My New Car: 2009 Yaris

I bought a new car this morning. This will be my new commuter car. Tis simple, with no frills (except a CD player). No power windows. A simple car for a simple man.

Inside the Addition (without clutter)

Putting In More Windows...

Taking a Chainsaw to the Straw...

Okay. This was fun.

I'm trying to notch a strawbale to make it fit above a window. Thought I'd take the chainsaw to it.

A very hot day here. Mid-90's. More typical of the season here in the lower Foothills. We encountered all sorts of problems, and didn't get as much done as I'd hoped.

The Slow Building Movement continues...

Learning to Tie a Bale...

So easy, a kid can do it...

A work day today. We take our time at this project. We have no foreman, union, construction company, boss, contractor nor accountants to please. We try and make it fun. Go slow. Enjoy the process.

The Slow Building Movement...

Salvage Logging Trucks On Our Road...

Dozens of these trucks share our road. The Salvage logging (rape) continues, despite a wood glut that has reduced prices to a mere pittance. Wildfires are a boon to the logging companies--as they mine the forests with nearly no restrictions. All rules go out the window.

They take all the best trees; many of which would have lived and (having survived the fire) would have passed on their superior genetic stock to the next generation of forests. The clear cuts above our household turn the mountains into a denuded, empty, lifeless place. The runoff will clog the trout streams, now that the biomass is gone.

Studies indicate that letting the burned areas recover (without being logged) is the best thing. Best for the forests that is (and not for the logging companies wallets). We have enough wood right now. No need to mine more trees!

By the way, I called our County Supervisor to complain about the hazards of meeting such large trucks on single lane roads. His reply was: "The loggers have more of a right to be there than you do!".

So why did the county decide to divide up the parcels that our house sits on some twenty years ago? If they didn't want us to be here, they certainly could have not permitted the lots to be divided.

The Last Picture Window (show)

The last window buck for the last picture window:

There she is! Standing tall right in the middle. All four of the large windows are in now:

A view from inside our soon-to-be-bedroom, looking out. This window was donated to me by an ICU RN. He had ordered the wrong sized window, so he gave it to me for free.

This window will be "Cobbed" into the wall.

Yet another photo of our freebie window:

Off to the Napa Valley. I may throw in a few book reviews over the next couple of days. I've managed to read quite a few lately, including: Daniel Quinn's Ishmael, Hunter Thompson's Kingdom of Fear, Deepak Chopra's The Third Jesus and currently a very decent biography of the great old Lefty journalist, Izzy Stone.

Work will recommence next Wednesday.

Some More Mortar Work

Before:
After:

Five Bales High...

Does Living "Off the Grid" Hurt Children Under 10 Years of Age?

This is a highly personal post. It needed a tactful re-write.

This is part of this "off the grid" story. An important part that deserves to be addressed. I figure only those who care about us will read it. Posts with lots of words tend to drive off the unfriendly.

Kylie and Jazmine have been troopers. They survived the rainy season, living with us in a 320 square foot cabin. They have lived through boiling water on the stove for bath water; showered with solar shower bags; used much less electricity; endured poison oak; learned to make cob; they have stripped bark from a log--hauled water and planted a garden.

They are our Grandchildren. Actually, Joni's Grandchildren. My step Grandchildren. They have been living with us for nearly five years. It isn't appropriate for me to go into why they live with us. But let us just say they have endured more negative events in their first few years of life, than many of us ever experience.

Joni has guardianship of them. This has been a very expensive proposition, as some in this family had the means to fight us obtaining guardianship. Mainly a certain ex-husband who (with inherited money and an ax to grind) believed that children should be with their parents "no matter what".

We disagreed and the Guardianship was granted.



So was it fair to move "off the grid" with them while we build this home? We thought long and hard before moving here. Before starting this project.

Validation.

Today Kylie received the award for being one of two "best students" in the elementary school. This included a handsome letter from the local State Senator congratulating her for her efforts. A big deal in this school. "Your family should be proud..." the letter said. We are.

Jazmine was one of three children to get the "Perfect Attendance" trophy. Only three kids in the whole elementary school made it there every day. Now if living in cramped conditions was hard on a kid, they would get sick right? Fresh air, fresh food and exercise has kept both Jazmine and Kylie healthy. Jazmine had it the worst during her first two years. She has really made strides this year. Doing great!

So to answer the question: Does living off the grid hurt children? For us, I'd say it has been nothing but a positive experience. Doing well in school is a great barometer as to whether children are thriving or not. Soon we shall see whether the Court agrees.

I mean for this blog--this "off the grid journal" to read as a story. This is part of the story.

Blue Bellies and the Last Windowsill

Kylie calms a blue bellied lizard:

While I put the windowsill together for the last picture window:

Nice and flush...

Joni cobs in the windowsill, while I hold it...

All done:

Chico: Egghead Spirituality and the Farmers Market

I went to Chico to have coffee and discuss spirituality with an eclectic group of eggheads. Had a wonderful time! Outside the coffeehouse, the Beatles were taking a walk:

And then off to the Farmers Market to buy a week's worth of veggies and fruits. The Chico market is very well attended with an outstanding collection of local fruits and veggies. I also bought some local cheese (raw milk) that is quite good.

The Republicans 2012 candidate?

A Mother Earth Reader Strikes Back...

About a year ago, I wrote a piece for the Mother Earth News. The thing continues to have a bit of a subterranean life on the Mother Earth News website. They even have a forum to discuss it. Most people hate it. This (written today) has been my favorite "I-Hate-You" response thus far:

"This article is one of the most idiotic and infuriating things I've read in quite some time. I'm really surprised and disappointed that the editors approved its publication. If the author showed up at my place and started taking liberties with my property to suit himself, I'd take his stupid walking stick away from him and beat the bejesus out of him with it. By his reasoning, I should be able stop by his place, pass personal judgement on anything I see, and make whatever changes I prefer. Can I smoke in his living room? Can I make a pass at his wife? I don't happen to like cats, so can I remove his? Can I paint his house a different color?

What's the point of burdening myself with the expense and trouble of property ownership if any drunken moron can come along and assert his 'rights' over my property? I happen to own my little place and can and do establish any rules I see fit, and can also hang up any 'obnoxious' sign I choose. If someone doesn't find that to be satisfactory to his personal sense of aesthetics, that's just one more good reason to stay the hell away.

I used to manage a beautiful 10,000 acre ranch, and dealing with trespassers was always a huge problem. I had horses shot, elk poached, expensively stocked trout ponds fished, fences cut, cattle rustled, pastures trashed by ATVs, forest fires started, you name it. When challenged, many trespassers voiced the rather socialist sentiment that the land was 'too beautiful' for the owners to keep to themselves. I would always respond that they were welcome to make an offer on the place, then maybe they could make the rules. Then the day came when a lady who had the owner's permission to play on the property managed to injure herself. She successfully sued, and will never have to work again.

But that's not the point. There are huge problems in the world that I have no power to control. One thing I do have a little power over is my personal environment, small as it is, and I'm very thankful for that. I also happen to work very hard to pay for it and I'll be damned if anybody will violate it without a fight. This author needs to haul his belly full of booze down to the local real estate office and purchase a piece of land big enough to satisfy his wandering proclivities. He would, however, likely have to work harder than he'd prefer in order to pay for it.

He also needs to reread Thoreau."

I don't think he will be sending me a Christmas Card this year....

Work Halted: Thunderstorms (and a sermon on natural building)

Back to living under tarps.

We are currently being besieged by rare June thunderstorms. Last night, Joni and I put the tarps back on, much like they do at Wrigley Field. We also packed a few bags just in case the multiple lightning flashes we saw triggered a fire. Being evacuated is a fact of life when you live in wildfire areas of California. All in all, we got an inch of rain. No fires started that I'm aware of as I type these words.

None of the bales got wet. The eaves hang over far enough to protect the straw. We covered the vulnerable places. More thunderstorms are called for today and tomorrow. An unexpected vacation for us.

The Foothills aren't quite as dry as last year, when lightning trigged hundreds of fires. The largest wildfire nearly consumed our newly moved into home (it took out four of ten homes on the ridge).

There is an ethical issue of building homes in the wilderness and fire areas. First there is the loss of habitat for our furry cousins and secondly, wildfire is an important natural component of the California ecosystem.

Combating wildfires in California has become an expensive proposition. And a huge industry. California needs to burn at frequent intervals. To not burn means that heavy fuels develop (the underbrush) which then cause not the nice little, friendly ground fires which are beneficial; the increased fuels causes "crowning" fires which are devastating to the forest. That is what we had in our area last year.

The solution? Let fires burn.

Build structures in fire prone areas that are 1.) congruent with the forest flora and fauna (limit high fences and don't use more land than you need); 2.) are able to withstand fires (clearance of fuel around the homes and structures made of fire resistant materials --dirt and straw are fire resistant); 3.) are cheaply replaced if burned.

In my view, building with natural materials, such as we are, should be the rule in fire prone areas. Not the exception.