The weather today was absolutely beautiful. The temperature made it into the low 70s, which is unbelievable for this time of year, especially considering it was 12 degrees one night last week. Unfortunately I wasn't able to spend much time outside today, as I had meetings for work that interfered with my desire to get out during lunch, but I did get to spend some time outside.
One project I attempted was to replace the door knob on our front door. When we installed the new door we found out that the existing knob would not work. Since had a deadbolt, we really didn't care, so just put the old knob back in place, with no striker, to fill the hole and provide something to grab when pulling the door open. We picked up a knob at the Restore a while back, so I decided to install it today while the weather was nice. After removing the old knob and spending a few minutes looking at the new one I realized the pieces didn't fit together properly. It looks like someone mixed up the parts from a couple of different knobs, and they would not work together. I suppose this is the risk one runs when buying a used door knob. Its a risk I'm willing to take again, and I suspect we'll pick up another next time we're at the Restore. I have re-installed the old knob for now until we find another one to try.
After work I was able to get back out for an hour or so. My main task was to put up plant markers for the garlic. When I planted it I used temporary markers until Andrea could make some permanent ones. She finished the markers a couple of weeks ago, and I've just been waiting for some good weather to install them. I think the markers look fantastic, and I will be doing a post on them in the future, when I have a chance to take some photos.
Today I also signed up for an account on the Backyard Chickens website. Andrea had suggested it as a good resource for researching chicken coops, so I thought it would be a good resource. I've already found several interesting threads, not all of which are about coops, such as one on growing fodder for feeding chickens during the winter.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Book Review - Trailersteading: Voluntary Simplicity in a Mobile Home
This is a guest post by friend, and fellow sustainable living enthusiast, Jennifer Kennedy. As mentioned in my previous post about the book, I didn't feel I could write an unbiased review since Andrea and I were featured in the book. I asked Jennifer to do a review as a guest post, and she graciously accepted.
In
2008 my husband and I moved into a single-wide trailer—a 1969
Norfleet—in rural south central Kentucky. The trailer and the land
it sits on, which is only about ¾ of an acre of mostly red clay and
sandy soil, were free. It originally belonged to my in-laws, who
abandoned the property when they moved into town a few years ago.
When I finished college and we needed somewhere to go, preferably
closer to family, this place was ideal.
Having
been vacant for some time, the trailer and the property were both in
desperate need of attention. The septic tank cried out for help, the
landscaping warranted a little taming (even by our let-it-be
standards), and the trailer simply wasn't livable until we replaced
a few windows, floors, fixtures, and some of the wiring, and of
course gave everything a thorough cleaning. Fortunately, my husband
and I are both handy, and all of this was accomplished quickly and at
minimal expense, leaving only a few cosmetic issues we knew we’d
tackle as time permitted. Even with all of that, living here has
allowed us to save a considerable amount of money, which we've been
able to divert into activities that are far more important to us than
going into debt for shiny new cars or a big house we don’t need.
My
husband grew up in the trailer we live in now, and I spent several
years of my childhood in a single-wide trailer. Many of our
respective childhood friends also lived in single-wides, and some of
our current friends still do. Trailers aren't at all uncommon in
this region. Although there is some self-imposed regional stigma
associated with living in a trailer, which I think is strange, I find
trailers to be unassuming, approachable, and pretty darn comfortable,
much like the people who live in them. Neither of us had any
reservations about moving here. I was surprised, then, to discover
that the longer we lived here, the more embarrassed we felt. Though
we keep it clean, our home looks unkempt inside and out because of
our unconventional attitudes toward repurposing, upcycling, lawn
maintenance, gardening, rainwater collection, and animal stewardship.
There are piles of bricks, cinder and concrete blocks, wood scraps,
and a few spare rolls of fencing arrayed carefully around our home
for future use, and our rainwater receptacles happen to be garishly
colored and placed haphazardly around the front and back porches. We
provide homemade “houses” for the stray and feral cats in our
neighborhood, mostly made of plastic totes. Because we live in a
small neighborhood with neighbors living close by, some of whom are
less than understanding, we've come to feel a bit self-conscious of
our choices—though not enough to make different ones—and we long
for more space and privacy.
Anna
Hess’ book, Trailersteading:Voluntary Simplicity in a Mobile Home,
was recommended at the perfect time. When Jonathan mentioned it, I
could practically feel my ears perk forward. Having become
discouraged with my own living arrangements, I had some reservations,
but I was instantly seized by Mrs. Hess’ easy, familiar tone. It
helped that reading about her personal journey was in many ways like
reading about my own, except that I haven’t gone quite as far down
my path toward household independence.
It
was a delight to see what other trailer-dwellers have done with their
homes. My husband and I have felt rather limited in the projects we
might undertake to further renovate our place, but Trailersteading
has been an encouraging, inspiring read. Our list of possibilities
has grown. However, we've also been considering whether to upgrade
to a newer mobile home, perhaps with a bit more space for storage and
food preparation, and ideally with better “bones.” In that case,
Hess supplies plenty of helpful information about finding, buying,
moving, and setting up a “new” trailer, as well as tips for
energy efficiency. When living in a metal box—one likely to be
poorly insulated, at that—it’s especially helpful to know how to
keep it cool during warm months and warm during cool months.
Positioning your trailer for passive solar heating, planning your
landscaping to seasonally maximize shade and sun as needed, and
adding thicker walls and a gabled roof both stuffed with extra
insulation, for example, are excellent strategies outlined by Hess.
For
me, the most interesting parts of Trailersteading
were Hess’ frank look at the disadvantages of living in a trailer,
and her exploration of ways to make trailers more like permanent real
estate, with case studies (including Jonathan and Andrea) to serve as
examples. It’s easy to extol the virtues of mobile homes as green
homesteads, but there are risks and challenges of which anyone
thinking of buying a trailer should be aware. The risk of fire, for
instance, certainly shouldn't be overlooked. This is nicely
balanced by her discussion of the homey additions owners might make,
from choosing the right woodstove (and choosing the right place for
it in your trailer) to adding porches, decks, sunrooms, permanent
foundations, basements, redwood siding, or even combining two
single-wides to create a larger home for a growing family.
When
my husband and I moved here, we didn't intend for it to be
permanent. We still don’t; in order to meet our goal of better
supporting ourselves on our own property, we do
need a bit more outdoor space. But we aren’t quite so firm in our
desire to eschew trailers in favor of a stylish strawbale or cordwood
home full of farmhouse-style antiques and stacks of milk glass
dishes. We’re more pleased with trailer life than we initially
expected to be, and, thanks largely to Anna Hess, we’re prouder
than ever of our own homestead in progress.
Chicken Coop - The Plan
Since we plan to acquire chickens this Spring I've been working on a design for a chicken coop. I haven't done a great deal of research on the topic myself, so have been relying a lot on input from Andrea. She has taken some workshops on raising chickens, and has read a couple of books on the topic. I have referenced a couple of websites to get some ideas on space requirements. I've also pulled inspiration from other chicken coops we've seen, such as the external cantilever nesting boxes we saw at Homegrown Hideaways.
The most common suggestion I've seen is to provide 4-5 sq ft per chicken. We plan to start with 10 chickens, so were targeting a minimum of 50 square feet for our coop. After talking with my Dad, and doing some rough calculations to try to find the dimensions that would best make use of materials I've decided to go with a coop with exterior dimensions of 10' x 6', which will provide 51 square feet of interior space. This should work well for 10 chickens, and should provide sufficient room for adding a couple more later if we decide to do so.
For designing the chicken coop I used a very different method than I've used before. I used Sketchup, which is a 3d modeling software, to "build" the coop piece by piece. Assembling the virtual structure one 2x4 at a time forced me to really think through what I was doing. I noticed things that I wouldn't have otherwise thought of, and I was able to make slight adjustments that should reduce material waste. I'm not very good with the program, but I think it will be an important tool to have for future building projects.
The design I have settled on is fairly simple. The outside dimensions, as mentioned previously, will be 10' x 6'. This will allow us to buy 12' long 2x6s, which will provide two floor joists, thus reducing costs and waste. The coop will have a solid floor, which we'll cover with some scrap linoleum flooring. The plan is to do a basic shed-style roof, which is much simpler than a gable roof. To support the sloped roof the walls on one side will be 6' tall, with the opposite wall being 7' wall, giving us a 6:1 pitch, which should be sufficient for a metal roof. The roof will overhang the coop by approximately 12" on all sides, allowing us to use 8' rafters and 12' long 2x4s across the ends. This should also allow us to use 8' lengths of metal roofing without the need to cut them.
One end of the coop will have a full sized door through which Andrea and I can enter when we need to replace the litter, etc. The opposite end will have a small door through which the chickens can exit to reach the fenced in run that we will be adding later. A ramp will extend from the door to the ground inside the run. On the side of coop with the 7' walls will be the cantilever nesting boxes. The reason for placing them on this side is so that we can collect eggs when its raining without having water constantly dripping onto us from the roof. On the opposite side will be the roosts, which we plan as a ladder style roost, having roosting poles at two or three different levels.
The nesting boxes will be framed out between the wall studs. The boxes will be 12" deep, and approximately 14.5" inches wide. They will slope from 18" in the back, where they connect to the coop, to 12" tall in the front. I will probably cover the top with some old scraps of shingles, to protect them from the rain, although the roof overhang will help with that as well. The front of each nesting box will have a door that we can open for collecting eggs, so we do not have to enter the coop to do so. I'm planning to build three nesting boxes initially, which should be sufficient for 10-12 hens.
The aforementioned run will be constructed later, as it will not be required most of the time. We plan to let the chickens free range during the day, but want them to have access to a run for days that we aren't going to be home to let them out. The run will be enclosed with chicken wire, including the top. We haven't discussed the dimensions yet, but we'll likely target something close to 120 square feet, which should be more than adequate for our flock.
I am also starting to think of a watering system that will allow us to provide water in multiple locations from a single water source. We will most likely use the Avian Aqua Miser, which is sold by Anna and Mark of The Walden Effect. I'm thinking that we'll use a single bucket or barrel for the water, possibly even using rainwater from the roof, which will then be piped into three separate containers, located inside the coop, inside the run, and outside. I'll probably add valves to each, so that we can keep the water flow to the run shut off except for when we're planning to use it. Water will likely be available inside the coop and outside at all times, so the chickens can drink from either during the day when free-ranging, or from the inside container at night. I still have a lot of details to work out on the water scheme, but I need to at least figure out the basics so I can be sure that the construction of the coop will accommodate it.
I have calculated that constructing the chicken coop using new materials will cost around $600. This does not include things such as the door, hinges, vents, etc, which we hope to pick up at the Restore. I am also hoping that we can pick up some used wooden siding, which will reduce the costs significantly. I haven't priced the materials for the run yet, but we are also hoping that we can pick up many of those materials used, perhaps from an old kennel.
Since this is our first experience with chickens, and obviously our first attempt at building a chicken coop, I suspect that we are going to make some mistakes. I'd love to hear some feedback on our chicken coop plan, especially if anyone sees any obvious flaws or thinks that we're going down the wrong path with our design.
The most common suggestion I've seen is to provide 4-5 sq ft per chicken. We plan to start with 10 chickens, so were targeting a minimum of 50 square feet for our coop. After talking with my Dad, and doing some rough calculations to try to find the dimensions that would best make use of materials I've decided to go with a coop with exterior dimensions of 10' x 6', which will provide 51 square feet of interior space. This should work well for 10 chickens, and should provide sufficient room for adding a couple more later if we decide to do so.
For designing the chicken coop I used a very different method than I've used before. I used Sketchup, which is a 3d modeling software, to "build" the coop piece by piece. Assembling the virtual structure one 2x4 at a time forced me to really think through what I was doing. I noticed things that I wouldn't have otherwise thought of, and I was able to make slight adjustments that should reduce material waste. I'm not very good with the program, but I think it will be an important tool to have for future building projects.
The design I have settled on is fairly simple. The outside dimensions, as mentioned previously, will be 10' x 6'. This will allow us to buy 12' long 2x6s, which will provide two floor joists, thus reducing costs and waste. The coop will have a solid floor, which we'll cover with some scrap linoleum flooring. The plan is to do a basic shed-style roof, which is much simpler than a gable roof. To support the sloped roof the walls on one side will be 6' tall, with the opposite wall being 7' wall, giving us a 6:1 pitch, which should be sufficient for a metal roof. The roof will overhang the coop by approximately 12" on all sides, allowing us to use 8' rafters and 12' long 2x4s across the ends. This should also allow us to use 8' lengths of metal roofing without the need to cut them.
One end of the coop will have a full sized door through which Andrea and I can enter when we need to replace the litter, etc. The opposite end will have a small door through which the chickens can exit to reach the fenced in run that we will be adding later. A ramp will extend from the door to the ground inside the run. On the side of coop with the 7' walls will be the cantilever nesting boxes. The reason for placing them on this side is so that we can collect eggs when its raining without having water constantly dripping onto us from the roof. On the opposite side will be the roosts, which we plan as a ladder style roost, having roosting poles at two or three different levels.
The nesting boxes will be framed out between the wall studs. The boxes will be 12" deep, and approximately 14.5" inches wide. They will slope from 18" in the back, where they connect to the coop, to 12" tall in the front. I will probably cover the top with some old scraps of shingles, to protect them from the rain, although the roof overhang will help with that as well. The front of each nesting box will have a door that we can open for collecting eggs, so we do not have to enter the coop to do so. I'm planning to build three nesting boxes initially, which should be sufficient for 10-12 hens.
The aforementioned run will be constructed later, as it will not be required most of the time. We plan to let the chickens free range during the day, but want them to have access to a run for days that we aren't going to be home to let them out. The run will be enclosed with chicken wire, including the top. We haven't discussed the dimensions yet, but we'll likely target something close to 120 square feet, which should be more than adequate for our flock.
I am also starting to think of a watering system that will allow us to provide water in multiple locations from a single water source. We will most likely use the Avian Aqua Miser, which is sold by Anna and Mark of The Walden Effect. I'm thinking that we'll use a single bucket or barrel for the water, possibly even using rainwater from the roof, which will then be piped into three separate containers, located inside the coop, inside the run, and outside. I'll probably add valves to each, so that we can keep the water flow to the run shut off except for when we're planning to use it. Water will likely be available inside the coop and outside at all times, so the chickens can drink from either during the day when free-ranging, or from the inside container at night. I still have a lot of details to work out on the water scheme, but I need to at least figure out the basics so I can be sure that the construction of the coop will accommodate it.
I have calculated that constructing the chicken coop using new materials will cost around $600. This does not include things such as the door, hinges, vents, etc, which we hope to pick up at the Restore. I am also hoping that we can pick up some used wooden siding, which will reduce the costs significantly. I haven't priced the materials for the run yet, but we are also hoping that we can pick up many of those materials used, perhaps from an old kennel.
Since this is our first experience with chickens, and obviously our first attempt at building a chicken coop, I suspect that we are going to make some mistakes. I'd love to hear some feedback on our chicken coop plan, especially if anyone sees any obvious flaws or thinks that we're going down the wrong path with our design.
Monday, January 28, 2013
01/28/13
Someone came to look at our furnace today. There was both good news and bad news. The good news is that the furnace is now working. The bad news is that it started working as soon as he turned it on, so he wasn't able to identify the problem. He has an idea of what is most likely wrong, and gave me a few things to check in case it happens again. He wrote down all of the information he would need to order the part for me, if it does stop working again. It would be easy to get discouraged from paying a repairman to fix a furnace that started working on its own.
Andrea has spent the evening sorting through back issues of magazines. I had no idea that we had so many. There are several that we need to evaluate to decide if we want to continue receiving them, or if we should start subscribing if we aren't already. It seems that we are magazine junkies.
Andrea has spent the evening sorting through back issues of magazines. I had no idea that we had so many. There are several that we need to evaluate to decide if we want to continue receiving them, or if we should start subscribing if we aren't already. It seems that we are magazine junkies.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
01/27/13
Today has been an eventful day. I woke up several times overnight feeling cold, which was strange, but I was never fully enough awake to consider why I was cold. Finally when I got up at 6:30 AM I realized that it was much colder than normal. Normally when I get up the temperature is between 60 and 63 degrees, depending on whether I left the door open or not. This morning it was 47, which explains why I was cold.
My first guess was maybe the electricity was out. Even though we have a propane furnace it requires electricity and will not work without it. I quickly ruled that out, so next theorized that maybe we had run out of propane. I knew that was unlikely, however, because I had just checked the level last week. I tested the kitchen stove, which also uses propane, and it worked fine. At this point I decided the problem was nothing I could solve quickly, so I retreated to my room where I had an electric space heater running.
The space heater does a wonderful job of keeping a small room warm, so, other than first thing this morning, it has been comfortable in here all day. Once the outside temperature had warmed, which helped the inside temperature a bit, although not a lot, I decided to look at the furnace more closely. After looking through the manual, and browsing some online forums I developed a couple of theories of what might be wrong. I wouldn't even know where to start with figuring it out for sure, though, and would especially not know how to solve the problem if I did identify it. Tomorrow we'll call someone to come look at it. This is certainly one of those areas where we are not self-sufficient. In principle I agree that we need to be more self-reliant when it comes to repairs. In practice however, especially when dealing with something like lack of heat in the winter, we'd rather call in someone who knows what they are doing rather than waste time and money trying to figure it out ourselves.
I spent most of today in my room, and was very productive. Likewise, Andrea spent most of the day being productive in her room. Its amazing how much we can get done when we aren't spending time in front of the tv. Technically I could have been watching tv, since I have one in my room, but I wanted to work on projects instead, and am glad that I did.
I finished the online Beekeeping Training Program that I began yesterday. All that remains is to read the book that goes with it. I also spent some time working on the blog. Ever so often I'd get tired of sitting and would want to move around, so I used those times as an opportunity to put some things away that have been laying around for some time, and then I also took several photos of items that I need to list for sale on ebay.
Around 2:00 PM I happened to check the outside temperature and saw that it had warmed up nicely. I decided to go out and enjoy the warm temperature, even though it was overcast and very muddy. I uncovered the tractor and started it and let it run for several minutes, since it has been sitting for quite a while and the temperatures had been so cold. I decided to fold down the ROPS so it would be easier to cover with the tarp. What I expected to take a few minutes ended up taking the best part of an hour.
My first problem was that I didn't really know what I was doing. Each side had two bolts, so I removed both. That turned out to be a mistake. One of them did serve the intended purpose of allowing the ROPS to fold, but the other was the one holding it in place. Instead of simply folding them, I ended up removing them completely. This in itself wouldn't have been a bit deal, if not for the difficulty I had with removing the bolts. Its likely they had never been removed since the initial assembly, and so they required some extra work. It took several shots of WD-40, a 12" adjustable wrench and pair of vice grips to get the bolts out, and again to get them put back into place. The good news is that the ROPS are currently folded down, which did make the tarp easier to apply, and the next time I do this task I'll know what I'm doing.
Between being cold most of the night and Luke barking, I didn't sleep much last night. I'm hoping tonight will be more restful. I plan to leave the space heater turned on low tonight so the temperature doesn't drop too low. It isn't suppose to be nearly as cold as last night anyway; the forecast calls for a low of 37 compared to 18 degrees last night. Hopefully someone can come out tomorrow and fix the problem. We're suppose to have a couple of days of warmer weather, though, so that gives us some time.
My first guess was maybe the electricity was out. Even though we have a propane furnace it requires electricity and will not work without it. I quickly ruled that out, so next theorized that maybe we had run out of propane. I knew that was unlikely, however, because I had just checked the level last week. I tested the kitchen stove, which also uses propane, and it worked fine. At this point I decided the problem was nothing I could solve quickly, so I retreated to my room where I had an electric space heater running.
The space heater does a wonderful job of keeping a small room warm, so, other than first thing this morning, it has been comfortable in here all day. Once the outside temperature had warmed, which helped the inside temperature a bit, although not a lot, I decided to look at the furnace more closely. After looking through the manual, and browsing some online forums I developed a couple of theories of what might be wrong. I wouldn't even know where to start with figuring it out for sure, though, and would especially not know how to solve the problem if I did identify it. Tomorrow we'll call someone to come look at it. This is certainly one of those areas where we are not self-sufficient. In principle I agree that we need to be more self-reliant when it comes to repairs. In practice however, especially when dealing with something like lack of heat in the winter, we'd rather call in someone who knows what they are doing rather than waste time and money trying to figure it out ourselves.
I spent most of today in my room, and was very productive. Likewise, Andrea spent most of the day being productive in her room. Its amazing how much we can get done when we aren't spending time in front of the tv. Technically I could have been watching tv, since I have one in my room, but I wanted to work on projects instead, and am glad that I did.
I finished the online Beekeeping Training Program that I began yesterday. All that remains is to read the book that goes with it. I also spent some time working on the blog. Ever so often I'd get tired of sitting and would want to move around, so I used those times as an opportunity to put some things away that have been laying around for some time, and then I also took several photos of items that I need to list for sale on ebay.
Around 2:00 PM I happened to check the outside temperature and saw that it had warmed up nicely. I decided to go out and enjoy the warm temperature, even though it was overcast and very muddy. I uncovered the tractor and started it and let it run for several minutes, since it has been sitting for quite a while and the temperatures had been so cold. I decided to fold down the ROPS so it would be easier to cover with the tarp. What I expected to take a few minutes ended up taking the best part of an hour.
My first problem was that I didn't really know what I was doing. Each side had two bolts, so I removed both. That turned out to be a mistake. One of them did serve the intended purpose of allowing the ROPS to fold, but the other was the one holding it in place. Instead of simply folding them, I ended up removing them completely. This in itself wouldn't have been a bit deal, if not for the difficulty I had with removing the bolts. Its likely they had never been removed since the initial assembly, and so they required some extra work. It took several shots of WD-40, a 12" adjustable wrench and pair of vice grips to get the bolts out, and again to get them put back into place. The good news is that the ROPS are currently folded down, which did make the tarp easier to apply, and the next time I do this task I'll know what I'm doing.
Between being cold most of the night and Luke barking, I didn't sleep much last night. I'm hoping tonight will be more restful. I plan to leave the space heater turned on low tonight so the temperature doesn't drop too low. It isn't suppose to be nearly as cold as last night anyway; the forecast calls for a low of 37 compared to 18 degrees last night. Hopefully someone can come out tomorrow and fix the problem. We're suppose to have a couple of days of warmer weather, though, so that gives us some time.
Magazine Review - BackHome Magazine
Andrea and I recently discovered Back HomeMagazine. I have to admit that for years I had this magazine confused with the similarly named Backwoods Home Magazine. Once I realized my mistake I started trying to decide if we should consider a subscription. A trial subscription, which consists of two issues, provided a good opportunity for evaluating it.
I just finished the Jan/Feb 2013 Issue (#122). This is actually the first magazine that I've read front to back in a long time. Normally I'll only read a couple of articles. I found that in this case, however, I was interested in almost every article, and those I wasn't particularly interested were still enjoyable to read.
The article from this issue that was most interesting to me was the one on Conservation Easements. Others that provided good information for our situation were Three Little Pigs, Caveat Hen-Ptor, and White Earth Cordwood Project. I am certain that we'll subscribe to the magazine and will likely remain subscribers for years to come. We also plan to purchase some back issues that contain articles on topics especially interesting to us. I have a list of maybe ten back issues to consider, but the two that we will be ordering for sure are March/April 2012 (#117), which has articles on natural beekeeping, building a chicken coop, and making biochar, and May/June 2011 (#112), with articles on heirloom chickens and building top bar beehives.
It is my understanding that the magazine was formed by former writers and employees of Mother Earth News Magazine after the latter was purchased by a major publisher. I have been a long time reader of Mother Earth News, and will continue to do so. I can certainly see the appeal, however, of BackHome Magazine over MEN, as it seems to focus more on practical articles and advice. I know that a lot of readers are unhappy with the direction Mother Earth News has taken in recent years, especially as it has become more about environmentalism and less about homesteading. BackHome Magazine seems like a wonderful alternative to those who feel that way. It is my guess that this was the original intent was the magazine was started, and based on my experience I have to say that they have been incredibly successful at achieving that goal.
I just finished the Jan/Feb 2013 Issue (#122). This is actually the first magazine that I've read front to back in a long time. Normally I'll only read a couple of articles. I found that in this case, however, I was interested in almost every article, and those I wasn't particularly interested were still enjoyable to read.
The article from this issue that was most interesting to me was the one on Conservation Easements. Others that provided good information for our situation were Three Little Pigs, Caveat Hen-Ptor, and White Earth Cordwood Project. I am certain that we'll subscribe to the magazine and will likely remain subscribers for years to come. We also plan to purchase some back issues that contain articles on topics especially interesting to us. I have a list of maybe ten back issues to consider, but the two that we will be ordering for sure are March/April 2012 (#117), which has articles on natural beekeeping, building a chicken coop, and making biochar, and May/June 2011 (#112), with articles on heirloom chickens and building top bar beehives.
It is my understanding that the magazine was formed by former writers and employees of Mother Earth News Magazine after the latter was purchased by a major publisher. I have been a long time reader of Mother Earth News, and will continue to do so. I can certainly see the appeal, however, of BackHome Magazine over MEN, as it seems to focus more on practical articles and advice. I know that a lot of readers are unhappy with the direction Mother Earth News has taken in recent years, especially as it has become more about environmentalism and less about homesteading. BackHome Magazine seems like a wonderful alternative to those who feel that way. It is my guess that this was the original intent was the magazine was started, and based on my experience I have to say that they have been incredibly successful at achieving that goal.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
01/26/13
I was able to get out for a few minutes today, but didn't do anything other than a few quick chores. The ice is starting to melt, but the ground is, for the most part, still frozen. I'm hopeful that the weather will be nicer tomorrow.
Since I didn't do anything productive outside I decided to start an online beekeeping course. While doing some research on beekeeping associations in other states I found a free online Beekeeping Training Program that was offered by the Ohio State Beekeepers Association. The course consists of 34 video segments, 3 slideshow/audio presentations, and a PDF Copy of Backyard Beekeeping by James E. Tew. Today I watched the first 21 video segments. The course has been both informative and enjoyable. I'll be sure to do a complete review of the course once I've finished.
Since I didn't do anything productive outside I decided to start an online beekeeping course. While doing some research on beekeeping associations in other states I found a free online Beekeeping Training Program that was offered by the Ohio State Beekeepers Association. The course consists of 34 video segments, 3 slideshow/audio presentations, and a PDF Copy of Backyard Beekeeping by James E. Tew. Today I watched the first 21 video segments. The course has been both informative and enjoyable. I'll be sure to do a complete review of the course once I've finished.
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