Not much is more sobering about the fragility of human life than a pandemic. Beyond the consideration of our own mortality, for many, COVID-19 has been their first experience of even a remote possibility that goods and services we all take for granted might not always be so readily available. This initial thought can cause … Continue reading Practical steps to developing food security during uncertain times
Ideas
Get a clothesline or please shut your mouth about climate change
We're living in times that are undeniably permeated with hotly-fueled, often polarized debates about many topics. One such topic that certainly has a large share of the opinionated conversation market is "climate change". We aren't here to offer support to either side of that debate. To the denying side, we say that care of the … Continue reading Get a clothesline or please shut your mouth about climate change
TIO&OIN – it’s not just for Navy Seals
This expression has come to be a mantra in our family. In fact, recently one of my youngsters was snacking on some freshly made cookies and asked me for another... "After all", she said, "two is one and one is none!" Of course, she knew what we really mean when we say that, but … Continue reading TIO&OIN – it’s not just for Navy Seals
Raised beds with pressure treated lumber?!
Pressure Treated?! If you've ever looked into raised beds, you've likely looked for the materials to build them out of and, if wood, probably come across mixed advice when those discussions center around using pressure-treated (PT) wood. Out of the abundance of caution, we've always steered clear of pressure treated wood - that is until … Continue reading Raised beds with pressure treated lumber?!
“If anything happens, we’re coming to your place!” – reality check
Homesteaders are often naturally prepared people and as such, have more infrastructure available to them than your average North American household. Prepared people hear expressions like the above on a routine basis. Here are some other derivatives: "If the [ SHTF ] [ Apocalypse ] [ world ends] [ WWIII ], I/we are coming to … Continue reading “If anything happens, we’re coming to your place!” – reality check
Building a Rainwater chicken waterer
We have built a LOT of chicken waterers in our years of chicken wrangling. They break, clog, or otherwise just become a pain to deal with. No matter the size, filling it is always irritating. With that experience in mind, we set out to build an easy, affordable and quick to put together rain water … Continue reading Building a Rainwater chicken waterer
Homestead Tech: Drones
The multiple ways in which drones can be used for the small homestead. We typically like to keep things pretty low-tech. We don't have an aversion to technology, we just want to do things by means which are easily repeatable by anyone. Nevertheless, there are a few modern technologies that can be really helpful at … Continue reading Homestead Tech: Drones
Homestead uses for Thermacore panels
Thermacore panels are the technical/trade name for insulated garage door panels. They have many valuable uses on a homestead or farm. At $.70/sqft (in our area), they are among the least expensive options for most cases where they can be used. Thermacore panels are painted steel panels filled with about 1 - 1.5" of solid … Continue reading Homestead uses for Thermacore panels
Potential pitfalls of hyper-frugality
Frugality often seems to go hand-in-hand with the homesteading crowd. People naturally inclined to do things for themselves that others rely upon others to do results in such, or maybe it's the other way around? Frugality is great... but can one get carried away with it? This is what I would call "hyper-frugality" - being frugal to … Continue reading Potential pitfalls of hyper-frugality
A simple, strong materials rack for the workshop
I like to keep my materials up and outta the way, mostly because I am a procrastinator and don't get to things right away (I've been thinking about changing, but.... I haven't gotten to it yet). I wanted something simple and durable. So I just picked up a few 3/4" pipe flanges, a few sections … Continue reading A simple, strong materials rack for the workshop
The Intrepid Homestead 