All Purls. No Swine.
Simple and fresh and fair from winter’s close emerging, As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been, Forth from its sunny nook of shelter’d grass–innocent, golden, calm as the dawn, The spring’s first dandelion shows its trustful face. —Walt Whitman Surely it's one of the humblest of spring flowers, and one which… Continue reading Harbinger
Thirty-five years ago, Mr. Right and I sold our house in one of Pittsburgh’s lowest-rent districts, moved ourselves into a tent in a field in Washington County, PA, where our prospective new home was nothing more than a hole in the ground, and started to build. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were nuts. Nevertheless,… Continue reading The Snowman Cometh
OK, before anybody make a scatalogical joke, I'm already reminded of this billboard: But, seriously. Grain bins. What I need (and all I need) is a bin in which I can securely (that is racoon and mouse-proof-ly) store a few hundred pounds of sheep feed at a time. Many years ago, I built a nice… Continue reading Building a Small Grain Bin From Septic Tank Riser Sections
They’re so funny. And, in many ways, so very human. This is Oleg. He’s tiny for his age (about six weeks), and his “sister” (Tatiana) who’s only a couple of days older, is almost twice his size. I only named them this morning, upon the increasing certainty that the little fermentation vats that comprise their… Continue reading Guilty Pleasures
I've noticed, when it comes to automobiles, that many people fit into one of two molds: either they love cars, or they hate cars. I’m an exemplar of a third type when it comes to a person’s relationship with horseless carriages. Sometimes I love them, and sometimes I hate them. I love them when they’re… Continue reading The Ugliest Car in the World
Cross-posting this from Ricochet, where it appears on the main feed here. Speaking only for myself, I nominate my Fein Multimaster. (I’m not sure if the one in the link is exactly what I have; it may be a newer model. But it looks the same): I bought it several years ago when the guy… Continue reading What’s The Sharpest Tool In Your Drawer?
Nothing is plumb, level, or square: the studs are bowed, the joists are shaky by nature, no piece fits any other piece without a gap or pinch, and bent nails dance all over the surfacing like maggots. By Christ I am no carpenter. I built the roof for myself, the walls for myself, the floors… Continue reading A Pre-Valentine’s Day Poem To Those Who Matter: Love Song: I and Thou
One of my more popular posts has proven to be this one, written in October 2020, about my hacking efforts with my two eight-foot hay feeders made using Premier Panels, in which I described the process of turning them into four four-foot long feeders. I regularly get notifications that it's been viewed by others, and… Continue reading Midwinter’s Update on my Premier Panel Hay Feeders
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen… Continue reading Winter On My Farm
I had a peripatetic childhood, and by the time I finished high school I’d attended well over a dozen schools on three different continents, with time off for good behavior during a glorious year (in about third grade) where there wasn’t a school anywhere in sight. My mother, who was largely disinterested in her parenting… Continue reading Entertaining Angels: Life Comes Full Circle Edition