Where am I on my off-grid homestead goal? 🥅

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Where am I on my off-grid homestead goal? 🥅

Lately I find myself writing less about owning my own land and the off grid way of living. While I certainly continue to have that goal, I feel like there isn’t a lot more to say about it except that I continue on my routine savings and investment plan as I inch towards it. But I’m making good money at my job – which I’m putting towards my future while not be laboring the point – my savings and investments are automatic and require little day by day thinking.

At the same time, I’m continuing to read and learn. I keep reading books about livestock and homesteading, learning how to manage natural resources and labd effectively. I’ve been been continuing to learn electricity and the building code, solar power and gardening. I follow several YouTube channels on these topics and are subscribed to many homesteading podcasts and groups.

The thing in my mind is not to jump too soon. Enjoy life today but keep a focus on a better tomorrow. While nothing beats having hands in the soil directly, learning through watching and reading is the next best thing. Being book smart at least gives you some background – and ideas where to go next.

Many people at my point in my career would looking to buy a house and settle down. I do look at future properties from time to time but my focus now is investing and saving. I just don’t want a suburbanite house – I want to live out in the country, on my own land away from neighbors where I can do my own thing on my own land.

LIDAR Fox Lair 🗺

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Fox Lair - LIDAR Surface Image

Been exploring the old ruins of the Fox Lair Camp and the old tannery on the East Branch Sacandaga River. I was thinking if I could download a LIDAR point cloud or even just a digital terrain model I could have a better overview of the stairways and other remaining debris of the areas hidden normally by the tree cover.

A Day in the Life of a Dairy Cow

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I did not get footage of bringing the cows in at 4 AM in the morning, but this video shows you what the life and purpose is of a living dairy cow.

White Birch Pond – Tubbs Pond – Fawn Lake (1960 vs. 2017)

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[nychistory id=”25635″]

The central portion of the Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area was acquired by New York State from the federal government in 1962, while the federal government was trying to get rid of under utilized lands, including the Albany County Resettlement Lands from the Resettlement Administration. The lands, already replanted to promote conservation and sporting, would see several upgrades including enlarged ponds and changes to the forest cover in the coming decades.

Why Daytime Burn Bans Make Sense during the Brown Season

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Why Daytime Burn Bans Make Sense during the Brown Season

Virginia and Ohio have various state laws that ban outdoor burning and fires during the day time Brown Season which usually is like sometime between October and May depending on the state. This actually makes a lot of sense from a weather related perspective.

  • At night as the temperature drops, usually the dew point drops far less if at all. The effect is the relative humidity increases, which often leaves frost in cold weather and dew on the warm weather. Things are generally damper at night, less risk of fire spread.
  • At the same time when the sun goes down, the breeze often slackens of not becomes completely calm. Especially in the spring, much of the breeze is caused by strong sun angle during the day which heats the air, stirring up air currents.
  • A fire that spreads at night is likely quickly spotted and extinguished. Flames are much more visible at night. Likewise fire brands from burning paper garbage or even sparks from wood are much more visible at night and steps can be taken to minimize them and quickly put out anything they ignite.
  • People who are burning things are much more likely to be home and watching their fires at night. It’s much more risky, especially in fire weather to light off a burn barrel before work then drive off to work while the trash is still smoldering, potentially allowing it to set grass on fire. A night time fire is much more likely to be observed until its out cold.

Burn, Baby, Burn