Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 12548 Location: zombie horde wonderland
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Moved some more gravel, this time to an area near the well for a future well tank. Worked on the sunporch a little. I'm unusually exhausted today. _________________ No original ideas are contained in this post.
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Got the LP tank filled this morning, 364 gallons at $1.99. Since the driver told me LP weighs 4.2 lbs./gallon, and I remember using 2 to 3 of the 100 lb. tanks/year back when we cooked on gas, then 100 lbs./4.2 = 24.81 gallons. Which says we used 50 to 75 gallons/year for cooking and baking. This tank of 400 gallons should last for 5 to 8 years, if we did all our cooking on it.
My plan is to supplement by cooking with wood as soon as I can get that going, to make the gas last longer, primarily to save it for baking and canning which can be inconvenient with wood.
Next on the agenda was refurbishing the garden disc I got yesterday. It's well on the way to being done. _________________ Local fix-it guy..
Joined: Sep 09, 2004 Posts: 393 Location: Upstate New York, U.S.A.
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:31 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
I've got 5 cubic yards of compost to spread out on the garden, in preparation for this weekends planting.
Olaf _________________ "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
I continued to work on the inside of the barn, tearing out stalls that are over a hundred years old. I'm finding it overwhelming but I'm under the gun to get my barn layout finished and built before the coming winter.
I have chickens to accomodate and hopefully some draft horses, goats and pigs again.
My hayfield has a bit of mustard showing itself. Not much but enough to annoy me. I thought of mowing it down but the old timers say I'm better off haying it as it isn't enough to cause a problem with the animals.
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Got the disc finished in time to go get lumber for a privacy fence around the LP tank. I don't want the lawn mower throwing rocks at it, but mostly I want it out of sight/out of mind. Long day.
On a brighter note, our tax refund check came today, which only means that we will probably need it, if they are sending us extra. _________________ Local fix-it guy..
Joined: May 13, 2008 Posts: 31 Location: North Florida
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Finally got two books I ordered from Amazon, took 5 days for them to ship, then only 2 business days for delivery. Not sure why 5 days to ship, but anyway, have them now!
The Encylopedia of Country Living, I have already flipped back and forth through this book, and can see it will be a book I reference often, packed full of great info, counldnt become self sufficent with out it for sure!
2nd book is How to Grow More Vegtables, (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains and other crops), looks interesting, but the Encylopedia looks like it will be my favorite of the two.
I wonder how long it would take to read that book front to back, 900 pages, WOW ! _________________ FL Fireman
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:54 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
I finally got out my old Nishiki Road Compe bike and greased every bearing and moving part on it with Krytox (fancy teflon grease). It's 36 years old! I was shocked at how good the bearings looked. Now it rides like new!
And yes - that avatar of mine is real. I ride that pedal generator for 30-40 minutes every day. I got on that bike after generating electricity for almost two years, and losing 30 pounds, and I felt like I had a rocket attached to it! I laugh at hills! I sprint whenever I feel like it! I ride for hours! (Check out the 17 Mile Drive video. That is only 1/3 of the ride!)
Instead of the usual sequence:
get out of shape, jump on bike, struggle, collapse in despair
Try:
get INTO shape, jump on bike, amaze yourself, park your car!
Side story - I was driving down a LONG stretch of a major cross-town route (El Camino Real) in Sunnyvale, California) and some dude on a bike stayed with me for at least 10 miles. The speed limit was 40 MPH. He was not working very hard either. How did he do it? Easy. There are lights every quarter mile or so, and he would catch up to me at the red light every time.
Cars only give you the illusion of moving fast in town. My average speed in a car in a 40 MPH zone with traffic lights is apparently the same as a bicycle rider.
Riding that bike feels FANTASTIC! No gas for cars? No problemo!
SolarDave _________________ Posted from a Solar/Pedal Powered Computer
Joined: Dec 26, 2006 Posts: 257 Location: Eastern Washington
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 2:02 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Quote:
Side story - I was driving down a LONG stretch of a major cross-town route (El Camino Real) in Sunnyvale, California) and some dude on a bike stayed with me for at least 10 miles. The speed limit was 40 MPH. He was not working very hard either.
SolarDave
I was there one week ago for a Yahoo trip and I drove and walked along that street (I stayed in the Domain Hotel). I've not been to california for 14 years. As I flew in I lost all hope, but you've given me some by posting about your little sliver of life in an area I thought was completely untenable! _________________ "Those who long for exaltation look upwards, but I look downward for I am the exalted."
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 2:24 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Rogozhin wrote:
Quote:
Side story - I was driving down a LONG stretch of a major cross-town route (El Camino Real) in Sunnyvale, California) and some dude on a bike stayed with me for at least 10 miles. The speed limit was 40 MPH. He was not working very hard either.
SolarDave
I was there one week ago for a Yahoo trip and I drove and walked along that street (I stayed in the Domain Hotel). I've not been to california for 14 years. As I flew in I lost all hope, but you've given me some by posting about your little sliver of life in an area I thought was completely untenable!
I take movies of some of my rides. I realize when I watch them that roads - especially roads outside of core downtown areas - look nice and are fun to travel on! The problem is cars! How different California would be without so many cars.
We will look back at this period of our history and wonder how we let cars take over our lives to such a degree.
While I was riding along the 17 Mile Drive, right on the California coast, I suddenly realized (by watching my viewfinder) that all the parking was on the OCEAN side of the road! The poor camera (and the poor people on the road) were seeing a WALL OF CARS as they traveled along the road! We have elevated our cars above nature - above everything! It's enough to being despair to anyone with any sense.
Lots of badness is coming, as easy oil gradually disappears. Fewer cars on the road is not one of the bad things. _________________ Posted from a Solar/Pedal Powered Computer
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 12548 Location: zombie horde wonderland
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
Unfortunately, without the support system for cars, all the nice roads will probably degrade to rubble. Not so fun to ride on! _________________ No original ideas are contained in this post.
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 9:28 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
'
Quote:
Unfortunately, without the support system for cars, all the nice roads will probably degrade to rubble. Not so fun to ride on!
I believe it will take quite a while, since bicycles wear so much less on roads. Surface repairs will probably be quite possible also post peak. It is the foundations that need the real power machines to build.
- Actually, I remember reading: Bicyclists successfully pushed for better roads around 1890 or so, before car lobbies became a force.
And bicycle traffic will hardly need 12 parallel lanes. Not everything needs to be fixed.
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 12548 Location: zombie horde wonderland
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 10:50 am Post subject: Re: Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil worl
You're right, no car. It might be possible to maintain the roads somewhat if we're ok with them being narrower. Which would be fine with me. _________________ No original ideas are contained in this post.
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