Adam was humanely euthanized last night due to a sudden, shocking, and very brief illness that turned out to be FIP. Adam is believed to have been born in Gibsonburg, Ohio. He was discovered just hanging around Mike and Bheki’s Gibsonburg farm in 2008. Adam was named after Ansel Adams the black and white photographer because of his black and white fur coat. Adam had a definite "cool cat" vibe and was a complete joy to be around with his amusement and delight with the whole "house cat" concept. He looked to his fellow FRAT Roommates whenever in doubt about proper "house cat" protocol. He also spent time admiring the beautiful Sissy. Adam was estimated to be 5 years old and is survived by his humans, Mike and Bheki, his best feLION friend, PHIL!; and his FRAT Roommates. He will be sorely missed.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Like cool colors
When The Husband and I were discussing the whole mixing my Art adventures with The Secret Cabin blog thing, where we're at with living off-grid came up in the conversation. It reminded me of when I'm splashing colors around on the canvas. On a very basic, general level, warm colors appear to advance and cool colors recede. That's what's happened with the alternative energy we live with here at The Secret Cabin. We're to the point where it's receded into the background. It's all become a routine we don't even think about. It feels like we've reached another milestone in living off-grid.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Another strike against wind
More accurately and specifically, against spending our hard earned money on a wind turbine. That whole economic principle of opportunity cost where if resources are put into one area (wind), the resources aren't there for another area (food, art studio). Anyway, the neighbor's turbine that I covet is not spinning. I don't remember when we noticed but it's just been a yard sculpture for what seems like a month. Who knows with the way Summer is blazing by. A bearing is out so there she sits NOT feeding the grid. At least, they're grid tied so they're not sitting there like a spent RV after a two week vacation of partying like rock stars.
Zxeres is allegedly standing behind their turbine and has sent the replacement parts. However, there's the issue of actually repairing it. You know, someone coming waaay out here to the UP and climbing Mt. Tower. That's the problem we had with the Loewen windows and doors. They didn't want to pay for someone to come waaay out here and do the work. I want to emphasize that was our experience and NOT, to my knowledge, what is going on with the Zxeres. Tower height and parts availability has been something The Husband and I have discussed. Bergey has a reputation for getting the parts to you ASAP. The Husband and I have discussed at great length, tower height and aesthetics. This Zxeres is a big bird. We're looking at a much smaller turbine. Is it going to get it's turbine ass kicked in the winds here? It's like pulling teeth to get anybody out here to do anything. We've been bantering around the words "tilt-down" tower. We're not in any position right now to add wind so we've got plenty of time to think about it. But, if Bergey wanted to ship one here out of the kindness of their hearts in exchange for undying gratitude and some heavy duty publicity, we'll I'm not ashamed to admit that this girl does love gifts!
We received a somewhat juicy tidbit of info that's worth passing on. A meter reader reported to a mutual acquaintance that people that have solar are happy with their solar and people with wind turbines are not happy with them. More pause for thought.
However, when you're off-grid and "need more power, Scotty," what are your options? The Husband and I have thrown on the table the possibility of tying into the grid and planting some more sunflowers (PV arrays). We'd still have our batteries in the cabin so we could keep going when the grid goes down which it's always doing out here. I fired the first electricians/company we had out here at the cabin and those people do work for the electric company so we'd definitely want to be able to stand alone when the grid goes down. We make solar power hand over fist in the Summer. We dump power after 10:30/11:00 am every day in the Summer. Could we produce and feed the grid enough in the Summer via solar to still have a zero electric bill in the Winter? Hmmm?
On another note, kind of a fair warning, I will be doing my Studio adventure posts here on this blog. I have been hesitant to include much of my art life here but I've found that trying to segregate my art life from The Secret Cabin blog doesn't work for me. I will clearly mark my Studio/Art posts as such so you may skip them if you wish. Hopefully, it won't be too inconvenient or bothersome for anyone.
Zxeres is allegedly standing behind their turbine and has sent the replacement parts. However, there's the issue of actually repairing it. You know, someone coming waaay out here to the UP and climbing Mt. Tower. That's the problem we had with the Loewen windows and doors. They didn't want to pay for someone to come waaay out here and do the work. I want to emphasize that was our experience and NOT, to my knowledge, what is going on with the Zxeres. Tower height and parts availability has been something The Husband and I have discussed. Bergey has a reputation for getting the parts to you ASAP. The Husband and I have discussed at great length, tower height and aesthetics. This Zxeres is a big bird. We're looking at a much smaller turbine. Is it going to get it's turbine ass kicked in the winds here? It's like pulling teeth to get anybody out here to do anything. We've been bantering around the words "tilt-down" tower. We're not in any position right now to add wind so we've got plenty of time to think about it. But, if Bergey wanted to ship one here out of the kindness of their hearts in exchange for undying gratitude and some heavy duty publicity, we'll I'm not ashamed to admit that this girl does love gifts!
We received a somewhat juicy tidbit of info that's worth passing on. A meter reader reported to a mutual acquaintance that people that have solar are happy with their solar and people with wind turbines are not happy with them. More pause for thought.
However, when you're off-grid and "need more power, Scotty," what are your options? The Husband and I have thrown on the table the possibility of tying into the grid and planting some more sunflowers (PV arrays). We'd still have our batteries in the cabin so we could keep going when the grid goes down which it's always doing out here. I fired the first electricians/company we had out here at the cabin and those people do work for the electric company so we'd definitely want to be able to stand alone when the grid goes down. We make solar power hand over fist in the Summer. We dump power after 10:30/11:00 am every day in the Summer. Could we produce and feed the grid enough in the Summer via solar to still have a zero electric bill in the Winter? Hmmm?
On another note, kind of a fair warning, I will be doing my Studio adventure posts here on this blog. I have been hesitant to include much of my art life here but I've found that trying to segregate my art life from The Secret Cabin blog doesn't work for me. I will clearly mark my Studio/Art posts as such so you may skip them if you wish. Hopefully, it won't be too inconvenient or bothersome for anyone.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Summer So Far
In mostly pictures and a few words:
Hope everyone is having a healthy, safe, and fun summer!
Still not in? No. Cold showers? Yes. Oh well.
Um, there's two racks? Isn't there only supposed to be one? Worry about it later.
Breaking ground on the garden.
First garden in almost twenty years. Third garden ever.
First time using the tiller.
Poop for you. Three front end loader buckets of aged manure applied and then tilled in.
Garden shoes.
Rainbow at sunset.
Eating raw now.
Mostly. Gotta have real cake for the Birthday!
Fruits of the garden labor.
Studio 319 - mine for three months so....
I can paint.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
We have lift-off
And so the Honey Do Dammit List receives a got 'er done check-mark for the first step in the quest for a hot shower in the Summertime. Roll the visuals please.
Shiny, shiney. Note: Three different kinds of bolts in the box. We liked how they were all assembled versus a bag of nuts, a bag of washer, etc.
Oooo. The Husband's tools. I will have to get into these when he's not around to watch me.
The Husband out in the Machine Shed putting together the frame.
Proposed location, location, location.
The Husband adding the top piece.The top piece is a bit heavy and even though The Husband's soul purpose in life is to bug me, he chose to go with just having me help him move the rack from the Machine Shed to the location in the rain and not in the rain and heavy. How sweet.
Okay, after we know everything is together correctly, there will be a "owner addendum" to the instructions provided by the manufacturer post. The instructions provided weren't completely hideous just unclear. They were printed off on an ink jet printer that looked as if it needed new cartridges and cleaning so the pictures did not provide the necessary visual detail to clarify the written instructions. There were several un-assemble and reassemble moments because of this.
We have three more things to do before final positioning and getting out that really fun marker spray paint to mark the spots for drilling the ground mount holes:
Move the dirt pile;
Get out the squeegee and pretend to knock snow off the PV array to make sure the hot water system is out of the way; and
Put the PV array in it's Summertime position to confirm clearance for tilting and check for shadows on the hot water system.
Another note: This is going to be pretty slow going. Our schedule (The Husband's swing shifts, two houses 650 miles apart, one house getting ready for market, two lawns, blah, blah...) has got us stretched a little thin but we'll peck away at it. The tortoise wins the race. Or in this case, a hot shower.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Nice, neat, tidy little solutions all wrapped up with a bow
The Husband and I have had a few discussions lately on THE PERFECT SOLUTION. It's like this whole off-grid dream/adventure has been a big flaming question, a wondering, a searching, if it really is possible. And if so, what's THE BEST-est, EASIEST, MOST BUDGET FRIENDLIEST, PERFECT-est way to go. I feel this overwhelming urge to resolve the off-grid, non-petrol-as-possible puzzle. No, not just an overwhelming urge, but more like an insatiable craving. Man, some good chocolate sounds divine. Anyway. I feel like anyone should be able to walk into to her local net-zero home dealer and check off the weather zone, number of family members, and ba-zzz, ba-zzz, ba-zzz, there you go, a nice, neat, tidy little solution all tied up with a bow: the net-zero of all net-zero buildings with non-toxic sealants and adhesives and the most budget-friendly, convenient, meeting all of your off-grid energy needs, including indulgent soaks in a tub of hot water topped off with a thick layer of soft, silky bubbles scented with natural plant essences, homes one could ever be comfortable in til the day she dies. And nary a firewood hauling broken nail and draft to suffer. Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20, and I've been seeing different off-grid, non-petrol solutions.
What we would have done differently system wise and why?
#1 - Insulation, insulation, insulation, and sealing. I mention it here because it affects the systems performance.
#2 - Outdoor Boiler in lieu of the Masonry Heaters. Pause for Startled Gasp! Shocking, scandalous. I LOVE my heaters. My heater mason was a dream to work with. The heaters do what they are supposed and do it well. You absolutely can heat a house with them. BUT, here's why I'd go with the Outdoor Boiler instead:
a - Hot water and convenience. With an Outdoor Boiler, I could heat both the cabin AND the garden shed AND have PLENTY of hot water AND only deal with firing just the Outdoor Boiler.
That said, the Outdoor Boilers are not as efficient and are nasty, smokey, dirty. My sister and brother-in-law have their outdoor boiler banked into the ground. Love that idea as a solution to make it more efficient. I don't know if there's a cleaner burning option available, but I would opt for that.
b - Wood stove. The only thing that the Masonry Heater isn't good at is a cold night out of the blue. They're like a big ship and it takes time to heat up the mass before it starts heating the space. So, maybe I'd want a wood stove to handle the chillies that pop up now and then.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Remember, during the cabin remodel, things didn't get taken care of the way they should have, specifically, insulation and sealing. (Yes, I already mentioned that but I canNOT stress the importance of a good envelope.)
#3 - Solar hot water for the Summer. This is assuming the system will work. This would give me the Summer off from messing around with firewood. AND with outdoor boilers being nasty, smokey, dirty - in the Summer the windows are open. (Well, at least we try to keep them open. That's another post.)
#4 - Solar - yes. I'd keep that the way we've got it.
#5 - Wind turbine. Again assuming this would work as advertised.
And there you have it. The nice, neat, tidy, little solution all wrapped up with a bow. Of course, results may vary. Wink. UHG. Sorry. This is based on two people in a location where Winter can be mean and the remodel was botched.
What we would have done differently system wise and why?
#1 - Insulation, insulation, insulation, and sealing. I mention it here because it affects the systems performance.
#2 - Outdoor Boiler in lieu of the Masonry Heaters. Pause for Startled Gasp! Shocking, scandalous. I LOVE my heaters. My heater mason was a dream to work with. The heaters do what they are supposed and do it well. You absolutely can heat a house with them. BUT, here's why I'd go with the Outdoor Boiler instead:
a - Hot water and convenience. With an Outdoor Boiler, I could heat both the cabin AND the garden shed AND have PLENTY of hot water AND only deal with firing just the Outdoor Boiler.
That said, the Outdoor Boilers are not as efficient and are nasty, smokey, dirty. My sister and brother-in-law have their outdoor boiler banked into the ground. Love that idea as a solution to make it more efficient. I don't know if there's a cleaner burning option available, but I would opt for that.
b - Wood stove. The only thing that the Masonry Heater isn't good at is a cold night out of the blue. They're like a big ship and it takes time to heat up the mass before it starts heating the space. So, maybe I'd want a wood stove to handle the chillies that pop up now and then.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Remember, during the cabin remodel, things didn't get taken care of the way they should have, specifically, insulation and sealing. (Yes, I already mentioned that but I canNOT stress the importance of a good envelope.)
#3 - Solar hot water for the Summer. This is assuming the system will work. This would give me the Summer off from messing around with firewood. AND with outdoor boilers being nasty, smokey, dirty - in the Summer the windows are open. (Well, at least we try to keep them open. That's another post.)
#4 - Solar - yes. I'd keep that the way we've got it.
#5 - Wind turbine. Again assuming this would work as advertised.
And there you have it. The nice, neat, tidy, little solution all wrapped up with a bow. Of course, results may vary. Wink. UHG. Sorry. This is based on two people in a location where Winter can be mean and the remodel was botched.
Monday, May 21, 2012
From the Dept. of Homeland Security
Diesel. Sigh. I'm almost at a loss for words. Diesel is truly the oddest horse I have ever known and I've had horses pretty much all my life. He appears more comfortable here now that this has been his home for a little over a year. He's grazing more of the acreage this Spring. Last year, with the exception of finding a trail to the neighbors and performing a free, organic mowing and fertilization service; he stayed pretty close to the cabin, barn, and garden shed. I see him becoming more territorial and aggressive with offending wildlife and the few incoming vehicles that dare pull back here. He charges the vehicles just like your dog would. Only, it's 17 hands and 1200 pounds of charging animal. I really don't like that he does this because it's irresponsible and rude to let your animals do something like that. But, it's his yard. If I know someone is coming over, I put him up. The deer come out of the woods to browse our Diesel's clearing after Diesel has been put up for the night. We have pretty much daily visits of coyote. Diesel runs them off. Ears forward, he does an easy jog in their direction and they scoot back into the woods with tails between their legs. Everyone always asks me, "coyote or wolf." I always tell them I don't know the difference. "Oh, you'll know." I never really gave it much thought until this past week. OMG, they weren't kidding. Remember when you were a young child reading Little Red Riding Hood, and seeing the picture of the scary big, bad wolf. Yep. They've got huge paws. They have a distinct body shape. They carry their heads low like they're going to eat you. Crap, they are scary. We aren't sure if they were eyeing up Pumpkin (Diesel's bad little donkey friend) or the compost pile Pumpkin was near. Diesel chased them off once. They came right back. Cripes, I thought I didn't like having to tell somebody more than once. Twelve hundred pissed off pounds of "I said this is my yard Dawg" tore after them again. Diesel isn't usually that aggressive and it concerns me that he felt the need to be that aggressive. They ducked into the woods and haven't come back.Yet. Meanwhile, Beware of the Guard Horse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)