Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil world) 2

ORCA

I learned something over the weekend. (I really already knew it, but I procrastinated in taking care of it)

I found out that I couldn't store away gas lanterns, stoves, and such for years and then expect them to work when I need them.

Luckily I didn't really need them. I only finally made myself pull all that stuff out now that the third hurricane is thrashing away in the Atlantic and do a test run. I had to perform mantainance or repair work on most all of it in order for it to function properly.

There's a lesson in there, isn't it?
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"If everything is going well, you obviously overlooked something."

Blacksmith

There is a product called fogging oil which works really well on small engines when they are not in use. maybe it might work with stoves and lanterns.
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Appuis ait fabrum esse suae quemque fortunae.
Alias Redneck

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1683

Roadrunner,

Sorry I may have sounded curt, but only tired and up to our ears in food processing! Yes, we are getting back into canning and such big this year. Expanded our garden this year and will again soon. Lots of trading work, favors, and garden produce around here, once you get to be known for such activities.

One fast producing fruit that we like is bush cherries. It takes more bushes than trees, but they start producing useful amounts in 3 to 4 years. We put out 5 each of red and black varieties, and like the red ones better. The black ones aren't as sweet as the black Bing tree cherries, but still good. My mother in law has a cherry bush that is 20+ years old, that has grown to 12 ft tall and produces about a bushel of cherries a year! See the mail order tree and fruit catalogs--can't remember where we got them.

The neighbor and I got the barn addition roof done today, and sided the gable end, so it's raintight , and I can get the garden tractors out of the driveway now and sheltered. Still need to do doors and paint.

My wife and daughter did another 20+ jars of grape jam today, some pints, but mostly recycled jelly jars, about 12 ounce. Still have 3 or 4 gallons of pears to do tomorrow, which will just get canned as fruit, not jam. We did a LOT of this when our kids were growing up, but my wife was at home then. Now her day job makes it tough, so we planned to wait until she retires next year before going heavy on the garden again. However, the whole PO and economic situation this year prompted us to start now, and we are a bit overloaded. I have a business at home, though, so I can be here to do a lot of the food work. I'm in the process of learning about canning, having only been a helper getting it ready heretofore.
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Local fix-it guy..

eastbay

The whole family spent all day today assembling trophies for an upcoming local martial arts competition. Fitness and martial arts are a critical part of a successful post-peak survival plan.

We try to learn a bit more about this important aspect of survival all the time.

Plus, today we discussed our plans for next years vegetable growing operation which will be more productive and efficient than this year or any year in the past for that matter.
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Got Dharma?

Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha

Wolfen30 · Coal Joined: May 25, 2008 Posts: 18

Been working with a digital camera that I bought over two months ago. Might be useful for recording upcoming projects that I will be working on. It is an IXLA 6400 that I picked up for $6. It works great for what I use it for.

SpringCreekFarm · Intermediate Crude Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 931

Ordered about $1000 bucks worth of lumber and supplies to build my horse stables and other projects that are pressing. Cleaned and organized in the barn to start this next project phase.

Chickens laid their first eggs on the weekend. I guess I had better get their nests built too!

I need a hired hand!

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1683

SpringCreekFarm,

Surely you could find a volunteer here to work and learn? Nicholai should have talked to you before going off on his walkabout to ecovillages.....

I spent yesterday afternoon stacking 6 barrels of blacksmith coal in the barn addition to make floor space for garden equipment. Almost done with the outside, but have a lot of small pieces to put in the loft floor, and to seal the eaves against birds. I still have 6 barrels of wheat sitting outside under a tarp that need moved in, and will get a couple barrels of corn at harvest time. So this small 12' x 12' area will be packed to the top.

We finished canning pears, and have 16 qts. of canned fruit in light syrup, plus 24 pints of pear jam. Apples will be coming on by next week I think, at least the early ones. Got 4 semi-dwarf trees that are loaded this year, one Lodi (?), one Jonathan, and 2 Winesap.

Altogether, we are in pretty good shape for food preserving this year, but the tomatoes didn't do squat, so we could have used more.
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Local fix-it guy..

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3455 Location: Maine

We finally got our solar/electric vehicle registered and on the road this weekend:

http://evmaine.org/

It was really fun to get around in it and check out the town. The only problem is that whenever we stopped people clustered around it like flies.

We have a website about it too: www.sunnev.com
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Deep in the mud and slime of things, even there, something sings.

Ludi

My husband is talking more and more about building an electric car, he just can't decide what basic chassis to use. His current car project is an MG BT, and he was talking about where to put the batteries for an electric conversion...

Can't tell how serious he is about it....
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3455 Location: Maine

John Howe converted an MG midget to electric. It works well. Ours is a neighborhood electric, so it's great for in town driving.

I think it will be a fun way to get around.
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Deep in the mud and slime of things, even there, something sings.

Ludi

Our main problem is we are remote from town- nearest town with a grocery store etc is over ten miles away one way, so an electric vehicle would need to have a pretty good range.
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy

WisJim

Our 1981 ComutaCar works well, top speed 40mph, range 40 miles with new batteries, 25 to 30 with the old ones that came in it. They or the Citicar, its predecessor, are often listed on eBay. An advantage is that they are a legal car, if they have their titles, and aren't restricted by any local or state low speed vehicle ordinances. There is a good online Electric Vehicle discussion group, http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html, with lots of info. There are other lists, too. Before doing a conversion, look around, read a lot on some othe enthusiasts' lists, and check out a few dealers of parts. Look at EV Tradin Post and check out the EV Album to see what other folks have done.

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1683

I finished moving 6 barrels of wheat to the new barn area, and gassed the 2 we plan to use for flour. The other 4 are for chickens, so if it gets bugs in it, that will suit them okay. Have 3 empty barrels left for corn at harvest time. There is one barrel for saving used motor oil out there, and 6 full of blacksmith coal, but they are all stacked 2 high, so they don't use much space. Had plenty of room left for 2 garden tractors, a plow, 42" tiller, disc, a cultivator, and a 4 ft. harrow. Now the 12' x 12' is full! Well, the loft is still empty, and there's lots of room to hang hoes, rakes, scythe, and all that stuff.

My old gas rig got used for other things, so I cut a 4 ft. piece of 1/4" O.D. copper tube, (the tubing cutter reduces the copper tube end diameter enough to keep the wheat mostly out of it) and a 6 ft. piece of 1/4" I.D. vacuum hose, plugged them together, and it slides right on the hose barb on the Mig gas regulator. (75% Argon/25% CO2) Just carry the tank to the barn and stick the copper in the wheat, down to the bottom of the barrel, and turn on the gas at 20 CFM flow by the gauge. I dug a smal depression in the center of the grain, and lit my Bic lighter in it after a minute or so, but it kept burning, so I let the gas run for another couple minutes, and tried again. After about 3 1/2 minutes, the burning lighter would go out when lowered into the depression in the grain, so I called it done and put on the gasketted lid and band. Only 10 minutes, start to finish for 2 barrels, and no bugs forever, because ALL the oxygen is displaced out and filled with inert gasses.

Hit the grocery this morning to restock on canning supplies. We never had many pint jars, since we used mostly quarts when the kids were at home. We only had a couple dozen left, so I got another 4 dozen for applesauce coming up soon. Also laid in pickling lime, spices, sugar, and fruit pectin that had run below our normal stock.

We have pickle crocks, but I need to make some wooden lids for them, both top covers and loose inside lids for making kraut next year. Thinking about next year, I have a steep bank that is more or less worthless, so it might be a good spot for cucumbers, to keep the weeds down.
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Local fix-it guy..

mystiek

Finished canning more apples this week.
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Rev 21:4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death, there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

Shannymara

The library at my workplace was having a book sale, and I picked up a really cool book called "Building Construction Before Mechanization" that has fascinating information on the subject. It also has great drawings. I have often wondered about how some of these things were done, but until now didn't bother to research it. "...gives a valuable hands-on feel for what it's like to work with ropes and ladders, wedges and slings; with crews engaged in well digging, bridge building, and the transporting of obelisks hundreds of miles by water and over land. The buildings discussed range from the tents, tepees, and igloos of nomadic tribes to the monumental pyramids of Egypt, the temples of Greece, the aqueducts of Rome, and the cathedrals of medieval Europe." Cool!

Also got a book on thermodynamics for engineers. More fodder for the information ark.

And a bunch of canned meat and dairy products.
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"Every junkie's like a setting sun..." - Neil Young