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I did not get new rims. I feel pretty good about the guy that changed them and figured he would have said something if they were bad.

Yes, bought my tractor from him, as well as all 3 Stihl chainsaws.

Exactly!

Did you know Nate Stanton?

👍👌

???

My tires were 15 yrs old and leaking fluid on the inside and outside of both rims. Decided it was time for new ones. A neighbor helped me get them loaded onto my trailer last Thursday, and Friday I drove to Kingman (75 miles one way) and got new ones. They are still sitting on the trailer as I’m...

Harvesting kale, tomatoes, beets, and carrots out of the Walipini. Recently planted bush beans, zucchini, artichoke, and romaine.

Currently I’m working on a compost bin. Three compartments. I still need to make the front door to two of the compartments.

Never had any settling of the logs and it’s been 11 years now. We still have a stretch of about 5 miles of road that is still dirt, gravel. If it rains hard then you don’t go anywhere for a few days.

I ordered on Jan 1 and picked it up around the 17th. It’s been working great for a couple months now. Just got too busy and didn’t post.

I ordered it through Lowe’s and it took two weeks to get it, but we still had our old units, so no hurry. We love it.

Mama’s happy!

Ready for stacked washer/dryer. Hoping Santa will bring that!

Yeah, I used a cardboard template and then cut the siding. Thanks!

Flooring finished.

Steps done on both ends.

Finished outside trim. Inside trim is next, then connecting electrical.

A Mudroom. That was the reason for the project. Mama wanted a Mudroom, and I just decided to make the whole deck in addition to it.

More progress. Ran out of paint. I should have gotten 2 gallons. 😱 Putting on trim tomorrow.

Metal is on the roof. What a relief. My second helper didn’t show so I made about 30 trips up and down the ladder, but never actually got on the roof.

Today it has been 4 weeks since I fractured my ribs (6 of them). Progress is slow but steady. I can sleep on my side for about a half hour, then I have to revert to my back, with a wedge pillow under my shoulders, resembling a recliner. A couple days ago I decided to “test” myself and tried to...

Making progress.

Two walls up. Very challenging getting that heavy 14 ft wall from the ground up onto the deck. Used the tractor!

Thanks!

We got all the sheathing up and the tar paper. Metal is ordered. It was difficult to stay down on the ground, but I know I needed to do that.

Two doctors and a Physical Therapist told me that the “old school” method was to wrap them and stay in bed. But that can lead to pneumonia, so lots of moderate exercise and lots of breathing exercises are best. Now I will avoid exercise that wants to wrist the torso, like golf or volleyball, but...

I ordered the metal for the roof so I’ll need my two helpers to get that sheathing on this week. I’ll be hard at work sitting in a chair, or maybe in the tractor seat. 😄

“Completion”? My wife says it will never happen. I’ll always come up with something to build (garage, shed for backup genny, tiny home for guests, etc……. It’s been a week now and today I was able to dress myself, from tee shirt down to lacing my boots. Good progress. And I just walked a mile or...

I had a helper. I would not do roof work alone. Now I’m going to have to find two helpers so I can just supervise. 😄

On Thursday I finished the joists and on Friday we attempted the OSB sheathing. Trying to position the first panel, a gust of wind came out of nowhere and lifted the OSB, the ladder and me. Fell about 12 feet and spent the night in ICU at Flagstaff Medical Center. Fractured 6 ribs, so the...

I’ve been using the 5 gal buckets for years now. I catch a few mice and a few chipmunks almost daily but never caught a squirrel in one.

Lately the ground squirrels have invaded my place. I have seen them occasionally, but now they are digging tunnels all around the house. I’ve tried the Havahart traps but no takers. I tried flooding out the tunnels, but that doesn’t seem to bother them either. I tried rat poison but they won’t...

Finished setting the upper outside beam.

Two joists to go. Miscalculated and ran out of material.

Tore out the old small porch and started on joists.

Here we go again. Starting a mud room.

I got the FLIR that attaches to my iPhone. I got it to show areas where heat was leaking out of the house. I also use it to see the water level in my 2500 gal tanks. I think it works well for an inexpensive unit.

Ken, Doing well. We have 4 of our grandsons here for a week, so I am quite busy trying to keep up with them. They are now 17, 15, 13 and 11. Glad to hear you are feeling better! Yes, it has been hot here. Low 90’s, but at least it cools down to 58-62 at night. Unlike the Phoenix area where it...

I planted some asparagus crowns 10 days ago and they are going like gangbusters. I’m backfilling the trench about 2-3 inches a day the past few days and some shoots are 3-4 inches taller the next day.

Yes there is a lot of clay, but the previous owners had a perc test done, and it was okay.

I know, it would be cheaper to just buy the fruit. But it’s the challenge and the principle, I guess.

I’m building “cages” around my fruit trees. I started with a 4 ft fence to keep out javelina. Then a deer ate one of my apple trees, so I put a 6 ft fence just inside the 4 ft fence. Those two fences kept the deer, cows, and javelina out, but then the birds ate the fruit before we could pick it...

We bought 40 acres (mostly wooded) and built our retirement home there. When the 40 in front of us came on the market, we snapped it up. 80 gives nice privacy.

Thanks all!

I’m ready to get a canopy for my L3400. Any pros or cons as to what’s available?

Yes, it’s staying warm enough. I have kale, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli growing so far. Haven’t harvested anything yet but getting close.

His leg is fine. He gets a little arthritis when it rains. i was helping a friend build just outside of Winslow. i have been meaning to look into solar electrical fence.

I have a couple extra bottles from a travel trailer I sold. I hook the heater up to one of those and it should last awhile.

A heat lamp would most likely work well, but since I’m off-grid I try to avoid any heat produced by electricity. With the short days I use up a lot of my batteries just maintaining the house. Short days mean less charging time, on top of long nights which use more lights and such.

Update on Walipini; The last couple days it has gotten down to 11 degrees at night, and only 25 during the day. And we had some snow, so I took the precaution of putting a small propane heater in the green house (a Mr. Buddy), and set it on low, just to make sure it didn’t freeze anything. It’s...

It’s been in the low 20’s at night lately and low 40’s during the day. Green house has not gone below 44 at night and usually goes to low 90’s during the day. I have a propane heater but have not used it yet. I have beets a few inches high, kale about 6 inches, and some romaine that just broke...

Thanks Ken. So far the humidity in there has been around 15% and I haven’t noticed any insects yet. No settling that I can notice, and it’s been 8 years. When Spring arrives, I’ll be starting my next project - back deck with mud room.

I’m very happy with the Walipini so far. Temps at night have been in the mid twenties and it is staying about 45 inside at night, with no heat source. Daytime temps have been in the upper forties and it gets up to 100 inside. I have kale about 4-5 inches tall; beets about the same; romaine is...

Installed gutter today. For now the water will run down the downspout and away from the green house. In the Spring I’ll block the hole to the downspout and drill a hole near the end so the water goes into that holding tank.

Fresh cut juniper trees, stacked on each other with timberlock screws and fence posts. When filling it up, I put smaller branches (3-5 inches in diameter) in any cracks to hold the dirt in.

The water barrel and a piece of insulation over the inside of the door made a big difference. Last night it got down to 22 degrees outside. In the green house it bottomed out at 52.

We haven’t had a garden for several years but now that we are both retired and both here full time, we will attempt a garden also. These outside raised beds are now full of dirt, manure, and compost, and will be ready for planting in the Spring. I still need to fence them in though.

I transplanted my tomato plants into the green house and they are doing way better than they did all summer. Last week I planted kale seeds and beet seeds. Both are coming up in the last couple days. its been getting down to the mid twenties at night but it hasn’t gotten below 42 in the green...

I finished the electrical and the plumbing. The blue barrel I painted black today and filled it with water. The plan is that it will absorb heat during the day and then release it during the night.

Finished the retaining walls.

Started working on a retaining wall the other day.

Thanks all.

I’ve always had outdoor gardens and when the frost and cold weather came, the growing season was over. Now I have a green house, so I’m wondering how long a tomato plant can last if it continues to stay warm and is weather protected. Any experiences?

Thanks.

The 12 inch fan I got from HD. The louvers open automatically when the fan comes on. I need to make some smaller ones for the little fan. I don’t remember where I got it. It several years old and has a switch based on humidity while the big fan is set to temperature.

I finished almost all the outside. I have landscape fabric under the gravel. I like the exhaust fan, as it’s temperature controlled. I started filling up one of the beds inside today.

Finished my door. Also have all the insulation in, as well as another exhaust fan.

Looks like it’s time to clean the bird bath.

I’m still going to cover those green rakes.

I know. I keep telling my wife I should go back to full-time employment. This retirement stuff is hard work. 😄

I finished the shingles! I was too tired to go take a picture, as I split wood all morning. I’ll send a pic tomorrow.

I think if I put my new boards out in the sun like that, that they would be pretzels in a couple days. 😄 im not plannings on painting that board. Maybe a coat of varathane.

Yes, I used treated wood for the fascia on the lower side. I will also be putting a gutter on there to collect rain water.

It’s sort of like a regular plywood and shingle roof with a huge skylight! 😄

I needed to finish up the trim on the sides so I could put the drip guard on.

Started the shingles.

Yes, the felt and the shingles will be over the poly on top and under the poly at the bottom. Like I said, I just laid them there to get a feel for how it was going to look.

These are the shingles. I just have them laying there to see what it looks like. I haven’t done the felt on the lower part yet.

I went to town today to get shingles. After I got back I put the felt paper on the top part. Kind of windy and not very warm (53 degrees), so that was a lot of fun. NOT!

Yesterday I had to remove one of the siding panels on the end while I was working inside. At 112, it was just too dang hot in there. I guess I need to get my exhaust fans pronto.

I rolled up the plastic and put it away. The polycarbonate panels are all up.

I got 3 of the 5 panels up today. Hopefully I can finish the other 2 tomorrow.

Awesome job. Looks great!

You know, I put in French drains and then I waterproofed the outside of the block walls, because that’s what you’re suppose to do. But with only 12-15 inches of rain per year, I’m not convinced I needed to do either. So what if moisture gets in. That would be that much less watering I need to...

Making a door is the next job.

Eventually there will be windows and vents, but I’m just trying to get it buttoned up for now.

It uses the earth to keep a more consistent temp. The temp of the earth, usually around 50-55 degrees, will keep it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, thus extending the growing season, possibly to 12 months.

The plywood and panels are about the same thickness. I’ll butt the panels up to the plywood and then I’ll probably shingle over the plywood, with some overlap onto the panels.

Panels will go edge to edge left to right, but they are 4 ft wide and 8 ft long and the rafters are 12 ft so I need something to cover up the other 4 feet. I could cut some panels in half and do a row of 8 footers and a row of 4 footers but there’s little point of paying for panels to cover...

Yes, that’s what I thought when you said purloins, but I don’t think they are necessary with the blocking and plywood.

I have 12 ft rafters. I put 30” of plywood along the top, and 18” along the bottom. That leaves 96” for my 8 ft panels. What I didn’t take into account was my fascia boards. If I start the plywood at the top edge and the bottom edge, I’m going to have a 3” gap. I’ll have to think on that one...

Eddie, is this what you meant by purloins? I always intended to put 2x4’s in between the rafters, but I’ve always heard that referred to as “blocking”. So I have 2x4 blocking at the center of the span. Then I put 30” of plywood at the top and 18” at the bottom. That leaves 96” for my panels...

Home Depot has Lexan sheets with “H” profile strips to go between the panels and “U” profiles for the ends. But they only carry 6mm in that brand. They have Ejoy panels in 10mm, which I’d rather have, but they don’t carry any profiles or connectors. Go figure. So I haven’t finalized which panel...

I’m still honing my search for panels. Hopefully they will be 4x10, in which case I’ll put a 2x4 at the top and bottom. I’m trying to keep it as open as possible to keep anything from blocking the sun. The rafters are 12 ft long, so I’m thinking of putting a 12 inch strip of plywood across the...

Framing done. I found an old roll of heavy plastic in the Conex and it’s exactly the right size. It will do until I order my polycarbonate panels.

Ken, it’s a greenhouse. The big sloping wall faces South. The straight wall is just to get a good angle to the sun.

7 of 11 rafters finished.

I started framing today. Woo Hoo!!

Has anybody built an underground green house? I have the walls completed and will start on the roof in a couple days. Just wondering if anybody has one and if so, did you put insulation on the walls, like polyiso panels? also, has anyone run pex lines in the raised beds to keep the soil warm...

I tried the netting over the tree and almost ruined the tree trying to get it off. I just finished this cage that seems to keep away the birds, deer, and javelina. I’ll probably build 5 more, for the cherry trees, peach, pear, etc.

Good to hear from you Ken. Glad we don't get snow like that now.

I finished the sill plate. I was going to go get lumber for the roof today, but we got some heavy rain last night and the roads are too muddy. I’ll have to wait a couple days.

Last of the concrete!!!

I got 26 bags mixed before the rains came. My homemade box works really well.

So much for Hurricane Hilary. Like the other Hillary, it was just a lot of hot air. 😄 We got a small sprinkle for a few minutes. Other than that it was just cloudy and cool. I spent the day on several small jobs in case a storm did materialize. I made a box to slide along the top of the wall...

I finally finished the 9th and final course. I was planning on grouting today, but Hurricane Hilary May delay it another day or two. It’s suppose to thunderstorm all day.

I’ve already started filling them. I mix up a batch in the mixer, pour it into a mixing tray, and then I’ve been using some old plastic flower pots to scoop it into the block. Since I’m filling at the halfway point, I’m sticking little 2 ft pieces of rebar vertically in every block to help make...

About 12 block a day is what my back will tolerate. Then there’s tarring the outside and hauling/washing gravel for backfill, grinding and placing rebar, etc. The actual laying of block is about 25% of the job, so I’m happy with the progress rate.

No hurry. Just enjoying the process.

I’m up to 4 courses so far. Going for 9. It’s so hot that I only work on it from 6:30-9:00 am.

I guess I’ll get done when I get done. No time table. Next week we head over to CA to our oldest grandchild’s high school graduation.

I went ahead and put perforated drain pipe behind the block I have done so far. I know, some think I’m nuts for doing the drain pipe when I haven’t even finished the first course yet, but I’ve had multiple cave-ins and I’m just trying to make sure I can get some wall up asap by the most...

I just now found my tool for smoothing the seam between blocks. I may not use it until the 5th course as everything below that will be covered in dirt, inside and out.

I know Brandi doesn’t doubt my work, but thanks for the vote of confidence.

I did 10 more block yesterday and ran out of block. Another trip to HD tomorrow.

Laid 13 block today, in about the same time as I did 6 yesterday. I think I’m getting into a groove. 👍

We are finally completely out of the Phoenix home and here at the cabin 24/7. It took a long time to dig out all the dirt that caved in and get back to where I was last August. I got the footer poured a week or so ago and finally laid the first block yesterday morning. After 6 block, it started...

Yes the weather put the kibosh on everything. The dirt walls have caved in on top of my forms and it will be a ton of work to dig everything out when weather permits. Since Jan 1 we have received 57 inches of snow. More than the last several years combined. I have been concentrating my efforts...

Yes, a lot of expansive clay.

Yea, I figured I better fill the block.

I can throw in some perforated pipe before I backfill, making some French drains. And I could put in a couple anchors. We’re getting some heavy rain right now. A few inches this week.

So two of my block walls on my underground greenhouse are going to be 6 ft tall and 19 ft long. When they are finished and cured, I will backfill. I’m planning on inserting rebar and filling some of the holes in the block around the center of my walls at least. Question; Should I put a small...

Wow, I need to find a group like that!

We have triple wall on our freestanding Blaze King. Never heard anything about an insulated pipe, even from the most regulated communist county in the country.

We love our Blaze King Princess model, but it can cook us out even with 1700 sq ft. Usually we leave upstairs windows open a little, even when it’s freezing outside.

Wow, be careful. Hope you heal quickly.

I have a friend who is a nutritionist and dietician, and she told me 30 yrs ago that if you eat what you’re suppose to eat, you’ll weigh what you’re suppose to weigh. So even though I started off with the goal of shedding pounds quickly (about 3 lbs a week), I morphed into eating what I think...

We have juniper and pinion pine.

I use a smaller plate these days! And have no problem pushing away whether the plate is empty or not.

The 153 is an arbitrary number I pulled from some internet site trying to determine best weight for your height. It’s not in stone. I went from size 40 pants to comfortable 34. I can squeeze into 32 but I still have a bit of a muffin top with them. I want to get rid of that. If it takes 15 more...

If you soak them for 24 hours before cooking them then it eliminates almost all the gas.

Excellent! Processed food has so much of the good stuff taken out and so much questionable stuff added. I say, if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Same with processed meats, so hopefully the meat you do eat is fresh from the butcher and not the packaged processed meats.

I previously ate just about everything, including lots of junk food and snacks. After doing a lot of research, I found the best way to lose weight and prevent disease is to go the totally plant based whole food method. No meat, no dairy, nothing processed (almost everything that comes in a box)...

Health is pretty good, now. Back in March the doc said I was the heaviest ever (225) and he was talking Lipitor and something for blood pressure. I told him I’d fix it. I really dislike prescriptions. I mean really, really dislike medications. I don’t take anything except some vitamin...

Nice new toy. Sounds like you’re having fun!

About a year ago, civilian asked for a drone shot. Here’s a couple.

I was back your way for about 10 days. Visited siblings and cousins. We all got together at Heartland on Heritage in Magnolia, Ohio.

Well that is interesting. I’m not sure the boss will go along with any change of plans. LOL

We have a winner!

Any guesses?

I’m ready to build forms for the footers.

I graded until it sloped downhill, Eddie. No worries about filling up.

I ordered mine about 2 months ago and it arrived in about two weeks. Compared to Dish internet and Verizon internet, it’s way better. I can stream on two tvs, an iPad and my phone with no issues. I love it.

Good morning from Northern AZ. It’s been a few months since I was online. Life happens.

I had my 4 grandsons for a couple weeks, so they helped me move a lot of dirt.

About a month ago I started on a new project. My neighbor brought over his backhoe and dug out this hole for me.

We heat mostly with the wood stove and usually go through 3 cords a winter in northern AZ. My wife wants to get me a splitter but I keep telling here that splitters are for old people. I’m 72 and enjoy splitting all our firewood. Maybe one of these days, but not yet.

??????? Well, if I ever get a sore on my foot, I may try that.

We hit 99 a couple days up here but the temps have been bearable, especially with the evenings cooling off. I had the 4 boys the last week of June and the first week of July. They are now 14,12,10 and 8. They enjoyed the usual zipline and the quads, as well as BB guns. Also this year I hid a...

When one ladder will not reach……….

Yes, i still need finish trim. Too hard to anticipate exactly what I would need ahead of time.

I still need a little chinking in the cracks and maybe some 1/4 round, but its 99% finished.

I got the window out, the log sawed and the door put in the same day. Glad that job is over!

Well, it is finally time to quit crawling out the window.

Wow, back in October it was $3.10. I’m sure its higher now.

I have been working on the railing when I have time. Slow and steady. It will get done one of these days.

Here is the last picture I took while 40 feet up on the telehandler before I sold it. However, it is pre-zipline. I will have to work on that drone shot.

I had also completed the boardwalk before the grandson visit.

I finished the floor upstairs and then started the railing. Then I went to get my 4 grandsons for a 2 week stay, so any further work is on hold. It was a challenge eating those 16 foot rim joists up there by myself.

Always a lot going on. I have about 2/3 of the flooring upstairs done. When I ran out of 2x6s, then I switched to the stairs, pouring a pad under them, and another one 6 feet away. Instead of a sidewalk, I decided to go with a boardwalk. I have 2 of the 3 pads poured but now I am sidetracked...

All joists are up. Time for flooring.

Finished the other ledger board and I have half of the joists up. Slow and steady. I am 70 and working alone, so safety comes before speed. No deadlines makes it easier.