Get Your Master’s Degree in Shoveling Snow

In your undergraduate studies (i.e., our first post about shoveling snow), you learned about the perfect, most efficient way to shovel a standard straight-run driveway: Divide and Conquer. Easy, fast, and obviously genius on the part of me, the inventor. But as neat a method as it is, Divide and Conquer will not always work. Sometimes there is too much snow to move quickly. Sometimes you have to shovel a wide open area that can’t easily be divided. It’s time for your graduate studies. Tuition is free. 

Shovel your driveway with less effort using our efficient strategy

Plows. Booooo! They make you dependent on someone else’s schedule, they cost a lot of money to hire, and they often leave your driveway with a hard layer of packed snow instead of an actually cleared path. Now you need sand and salt. The cycle never ends! There’s got to be a better way! 

Zombie T-Shirt Rug Tutorial

September and October flew in and out with the ferocious winds of fall.  We are squirreling away canned goods and root vegetables, as well as our traditional bushel or two of crisp tart apples. And we keep starting new projects that end one season and welcome the next.  This autumnal and looking towards winter time of year, has me thinking about crafting, for all the birthdays and holidays to come.  This is one of my favorite creative outlets.  Now, I am attempting one I have never done before…bringing old t-shirts back from the dead, to a new undead form. ZOMBIE RUG! (OK, Happy Halloween folks!)

Dig a hole. Fill it up. Inner peace?

There’s a story (seemingly fabricated) that, during the Great Depression in the US, the government hired people to dig holes.  One group of workers was supposedly hired to dig all day, and the next day they had off.  On that off day, another group of workers came in, hired to fill in vast holes.  According to the story, this was a way to give a struggling populace a sense of purpose to help them get through the tough time.  I’ve also heard that digging a deep hole and then filling it up is a zen practice.  The digging is so full of intent that the mind is free to relax and seek inner peace.

Why you should stack firewood in a holzhaufen, the circular wood pile [infographic]

Having a well built stack of firewood is crucial for those of us who get through the deep freeze of winter using woodstoves and fireplaces.  You need a strong pile located in a convenient spot that will not succumb to rot by getting too wet.  Most people opt to stack rectangular piles that require careful attention to ensure they are sturdy.  They look boring and cannot be stacked too high.  And good luck stacking on a slope!  This year we opted to try a new (to us) style of stacking: the holzhaufen, a circular pile that resembles a house.  And we made an infographic so you can stack one too! 

Thoughts after walking around in a Walmart

Everyone that goes to Walmart is looking for solutions to their problems. And there are two types of problems Walmart solves.  Real problems like a needing an oil filter for their car or maybe some needing some groceries.  Then there are the imaginary problems that Walmart convinces you that you have and the products you buy that you didn’t need in the first place.

Pole Bean Teepee

We love beans!  As soon as they start coming  we love to eat them raw and barely cooked with garlic, and of course we like to put some away in the freezer. Last year, we were pretty successful with our bean harvest in the beginner hügelkultur mounds. But I did not realize the importance of supporting the great abundance that comes from a tiny bean seed and many of the little stakes and branches I used to pole them up fell over last year. We could have had so many more beans! So, I decided to start the beans out right and build a teepee! You can too if you need a beautiful and functional support system for your beans!

What is a Chicken Tractor? (with free chicken tractor plans)

So you’ve overcome the myths and misconceptions about raising chickens for meat and have decided you want to raise your own chickens for meat this summer.  Awesome! We’re totally with you!   You’ve browsed the catalogs, researched the breeds, and are ready to place an order.  But wait, where will you keep them as they grow?  A coop with a run will be a lot of work to clean, especially if you have a lot of chickens!  It’s time to think outside the box… or maybe inside one?  

The First Step To Take When You Notice A Problem With Your Car

Mud season. A walk in the yard to enjoy the fresh spring air becomes a daunting trek across a land of muck where you struggle to keep your feet dry. You’re slightly worried that the earth will suck you in and swallow you whole.  Spring is also a rough time for vehicles, with roads becoming malleable from the soaked earth—especially dirt roads.  An innocent puddle could be hiding a pothole of unknown depth, lying in wait to test your suspension.

DIY Deer Antler Mount You Can Make From a Scrap Log [instructions]

I’ve been pondering a way to mount a pair of deer antlers I found while shed hunting, having had great success with the DIY Deer Antler Guitar Wall Mount project.  It wasn’t until I was splitting some firewood that I found an idea that I loved.  I was working through a few birch trees I’d cut in the fall , and realized how much I really enjoy that tree.