Tuesday, November 29, 2022

November 29 - DIY Homestead - Looking for a Dose of Youth

November 29, 2022

Day 424 of the Adventure

Here I sit on the back deck at 7am with temperatures already hovering around 60 degrees. It would have been an awesome day for a campfire were it not so windy. It's a little too early to tell whether the clouds overhead plan to move on or camp out over us. I guess either way will be fine. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it's coming to mind again this morning. Our family lived not far from here in the Ozarks for a couple years when I was about eleven or twelve years old. You wouldn't think that very much of an impact could be had at that age. On the contrary, I became fully aware that the Ozarks would once again be called home if I had anything to do or say about it. Thirty years ago this coming Spring, Shelley and I had the opportunity to move our small family back here into the general area. It's only been in the past year that we've found our way out into the woods. In a few days, I'll be turning 62 years old and that means a lot of time has passed since I was eleven or twelve. A half a century as a matter of fact. There are times I wonder if I simply waited too long to commit to our "Cabin in the Woods" life. So many things have gotten more difficult in the past ten years. I suppose I'm finally understanding the old phrase "Youth is wasted on the young". I would certainly welcome a twenty year dose of youth about now. Life just doesn't work that way I guess. I suppose the next best thing is to sit here at sunrise, reminisce about the days of youth and then let my mind convince my body to get up from the chair and be dragged off in the direction of the day's project. I guess it's better than being dragged off in the direction of a time clock.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Youth is wasted on the young.” ― George Bernard Shaw

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost on the Trail (Guatemala)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata
November 27 Breakfast - Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

Monday, November 28, 2022

November 28 - DIY Homestead - The Might of Small and Simple Things

November 28, 2022

Day 423 of the Adventure

After a couple days of off and on rain, things around here have dried out to the point we can add stain to the back of the cabin. We had also made a lumber run over the weekend and were able to finish the deck platform. Each day represents another step closer to the completion of a dream.

It feels like we are running a "play-by-play" of our cabin building. The important thing to realize is that each bit of progress illustrates how the Do-It-Yourself process works. Anyone wanting to start an off-grid or homestead property (or really any kind of project) needs to be able to view a big job as nothing more than a series of small tasks to complete. I think the biggest hurdle in the whole process is visualizing the end results while keeping that "Large View" from overwhelming all of the small steps. Trying to imagine the end goal can be very discouraging if you have no way of measuring out all of the small steps as legitimate progress. So, today it's the stain and the deck platform. Tomorrow, I think, we're going to make a covered wood box just off the deck for keeping the firewood dry. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote:  “It is to our own detriment that we underestimate the might of small and simple things.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: 

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata
November 27 Breakfast - Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 27 - DIY Homestead - Constructive Use of Solitude

November 27, 2022

Day 422 of the Adventure

I had just stepped outside this morning to retrieve a piece of firewood and I could hear what sounded like wind rushing through the leaves. The problem was, there was no wind and there are no leaves left in the trees. Surely it couldn't be the waterfall I thought to myself. Now that it had my attention, I listened more closely, and it certainly sounded like it was coming from the right direction. I had no idea that it had rained that much through the night, but it must have.

After getting the fire stoked back up and a pot of coffee brewing, I grabbed up Shelley's good camera and headed down the hill. Sure enough, there was a steady stream of water in the creek, and the waterfall was doing its thing. It's part of what had drawn us to this specific property in the first place. Only active after a modest rain, it's made an appearance about twenty times since we've been here. The scenery is beautiful without the water but even better with it. If you hike a few steps down from the back of the cabin, you will find an array of orange flags in the ground. They mark out various footprint options for the foundation of a future house. All close enough to the canyon to have the waterfall grace our back yard view. But...... That's a subject for another day.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude.” ― Rollo May

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata
November 27 Breakfast - Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 26 - DIY Homestead - The World Is Quiet Here

November 26, 2022

Day 421 of the Adventure

Yesterday's edition of Black Friday was avoided nicely and today brought an all day drizzling kind of rain. The best part was looking forward to an indoor day by the fire. This time of year is dominated by everything that needs to be done outside before things get too cold. That means every day that is nice and sunny is another day of outdoor projects. We are building a self-sufficient lifestyle but not one that's devoid of modern conveniences. I like the idea that if power is suddenly lost, we would carry on almost completely as if nothing had happened. Internet is our friend here, otherwise there would be no blog postings or video uploads. It's an amenity we would have regardless, so it also brings with it Saturday football games and the quiet hum of a stacked laundry over near the front door. Self-Sufficient living, by our definition is not primitive by any means. It's certainly frugal and cost conscious but that's part of the life which enables a greater, if not complete, independence from the heavy expenses of living large. One of which was yesterday's version of shopping mania. 

I hope it's not just that I'm getting older that "stuff'" is less attractive to me. If it is, I suppose that's okay, but I just don't have the time or inclination any more to manage a bunch of stuff. Getting more stuff for Christmas and birthdays is even becoming something I'd mostly like to avoid. Simple living is creeping up my list of what's important and it's getting no push back from me. In fact, I think I'd be inclined to take a nap with the quiet crackle of the woodstove across the room. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote:  “The world is quiet here.” ― Lemony Snicket

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Dark (Colombia Dark French Roast)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 25 - DIY Homestead - Avoiding Black Friday

November 25, 2022

Day 420 of the Adventure

What the rest of the country labels as "Black Friday" we call "Stay away from people at all costs" day! I believe that Black Friday has become just another one of those mass marketing events to get people spending money that they normally would have just a little more discipline over. I guess the Christmas shopping frenzy would likely take place anyway at some point. It just feels like there's a lot more hype about losing your financial cookies all at once than there used to be. I've never taken part in the mayhem and pretty sure I never will. I'm not even sure if the intent is to buy gifts for others or get a jump start on all the things we want for ourselves. 

Our alternative to crazy day was indulging in the company of a couple of grandkids, a terrible football game and some awesome, non-traditional, day after Thanksgiving food. Even the necessary stop at a local grocery store on the way to our private family gathering was too close to the action to suit me. In and out in five minutes flat was tolerable. It was long enough to grab drinks, bratwurst, buns and Chocolate Satin Pie. (Shelley refers to it as Chocolate Satan Pie) Once my close encounter with apocalyptic shoppers was in the rear view mirror, the rest of the day was truly enjoyable and relaxing. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough” ― Walt Whitman

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

Friday, November 25, 2022

November 24 - DIY Homestead - The Stuffing of the.........

November 24, 2022

Day 419 of the Adventure

With family scattered all over the place, we were making plans to either stay at home at the cabin or run to one of our favorite restaurants for Thanksgiving dinner. A third option opened up for us at the treehouses. As the seasonal work campers have mostly all moved on to their next gig, we are down to our staff of off-season, year around treehouse family. Most of which also have family scattered all over the place. It's very common for this core group of co-workers and friends to organize holiday gatherings, especially when food is involved. We accepted their invitation, and all met at the Hospitality House for Thanksgiving dinner. No details were spared as far as the food. We even had football on the TV and card games between Turkey Time and Pie Time. 

Our small treehouse family enjoyed each other's company through the afternoon and into the evening. Making do in the best tradition possible absent of the actual family members. It's not too bad of a compromise though. Our band of brothers and sisters of the treehouse tribe are some of the most family-like people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. So, with a grateful heart and an edge of hunger built up from not eating any breakfast, we headed to the treehouses to indulge in the seasonal "Stuffing of the.........." Right! 

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough” ― Walt Whitman

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Ozark Mountain Turtle (Chocolate/Caramel/Pecan flavors)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 23 - DIY Homestead - Income Stream Magic

November 23, 2022

Day 418 of the Adventure

A rainy day at the treehouses
Before Reading: I am sharing some of our income sources as ideas to consider. If you find any value, or if you think you would like to receive other instructional videos on creating income stream ideas with your property (or future property) please consider Subscribing to our YouTube channel using any of the video links on this page. Thanks

In the middle of all the cabin work, we still occasionally want to touch on things that may have direct benefit to readers in similar circumstances. Specifically, those in the homestead, off-grid or recreational property kind of life. In this case, it's the subject of creative sources of income. Obviously, not all lifestyles demand the same level of income support. Ours is not very "Income Dependent" but that has not always been the case. Our very first experience with buying a cabin property type of land, ultimately required an income source, even though we had not figured that out until we were actually committed to it.  The "Cabin" part of the dream was overwhelming as a lifestyle choice. Unfortunately, we had not really built a business plan prior to acquiring the land. In our case, it was probably better for our future that we didn't. How could that even be true? Simple. Had we tried to develop a plan that made sense, we may very well never had taken that first step. 

A few treehouse cabins in the background
I'm not the kind of person who would advocate starting something significant without a good plan, but it was something that we did, breaking my own rule of planning. The reason it worked was that our first bunch of cabins did not cost that terrible much, even though they did require a lot of repairs. The risk was smaller but there was still no real plan in the beginning. In a nutshell. as we completed the renovations on each cabin, we started renting them out as nightly guest rentals. It did not take long to realize the gold mine in nightly rentals. Our four initial little cabins became five, then thirteen, then twenty, then even more. Ultimately it turned into multiple properties including camping, RV sites, cabins and even treehouses. Yes, you may think of this picture as a big complex business operation. The truth is, it started with one single cabin. It could have started with a single campsite. As we began to plan out our "Camp Run-Amuck" life, an initial plan of a half dozen primitive, off-grid campsites was front and center of the idea. From our experience, we know that campsites produce the best income with the least amount of expense and effort. The only real question is how much privacy are we willing to give up. In our case, the easy answer is to only make sites available for specific dates, sacrificing some privacy but preserving it for the most part. 

For the truly ambitious, here's a few links to some of our treehouse cabins. Obviously, a huge amount of expense goes into this kind of project. Still our "Run-Amuck" plan is scaled to something literally anyone could do. It's all about the DREAM!



Carry On

Adventure Quote:  “Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” ― Shannon L. Alder

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 22 - DIY Homestead - The Magic of a Step at a Time

November 22, 2022

Day 417 of the Adventure

With the deck platform complete (or nearly complete) we've finally been able to completely finish the log siding installation on the cabin. The back was too tall for comfort prior to the deck. With the deck, we could get into the peak without the use of tall ladders. It was nearly dark by the time the last piece went in. A few minutes later, the drizzle of rain we had been expecting began. 

Each step of the process brings the cabin in the woods experience closer to reality. Part of our plan has always been creating the environment of a backwoods lifestyle. I can honestly say that the feel is starting to get there. It's all proof that a little determination and dreaming is really all it takes to change course in one's life experience. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote:  “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Highlander Grogg (Butterscotch/Rum flavors)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 21 - DIY Homestead - A Developing View from the Deck

November 21, 2022

Day 416 of the Adventure

We've taken another step closer to having an actual deck on the back of our Cabin in the Woods. It's even come far enough along to move some of the tools up onto it. Life here is filled with disruptions, least of which are things like rain.......... or even Deer Season. Yes, deer hunting took a small bite out of our productivity last week with Shelley harvesting two deer right from the back deck. It's not the "hunting" of them (if you can even call it that). It's all the other stuff, from the field dressing, to the check in, to the skinning and butchering. All of that, times two. nevertheless, once done and out of the way, we could return to our deck building. As it stands today, there are still the random shots being heard in the distance as the final two days of deer season remains. Our deck progress has made it to the near-completion of the platform. I guess another trip to the lumber yard is in store for us. There's still plenty to do on it, but for now, we can actually drag some camp chairs out there and sit with coffee (or tea) and look down into the woods. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something which you could never get from reading books. These are pure and spontaneous pleasures in the woods of our experience.” ― C.S. Lewis

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica blend)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)
 

November 20 - DIY Homestead - Night Time Fire Ritual

November 20, 2022

Day 415 of the Adventure

I've developed a "middle of the night" ritual here at the cabin that many would view as frustrating and tedious. I would say that would be true as well if I had to force myself awake to get it done. As it is though, I typically wake up for one reason or another a couple times a night anyway so it's not a stretch to find myself getting out of bed in the darkness. Now that it's the time of year we need to heat the cabin, a couple of night-time wood stove stokes are necessary. My stoves of the past were more capable of being fired with some "all-nighter" wood because of their size and draft controls. New stoves are equipped with government mandated, EPA features making manual flame control nearly impossible. I guess the trade-off is that they are more efficient, squeezing more heat out of the firewood than the old ones typically would get. I've discovered that I can gain a little manual draft control by cracking the door open for a few minutes if the fire has depleted itself to embers before adding fresh wood. The downside to that is you can't just leave the door open, even just a little bit if unattended. When adding wood, I get two options depending on how long I had slept. I either have decent coals so a chunk can be added, close the door and walk away. Or, I'm already down to embers and some encouragement is required. When this happens, my ritual goes into effect. Leaving the door slightly open creates a small wind-tunnel of draft giving what little embers remain a breath of fresh air. Generally, about a five to ten minute burn is enough to bring things back to life. Sometimes  it's a bit longer and requires the addition of some kindling. Either way, my ritual is one of sitting on a small seat in front of the fire, in the dark watching and listening to the fire crackle it's way back to life. Again, some would find this to be a nuisance. To me, it's just another aspect of life in a backwoods cabin. For a while I wondered if this would be an every night thing. With our specific stove, nightly stokings are necessary whether quick and easy or slower and more intentional. When I see it's going to take a few minutes, I pull up my seat and soak up the warmth and the darkness while the flames grow and come back to life. It's a nightly ritual I've actually come to appreciate and enjoy. 

Carry On

Adventure Quote:  “Look at how a single flame can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Dark (Colombia Dark French Roast)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

Please Consider Subscribing to our monthly "How-To", Do-It-Yourself" newsletter in the upper right corner of this page.   AND........

Click any of the following Video links to start your own adventure with us on our YouTube Channel:  

Mountain Craft
Making Wooden Buckets (Cooper Craft)
Sassafras Tea Making (Chicks in the Sticks video)

DIY Construction Basics Videos
Shelley Painting Trim (Chicks in the Sticks video)

Sunday Morning Outdoor Breakfast Videos
August 28 Breakfast - Campfire Corned Beef Hash
August 7 Breakfast - Chorizo Burritos 
September 4 Breakfast - Outdoor French Toast
September 11 Breakfast - Run-AmuckMuffins
September 18 Breakfast - Dutch Oven Breakfast Frittata

Fun Videos
Run Amuck Road Trip - Thunder Muffins
Run-Amuck Road Trip - Roaring River State Park


Treasured Times Crew to the Rescue Cabin Building (Treasured Times Video)