Great Finds!

On cold blustery Spring days in Ohio, when i find myself out, it is usually in a bookstore. Today was no different, oh and what treasures I did find. I found two books on subjects I'm very interested, and could be applied to self-sufficiency. The first is homebrew Windpower, one i had seen in the ad of my magazines, such a great find. The other was a book on plank boat making, like the old vessels were made.

I think its obvious why the homebrew wind book is such a great find. The satisfaction of making something that will pay you back, its the whole argument some of us have for what we do or want to do.

The boat book, might be a bit odd, unless you are into boats, which I'm not. I can't say I'm much of a water person, I don't fear it. I respect water for everything it provides for us and for the power it wields agaisnt us--as much as the other elements. I guess it was the idea of bending wood to create these boats, that cuaght me by the toe some time ago. I can't remember where I saw it, but i had heard of some guy who built a small ark on his building in New York...not sure on where. Imagine building a old boat with your hands, set in a field of green. Life in a boat that never saw water...it just sets my mind racing, like the whimsy of a treehouse for adults.

There's another idea, of making a dome of shaped planks over a framework based on primitive huts. It would be like a wooden beehive for humans, that might connect to an earthbag dome. Then rope bridges up through the trees to a small treehouse and then to your very own ark.

Not I use ark, because we know what size of boat that might be, but i'm not referring to it in the biblical sense. The boy in me, wears his pagan heart on his sleeve with one foot still in the broomcloset for only a few to see.

Bought my fishing license online today...don't tell the boss, I did it on work time. I wanted to make sure I could print it out, my older inkjet can be a bit flakey when printing out certian things. It was slow and everyone was almost a sleep anyhow.

Our lunch room has a TV that most people turn on and watch for lunch. i was the first one in, the TV was off and I loved the silence. One coworker comes in,"is the TV broken again?" I replied,"No, just didn't turn it on" His next question, I don't quite remember. The TV stays off and he sits down, i continued eating. Another coworker comes in,"Is the TV broken again?" I replied,"No, just didn't turn it on." They were both shocked that I would want to sit there without the TV on, that no one could eat without the TV blaring back at them. TV doesn't make food taste or different, not that I know of.

Tonight, I water the veggie plants and have the computer on, no lights and no TV...it is heaven. Just knowing I have a license to fish is good enough for me. with good weather coming up too. I can get what I need done at the house, then run off to the woods. I will see if I can find a good fishing spot. I'll have to read over my cordage instructions and grab my edible wild plant book. I might even get a few good pictures, while I'm out learning and playing.

It's been a little while since I posted last. I do have a pictures of my seedlings, but haven't uploaded it yet. My blueberry plant is growing too, which is nice...not that it will produce fruit any time soon.

I found David Suelo's blog and have been reading his entries. That's quite a way of life he has chosen, living moneyless. I plan on following his blog.

Also, in the last week, I discovered Freeganism. I watched some Youtube videos on dumpster divers, it sickens me to think we throw so much edible food away.

I got a new electric bill and am happy to report it has gone down, yeah for me. I continue to use the water I wash with, to flush my toilet. I stopped using the water from the clothes washer, just until I have something to filter the lunt from the expelled water. I don't need lint build-up in my toilet tank.
I still have alot to learn. The question that I keep bouncing around in my head is,"How much can I not spend?" Dumpster diving might disgust people, but if they didn't know that it was there, they might eat it and think it delicious.

Just one more word on the produce we discard in dumpsters. It could be a very good source for quality seeds to plant, instead of seeds that have sat on a shelf for who knows how long and won't sprout.