Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

Started by glenn kangiser, January 30, 2005, 10:24:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 9 Guests are viewing this topic.

glenn kangiser

Hey, Ben, I think a lawsuit by an idiot who pulled one on himself while it was running in spite of posted directions otherwise on the machine, closed out the original company.  I think the new ones are DR  brush cutters but the old one works great.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

fishing_guy

A bad day of fishing beats a good day at work any day, but building something with your own hands beats anything.


glenn kangiser

I think that would work, but you need to understand Fred... he is rather proud of his bum... not easily coaxed into covering it...especially after a couple beers....

I guess more explanation is in order for the new ones... Fred is a local mountain boy who worked with me for a long time and PEG had a lot of issues with his lack of suspenders.  Here he is welding on a roof on a Costco in Santa Cruz, CA.



It is obvious... Fred is just a camera hog... sorry PEG..... I had to explain.... rofl
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

PEG688



  Good God I NEVER should have asked  [frus] [toilet] :-[
When in doubt , build it stout with something you know about .

glenn kangiser

I said I was sorry, PEG.... [waiting]

I couldn't leave the new members wondering what we were talking about... [noidea'

I don't remember if I answered the question now....

The straight answer is that I work a lot of the time by myself and have a company supplied crew on some projects or a company supplied helper occasionally.  Fred has pretty well decided he doesn't want to weld and do steel work or wear suspenders as he never drops by inquiring about work any more.  We are still on good terms though and you never know - he may be back some day.  I'll catch you some fresh pictures if you like.

I keep track of quite a few self employed people who can work with me if I need them.  I don't do employees as I refuse to be a tax collection agent for the IRS.  hmm  Seems the IRS should be made to pay wages for people who are forced to collect withholding for them - they are IRS employee/agents in a sense.  :)


About 1/3 of the time, rough guess, I work alone.  I get paid from the time I leave home - (My shop) to the time I get back.  I also get crane truck rental fees at the standard rate plus daily motel and food expense payment.  Like you said - it beats not working... :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.


John Raabe

Classic!! :D :D :D



Isn't technology wonderful? Just think, this couldn't have happened even 10 years ago.

With the advent of the Internet and these small digital cameras, humanity can now share these precious images with the world!  ;D
None of us are as smart as all of us.

PEG688

Quote from: John Raabe on May 02, 2010, 11:01:23 AM


Classic!! :D :D :D






Isn't technology wonderful? Just think, this couldn't have happened even 10 years ago.

With the advent of the Internet and these small digital cameras, humanity can now share these precious images with the world!  ;D



Just think about the poor person watching what that security camera is recording  [shocked]

  The inhumanity , I'd call it!!!!





 
When in doubt , build it stout with something you know about .

glenn kangiser

Humanity, John... I think PEG got a little closer to me with inhumanity...  [rofl2]

We were putting a new trash smasher roof in an area that did not have it before.  As far as we know that camera was up and running as this was an existing Costco and the camera had been in service for a long time. 

Fred thought it would be cute if he let his trousers slip down a little as he was welding and backing up to the camera.  I agreed it may give the security people a different view of the outside world.  Of course we had to document the event.......[waiting]

We kept waiting for someone to come running around  from security and kick us off of the job, as Costco people seem to think they are a cut above the rest,  but they never did. [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

#1658
Professor Ahmed comments on his stay.

I call him professor as he is working on his masters degree I believe....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0GHMLLx26w



"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.


glenn kangiser

I took our guests down to the spring and received some good information regarding stocking the pond with catfish... another food source. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap2GXnD34hE



Poor pix by me  [ouch]

Here is Morad with his comments and invitation to Jordan for Sassy and I to come visit... :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DDL_cSfoh4





"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

Onkeludo2

Glenn,

If you have a chance...take him up on the offer to visit Jordan.  Beautiful country.  Wonderful people.  Good balance of keeping their heritage and still interacting with the rest of the world.

Finally, you would LOVE Petra.  A bunch of crazy pre-christian burrowers that would make you proud built that place.

Mike
Making order from chaos is my passion.

glenn kangiser

Thanks for the tip, Mike.  We really enjoyed the time we got to spend with Morad as well as all of the other people we have hosted here.  Hopefully some day we will get to visit some of them.  I have heard of Petra and need to study up on it a bit.  Morad showed us pictures of his wife and 2 1/2 year old daughter.  It seems our visits with our foreign friends are never long enough.

We will be hosting people again this weekend - possibly foreign professors  and we have a special guest scheduled to be here Saturday.

Mike Oehler has us on his schedule for Saturday, and hopefully a bit longer.  I was working in Hesperia when he called and didn't get a lot of time to talk but hopefully all goes as planned and he makes it here. :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Watch out.... a one time world event is unfolding at this very moment.... [ouch]

After years of waiting for this event, the father of the Underground Complex has arrived at the command center.

Mike Oehler arrived here yesterday afternoon and we have been busy going over the times we never had ever since. :)



He also secretly has an alter-ego known as "Major Miracles Superhero" on http://hipnet.tv/ where you can see his adventures along with Flowerchild, his comely sidekick.

New adventures are posted several times a week so subscribe to his channel on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1rSXpW5y8 to keep up with the latest.



Since his has been a common household name around here for years,  it is only fitting that much of our family is arriving here from far away places today also.  Mike is like one of the family to us.


Granddaughter and grandson arrived yesterday too.  Pix of them and more family to follow.  A great time at the underground complex.



Jolie, granddaughter



Colton, grandson.

More pix and adventures  to come later.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Mike left this morning to get an early start.

I heard him going up the hill just as I was going out to see if he was up yet, but he left a nice note.

I sent along one of the WWII ship signal light shuttered round windows for his Ridge House or other useful place.  We need to keep recycling in a useful manner.

Mike's presence will never be gone here and even more immediately, through his Major Miracles Superhero alter-ego, he is seeing to it that Sassy gets another window put in for her "View"..... the "V" word again... [waiting]

I assume it will be a bit before the episode appears on Hipnet TV.....it should be verrrry interesting.  Mike does satire superhero spoofs on his Hipnet site.

He promised to harass me on Countryplans if I didn't get it done... the Major's time allowed is two weeks.... let's see if I can meet that deadline.... I would hate to be shamed...... [scared]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.


glenn kangiser

A bit more time to comment on Mike's visit. 

I was a bit worried he would be critical about some of the deviations from the plan or not having things complete. 

I need not have worried.  Mike is an all around great guy who appreciates the houses that have been built from his designs.  I mentioned that something wasn't done and he said he knew the feeling - he had been working on his Ridge House for ten years.

I mentioned  there was some stuff in the way for a picture... he said "Typical Homestead."

I did get reprimanded for not having the glass in the door for Sassy's view.

He said "I need to have a talk with you, young man.... "  He mentioned I needed to do the glass in the door and started to say besides - it's one of my design rules.....

I said, "Don't say it , let me... everything that is above ground needs to be glass." [ouch]

He said, "Right."  :)

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Here is a shot of Mike in the Underground cabin in one of our many discussions while he was here.



Mike mentioned that people are pirating his books daily on the net.  He has to have a Google search done daily to keep from getting ripped off too much.  The place to find his publications is www.undergroundhousing.com     ...... not a pirate site.  He needs to eat too.  :)
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Taking a break from the cabin I asked Mike if he would like to take a Bush Hog ride down to our spring.

He said sure and got out a gallon jug to get some natural drinking water as it flowed right out of the ground (Note that there is a spring box and about 50 feet of pipe to keep animals away from the source for sanitary reasons).

Upon reaching the spring he started to tell me about the value of cattails when he saw them growing there in the pond.  I asked him if he would mind doing it on video to share and learn from the information, and he said  sure, no problem.  It is a great start to learning about wild edible plants.



Posted on YouTube for all to enjoy...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90vHr7Ck924


Here is an article regarding Cattails used with permission.

The Cattail - Best of the Wild Edible Plants

Author: Steve Gillman

Which is the best of  the best wild edible plants? That depends on whether you are collecting them for a tasty meal, or as a matter of life or death. It also depends on the season and where you are. But despite all these qualifications, there is one that stands out as especially important in North America.

The Cattail

The common cattail (typha latifolia - and a few other species) is one of the first of the wild edible plants that all hikers should familiarize themselves with. It not only has several edible parts, but there is some part of the plant that can be harvested for food during any season. In addition, it has other uses as well.

In the spring you can find a cattail swamp and cut the fresh tips of the plants from the mud. Rinse them in some safe water and they are edible either raw or cooked. Once you know the plant, identifying the new shoots is no problem, The stalks and dried flower heads of the old plants are always around.

In the summer you can first harvest the tender stems. The lower several inches will be white and ready to eat. If you pull slowly, they will often come loose at the base. Raw, they taste something like cucumber. Cooked, the taste is more like corn. Later, the green flower heads can be cooked and eaten like corn-on-the-cob. By mid-summer the yellow pollen will be falling from the spike atop the flower heads, and can be shaken into a paper bag to use in thickening soups or even mixed with flour for making bread.

In the fall  you can still locate the cattail by the old stalks and dig up the rope-like roots that criss-cross the swamps. Clean these, mash them in water and let the mix sit for a few hours. What you'll get when you pour off the water is a gooey mass of starch at the bottom of the container. This can be used to make a bread of sorts, or just put into emergency soups.

In the winter you can get the roots, just as in the fall, provided the water or mud isn't frozen. Sometimes you can dig into the muck and find fresh new tips of the plants to eat as well. This is especially true as you get closer to spring.

New plant tips, tender parts of the stalks, flower heads, pollen, and roots - five edible parts, and at least one available in each season. But that's not all. The "fluff" of the mature flower heads was once used to stuff life jackets, and is still perfect as an emergency insulation. If you are lost and without sufficient clothing, you can fill your jacket with it. Use it to make a warm mattress as well.

Cattail flower head fluff is also very flammable. Break open a mature flower head (available almost any time of the year) and make a pile of it. Then strike a match to it, or even a good spark, and it will burst into flame. The tight heads are often dry inside even after a heavy rain, making this a great survival tinder.

The leaves are long and flat, which makes them easy to weave into simple mats for sitting on. These mats can be used to serve food too, or as a barrier between you and the ground in an emergency shelter. For many centuries they were also woven into baskets and other containers. The stems were used for weaving and other purposes as well.

The common cattail is not only one of the best wild edible plants, but one of the best wilderness plants to know for many other purposes. How many other plant have five edible parts and several parts that are useful for a variety of survival needs? Best of all is the fact that they can be found in wet places across North America. Hikers, backpackers and others who spend time in the wilderness should get to know the cattail before all other plants.


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/camping-articles/the-cattail-best-of-the-wild-edible-plants-495731.html

About the AuthorCopyright Steve Gillman. To get the ebook "Ultralight Backpacking Secrets (And Wilderness Survival Tips)" for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wild edible plants section, visit: http://www.the-ultralight-site.com
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

The parting shot.....



Daughter, SIL and grandkids took off this morning.  Had to get the pix in the cabin door.  I did manage to make a rather rough Japanese tool box for my grandson as well as take them prospecting to get a bit of gold.  I brazed up a doll made out of screws and washers for the granddaughter.... she had to have something too.

This has been a busy week with Mike being here at the start and kids back at the end, but we made it.  Now back to the regular work schedule.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Got a message back from Mike Oehler saying that the video he shot while here turned out quite good, editing was nearly done and that he is sending me a copy.  My son Simon was the cameraman and he had done some decent videos as a kid.  It should be interesting, but Sassy is mortified that she may look bad in it and I won't be able to post it..... [ouch]

He also thanked Sassy for the great meals.  She always made sure he was well fed, as well as the rest of us too.  No wonder I have to carry around this spare tire...  [waiting]

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

ben2go

Hey Glenn,I may have missed it.Is mike making a vid for his website,and will you and your home be in his next book?


glenn kangiser

Yes, Ben.  Mike filmed an episode of Major Miracles Superhero, the last of the Hippie Superheroes here.  Major Miracles wanders around the world doing satire comedy videos - usually 1 to 3 minutes long and puts up new installments regularly.  He hopes for people to get a good laugh and a look at the world and it's problems through the eyes of an old hippie.  :) ... that is if they actually age...

My kids were fascinated with Mike and loved meeting this flash from the past and getting time to talk with him and learn a bit about the hippie life in the modern age.

His videos are here    http://hipnet.tv/ in chronological order, and you can subscribe to his channel on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1rSXpW5y8&feature=related

It's just getting a good start, and after you watch the first one , for some reason it just seems that you have to continue.

If you have read Mike's books you will know he has a cool sense of humor in a funny sort of way.  Far out, man.... [waiting]

I don't know if we will be in his next book but of course he is free to use our place in it.  

I understand that it will be on his website later at www.undergroundhousing.com

His books are there too.

Don't remember if I mentioned it or not (too lazy to look back)  but he signed my old copy of The $50 and Up Underground House book and left us a signed copy of The Earth Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book which I have been studying over a bit lately.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

Sassy

Quote from: glenn kangiser on May 17, 2010, 08:43:35 PM
Got a message back from Mike Oehler saying that the video he shot while here turned out quite good, editing was nearly done and that he is sending me a copy.  My son Simon was the cameraman and he had done some decent videos as a kid.  It should be interesting, but Sassy is mortified that she may look bad in it and I won't be able to post it..... [ouch]

He also thanked Sassy for the great meals.  She always made sure he was well fed, as well as the rest of us too.  No wonder I have to carry around this spare tire...  [waiting]



Well, even movie stars get to screen the film they're in before they go public, lol   ::)  It was fun, though  ;D
http://glennkathystroglodytecabin.blogspot.com/

You will know the truth & the truth will set you free

glenn kangiser

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

Still working out of town, but nice to have work anyway.  :)

I got a few shots of the wildflowers last weekend.  They are still around due to the extended rainy season this year.  



The dogs told me they wanted to go prospecting last weekend also, and they got this crazy idea that I should go clear a trail up the mountain with a Stihl 044.  I did it, and survived pretty well.  Just as I broke into the interesting looking area below the new area I opened I realized it was about 15 feet above the old area I had explored before and so brushy I didn't know where I was.  

No great ore though.  I guess they cleaned it out pretty good, but that doesn't mean stop looking... it just means I have to look more.... [waiting]



Here they are wondering what the heck I'm doing down in that hole in the ground.

Back to more progress at the cabin pretty soon I hope.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.

glenn kangiser

OK guys... I have been out of town working a lot lately so haven't done a lot, but....

Major Miracles has been busy solving problems at the underground complex.

Mike Oehler's alter ego, Major Miracles, Man of Plastic knows how to git 'er done.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pJwx-DqnI4&feature=digest  [ouch]
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.