Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

ben2go · January 02, 2013, 03:37:55 PM

I don't think ashes are a big deal unless there's something burned before hand that may be toxic like plastic or something with toxic ink.

glenn kangiser · January 03, 2013, 10:54:07 AM

I think you are right on that, Ben. They can't be half as bad as the food tampering the GMO companies are doing with our seeds.

There is the possibility some things they are doing will never hurt us but who wants to find out 20 years down the road?

Picked up a cheap saddle yesterday for the old horse. Who knows - when he gets to looking a bit better I may take him out for a walk. I have been giving him some Equine Senior.... which he loves and it seems he is looking a bit better already.

January 03, 2013, 11:46:52 AM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on January 03, 2013, 10:54:07 AM
Picked up a cheap saddle yesterday for the old horse. Who knows - when he gets to looking a bit better I may take him out for a walk. I have been giving him some Equine Senior.... which he loves and it seems he is looking a bit better already.

Glenn your soft side is being exposed. You have just crossed over to non lucrative livestock.

My son had asked me for years to get a horse and I stood my ground for obivious reasons. I showed him there is more profitable ways to turn money into manure.

rick91351 · January 03, 2013, 02:50:11 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 03, 2013, 11:46:52 AM
Glenn your soft side is being exposed. You have just crossed over to non lucrative livestock. My son had asked me for years to get a horse and I stood my ground for obivious reasons. I showed him there is more profitable ways to turn money into manure.

Having tried several small business ventures and having owned horses. Both I add sort of failed miserably at for the amount of time and expense involved and return occurred.

Then one day it dawned on me to get back into something I know about. Not that I don't know horses but I actually mean as John puts it the more lucrative livestock trade. I.E. cattle, hogs and sheep. Decided the others can go broke without me owning and trading horses that have very little to no real ranch use.

glenn kangiser · January 04, 2013, 12:12:13 PM

Well.... he came with the neighbors, Guys..... [ouch]......

I didn't buy him myself, and I was just going to borrow him.....

....and he's still kicking pretty good... not quite ready for the glue factory....

and I am using about 15 acres of their land to run my cows on....

I admit, I have not bought a horse myself for the reasons you mention... another mouth to feed, but I figured I just as well take advantage of one that was here anyway.

January 04, 2013, 05:02:44 PM

...by the way... the horses name is Shasta, but I didn't know that 'til I asked so I had been calling him Mr. Ed..... [ouch]

A horse is a horse of course, of course....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PZPpWTRTU

glenn kangiser · January 05, 2013, 09:31:39 AM

Got a few loads of logs and brush into the hugelkultur bed area yesterday.....

These were dead Bull Pines from the neighbors property. Bull Pines are very pitchy when live but tend to decompose rapidly when in contact with the ground and wet, turning spongy rapidly. I have a few more from our property and another neighbors property also to get.

I dumped one more load with the butt of the tree and a rotted old down tree in it after that.

Paul Wheaton wanted to see 8 feet of wood under the ground.... I am going to give it a try along with the "Back to Eden" mulch ground cover and see if we can get the Sepp Holzer non-irrigation technique to work here in the California Mediterranean Climate.

That means that we get nearly no rain for about 6 months of the year. We average 25 to 50 inches during the rainy season sometimes getting 5 inches or so in a storm, then we may have several weeks with no rain.... or as last year... a lot of the winter with no rain to speak of. We had quite a drought last year. [ouch]

glenn kangiser · January 05, 2013, 10:51:14 PM

Brought up about ten yards of wood chips to get into the mix. It looks like I can use a lot more wood in that pile though. [ouch]

I was going to fall another dead tree, but got sidetracked playing with the Bobcat... I mean working with the Bobcat digging out a flat spot for the big 45' trailer ... then after trying to move the truck and trailer and getting it stuck... I went back to work...

The wood chips was all I could get in the little time before dark.... so many things ...so little time....

At least the Mayans got it wrong so I have more time than I thought....

rick91351 · January 05, 2013, 11:37:21 PM

Glenn is this a question for you or Paul Wheaton but on his you tube concerning this type of bed they discouraged using evergreens. What is your feeling and Idea about that?

Rick

January 06, 2013, 07:29:31 PM

You are correct on that, Rick, but then again they say use whatever you have. On Sepp's place or the forest next to it they had a whole spruce forest blow down and he put them to work. It is possible there will be some things that do not like the gasses or whatever coming off of the evergreens as they decompose the first year but some crops will do fine on it.

I read of one person who used pine shavings to grow tomatoes I think it was, with hydroponics.

Another point is on the "Back to Eden" video he used wood chips and did not differentiate on the type he used as I recall. He seemed to do fine with it.

Yes, so the answer is maybe not as desirable as hardwoods but... it is what I have so I will put it to use. I will just see what grows and what doesn't and vary the crop accordingly. Pines will be more acidic than hardwoods also from what I have read.

I think with the possibility of increased moisture retention versus a dried out brick soil in the summer I may still come out ahead.

glenn kangiser · January 07, 2013, 12:09:13 PM

Kind of a neat looking sunrise this morning....

Glad I'm not in the valley below.... [ouch]

Mr. Ed is patiently... OK ....impatiently waiting to burn up a bit of hay and grain this morning...

Checked with the neighbor last night to make sure it was OK if I get his hooves trimmed and try to ride him.... he hasn't been ridden in 6 or 7 years.... that is OK bercause I haven't ridden in about 12 years..... one time.... on a mule....in Zion Canyon... before that about 30 years on a mean Welsh Pony...

Ernest T. Bass · January 07, 2013, 10:37:54 PM

Know whatcha mean about those Welsh ponies... 'Little' doesn't translate to 'gentle' by any means.

I got kicked in the side enough times that it kinda turned me off to equines. Figured if a full-sized horse treated me like that I'd be in traction..

You'll look good on Ed--can't wait for the pics!

glenn kangiser · January 08, 2013, 01:12:54 AM

Yes - they are mean little rascals, Andrew.... always reaching around trying to bite you or looking for a low branch to knock you off their back with....

This ol' fella is not all that sure he wants any gear hooked up on his head yet but most of the time he is pretty calm. I tried to put a halter on him yesterday and he made a quick turn around and either was going to walk into the other part of the corral .... or... possibly kick me out of the one he was in.....

Not sure which so I decided it was best to err in favor of staying out of the way of the back feet..... the neighbor said he took a shot at him the day they let him out. I also have seen him stick his ears back and chase a cow off of the hay and grain if he wanted it... but he is calming down on that a bit too and is generally pretty well mannered gently eating grain from my hand. I think he will be OK.

Even if he is an old horse, it will be kinda cool. Kids just don't understand how you can be a cowboy without a horse.... I'm not a cowboy but maybe I can kinda look like one once in a while..... I always chose a motorcycle instead of a horse because motorcycles don't have brains of their own....If they do something it is my own fault.... now.. a horse.... I have been there and seen those little Welsh ponies plot against me.... [ouch]

I have the farrier coming to trim his hooves and put shoes on him - delayed again so possibly afternoon tomorrow or the next day or two... we live on Mariposa time around here.....

glenn kangiser · January 08, 2013, 01:08:42 PM

I got a call from the Farrier this morning. He is going to be by between 1 and 2. I wonder how interesting this will be? Pix later I think....

The girl I bought the saddle from met me in town yesterday with a halter and lead rope.... $5.00 ... wouldn't take more... She just likes to see people who will take an interest in an old horse.

On another note.... a friend put in an order for 600 onions for me with his order to get a quantity discount. I planted over 200 last night. Still have about a thousand to go. It seems the company he orders from would rather give you about twice as many as to count out an exact amount. OK... some for me and some for the gophers..... [ouch]

January 09, 2013, 11:38:50 AM

Took me 20 minutes of tricks with grain to get his halter on yesterday..... I was over and under the barb wire by the feeder trying to get him to hold still long enough to do something he wasn't sure he wanted to do........

Finally... the old grain in the halter trick.... grain on the bottom of the feeder then put the halter on it and pull it up as he's eating.... took a few tries but it worked.

Once on it didn't bother him a bit. He hadn't been ridden in 6 or 7 years so doubt he had a halter on either.

ben2go · January 09, 2013, 03:00:26 PM

You sure he don't have a touch of mule in him?

glenn kangiser · January 09, 2013, 07:17:29 PM

I'm sure he doesn't, Ben but he does show a resemblance when he puts his ears back doesn't he.

The farrier thought he was Arabian..... a rather old Arab...

He was such a good boy getting his nails manicured......

He didn't protest a bit....

Looks like he turned his head and the HDR app left some of the other pix in there.

Such a nice old white horse.....

Now if I could just get him to stop rolling in poop.....

ben2go · January 09, 2013, 11:17:48 PM

Something tells me he's been shoe'd a time or three.

glenn kangiser · January 10, 2013, 12:10:34 AM

I kind of think about things like that walking him around the place, Ben....

I don't know much about his past.... just that he's over twenty years old and hasn't been ridden in 6 or 7 years.... has a bit of a stiff leg....

I wonder what training he has had... what work he knows ..... where he has been... what type of trails ...

Though I had no idea what to expect when I put the lead rope and halter on him, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do, and acted just like an old gentleman... not that I put lead ropes on old gentlemen too often... that was...like.. a figure of speech.....

I admit... I'm a greenhorn...

I am studying videos on the net and getting clues from whoever I can, but as I learn something new and try it .... it seems he already knows.... been there... done that.
Brushed him down good today so he could go roll in the manure at nap time....oh yeah.... gave him some wormer today too... he was such a good boy .... took it just like he was supposed to.

I sat the saddle on him for a bit today just to see how he reacted... then I walked him a quarter mile or so to try out the new shoes. He loved it and behaved well the whole time. He has a bit of a stiff knee... have to see how he does with weight on it but I have seen him run so I think he will be OK to take it easy.

The dogs enjoyed the horse hoof treats....

glenn kangiser · January 10, 2013, 12:26:44 PM

Found my bull over at the neighbors visiting that hot chick cow with the kid.... (OK... a kid is a baby goat but calf didn't sound right)... [ouch]

I guess he figured old bull number 30 needed help with her...

Anyway , blew half a day yesterday trying to get him back home and dragging the herd along behind the Bushhog with hay and grain. He dropped off the back with her so that was a waste of effort.

I have a friend .. the one who brings me rock, who wants to use him. I guess now is a good time. Maybe he will help me get him out of there.

January 10, 2013, 07:02:19 PM

Got a deal going with the land and cow owner where Bully Boy is visiting. He has to work some cows there in the next couple days so he will get them into the corral and leave Bully Boy in there for us to pick up and take to my buddies place. All the wine and women he could want there.... young bovines just a swinging their udders at him and looking for a big boy to give them a little fun.....

Unfortunately the exact reason he wanted him happened today. A first time heifer lost a calf and may die herself because the calf was too big to make it out. It suffocated and died as they were pulling it with come-alongs and the cow may not make it either. With Bully Boy as the father, the first calves would be a bit smaller. Dexters are about 2/3 size of regular cattle.

Then I may trade him for a couple heifers or feeders or something as Whitlock says I should change how I am doing things and make the place a bit more profitable....

I know... the horse is not for profit... but then he's not really mine either.

glenn kangiser · January 11, 2013, 10:30:30 PM

Cut down an acorn filled tree today. It was dead for a year or two and limbs were falling off. It will be going to the big experimental hugelkultur bed.

I walked Mr Ed over to it today just to get a bit of exercise and have a look at the situation.... a bit over 1/4 mile one way.

I'm gathering up all of the nearby natural resources I can find to get a section of this bed going and see what happens..... no irrigation all summer as Paul Wheaton would like to see? Who knows... maybe...

PEG688 · January 11, 2013, 10:51:54 PM

Is that common? Woodpeckers start the hole , squirrels full-um???

Watch out fer that hoss, they're dumber than dirt and way stronger than a normal man, of course that more than likely doesn't apply to you Glenn !

How's Sassy get-in along?

glenn kangiser · January 11, 2013, 11:01:08 PM

Yes - it is common to find trees with acorns in them here. I think the Woodpeckers drill and fill the holes, PEG. It is a tool for holding the acorns to break them as well as a safe place to store them until they are ready to eat them. They seem to store way more than they need.

The horse behaves well when he has the halter on... it is just that he doesn't like to get it on. Once on he is fine. No problem. I don't think I would want to get into a strength contest with him or even a calf... just a calf will give you a real workout....as I found out when I banded Mr. Bulljangles.....

Sassy is doing great. Walking better than she has in years. She is not especially looking forward to the procedure but is ready to do the other one on February 25th. After that she will be able to walk much better in a short while if it goes as well as this one did,

I took her a load of firewood the other night and had supper with her at Panda Express.... who'd want to eat a Panda anyway? I thought they were a protected species....

rick91351 · January 12, 2013, 01:21:57 AM

Glenn don't know if you felt the vibes but we were just a few ridges away the other day. Okay mountains and valleys and mountains and valleys.....

Out and about with the portable tin cabin.

We are having a lot of fun. However we are already homesick for the grandkids and Idaho. Thinking about sticking it out here over looking beautiful downtown Pahrump......... Lots to see and do here. Fifty miles from Death Valley and about the same to Sin City. Just taking it easy and enjoying the slow pace and rates here. In the middle of a cold snap here as you are.

Rick