Homesteading, Back-To-The-Land, Rural Skills, Foodie, Self Sufficiency Books

By Mr. Simpleton, 20 January, 2010, 9 Comments

Homesteading, Voluntary Simplicity, Gardening and Preparedness Book ReviewsWhen we bought the farm it was our intent to put our city house up for sale and maybe live in it for another year while waiting for a buyer. To our surprise, thankfully, someone snatched up our little wannabe-urban-homestead the second week it was on the market. Unprepared for this (I didn’t want to leave my city job yet), we rented a duplex and had to find a caretaker for our new farm on the other side of the country.

Sometimes Life Just Isn’t That Simple

By Mr. Simpleton, 13 January, 2010, No Comment

BureaucracyMy wife is trying to sell her car. She still owed payments on it so I paid the car off from our savings with the plan being that she’d pay back our savings after she sold the car. It’s just easier to sell a car when you have the title in hand.

Reminder To My Future Self…

By Mr. Simpleton, 30 December, 2009, 1 Comment

It is the end of a decade and the end of an era (The Denver Era) so I thought it would be an appropriate time to take a snapshot. Sometimes along the road of life we lose track of what was important to our earlier selves. Usually we’ve just grown into different priorities. Still, it is important to be reminded of our values and priorities as they were at a given point in time so that we might hold our older selves accountable to our earlier selves.

Giving & Receiving Useful Gifts

By Mr. Simpleton, 30 December, 2009, 3 Comments

I got a Poulan Pro 18-inch 42cc gas-powered, chainsaw for Christmas. It’s the kind in this chainsaw comparison. Along with it I was given some stocking stuffers like work gloves, ear plugs and some smaller gifts like a book on chainsaw maintenance and helmet with a face shield for cutting wood. I gave my wife, among other things, several sewing and knitting books, some contraption that helps her ball up hand-spun yarn, some wool… Next year she might get an actual spinning wheel, but the darned things cost over $400 new so she’s fine with a drop spindle for now.

Making an Indoor Worm Composting Bin

By Mr. Simpleton, 17 December, 2009, 5 Comments

In the video below we show you how to make a cheap and easy indoor worm compost bin that works better than any of those expensive “worm condo” type systems you see in gardening magazines. I tried store bought composters several times and, although some were better than others, I’ve yet to find a system that works better than this one. The best thing about making an indoor worm composting bin from plastic storage bins is that you can do it for under $10. Here’s how…