Spring is Here!

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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby GrahamB » Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:03 pm

I'm beginning to get a serious case of cabin fever. The school closed December 20th and was meant to resume Jan 6th. We thought we might have gone back today but we got the call again at 5.45am saying the back roads are still frozen. We are now at ten days of snow days this year. That's the limit of snow days we have to make up. We've been here before, but never this early in the year.
One thing I've been enjoying is following animal tracks around the property. The ground is usually too hard to show tracks but the snow showed me where they came in and out, also where they hung around while here. I may have to move my treestand next season.
No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby matt walker » Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:35 pm

Should we start placing bets on whether or not Manny gave up on the RMH and went back to the pot belly last week? I hope he's not frozen solid.
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby mannytheseacow » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:47 pm

I'll put a George Washington on the RMH.
"Knowledge is power. Arm yourself."
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby matt walker » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:03 am

I laughed!
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby mannytheseacow » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:10 pm

Haha, quite the opposite. Sorry, I’ve been rather absent from the web lately. I’ve been taking a break from the cyber world, and a little from the “real world” too. I was in Central America with my daughter for a while, staying in a little shack in the jungle, foraging for fruit and cleansing my soul in the surf. I met some wonderful folks down there doing the permaculture thing that made me feel like quite the amateur. It's a little easier I guess when the temps never drop below 70* F. Very inspiring though! The highlight of the trip was learning to make chocolate from scratch. Let me just say I’ll never buy chocolate at the store again.

I have been spending too much time in this dream cyber world and not doing much in my community and that bothered me. So since my return I’ve been organizing some things, finishing up some research to present at an event this spring on the west coast, cleaning up my old hog paddock to get ready for planting almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, 7 varieties of raspberry, goji berry, honey berry, kiwi, josta berry, paw paw, plums, cherries, and pears. I’ve also been working with the USDA to participate in a program that will pay for a high tunnel which will hopefully let me provide food for my community through much of the year. If you can’t beat ‘em, bite ‘em (aint that right mista Collins?) I’m thinking maybe even a RMH for the high tunnel, but we’ll see. One step at a time.

Oh right, and we were talking about the RMH, weren’t we? Yep it’s still keeping me warm. Never mind that I’m stubborn as an ass and had a couple of cold nights. While I was out of the country no pipes froze and I was back in time for the -20s last week. The coldest I saw was -19 but a friend had -30 down in the valley. Actually, the RMH is working better than ever. I recently purchased and installed an air exchanger that draws air from outside and vents it into my existing heat ducts and takes stale air from inside and uses that to heat the incoming air. It’s energy star rated and since the sun makes my electricity I don’t care anyway. My house is sealed up like a zip lock and super insulated, and I’ve had serious moisture issues since I’ve lived here. This air exchanger has dropped the humidity dramatically and the big benefit is that is circulating the interior air all through the house, so the heat from the RMH is getting distributed much better. It's still hard to keep up, and I've still got a cook stove in the upstairs somewhere in development. But no, the potbelly has retired.
Blah blah blah…. Where’s my George Washington? Haha. Hope you’re all doing well, and encouraging you to get out there be that change in your own small way! Happy 2014.
"Knowledge is power. Arm yourself."
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby matt walker » Wed Jan 15, 2014 4:51 pm

Right on man, welcome back. I'm so glad to hear you had a good trip! I got your winnings right here Manny, come on out and pick it up when you do your presentation. Congrats on all the good news, I'm gonna pick your brain about the USDA thing one of these days.
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby GrahamB » Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:58 am

Oh man, you can't just come on here and say I know how to make chocolate and leave us hanging like that. We require a full tutorial, with pictures, video, handouts and free samples. You can keep all your prepping nonsense and stockpiling jars of veggies. Give me chocolate and coffee and I'll out last Cody Lundin. :)
No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby DevilsBrew » Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:09 am

Did someone say Spring?

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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:25 am

You have to love some peoples ingenuity. If God gives you lemons you make lemon aid, or take a shot of tequila, or something like that, :lol:
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
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Re: Spring is Here!

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Mon Jan 27, 2014 2:30 pm

Its going to be a low of -10* tonight, I think I will go back into Hibernation :lol: see you all in the Spring. ;) or sometime when its warm enough to stick my head out and see my shadow. :lol: or something like that. ;)
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
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