On the road again

Too much of today I was stuck in the truck driving to pick up materials that aren't available locally.  Mother Earth Hydroton is frequently used in hydroponic gardening as a planting media.  People like it because it is lightweight when compared to gravel, has a neutral ph, and holds moisture.  Usually plants are supported and nourished through the soil.  Since the nutrients, usually found in the dirt, are provided through circulating fish waste, support comes from the expanded clay pellets.  The media also provides surface area that houses bacteria that break down the fish waste.

I was really hoping that the store had a forklift, but as I got closer and closer something in my gut told me that I was going to be the forklift.  The 30 bags filled up the bed of my truck, and it is still squatting currently.  The lady at the store didn't help me, but she gave me a bottle of water 20 bags in which was appreciated.

It turned into a much longer trip than originally anticipated, but the good news is that by then end of tomorrow roughly 85% of the aguaponics project will be completed with only really two or three steps further to go.

Tomorrow will be a big day.

Coyote Attack

Ash, the farm's Great Pyrenees protection dog, is a real sweet-heart, but when she turns it on it can be scary.  She is barking right now likely at a deer, but it reminded me of the story that was relayed to me earlier this evening.

Two brothers were logging an area right up the road from here sometime in the past several days.  The one man was working on the top of the hill out of sight from the other running equipment at the bottom.  Suddenly five coyotes surround the piece of equipment on which type I will ask for clarification.  They try to attack the man.  From the tractor seat he radios to the man up the hill saying, "Get down here as fast as you can.  I got coyotes down here trying to kill me."

I imagined it like Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, trying to fend off coyotes while almost biting his face.  He would have definitely not been as fortunate enough to dodge the slobber dripping from the jowls of the canine.

The brothers ended up alright and the game warden came out and shot one after using an electronic caller.

Ash I wouldn't want to tangle with.  One time she caught a possum almost on the front lawn.  It was immediately apparent that I needed to go see at what she was barking.  I'm still don't know how I feel about possums.  I don't think they are on my team though.

Drizzle

Fog and drizzle was the theme of today.  I fed the cow this morning and walked around after stoking the fire.  The weather did not call for a fire, but once I opened back up the damper this morning the fire came back to life, and I just kept feeding it.

I roughed out the rocket stove in the kitchen.  I will leave it for a while to see if it is actually something that I want to do before bringing a ton's worth of mud inside.  My current feeling is I like it very much.

After feeding the cow, the turkeys were going crazy in the back field.  I went inside and grabbed my camera and my laptop.  I pulled up turkey calls on the internet and played them while watching the turkeys.  At first they were taken aback.  Then they trotted off over the ridge.

I may end up building a form for a concrete rocket stove in the greenhouse.  Everything needs to be perfect because I won't be able to move it ever.  More planning and thinking needs to be done.  A thermal mass grow bench would be nice for starting peppers and tomatoes like a heat pad but natural.

Merping around

This morning I caught two deer in the front yard.  I started taking pictures inside and continued moving through the door out to the lawn to the north of the house.  I took some more pictures and kept moving.  The deer kept looking in my opposite direction like something was going on over there.  I got closer that I was expecting wearing heavy Muck boots, taking pictures almost the entire way.

Taken from the kitchen

What you looking at Willis?

Getting closer

And then they got merped.

Betsy wants me to stop playing around and give her her milk I think this is 95X magnification

Just as the sun was about to go down I would push the same deer I saw in the morning out of the back field.  The siphon is working on the aguaponics system.  Most of the sump tanks are in position.  I was really hoping and kinda expecting the media to come in today.  The man said Monday, but again he also said today.

New Four Legged Additions

Among the usual routine and some other projects at hand, today is a very special day in that some new faces came to stay.  Seven boer goats and a holstein calf were just unloaded and are already settling in nicely.  The calf came with the name Betsy.  Although that may change, I like it currently.

Everybody getting acclimated

Betsy is a baller.  She is about eight weeks old so she is on a diet of milk replacer, grass, and cow feed.  This evening I gave Betsy her first pale of milk.  I was a little awkward holding the bucket at first.  She knew what was up and charged the bucket in my hand wanting that milk.  The bucket sloshed a bunch of milk on her head, to which I apologized, and she seemed unfazed.  

It was all fun and games until the milk was done.  Then she turned to the goats and told them to get.  As I was coming back with a bit more milk to make up for my party foul, I saw the goats fleeing like a herd of buffalo away from the calf.  She was in a full out charge, and the goats didn't want anything to do with it.  I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't expecting that.  At first, I was a little worried about the young calf and her ability do fend for herself.  Turns out she has got some mooooooves and showed she can more than handle the pastures.  She is way cool.

As I walked the farm this morning, I was pushing turkeys everywhere.  Behind the house there were a bunch.  At the pond there were a handful.  Further up the holler there were more.  Only if I had a meat slicer, I would be set.

Snow on the horizon?

Today was dark and grey most of the day.  The rumor was snow was projected today and tomorrow.  I saw snow for maybe 30 seconds this afternoon, and now that I am looking at the forecast they are calling for a sunny 41 degrees tomorrow but no snow.

When I saw the snow, I decided it was finally time to take the shade-cloth down, but just last week it seemed like we were getting really nice weather.

Topless

All balled up in the corner

This is the n^th variation of the siphon.  The internet suggested adding a L and extra pipe to make it initiate faster.  Several sump tank ideas are still sorting themselves out in my head.

I've been snacking on the lettuce sprouts while watching the bed fill.

Siphon Problems

I spent all day watching the grow bed fill and drain while making little adjustments to the siphon and simultaneously cleaning the workshop.  After fixing the forge blower for the 4th time,  I think it is finally done.  The main handle was constantly slipping and regardless of how tight I torqued the bolt, it never held properly.  I drilled a big whole in the shaft where the bolt can screw into.  As soon as that was fixed, I was spinning it and all of the sudden the fan stopped moving as quickly as before.  After I took it apart and replaced a screw that locked the fan to the driveshaft, the whole thing is going nowhere.

I still don't have the siphon dialed in.

Turkeys watch

This afternoon I came around the corner to the back field and saw 13 turkeys.  I was like wow.  Then I went further around the corner and there was another 30 turkeys grazing.  At this point all stealth was gone as I charged their grouping.  As they scattered in all directions into the woods, while the familiar call of the turkey rang out mockingly.  With Thanksgiving coming up, it might not be a bad idea to snag one with a bullet next time.

I spent most of the day cleaning out the shop and organizing everything.  I want to move the large worktable to a different location to make ample room for the rocket stove.  It is amazing how quickly it becomes cluttered with the scraps of old projects and things in the making.  As soon as the shop is spotless, it is going to get messy again.  It is just how it works for me.  I admire people with constantly clean workshops, but I am positive that is a sure sign that you aren't making anything, or maybe a clean shop is a sign you have been at a location for a long time, or you are a professional.

At the same time I was cycling the aguaponics system.  I am still waiting on the grow media, but I want to make sure the bell syphon is working properly unassisted by me.  A few more positive tests tomorrow, and I will be confident.

In speaking with the owner of the local grocery that sells fresh meat he mentioned that his customer base had increased substantially since Food Lion switched to pre packaged meat.  So that is good news.  I need to be his egg supplier.

They are calling for snow Wednesday or Thursday, I have to remove the shade cloth from the greenhouse before then.

Rocket stove

The plans are pretty much finalized in my head for the rocket mass heater.  This afternoon when I went up to the neighbors to move the trees, we were talking about the project at hand.  I said that I needed a tank from a water heater.  Low and behold he had two old water heaters that he said I was welcome to.  It will need a good cleaning as well as a hole patched.  Tomorrow I will cut off the bottom of the tank then a parallel line 7 or so inches off the ground taking out the rusty part.  We will then weld the bottom back on, add a new temperature and pressure blow off valve and be cooking with gas.  I mean wood.

In the driveway now sits a mocked up version of the stove.  It was getting dark and I was really just playing with bricks and fire.  Every brick is different depending on where you get it.  So every rocket stove is unique.  The key is having the right dimensions.  After playing with the blocks, I got the puzzle figured out mostly.  It is smart to do the initial conception outside.

After much deliberation the rocket mass heater will be located inside the workshop where I currently have scrap wood stored.  It will serve more functions and require less change to the current everything.  It is top priority to organize the shop again and move some tables around making ample room for the heating unit.  The project workload has definitely scaled up from my initial mental conceptions.

Copper in the Freezer

The rough form for the rocket stove has been laid out.  I have more leveling to do tomorrow after pulling some trees out of the woods for a neighbor with the tractor.  I would like some more copper pipe to make a heat exchanger.  I have 30ft currently.  There are two types of copper pipe.  Type L is for water.  There is another kind that is for refrigerant.  I am using type L that will give me the ability to stack functions if I want to heat sinks or a shower near this location in the future.

A compression fitting joins a 20ft and 10ft section of type L copper pipe.  I thought about a solder fitting, however I am worried the temperatures might melt the solder.

This pipe is very flexible and is easy to mold and crimp.  If it bends to quickly or sharply a crease will be left.  The circumference of a 55 gallon drum is substantial so the risk is minimal, but I don't want to take any chances.  This stuff is not cheap, and I really only want to do this once.  I plan to fill this up with water and stick it in the freezer overnight with the ends pointed up so the water doesn't spill out.  The ice inside will absorb any shocks and leave the tube crease free as I bend it around the barrel.

Trust me there is water in there.  I filled it with the tea kettle and force air into the back until all the air was out.

I talked to the hydroponics supply store again about grow media.  They are expecting it next Friday.  That is really all I am waiting on to have the system cycling.  I want it now.

My objective for tomorrow is get the final location of the rocket stove leveled and the burn chamber built.  Depending on time I would like to start the thermal cob heat riser.  It would be nice to have the trench dug for the insulated pex pipe that carries the hot water underground to the greenhouse heat exchanger by the end of the day.  All in time.

Coyotes calling all around the house 7:47pm.

After all that straw

It didn't rain 'tall.

The Final Straw

I spread 30+ square bales today with a little extra help finishing the job towards the end of the day.  My head hurts, probably from not drinking enough, and I am tired.  I have a few more bales to spread, but it got too dark to see, and the truck headlights only help so much.  The majority that got done should help thwart erosion come tomorrows chance of showers and hold moisture against the seed for better germination.

The guineas have begun roosting outside of the coop.  Several nights ago the first one got into a tree.  Today all of them were out roosting on the top rail of the chicken lot.  On the agenda for soon is adding a half door that I can let the chickens free range under the nearby apple trees.  I'm going to bed now.

The following depict how the area looks currently.

Still a little more to go.