Our version of retirement: Living a childhood dream
- Thread starter Gary O'
- Start date
This is our third year living off grid
It’s a bit oxymoronic, as, on one hand, we’re not dependent on mass anything being piped into our abode.
Those thoughts tend to foster a smugness
That smugness is fleeting
Because, on the other hand, we are the ones to make sure everthing is covered.
I’ve grown fond of that feeling
Guess it’s a control thing
Hands on management
The obvious is getting exercise from keeping something so simple as a fire
As opposed to working to make a life of ease
so one can have time
to go to the gym
The not so obvious is finding out what one is made of
Daily
By the season
During, after a storm
Preparing for next season
Determining basics of living, such as how much fuel to store, and where
As opposed to getting notices, bills in the mail
I’m not fooling myself
If the country had a fuel shortage, we’d run out too
It’d just take a little longer
Still, I’m enjoying this hands on thing
while standing steady, sure
on the floor made by me
getting into jelly cupboards
a primitive design
takes a day to knock one out
considering selling them in town
It’s a bit oxymoronic, as, on one hand, we’re not dependent on mass anything being piped into our abode.
Those thoughts tend to foster a smugness
That smugness is fleeting
Because, on the other hand, we are the ones to make sure everthing is covered.
I’ve grown fond of that feeling
Guess it’s a control thing
Hands on management
The obvious is getting exercise from keeping something so simple as a fire
As opposed to working to make a life of ease
so one can have time
to go to the gym
The not so obvious is finding out what one is made of
Daily
By the season
During, after a storm
Preparing for next season
Determining basics of living, such as how much fuel to store, and where
As opposed to getting notices, bills in the mail
I’m not fooling myself
If the country had a fuel shortage, we’d run out too
It’d just take a little longer
Still, I’m enjoying this hands on thing
while standing steady, sure
on the floor made by me
getting into jelly cupboards
a primitive design
takes a day to knock one out
considering selling them in town
Shalimar
SF VIP
- Location
- Vancouver Island Canada
Excellent idea, if you do, please let us know if they are good sellers.This is our third year living off grid
It’s a bit oxymoronic, as, on one hand, we’re not dependent on mass anything being piped into our abode.
Those thoughts tend to foster a smugness
That smugness is fleeting
Because, on the other hand, we are the ones to make sure everthing is covered.
I’ve grown fond of that feeling
Guess it’s a control thing
Hands on management
The obvious is getting exercise from keeping something so simple as a fire
As opposed to working to make a life of ease
so one can have time
to go to the gym
The not so obvious is finding out what one is made of
Daily
By the season
During, after a storm
Preparing for next season
Determining basics of living, such as how much fuel to store, and where
As opposed to getting notices, bills in the mail
I’m not fooling myself
If the country had a fuel shortage, we’d run out too
It’d just take a little longer
Still, I’m enjoying this hands on thing
while standing steady, sure
on the floor made by me
getting into jelly cupboards
a primitive design
takes a day to knock one out
considering selling them in town
Will do
Right now they are parked at a downtown thrift store
$10/mo flat fee
no commish
If nothing moves, considering Etsy
but
I sure like the customer seeing, touching before buying
Shalimar
SF VIP
- Location
- Vancouver Island Canada
Yes, nothing beats the personal touch.
SifuPhil
R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
Etsy needs more real craftspeople, rather than the masses there that import junk from China and try to pass it off as homemade.
I know virtually nothing about Etsy
It attracts me as it’s not limited to certain areas, like craig's list
And had some horrible experiences on Ebay (selling and buying)
Bought a camera lens
One that needed its own tripod
The seller noted it would work on my camera
It didn’t
Found out the only way to settle was to put it in Ebay’s arbitration
That was over ten years ago
I do believe it’s still in arbitration
Anyway, for now, I’m sticking with the thrift shop
It gets decent traffic
And there’s no shipping
And
No arbitration
No surprises
As far as quality
These jelly cabs are as crude and primitive as I can make them
‘Joinery’ is pretty much nonexistent
The hrdwr is custom forged
The kid is good at it
Has an extremely creative mind
And a good visit, as we banter back and forth like sworn enemies
He chides me on my using of store bought screws for his hinges/latches
And he’s right
I just don’t care to get soooooo into the primitive craft I’m taking weeks/months to yield product
I may go there one day, however
And may even use crude nails
One day
Still, I do like the white knobs
anyway
I’ve had a sudden falling out with the first, larger one since making the small corner piece
It became labor intensive
And the small one seems cuter, not so imposing as these;
(forgive the blurry ms-paint blow up)
SifuPhil
R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
That is beautiful.
Gary, Rose found the cutest "Coffee Luge" that would be a huge hit in our newly added gift shop at Coffee Corner! Maybe you can commence to the production phase......following the R & D phase....
....it's a coffee table, of course.nthego:
Man! I do love that'n
Once I get over my jelly cab fetish, I'll attempt it, or something like it
Thanks, Mean
SifuPhil
R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
Gary, don't do it, man! See that Satanic face on the runner?
Well-meaning folks, ignorant, well-meaning folks, constantly ask me, ‘what are you doing out there? Isn’t it desolate?’
Gotta admit, I initially thought the same
When we walked the land, the meadow, my eyes were riveted to the ground
Pumice
Scraggly brush
Bone dry
But, it was snakes I was most concerned about
Hate snakes
Rattlers are known to be quite present anywhere east of the Cascades
Considered thick boots, chaps, bull whip, shot gun as essentials
But
They can’t stand pumice
No snakes
None
Who knew?
Instant Shangri-La for this geezer
The clincher
High water table
Static water is a mere 14 ft down
Legend has it, there’s a huge underground lake
Sweetest water I’ve ever gulped
Could bottle and sell it
An acquaintance of mine, ten miles south, has water at 140 ft
Horrible tasting, looking, and smelling water
That’s the usual in this area
Just thought I’d add this, as ever once in a while I remember why
oh, there's other reasons, they don't come to mind right now...
Gotta admit, I initially thought the same
When we walked the land, the meadow, my eyes were riveted to the ground
Pumice
Scraggly brush
Bone dry
But, it was snakes I was most concerned about
Hate snakes
Rattlers are known to be quite present anywhere east of the Cascades
Considered thick boots, chaps, bull whip, shot gun as essentials
But
They can’t stand pumice
No snakes
None
Who knew?
Instant Shangri-La for this geezer
The clincher
High water table
Static water is a mere 14 ft down
Legend has it, there’s a huge underground lake
Sweetest water I’ve ever gulped
Could bottle and sell it
An acquaintance of mine, ten miles south, has water at 140 ft
Horrible tasting, looking, and smelling water
That’s the usual in this area
Just thought I’d add this, as ever once in a while I remember why
oh, there's other reasons, they don't come to mind right now...
Found this from some cabin living notes labeled;
Holidays
Our first Easter at the cabin (2015);
Company from down the path
Husband
Wife
Three half grown kids.
Small cabin.
We never seem to lack for company (sheeeesh), so we diligently provide as much tepid coffee as they can stand, huddled snugly together while telling amazing tales of our cabin adventures, horrible old folk’s breath searing their nostrils, bringing tears to their eyes, til they go away.
Funny/tragic thing;
They brought over their pet rabbit for us to skin.
On Easter, no less.
All three kids were bawling their guts out.
Actually, it was still alive (he later shot it here).
It was a biter (everything and everybody).
It had to go.
It was the kid’s idea to off it.
So, they’re all saying g’bye, crying, weeping, gnashing teeth, petting, biting….fun times.
Weird duck I am…..had a hard time keeping from laughing.
Amidst the gutting process, many demented jokes popped into this odd head of mine and promptly blurted into fruition…..bodiless rabbit head on the chopping block; ’just a little off the top’…..waving with pawless arms; ‘bye kids’…..clapping stumps; ‘if yer happy and you know it, clap yer hands’…..squeezing the little rabbit mouth; ’I-I-I-I-I, ain’t got n-o-o-o body’…..
Nobody laughed..’cept me.
Anyway, they eventually got over it, and seemed content with having the feet and tail as keepsakes……kids are weird too.
Back from lala land; my mind is trying to fixate on electricity, searching for simple solutions to powering my shop.
For me, building the shop is not the daunting thing.
Running wire thru it that will conduct many volts and watts and amps and ohms (and other mind boggling zippy things with magical names of burnt fingered pioneering scientists) to tools that go ‘whirrrr’ without causing it to catch fire, sends this mind into a tourette filled dithering conniption.
And solar, well, folks have donated their valuable time and knowledge, trying in vain to pierce this impenetrable noggin in regard to the basic logic of converting watts to volts or volts to watts (why this conversion needs to be done, I’ll never know).
These well-meaning folks do not realize my skull is made of some sorta kryptonite/concrete substance of which creates a delicate complimentary protective covering to the mush like oatmeal matter of its contents, making it improbable to ever ever come to a semblance of grasping the complexities of say-y-y-y long division, especially if distractions like shiny things are near at hand.
No, I need illustration, live illustration; ‘put this dealybob here, then connect this doohicky to this thingamajig. Now you are ready to convert to……Gary…..Gary…..over here. Ah, fer crap sake…..fire…….you just need fire for light and warmth….no, yer kind does not need nor can ever have power in the form of, say, electricity’ (all the while hurriedly packing their tools, jumping in their rig, pealing gravel, their truck getting smaller and smaller into the distance until it’s out of sight)
Anyway, it’ll be an adventure.
And I travel into this unknown realm with the full knowledge that the ‘gzzzt’ sound coupled with a burning sensation to the fingertips and toes is not a good one.
Tallyho!
(That was three years ago, thought I'd share)
Holidays
Our first Easter at the cabin (2015);
Company from down the path
Husband
Wife
Three half grown kids.
Small cabin.
We never seem to lack for company (sheeeesh), so we diligently provide as much tepid coffee as they can stand, huddled snugly together while telling amazing tales of our cabin adventures, horrible old folk’s breath searing their nostrils, bringing tears to their eyes, til they go away.
Funny/tragic thing;
They brought over their pet rabbit for us to skin.
On Easter, no less.
All three kids were bawling their guts out.
Actually, it was still alive (he later shot it here).
It was a biter (everything and everybody).
It had to go.
It was the kid’s idea to off it.
So, they’re all saying g’bye, crying, weeping, gnashing teeth, petting, biting….fun times.
Weird duck I am…..had a hard time keeping from laughing.
Amidst the gutting process, many demented jokes popped into this odd head of mine and promptly blurted into fruition…..bodiless rabbit head on the chopping block; ’just a little off the top’…..waving with pawless arms; ‘bye kids’…..clapping stumps; ‘if yer happy and you know it, clap yer hands’…..squeezing the little rabbit mouth; ’I-I-I-I-I, ain’t got n-o-o-o body’…..
Nobody laughed..’cept me.
Anyway, they eventually got over it, and seemed content with having the feet and tail as keepsakes……kids are weird too.
Back from lala land; my mind is trying to fixate on electricity, searching for simple solutions to powering my shop.
For me, building the shop is not the daunting thing.
Running wire thru it that will conduct many volts and watts and amps and ohms (and other mind boggling zippy things with magical names of burnt fingered pioneering scientists) to tools that go ‘whirrrr’ without causing it to catch fire, sends this mind into a tourette filled dithering conniption.
And solar, well, folks have donated their valuable time and knowledge, trying in vain to pierce this impenetrable noggin in regard to the basic logic of converting watts to volts or volts to watts (why this conversion needs to be done, I’ll never know).
These well-meaning folks do not realize my skull is made of some sorta kryptonite/concrete substance of which creates a delicate complimentary protective covering to the mush like oatmeal matter of its contents, making it improbable to ever ever come to a semblance of grasping the complexities of say-y-y-y long division, especially if distractions like shiny things are near at hand.
No, I need illustration, live illustration; ‘put this dealybob here, then connect this doohicky to this thingamajig. Now you are ready to convert to……Gary…..Gary…..over here. Ah, fer crap sake…..fire…….you just need fire for light and warmth….no, yer kind does not need nor can ever have power in the form of, say, electricity’ (all the while hurriedly packing their tools, jumping in their rig, pealing gravel, their truck getting smaller and smaller into the distance until it’s out of sight)
Anyway, it’ll be an adventure.
And I travel into this unknown realm with the full knowledge that the ‘gzzzt’ sound coupled with a burning sensation to the fingertips and toes is not a good one.
Tallyho!
(That was three years ago, thought I'd share)
Last edited:
Shalimar
SF VIP
- Location
- Vancouver Island Canada
Sad the bunny had to go.
Yeah, the dad didn't want to be the bad guy to skin it, but wanted the pelt
then, after watching the gore of chopping, gutting, didn't want it
it's here somewhere
We had an old bunny, decades ago
ailing, not eating
let it free
woke to bunny bits next day
hawk
SifuPhil
R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
Sadly, all life must end, but being a city-slicker I've never been party to it.
... at least, not critters ...
... at least, not critters ...
Once, in traffic, 82nd ave and King rd, Portland
Night
A car clipped a German Shepard
Clipped him good
Traffic all stopped, both ways
Dog screamin’ his guts out, literally, guts everywhere
Took it upon myself to get out, stroll ‘tween cars, and pop him
Clackamas deputy, sitting in his cruiser, gave me a two finger salute
That’s the only good feeling I had about that event
Hate offing critters
It’s not a sport to me
Never really was
If I'm making funnies at the time, it's to relieve tension
for me
and for those getting squeamish
Shalimar
SF VIP
- Location
- Vancouver Island Canada
Oh God.
That's the thought that echoes in my head most times
now, deer
they are a food crop
most times I shoot 'em with my Nikon, as they are elegant, majestic creatures, living a silent life
....most times
Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
We should all be so lucky as to live a comfortable life right up until the day the hawk gets us.
Reminds me of a time last fall during deer migration
Zipping east on hwy 58 unto 97 south
On the right side of the exchange was a well coated coyote, red face, munching on a fresh kill
By a vehicle
Not an uncommon sight here, but a few feet from him was a turkey vulture, staring, like
‘Are you gonna eat all that?’
Gave me a smirk
Also reminds me of a poster I made from a pic I found
Larson has been a god of mine
SifuPhil
R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
Man, I do too
Others have done pretty good with that special brand of humor
but
He
is
the
guy
was