Author Archives: jim

Plumbing: supply side

Posted on February 27, 2014 by jim

We’re done with the supply-side plumbing in the cottage, por fin. It actually didn’t take that long (unlike most everything else on this house) and I got to use some rusty skills that I paid dearly for in grad school. … Continue reading →

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Firewood

Posted on February 17, 2014 by jim

Yesterday we cut some firewood, and boy are we tired! We had to take down seven or eight alders to make room for a new equipment shed (more on that in a future post). Alder is an interesting tree; they … Continue reading →

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2014 veggies

Posted on February 13, 2014 by jim

We’ve ordered the seeds for the 2014 season. Last year was pretty frantic, and as part of that, we didn’t keep very good production records. Ideally, I’d like to have data to support seed choices- what grew and produced well … Continue reading →

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Snow

Posted on February 13, 2014 by jim
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Beach blizzard

Posted on February 7, 2014 by jim

This one goes out to all our buddies in Chicago, Aurora, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Ft. Wayne, Dayton, and all the other chilly places in the midwest that have been slogging through feet of snow all winter long. We don’t usually get … Continue reading →

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Red Roof Inn

Posted on February 4, 2014 by jim

I’m planning on expanding my honeybee operations this year, from 6 colonies to 18. That’s a big jump, and as part of the process, I’m going to need a lot of new hives. Not being one for doing things the … Continue reading →

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Barn cleaning

Posted on January 29, 2014 by jim

I’ve mentioned our friends Lance and Tammy before; they are farmer buddies of ours, and they run a full-time dairy as well as raising pastured beef and lamb. They keep some of their cattle on acreage they own across the … Continue reading →

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Sun dome!

Posted on January 24, 2014 by jim

Today I installed a Velux sun tunnel in the roof of the cottage. It was Emily’s idea… our house has PLENTY of natural light, but none in the pantry. Now it does, without having a window! Instead, the sunlight travels … Continue reading →

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Looking around!

Posted on January 21, 2014 by jim

I took a 360° picture of the inside of the cottage today, for those of you who want to better see how things have progressed. Click here to go to the interactive image (it’s fun!)

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Who knew our house has Jeffries tubes?

Posted on January 11, 2014 by jim

I just got home from a 10-hour plumbing extravaganza. I spent most of the time on my back in the crawlspace beneath the house, cutting  and glueing together sanitary plumbing. I felt like I was in the Jeffries tubes on … Continue reading →

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