Sometimes a big, old snowstorm can really get the creative juices flowing. Last weekend was like that here. We already had a mass of good oak firewood on the porch when the sleet started coming down Friday afternoon. By Saturday morning, the roads were blocked with a foot of snow, […]
As the U.S. government begins scaling back its Food Stamp Program, I wonder how 48 million recipients (almost 1 of every 6 Americans) are being advised to make the transition to reduced or discontinued benefits. Cuts loom ahead, too, for Social Security and other programs. Is home gardening ever encouraged […]
When I was young, my mother sent us out every evening to bury the day’s apple cores, carrot tops and hickory nut hulls in the garden. And, because we ate so much wild game, we always had animal innards, bones, skin and other scraps to get rid of. Our neighbors […]
Check your static water level The easiest way to check your static (resting) water level is to tie a small weight (such as a metal nut) to a string, and lower it into the well. First, flip off the electric breaker, and remove the well cap, which is usually […]
Here in the Ozarks, we are expanding our growing areas, relearning old-time skills, acquiring hand tools and building human-powered devices while we still can. But, preparing for radioactive rain? We hadn’t thought of that. While global warming seemed a fairytale to many 25 years ago, I boycotted Styrofoam, aerosol sprays, […]
Missouri filmmaker Sophek “Sean” Tounn is on the last leg of a three-year undertaking to help others think beyond preparing for a single-event disaster, and instead develop self-reliant skills to last a lifetime. Citing Hurricane Sandy as an example, Tounn said the modern way of living is not beneficial to […]
If ever I am overrun by a million motorbikes with cartoonish beep-beeps blaring as I cross a Missouri roadway, I will immediately think of Vietnam. Although I have stated emphatically for years that my feet will never leave solid ground again, I accepted an opportunity to travel with a marketing […]
We have been really busy, but finally found some time to remove our drop pipe, sucker rod and cylinder for the enhancements needed for the pump. We managed to do a short video that might aid others in preparation for their own well pump installation or removal if needed. You […]
Is it just me, or are there entirely too many T-shirts in the world? Perhaps I had a few as a youngster, but the first I can truly recall was a white T-shirt with a rubbery photo of a Studebaker on the front. I wore it with stylish orange bell-bottoms […]
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we’ve improved the WaterBuck Pump yet again. In addition to installing new drop pipe and sucker rod, we are making another significant mechanical advantage improvement to the pump that will make it even easier to operate and reach deeper. […]
