Building a garden cart

Thanks to our garden plans for the year, it's clear that we're going to need to improve our soil somewhat. Potatoes want sandy loose soil. Others need other types. None of them are going to grow in grass. Because our garden is not reachable by vehicle (well, without a bulldozer making a road through the underbrush), we will have to figure out a way to get large loads of good organic compost soil back to the garden.

Enter the derelict lawn tractor.

When we moved into this wonderful property, the grass was about four feet deep in the back, particularly in the orchard. Our landlord is a pretty awesome guy and told us he had explored the property and found a couple riding lawnmowers derelict. "If you want them, and fix them up, feel free, otherwise push them to the street and someone'll take them", says he.

Well, as do it yourself tinkerers, we couldn't resist, when we found this:

It took a try at rebuilding the carb in the garage, not to mention downloading wiring schematics and rewiring it, but finally I got it running. 

Of course, it's only really useful for mowing the lawn, but yesterday I decided to see if I could use it to solve the problem of moving loads of compost.

A hay... err... leaf ride!

The boys and I move a big pile of leaves to our compost bin

It works! Can carry about half a yard of material, although weight wise it's limited to about 500lbs (maybe less, not sure how much the tractor will pull, or whether it'll sink into the ground). I might add spacers between the axle and the trailer, though. It doesn't drag anywhere I've been yet, but it's pretty low.

Greenhouse repairs

Because of naughty children with rocks, I found myself needing to do some repairs for our greenhouse.

I highly recommend Sun-Tuf for greenhouses. It's good stuff, but make sure you have some good tin snips. It's hard to cut through the corrugation without them. I still need one more sheet (Guessing at the store just doesn't cut it), but the greenhouse isn't hemorrhaging heat at least.

Additionally I also added a couple of shop lights running full spectrum bulbs. After fixing the broken acrylic, the temperature in the greenhouse has increased significantly, but I do hope to get it warmer in there still. Sadly the baseboard heater on the wall doesn't work (nor do the lights up top).

Pretty cool. I can't wait to see all the sprouting!

Growing a large family garden

In many ways, our move was hard. Although geographically closer to my work, the commute seems longer much of the time. The new house has quirks; the toilets require a lot of plunging, the kitchen is a poorly thought out layout, the electric bill is ridiculous in the winter months. However, one benefit is that we are on 2.77 acres (sadly, rented, but we're thankful nonetheless). There is a mature orchard, with apple trees, plum trees, pear trees, cherry trees, surrounded by huge thickets of blackberry bushes, a few maple trees, and a greenhouse built onto the side of our home.

Since we make a concerted effort to eat organic and non-GMO food as much as possible, we find benefit in the idea of a garden. Despite the fact that I grew up on a farm, we only raised livestock; we never had a garden, so this has been an extremely fun learning experience for me that I will continue to share as I learn more.

A couple weeks ago I planted my first seeds, and a couple nights ago I sat down with my kiddos to start the first round of our vegetable garden seeds. They did awesome, and they are all so excited to watch for the first sprouts.

Will this be enough? I have no idea. I have read every homesteading book and blog that I can lay eyes on; but until you actually attempt to grow your own food, harvest it, and preserve it, I think that there's no way to know how well it'll work. I have a lot to learn - best to learn it here where the grocery store is close in case I fail.

My plan is to plant some more every 2-3 weeks, since we started pretty early. However, it comes to mind that I likely won't have enough room in the greenhouse. We'll see how it goes.

There it is - 720 cells of soon-to-be delicious kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, leeks, beets, radishes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and other species that I just don't remember. 

And the radishes I planted a couple weeks ago? Yeah, they sprouted!

Super fun!

Berkey Water Filter

My dear wife has been called 'kinda crunchy'. One of the big changes she wrought in my life was the move from GMO ridden pesticide laden foods to organic food that is not genetically engineered.

When I met her, I really had a hard time justifying the extra cost for organic/non GMO foods. Especially for a large family. It's really expensive to eat healthy when you have this many hungry mouths. But, by God's grace, He always provides and as I learned more about this from her, eventually I also got on board with this and I am really impressed how our health has improved overall in our home. We don't get sick nearly as much. I feel different when I eat non organic/GMO food; it's not a positive change. I will be inviting her to write some posts about this because this is assuredly not my area of expertise in our family.

I know, I know. It's a huge waste of money, and GMOs allow us to feed an overpopulated planet that is being destroyed by the parasites known as the human race, and all that stuff. I don't buy into this line, though, sorry.

Anyway, it goes beyond the foods we eat, and includes the water we drink. City water is often flouridated. Ugly acronyms like ADHD, ADD, and autism (I know, it's not an acronym) are linked with things like flouride, as well as other causes.

Because of those potential links, and the fact that as a family, we like to drink water a lot, we got a Berkey water filter.

These filters are pretty amazing. You can dump muddy lake water in one, and after a few hours of filtering, the bottom tank will spring forth with crystal clear pollution free safe to drink water. With the appropriate filter, flouride is stripped out of the water. They last for about 3000 gallons per filter, too. Not only do we get great drinking water on a daily basis, but if the city water failed or were somehow contaminated, we would be able to take rainwater from our roof and continue without interruption in our hydration needs.

I only had two complaints:

First, we are a big family and the tank is empty all too often when I go to get my drink. Folks need to refill it when they get close to emptying it!

Second, the design dictates that it sit on the counter with the drain and valve reaching out over the edge. In our case, this caused some water damage to the table we sat it on (cheap melamine covered particle board).

Because of the latter, I looked online and hoped to find a stand that I could use for the Berkey. Oddly I really didn't see many options that made a lot of sense. Shop time!

Using some simple scrap I was able to put together this wonderful mortise & tenon construction stand for the Berkey, building the top in butcher block style, and finishing it with mineral oil to protect against the inevitable moisture that is left by children.

Interested in one? I can build you one too. Just get in touch.

Book Review: Back to Basics - How to learn and enjoy traditional American skills

I found out about this phenomenal book from Cody over at the Wranglerstar YouTube channel (which my children & I make a point of watching pretty much every time there is a new video - I highly recommend his channel), and I am so glad I bought it.

Although the book is no longer in print, I was able to acquire a used copy in excellent condition from Amazon.com. Published in 1981, this book has a wealth of information that is still useful today. How to wisely choose land, develop the infrastructure for a homestead, and build outbuildings or a dwelling. Sections on energy from wood, solar, water, wind (admittedly somewhat dated, as technology has advanced significantly in these areas). Raising your own vegetables, fruit, and livestock. Preserving your produce, meat, fish. Sections on making maple syrup if you have the appropriate type of maple trees. Baking bread. Brewing beer, making wine. You name it, it probably touches on it.

By no means is it an exhaustive reference for all of these things, but it teaches things that really are not commonly known today unless perhaps you have many years experience homesteading.

I highly recommend this book.

Giving meaningful gifts for Christmas

If you believe the advertising that we are bombarded with, the best thing you can do for your family for Christmas is go into debt buying a bunch of cheap Chinese injected plastic, and perhaps a device with pixels that will help them stay in touch with their friends avoid direct contact with other human beings in favor of reducing their interactions to 140 character tweets or paragraph long Facebook status updates.

Now, mind you, I work at Microsoft. I really enjoy technology. If it weren't for Xbox, I wouldn't have my job, and I enjoy a video game with the best of them. In fact, in the interest of full disclosure, when I point out the time wasting effects of pixels, I speak from experience; I used to play a massively multiplayer online game called Everquest, and I wasted over a year of my life on that game. Not playing it for a year then quitting... I mean logged in, over the course of several years. Not my finest hour (or year?); I hope my kids are smarter than me.

Technology rant aside, though, we really are encouraged to buy a bunch of junk for our family that will bring nothing but a few moments joy to their lives. I have never once seen an ad encouraging us to give them an heirloom - unless it comes with diamonds, perhaps.

Debt for junk. What a deal. We tried something else this year.

One of my most valued possessions is a box that I took with me when I left my parents home, containing the Christmas ornaments given to me as a child. I have my first ornament, and many ornaments from subsequent Christmases. My mother, who loved the Christmas season, greatly enjoyed a yearly visit to Leavenworth; for those not familiar with the town, it is a Bavarian themed village on the east side of Stevens Pass, famous for their incredible Christmas atmosphere, wonderful shops full of amazing handmade and high quality Christmas stuff, sleigh rides, and of course Oktoberfest. It was here that she acquired many of her most prized Christmas possessions; we've been a few times too, and have some family ornaments as a result.

I was inspired this year to make handmade ornaments for everyone and have what we called a "giving" Christmas. We would give to another family and if we gave each other a gift, it would be handmade, so as to be meaningful. I couldn't have been more pleased by the result.

Lyzie & I worked together to paint the ornaments. The skateboard was hand carved!

Custom built pine benches (part 2)

Shortly after building the bench in part 1 of this post, I shared some of the pictures on Facebook and a friend asked me to build some for their large family. We shook hands (figuratively speaking... we text each other) on a price and the kids and I went to work.

This bench was to be a little bit bigger, so we modified our design.

 We started with this pile of 2x4s (with extras because often it turns out they are too warped or have knots in inconvenient places for joinery) and began to build out the design.

Once again I opted for mortise & tenon construction; extremely strong construction combined with the benefit of no screws or other metal in the entire project. This ensures safety for little people, and contributes to a really gorgeous outcome.

This picture really satisfies my sense of order.

Next I cut out the mortises. I keep watching Craigslist for an adequate quality American, Swedish, or British steel mortising chisel. Really hoping to find one that is not junk like my Harbor Freight chisels.

My 3 year old son loves to help me in the shop. It's kind of exhausting to have him there because of all of the sharp objects, combined with his proclivity to want to hold every one of them, but I'm deeply blessed to be able to spend time out there and teach him from such a young age to respect tools, to do his best, to care about good craftsmanship, and to just enjoy time with him.

The finished product was even better than the one I made for us (I built 2 of this design for them).

In the end, our family friend who ordered these were quite pleased with them; they moved days after taking delivery to Eastern Washington where they are taking up a homestead lifestyle. I really miss them, and I struggle a bit with obedience to the 10th commandment, as I really want to own land and live in a simpler but more self-sufficient manner.

Custom built pine benches (part 1)

One thing about a large family; when it's time to sit down at the dinner table, you need space for everyone, and it's important that there be enough elbow room that each elbow remains in its owner's space. Although I think it'd be nice to learn to share a bit more... graciously... I like my personal space too, so I get it.

A couple years ago, as real estate at our kitchen table began to demand a more precious cost, the children and I built a new kitchen table, which at the time seemed ridiculously large (Today, I find myself tempted to expand it again...)

As we were new to woodworking on furniture, the table was not particularly elegant, although it was built quite sturdy; I can barely lift it.

Over time, our cheap craigslist chairs wore out and broke, one by one. And by wore out and broke I mean we have kids. Forget industrial/commercial spec; "kid-spec" is the ultimate level of toughness.

For awhile we would do things like bringing the piano bench over and sitting on that, or using a yoga ball (This was actually somewhat beneficial for our son that doesn't know what sitting still means). But, after acquiring my jointer, I decided to tackle the need to provide sitting space for everyone. I decided the best means to do this would be a bench, as they are sturdy, lack a back to be broken, and can be built to "kid-spec" fairly easily for a novice like myself.

I also decided to try and up the ante with my work a little bit and build it with mortise and tenon construction. There is something excellent about the feel of shaping wood to become a labor of love, even if especially when you know it will soon be stained by grape juice from a toddler's sippy cup.

Here are a few of the pictures of the result. I built this from rough 2x4s that I had on hand.

It is amazing, to me, to see such an object formed from rough 2x4 lumber.

My first real attempt at mortise & tenon construction. I love it.

The final result, finished with a nice coat of linseed oil.

The tools of an older generation

I really love old tools. It's such a pleasure when I find an old tool on Craigslist and go to see it and not only find a gem of a tool for sale, but especially when I get to speak with the gentleman that has owned it for longer than I've been alive, or at least hear its story.

See, tools weren't always what you find today at Harbor Freight or Home Depot. Sure, Harbor Freight tools have their place - I have many of them - and Home Depot does sell some high quality, American made tools that are reasonably competent. Of course you can always buy the high end stuff too, but for the time being, that remains far beyond the reach of this man. Despite this, however, the ubiquitous Chinese made tool is far more common, and they do not share the same level of quality or craftsmanship.

But there is a third option, aside from modern-cheap and modern-high-end - Grandpa's tools. Near as I can tell, anything from that age that is still in good working order was apparently a lot higher quality. Perhaps the Chinese junk from that era has rusted back to its constituent elements, but I suspect that people cared a bit more about supporting American industry then than they do now when they buy their pot metal tools at Walmart.

Thus it was when I found my jointer/planer. The Craigslist ad informed that it was an old Montgomery Ward jointer, and that the gentleman had a bandsaw that he was also interested in selling for a little bit more. The whole family piled into the truck, and off we went, with a couple of eye rolls at Dad's bringing the family to look at tools, though Mom needed out of the house.

When we arrived, I immediately knew I had struck gold. I was greeted by an elderly gentleman, with a shop that had the faint smell of machinery oil and hardwood. It is the belief of this dad that you can tell a lot about a man by looking at his shop. This shop was very well used, but in excellent order. Everything was in its home, and it was not cluttered, although you could tell that there were decades of use and countless stories of wood lovingly crafted into objects that were given to his children, and perhaps his children's children.

In the corner was a metal table on casters, well used, with a jointer/planer mounted on it, and a bandsaw on the other side. I later looked up the model number from the jointer; it was made in 1950, and I was delighted to discover it was made of good solidly built cast iron. The deck was well waxed, the knives were lovingly maintained, and the gentleman was delighted to show me how well it worked.

The Montgomery Ward Powr-Kraft Jointer (pardon the mess... this was right after moving)

As he showed me, I explained that we educate our children at home, and at the time we were experimenting with the idea of selling wooden toy blocks as a little family business. Throughout my life I have never discovered a better way to start a conversation than to ask someone wiser than myself what they think about something like that. They love to help, and they love when folks put the effort in to produce something. This grandfather was no different, and told me several stories about the things he had crafted, and then offered me some suggestions for our minor attempt at being entrepreneurs. When it was all done, he gave me his bench grinder & grinder mount as well as the bandsaw that came with it. What a blessing!

The first set of blocks the children & I made

Having had this jointer for a few months now, I can say that it is honestly superb quality. The knives have held their edge. The children and I have built some pretty - for us, at least - pieces of furniture using this tool and others like it. Most of all, I think I enjoy the story behind it. Much like the craftsmen who built the jointer, the elderly man who sold it to me put so much love into the things he made for his children on it. I hope that I do the same and pass it to my children too.

A quick update...

So precious!

It's been quite awhile since I have posted anything here. I'm hoping to start doing so more often.

So what's new? Quite a bit, actually. We've moved. Moving a large family is a challenge. That is not really news. We have been blessed by a new addition to our family - Christiana Evangeline. She was born 3 weeks ago, on the 6th, and she is so precious!

I have lots of projects to update the blog with. We find ourselves drawn to many hobbies and activities related to homesteading. I'll write about that soon. Tonight I think I'll be writing a bunch of posts about recent projects my wife & I have done.

We hope you enjoy!