In a previous post, I mentioned that some vines are killing my trees. I have been searching up and down for an answer, but it turns out, what I am looking at are wild grape vines. Apparently, wild grapes are becoming an invasive species in WV and can grow up to 15 meters. And sure... Continue Reading →
Building the First Network and Server
I know this sounds crazy, but its finally time to build the first wireless network and server out on the mountain! However, with this being off-grid, there needs to be some special considerations. First, why, especially if there is no Internet out there???? Simple reason, I would like to get some measurements and automation out... Continue Reading →
New Chainsaw Backpack!
So in my previous post, I mentioned that I went up and down the hills with the chainsaw working the land a bit. The plan was to head out early in the morning, and not come back until nightfall. That makes for a long day, but also a lot of gear. Would you believe that... Continue Reading →
Something Is Killing My Hardwoods
Over Labor Day weekend I went out the mountain to do some surveying of the woods, and figure out what I want to do about forestry management (more on that in a later post). The plan was to head out there, and cut down as many standing dead trees as I could, section them off,... Continue Reading →
Did you know you can work until your fingerprint recognition fails?
Yea, seriously, my phone has stopped responding to my finger print. Its been a long hard weekend out on the land. Lots of new updates coming soon.
Dealing with Waste and Starting the Composting Pile
One of the issues I am dealing with is waste. There is no trash pickup at my place, and I want to keep the amount of material being hauled to the landfill at a minimum. Ideally, I would like to get to the point where there is only plastic being brought back from the property... Continue Reading →
Making a Field Stone Fire Pit – PARTIAL FAIL
So one of the things that West Virginia has is mountains and stone; no real surprise to anyone who has been there. However, I have a lot of extra fieldstone lying about in piles from the pasture field, and I am looking for something to do with it. First, fieldstone is the stone that is... Continue Reading →
My F250 Got Stuck, Used My Volvo V60 to Pull It Out
One of the things I don't like about my truck is that it has terrible tires. Just terrible tires. I have been in a few situations where I was sitting there thinking "I shouldn't be stuck right now." After my last experience of trying to haul wood out by hand, I thought I would bring... Continue Reading →
Cell Phone Range Extenders
So, there isn't much cell coverage out in my parts of WV, so improving cell coverage where possible has been a priority. Unfortunately, there is a lot of straight up fraudulent products out there. However, I did find a number that could help other people. Before we hit that, lets get into a simple explanation... Continue Reading →
Keeping an Orderly House.. and Fighting the Rain
So, I went back up to the mountain with a few things in mind. I needed to get some more wood cut, brought up, cut to usable size, stacked. I also needed to get some more grass seed down wherever it was patchy. I also wanted to focus on getting the place a little more... Continue Reading →
Vantages From Vandalia 