Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

Rob_O · June 06, 2013, 10:43:26 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on June 06, 2013, 09:35:30 PM
Came a couple feet from stepping on this big guy today.....

That will make a nice hatband

rick91351 · June 06, 2013, 11:29:52 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on June 06, 2013, 03:46:30 PM
Yup... a well at 1 gallon per minute. [ouch]

Catching rain... Illegal?... they'd likely have to catch me first as... I haven't heard the news.... No... I don't think the commies have got us here in the Peoples Republic Of California yet..... OK... at least not on that one.

....

Don't be so sure about that one Glenn. In the event you land in in the joint

we will drop by with a file baked into the double double chocolate cake with the creme frosting or a blueberry cheese cake......

June 07, 2013, 03:10:35 PM

I don't know, Rick... I might welcome some free lunch in the lock up....Free food... exercise yard... free laundry... who could not like that...

....as long as the big guy didn't think I was cute....

glenn kangiser · June 07, 2013, 03:12:41 PM

It could have made a hatband, Rob, but it was hot and dusty and I didn't feel like skinning it, so... got lazy and just buried it...... [ouch]

glenn kangiser · June 10, 2013, 10:44:33 PM

My tomatoes on the hugelkultur bed are beginning to ripen. The plants are pretty scrawny on one variety especially but another variety - Roma - are growing like crazy....

Probably GMO'd.....

June 13, 2013, 01:48:49 AM

Planted a bunch more stuff in the garden today.....

Things are doing pretty good.....Okra, Basil, Acorn Squash... Peanuts.... more eggplants since the bugs like to eat them, and picked a bunch of tomato worms off of the tomatoes... ugly big green critters...

glenn kangiser · June 14, 2013, 02:25:16 PM

The cows came up for the first time in weeks last night. This is all I have left. The bull crossed a couple too many fences so I sold him to a bull buyer the other day.

He was at my friends place for a while but he decided he didn't want to have horns on his calves so .... when the bull buyer brought him some heifers, we sent him to the valley to wherever his destiny decides to take him.

Redoverfarm · June 14, 2013, 02:48:45 PM

Glad to hear that someone else has cattle problems also. No better way to start the day than getting up at 5AM and chasing a stray cow that found it's way out of the fence last night.

The biggest problem with summer time grazing is that usually they are short term and a little skiddish to begin with. I am glad I started them on a little sweet feed regiment when I got them. At least they know the routine somewhat and that is the only thing that made it better joining them together again.

glenn kangiser · June 15, 2013, 01:23:15 PM

The country is so rough around here you just about have to wait for the spring round up to get them back...

A bull with love on his mind isn't even going to follow a Bush Hog full of hay and grain I found out. He was a good little fella and I hated to sell him but dealing with him in the future wasn't something I wanted to do again.

June 16, 2013, 01:15:24 AM

The birds love the water around the garden and I keep a tub under the drippers so it will stay full for them and the other animals... such as the squirrel that keeps biting holes in the drip line.... grrrrr...

See the little bird sitting on the drip line between the Marigold and the Asian Eggplant......

glenn kangiser · June 16, 2013, 11:59:34 PM

Fire on the mountain......

Sassy and I were through this area yesterday...but we didn't do it.... we can see the smoke from our place though...

There is a campground up there and people living nearby. Hope they get it out before it gets too big. It was at 1000 acres tonight.....bound to get bigger with the wind and hot weather here lately.....not so good.....

rick91351 · June 17, 2013, 07:59:14 AM

Glenn we are going through one of the driest years on record around here. Snow was off and gone and flowers blooming when we should have still had two feet of snow up latter part of April here at the ranch. We are running a good month ahead of the usual. It was so dry that the range grass hardly grew. Hay will be very very short as well.

Wildfire season is another reason I think your under ground complex is the best way to go.......

ben2go · June 17, 2013, 12:25:37 PM

Good luck Glenn.Have you started cutting in fire breaks?I remember the last fir scare you posted.I hope they get it under control.

glenn kangiser · June 17, 2013, 11:04:36 PM

Snow was gone early here too, Rick..... a fire could start anywhere in an instant and the thing about this place is that generally it could reburn every year.....

The fire is up to about 1650 acres as of tonight and moving away from the underground complex at this point in time. People Northeast of here are being evacuated. Common sight around here lately... right past the complex to and from the airport....

Hopefully there will not be a need for fire breaks at this point in time from this fire at least, but ...who knows about the next one.

The cows have been doing their work on the lower side of the mountain and regularly coming up for hay now....at least the last couple days. They still go down to continue clearing dry grass and poison oak though. Good cows....

June 18, 2013, 04:14:33 AM

there has been far too much rain here in the mid west this spring and early summer

too bad we can't share the rains more equitably with the west

some of the crops are getting flooded out from too much rain and it sure has made the farmhouse remodel a challenge

glenn kangiser · June 18, 2013, 01:07:45 PM

Weather modification.... appears to give credibility to climate change is responsible for a lot of this in my opinion.

Many don't want to see it, but I studied the weather too much during my pilot school days for Private, instrument and commercial to believe the spreading persistent contrails are natural.

glenn kangiser · June 18, 2013, 10:55:42 PM

I went down to the PGE contract tree trimmers yard and put my name, a map and directions I drew on a piece of paper on the windows of about 7 of the trucks there. I had also stopped there last week trying to get chips delivered to my cul-de-sac.

I was rewarded with a couple loads. I am hoping they bring tons of chips though. That seems to be the only way to improve the soil up here.

The garden is growing great in it for the most part. I am mixing about half topsoil from the cul-de-sac area then adding a few scoops of alpaca manure when I get it to the house. Next I mix it up with the Bobcat and put it over the hugelkultur logs and brush.

I fired up the sawmill today and cut a few 10' 4x4s I needed also. Surprisingly it started up and ran well.... at least one thing went right today.... the forklift seems to be another problem ......

glenn kangiser · June 20, 2013, 12:25:05 AM

Remember Myanmar.... My friend, Win Ko Ko posted a picture from farther up country... probably in Shan State .... a bit of a danger zone. He is in Development now I think......

Here is a bit of why I want to go back.... current farming practices.... I love the water buffalo....such a magnificent animal....

Win is the one staying dry... Myo introduced me to him near the end of my trip. He also was brought to the US to study by the US State Department.... a Fulbright Fellow.... in fact, one of the brighter fellows I know.

Guess I should mention I stole his picture.... ahhhh ... I'll tell him later....

glenn kangiser · June 24, 2013, 12:55:09 AM

Hugelkultur

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZzpcryBcg3E/Uce2URb18XI/AAAAAAAAFYw/hJBhZtpiEr0/w911-h683-no/FB_IMG_13720423058937922.jpg[/img]

Equals.......

Food

Ernest T. Bass · June 24, 2013, 08:46:53 PM

Wow, that's such a beautiful bouquet! Looks like a painting..

June 24, 2013, 11:27:56 PM

Thanks, Andrew. I am noticing a few problems with the tomatoes so planted some large cherry tomatoes also today. Maybe that I am keeping it too wet... but some of that depends on the weather too. It is known that some plants may not like the first year on the hugelkultur bed.... still for the most part the garden is doing great.

I wanted to have some more winter squash so planted some more Butternuts as that was what the feed store had. My favorite is the Acorn Squash. I think I already planted some more but don't remember... silly me for not mapping everything but I am doing it the Sepp Holzer way and broadcasting some of the seed also.... we will see how we like that. Sure easier than planting rows if it works... [ouch]

The larger zucchinis (yellow or green), can be used in the Mock Apple Crisp..... delicious.... My International Student friends I am going to see in Sacramento Area requested one this weekend.

Still I did a lot of rows with the broadcast seed also. Should be a great mess....but interesting.

rick91351 · June 25, 2013, 12:13:58 AM

Those types of beds work so well I can not figure out why they are not used more. Other than you need equipment to place the 'organic' material. Logs and logs and then the dirt of course.

glenn kangiser · June 25, 2013, 04:46:25 PM

What do you think, Rick?... Chainsaw, shovel and nine energetic kids should be able to do it.

Logs can be cordwood instead cut into manageable lengths. Brush can be anything brushy or straw or chips or whatever. Sepp uses sod upside down over the brush then compost, dirt, over that... I add alpaca manure or composted manure. [ouch]

You are correct that a tractor with a scoop or other machines make it easier. If no logs, only brush or chips would do. Use what you have. Some things may not like it as well as others.

rick91351 · June 25, 2013, 05:46:47 PM

Glenn now days the nine energetic kids most likely are parked in front of the computer or X-Box with the last box of stale Twinkies rationed out before them. OBTW they are going to start baking Twinkies again. Truly America is restored to its rightful place....

Cord wood will work or anything that will will sponge up the moisture and retain it giving it up slowly over time. Another good choice would be those old punky trees that are to far gone for fire wood. I think they would be a good choice. Really this is something that should be a class at a community collage or garden. Then those people take it to the world. It is pretty labor intense for a period of time. But if it is in a place of if you want to eat - Do this and you can produce this much subsistence when what you are doing now is not working.....

I know Monsanto should offer it as a course....

I had to say that didn't I.

Thank you Monsanto for all you do......

You think they believe me?

Most likely that is going to the watchers and they will filter to the proper people....

glenn kangiser · June 26, 2013, 10:43:47 PM

You just reminded me, Rick... I need to start finding one of those new Twinkies Suppliers.....

I mean right now.... I have no excuse........

I was able to get tons of the old half rotted logs from the fire for mine. The problem with making this a community project is that there are going to be so many naysayers...... little ol' grannies slapping me up the side of the head with their canes and all I'm afraid. [ouch]

I am so much not a team player...

Some of the world is wising up to Monsanto.. Like China I think it was just rejected boatloads of their GMO contaminated frankenfood. The US willl not because Monsanto holds so many of our top political offices. Seems there was six or 8 or so that snatched up the empty seats, and then the rest of the polys are likely invested in it anyway.