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  1. Joel_BC

    Which wood heater ?

    I perused the recommended thread. Others here may find the detailed discussion valuable. To share with our SS members, in the thread indicated, Paul mentioned these things that spoke to the request I'd made (above) for a little more info: "We will be using pine, fir and larch." "I think we...
  2. Joel_BC

    An appealing method for dealing with invasive plants

    True, and I haven't tried the method yet. Just from my observations of knapweed over many years, I believe it would work with that. I'll have to try it next year and report my personal experience. Britesea, quack grass (or "couch grass") is a big problem in our region too. I did try...
  3. Joel_BC

    Which wood heater ?

    Paul, your video furthers the effort to make a strong case for building rocket mass heaters. I assume you were reporting on that pretty-cold winter of '16/17. Some folks would be interested in more info relating to the .6 cords of firewood used to heat your three-bedroom house: house style &...
  4. Joel_BC

    The non-heirloom seed trading/giving/receiving thread!

    CrealCritter... in the bottom two photo angles, it could be mistaken for a tomato dog.
  5. Joel_BC

    An appealing method for dealing with invasive plants

    Here in my area we have some frustratingly invasive plants. For instance, on our place we have knapweed, which is a tough plant that grows large, vigorous, and tough-rooted once it finds an opportunity, and which produces many seeds each year. (Maybe I’m late to learn about this method, so...
  6. Joel_BC

    Laugh(s) for the day

    I posted the above a while back. Well, Esta has said something else memorable... Esta's Dad has been looking after her and her young brother, as Martina (the mom mentioned before) is working as a school teacher these days. Today, 5-year-old Esta must have been feeling a bit put-out with her...
  7. Joel_BC

    Now for something completely different...

    Yeah, I can relate. It may be a well-known fact, but it gets cold up here in Canada in winter. Maybe not as cold in my region as in many others, but still... Anyway, I have a pair of woolen briefs that are the transition step from warm-weather underwear, before starting to wear my longjohns...
  8. Joel_BC

    Now for something completely different...

    Check this out, friends… Using cotton underpants to indicate soil fertility??! http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-41843852?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook Scotland the brave! (Not sure.. does my post qualify as a...
  9. Joel_BC

    Very handy gadget for gas-fuel equipment

    I realize that most of us have more than enough “stuff”, but every so often I discover a little-known tool or device I want to tell people about. This little igniter costs under $20, and works very nicely every time. And the manufacturer promises tens of thousands of ignitions. Amazon sells...
  10. Joel_BC

    Porch daily firewood rack

    Back in Service... Well, freakish weather this year. Long cold stretch during spring, hot & very dry summer (with many extensive forest fires in our province), then coldish nights starting in mid September! That's about five or six weeks ahead of typical. Finally getting some rain in mid...
  11. Joel_BC

    What was the deciding factor(s) to become SS?

    My deciding factors were: wanting to live in the country, not wanting to work for cash at a “job” all of the time. Simple upshot: need to economize, budget, and acquire knowledge and skills. See, my mother had grown up in a small town, and was the daughter of cattle ranchers who had moved into...
  12. Joel_BC

    What's your favorite hand "tool"?

    CrealCritter, you're a great guy and clearly generous. I've got several narrow-kerf saws, a couple of them that are smaller than the one I pictured (incl one that has replaceable blades). So, thanks, but I've got a an alternative idea: please send it as a gift to that DIYer & fine person...
  13. Joel_BC

    What's your favorite hand "tool"?

    Yes, BC. But it's not just shipping that influences cost, though. Canada has long had protective tariffs (trying to avoid the loss of Canadian manufacturing & retail jobs), so when we import things duty can be charged. i.e., we have to pay it.
  14. Joel_BC

    What's your favorite hand "tool"?

    That Harbor Freight saw looks like a good one, and if it's as quality a piece as you say, what a bargain for the money! Unfortunately, Harbor Freight's nearest stores to me are about a 450-mile drive west, and down across the U.S. border. We don't have too many of the American-based big-box...
  15. Joel_BC

    What's your favorite hand "tool"?

    This is the sort of thread that tempts me. Trouble is, I can be deeply thankful at any particular moment (or work session) that someone designed this or that hand tool... but it's "the tool of the hour" if you know what I mean. Whatever it may be, it just does an essential job that I need to...
  16. Joel_BC

    A Little Backyard Homestead Project

    Yes, sumi, I hope things get normal soon there. A similar thing (but drastic) in my family. My brother got a job warehousing for a high-tech company down in California, in the vineyard country. He started to play around with real-estate investment and did fairly well. So he and his wife have...
  17. Joel_BC

    "18 genius uses for 55 gallon metal barrels"

    Thanks again. Now I won't give up. :p
  18. Joel_BC

    "18 genius uses for 55 gallon metal barrels"

    Thanks. (hit that Like button, keep me encouraged :idunno )
  19. Joel_BC

    "18 genius uses for 55 gallon metal barrels"

    Here are some homestead re-purposes for common steel drums. Fun. To my mind, some more useful than others. But they all do show that folks were thinking… and probably sketching. Worth a click & a scroll-down. Hope you enjoy…...
  20. Joel_BC

    Making a new coop

    Hi. Click on this, then see if you can use anything that comes up in the list. :)...
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