Just back from class...

[stillsmilin]

and I know I'll be dreaming about log homes tonight. Best money I think I ever spent.

Can't wait for the members forum.

[rreidnauer]

And now the tree gawking disease shall take root within you. LOL Careful not to crash your car while staring a a perfect specimen!

[lilbluehonda]

Tim (Chiloquin OR/Tracy, CA)

Let the dreams begin! I have even found myself admiring the perfect telephone poles!
I've been reading up on wind generators and Solar panels and it seems that is all
I can think about, along with the sustainable living/permaculture concepts. My goal is to
become as self sufficient as possible. Building my own solar passive home, producing
my own electricity and food. It is soooo time to get out of the rat race and time to take
the scenic route.

Cheers!

[stillsmilin]

but I think its those logging trucks driving by that might be my demise.

Where are they taking my home?

[hemlock77]

"Loggernecking " is the term I use for checking out every tall stright tree that you pass. There is no known cure, but I find peeling with spud and hammering rebar to be good therepy.
Stu
http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/

[ivanshayka]

Stu (hemlock77) mentioned that the best therapy is to peel your own log. It's too bad I dont have the access to the therapy yet. It will be such a reliefe. I was close to crashing my car a few times because i just kept looking and thinking "is that tree good enough? That one over there is a great one". I can't wait untill I can start my log home. Ivan.

[ivanshayka]

Tim, I read your forum, pretty interesting. I come from Ukraine and the one of the things that we relied on the most is a electricity, and for the most part we were self sufficient. Thats not including that we were quite poor. We had a pretty big house, with parents and ten kids packed in it. The cooking stove was heated by wood, in a winter it served two purposes at once: cooking and heating. We also had two fire places just for heating.
Most of the food we got from our own farm, that includes: potatoes, wheat, corn, onion, garlic, verious types of spices, beens, peas, beets, etc. All of our food was hand grown with a help of manual tools like: horse and a plow, hoe, pitch fork, etc. Most of the job was done manualy to grow food, and it was a long painfull process every year. And the furtilizers that we used was animal manure.
Yes we lived on a small farm, we also had to make sure we grow enough food for animals too. We had a horse, two cows, pigs, chicken, and at some times eather sheep or goats.
Anyways, I don't recomend that you go out and become all manual laborer to live sufficiently, there are so many mechanical tools that will cut your time in half or more, and help you be sufficient. I am just giving you high five for thinking the way you are. Good luck. 20 acers is plenty of land to work on.

Ivan.

[rreidnauer]

It's been three years since I took the class, and last weekend, I was up at Steve Wolfe's place, and was getting goosebumps looking at some of them big pines he's got. Sha-weet!!! Once ya got the bug . . . .

Loggernecking. Great name Stu. I must remember that one.