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End of February at the Cabin – and memories of Japan.

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It's the end of February and winter's not quite done with use yet. Had some fresh snowfall so I fired up the Kioti tractor to clear out the yard. It was great to get some fresh air after being sick with the stomach flu. After the the work was done, I put on a pot of pork udon noodle soup and reminisced about some memories of Japan.

Apparently smoking is a big thing in Japan, or at least cigarette vending machines. I remember as a kid when they used to have them in the vending machine at Friendly's when I would go there as a kid. As always, NB88's videos are worth watching.

Two Years Alone in the Wilderness | Escape the City to Build Off Grid Log Cabin

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One man leaves the city life behind to build a cheap off grid log cabin and homestead in the Canadian wilderness, including a log home, an outdoor kitchen, an outhouse, a woodshed and a sauna bathhouse. Building mostly with hand tools, Shawn James harvests building materials from the forests north of Toronto, Canada and crafts them into functional tools and shelters using traditional woodworking tools and methods. He practices bushcraft and survival skills every day, including fire starting, tree identification and harvesting, wild edible foraging, fishing, hunting, camping in the summer and winter, travelling by canoe and snowshoe, navigation and water collection and purification. Continue watching in 2019 as Shawn finishes the sauna, plants a forest garden for fruit and vegetables, builds an underground root cellar, ice house and cheese cave, a timber frame workshop and a remote hunt camp closer to fish and game.

The wood work and brushcraft that Shawn James does is nothing short of amazing. He also is a really good videographer, and this hour and half video is inspiring.

Burn Day! and moose meat on the grill.

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There's some wet snow coming down and there's no wind. The wimpy winter continues and the temperature is at 32F. (0C). This is a great day to take care of trash at the off-grid cabin. I always try to re-use or recycle but some stuff must be burned. I send very little to the landfill. When we're done I have some moose meat on the grill and I try one of the worst beers I've had in a long time.

Fire and freedom are a great reason to live off grid and not consumes oodles of energy or be into all that consumerism crap.

NY 32 South Westerlo.

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NY 32 in South Westerlo from Stanton's Westerlo Farm, past the Chase Farm, Town Line Auto, and the former Shepards Resort, now abandoned but apparently being fixed up. The Catskill Mountains are seen in the distance. See also my Greenville video.

Phil Ochs – No Christmas in Kentucky

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No, they don't have Christmas in Kentucky
There's no holly on a West Virginia door
For the trees don't twinkle when you're hungry
And the Jingle Bells don't jingle when you're poor

Adapting to Less Daylight in Alaska | Our Lighting Solutions

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With the strange winter season we've been having here, we talk about keeping chickens, our solar system issue, what lights we have found to be tried-and-true, and how we have acclimated to less sun during the shortest days of the year.

I guess if you live off-grid in Alaska during the winter, you really want to have a lot of good flashlights and back-up sources of lighting, especially if your inverter fails.