Couple of weeks back, a nasty storm snapped off the top of this tree. I took it down today, splitting it now. You can see some tents in the background. Generators are on the right. Bathroom and storage on the left.

I don't think I'd have done too much differently. A pond would be great, and I've thought about digging one. But I really feel I got a bit lucky. I didn't know what I was doing.

As for energy, a wind generator would be pricey but I get a lot of wind in the fall and winter. I'm on the edge of my neighbor's farm, so the open space acts as a wind tunnel.

The biofuels thing ... I'm just brain-inventing **** here, but I don't see why it's not possible to make a small power plant to burn wood in. A consumer unit, small footprint .... It would be a specialized thing, you're not selling it to the Joneses, but it just seems so obvious.

Wish I had any idea at all how to make that.

Peltier gizmo, no?

Wind generators aren't cheap, but small ones aren't horrifically expensive. This one gets you 100 watts at 22 mph. If you have 12 volt lighting, or can convert easily, the batteries should last a few hours at night until they can charge again the next day.
http://www.windbluepower.com/Lite_Br...cy-low-kit.htm

WTFf. Just found this beside the cabin. Options:

1. Gonzo brought it in.
2. Some other animal brought it in.
3. I'm being stalked.

Need coin/money for scale. (if you have any )

Irregardless, they are correct.

I'm broke, but I had a ruler.

just a guess but fawn teeth?
bottom jaw if you spin the photo 180*

the teeth look more herbivore than carnivore

Sapo,

Prob a stupid question, but would how much water you had be an issue in the winter given all the snow?

Could be a problem if you can't get to town to fill your water jugs because of the giant piles of snow preventing you from leaving right? If only there was a readily available source of water when that happens!

DC,

Exactly why I was wondering why water would be an issue!

Could be a problem if he only has 1 bucket

Dc,

Or if he eats the yellow snow!

watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow

I don't really consider water and food to be an issue. I could get snowed in, but even then I could get out in fairly short order, either digging out or hiring someone to plow. But yes, in the event I *was* snowed in, I could melt snow into water.

I know lots of preppers have months of of food and water on hand, but that's not really me. ... On the other hand, I have considered stocking up on dry goods. I'm not really worried about ****-hit-the-fan scenarios, but I suppose if you can have it on hand maybe there's no reason not to.

I was looking to buy a salt lick. Check out this review. Someone is doing it wrong.

My first summer here, I think I mentioned I found one apple tree that was bearing fruit. ... This weekend I've taken a look at all the fruit trees I know of on the land and I think I'm going to have a lot.

There are two mature apple trees that are producing a ton of apples. And the cherry trees, which didn't produce much of anything last year, many of them have fruit.

I'm going to try and clear out space around and above the fruit trees this week. The woods have overgrown them badly. But it's very cool to think I'll have apples and cherries. Especially the apples: the tree I found the 1st year produced some, but this looks to be a much larger yield.

The cherry trees may be sour. I really don't know how to tell the difference but read sour cherries have smaller and more berries, and though they're very young these seem to fit the description.

Sour cherries are the absolute nuts for pies. You might need to get to baking if you have them.

Time to start making your own hard cider

Bump. How's the winter treating you?

good bump

sour cherries are awesome in a lot of things! like beef stew/chili (sacrilege, i know)
specks of sour cherry in beef jerky is a thing. adds a nice tang along with some jalapeno.
and obviously any sort of trail mix/cereal.

So far, so good. Improvements to the cabin plus actually having wood chopped have made it easier.

I've turned into a bit more of a hermit. In December I went on a work trip to an enormous conference, and it was total sensory-overload. 20,000 people in one place. Jesus. When I got back to the cabin it was 11 degrees and it took a good couple of hours to get it warm again, but I was happy to be home.

I've taken up archery again. I love the sport from when I was a kid, but now I've got the idea that I want to see this whole "food" thing through from start to finish.

Financially, I've made some progress. It took just over a year to get really settled, but I think I've started paying down the debt. I think I can be clear in two years.

There was a fatal stabbing in town, last week. I was sitting at the bar reading seed catalogs when I heard about it. This is a town of about 2,000 people, so it was pretty big news. I asked the bartender what happened.

"A stabbing, I think."
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure. I think I know who did it, I just don't know who got done."

Small town gossip.

The del Lago casino is opening up about 40 minutes from here in February. They'll have a 10-table poker room, looking forward to that.

Mostly, I guess things are just kicking along. I'm looking forward to spring, definitely, but also trying to embrace winter. A bit, anyway.

I forget whether this stuff has been asked already, but...

How do you do laundry?

Curious how you keep water from freezing in winter, also -- do you just keep a jug near the stove or something?

And what are the stars like up there? Can you see the Milky Way?

It isn't you that's going around stabbing people, is it?

lol!