hair blowing in the breeze while I stand outside and then walk around the old derelict cabin on the property. So far, my wind sock idea works pretty well … Continue reading Learning from Others’ Mistakes… Pole Barn Dream
Off Grid electricity is NOT free.
I believe I am guilty of promoting free energy on the off grid homestead, and during the summer months it appears that way. However, during the winter months cloudy skies make solar energy creation improbable, and it's the battery bank that keeps the home's electricity going from day to day. When the fog and inversion … Continue reading Off Grid electricity is NOT free.
When the Battery Bank Dies…
At the end of this past summer, our battery bank of seven years decided to die. It was an interesting cascade failure event. One batter cell went dead and could not be revived, then another battery flagged a similar problem. Pretty soon I was isolating batteries that would no longer hold a 6 Volt change. … Continue reading When the Battery Bank Dies…
Changing a Side-Mount for a Top Post Battery
Here is a quick video I did on changing the vehicle design from a side mount battery to a top post battery. When I was filming this video, my cistern pump went out a day before, and when I got home from work, our Suburban was dead. No connection, except a string of bad timing. … Continue reading Changing a Side-Mount for a Top Post Battery
Man vs. Snowplow (Season 3, Episode 2)
For those who have watched the war wage on between me and my used snowplow, this is perhaps the armistice between us. This year, I did not mess around with the motor and pump assembly. I purchased a “new” rebuilt Meyer E47 standard assembly. This has made a world of difference. The plow system is … Continue reading Man vs. Snowplow (Season 3, Episode 2)
Flashback: Lighting the Wood Stove for the 1st time didn’t work out so well.
Flashback to six years ago when we lit our Kitchen Queen wood cook stove for the first time. We had our challenges trying to figure it out, but now it is easy. We moved into our place for two weeks during December of 2011 to see if we could manage the home with the extreme … Continue reading Flashback: Lighting the Wood Stove for the 1st time didn’t work out so well.
Snow Storm Hits and the Solar Panels Quit
During the winter gray skies and snow defeat our solar panels' power production. This is the time of year we rely heavily upon our backup generator once the battery bank is spent. Removing snow from the panels, isn’t too bad, but if left undone it can become a real problem if the snow melts into … Continue reading Snow Storm Hits and the Solar Panels Quit
Cooking with My Wood Cook Stove- Pioneer Pumpkin Pie from Scratch: 4/4
Welcome to Part 4/4, the final video/blog in my video mini series, Cooking with a Wood Cook Stove - Pioneer Pumpkin Pie from Scratch. My final video will show how I maintained my wood cook stove while cooking my pumpkin pie and will show you my Pumpkin Pie all cooked and ready to eat! I … Continue reading Cooking with My Wood Cook Stove- Pioneer Pumpkin Pie from Scratch: 4/4
Canning Peaches on the Homestead :)
During this time of year, late Summer and early Fall, I am busy harvesting and preserving on our Homestead. Our own peach trees do not produce enough fruit to be able to can, so I have found a local organic orchard, where I can purchase my fruit and in this case, peaches. I love getting … Continue reading Canning Peaches on the Homestead 🙂
