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Jan 29
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Death is Life: Gene Everlasting Book Review

By Resources

GeneEverlastingThe next time I feel desperate about the state of affairs in the world, I should turn to this book for a quick and thorough pick-me-up. Which is ironic, I guess, because the real theme of the book (as you might guess from its title) is death. Death and dying are usually not a welcome topic of conversation.

However, Gene Everlasting is an evocative opportunity to step into the well-worn shoes of our favorite contrary farmer/writer Gene Logsdon and consider what it’s like to have lived 80 years on this crazy green earth, possibly waiting for death around the corner, questioning immortality, but discovering what it means to savor life in all of its colorful moments, big or small, happy or sad.

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Jan 26
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Do You Have WordPress Technical Experience?

By Uncategorized

Wordpress LogoUpdate: Thanks for all the many offers of assistance! Things are now under control.

The Year of Mud website is needing somewhat advanced technical work, more than I can currently provide. After years of using the software, I know some of my way around fairly well, but an issue is at stake that could use a code-savvy individual to get in and clean up some stuff. Are you that person? Do you have WordPress technical experience? Spam links have been embedded in the background of some of the pages, and the result is that this website’s ranking on Google is suffering. Yikes.

I would appreciate any help that can be provided. Perhaps we can work something out. The results will be for the better of the site and its readers. Please contact me if you think you can possibly be of assistance! Thanks!

Jan 20
Love1

Beautiful Shingles in Poland

By Photos

Zakopane, Poland

This is mighty impressive roof work from Zakopane, Poland. This building specifically is a hotel in a ski resort town near the Tatra mountains. I keep going back to look at this image to wonder who had the patience to lay those wooden shingles out so beautifully and precisely.

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Jan 11
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Tool Drool

By Woodworking, Resources, Hand Tools

2013_04_katalog_teaserThis post (I hope) is not encouraging materialism, although it may seem mighty close. I just got my free copy of the newest (to me) Dictum tools catalog. Dictum (formerly Dick Fine Tools) is based in Germany, where they offer the topmost of the top of the line woodworking (and gardening, leather working) tools in the world. That sounds like a bold claim, but I think it’s true. It’s full of the best Japanese, German, & American wares. Their catalog is very finely made to boot, with beautiful photos, and a wealth of information about each category of tools.

Why am I writing about this… well, the catalog is free, and I encourage anyone curious to go ahead and get a copy (by mail, or by PDF). Sometimes, it’s helpful to know what quality means and looks like. I have no doubt the stuff in here is top notch, most of it exceedingly so that it easily surpasses my budget. Maybe this is a stretch, but I think it’s educational, too. The range of items they offer is big, and some things I have frankly never seen anywhere else. There are profiles interspersed of individual toolmakers, so you get a sense of who is making the knives, saws, where they live, etc. I especially like that.

I am a firm believer that you shouldn’t waste your time with inferior tools (because time and energy are ultimately our greatest asset), and the refined craft of tool making is unfortunately going by the wayside. This is a way to keep those ideas alive.

Jan 06
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Making a Windsor Chair: Slideshow

By Woodworking

When I made my most recent continuous arm Windsor chair, I set out to take a photo every step of the way. I mostly did that, but I did miss a few. Namely, I missed a good bit of the assembly, and some of the turning. Can’t blame myself for having my hands full and all, I suppose. It’s way easier to document some one else building something. I guess I’ll just have to build another chair some day and be a bit more diligent with the photos.

Nevertheless, this slideshow should give a decent impression of the myriad steps that accompany making a chair from scratch. Enjoy!

Dec 30
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2013: The Year of Chairs, Stairs, Workshopping, & Moving

By Natural Building Workshops, Carpentry, Strawtron, Woodworking, Homesteading
Spreading Seed: Living Roof

High up in the sky, spreading seed on the living roof of Strawtron

Now is the typical time to think back on the past year, and to try my darnedest to remember everything that has transpired. 2013 was a particularly memorable year, not unlike the others, I suppose. But this year has been pretty different in several big ways, too. Most notably, this year we decided to move to Berea, Kentucky and sell our two homes at Dancing Rabbit. But that didn’t stop us from squeezing in a few more natural building workshops before we left. Oh, and we had to wrap up a lot of work on Strawtron before we could even sell it. Somehow, we found a way to cram it all in.

Here’s a look at how events and projects unfolded in 2013.

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Dec 26
Love0

And The Winner Is…

By Uncategorized

ricefield-winner

Yesterday, we drew the lucky winner’s name out of a bowl for the Ricefield Collective mittens giveaway. The winner is Diana Sheppard. Congrats, Diana! I wish we had enough mittens for all the folks who entered, but alas…

Keep warm and have a great New Year, folks.

Dec 22
Love0

Why Berea?

By Homesteading
Berea, Kentucky

The lovey Berea, Kentucky landscape

Why Berea, Kentucky? We have moved from a landscape dominated by midwestern open skies, corn and soybean fields, very low population densities, and cheap living to an area of mountains, rocks and creeks, small college towns, and… cheap living, too. Dancing Rabbit (in Rutledge, Missouri) is sort of a hotspot in a cultural vacuum. There are no building codes and living is pretty dang cheap, but that comes at a certain cost, too. Northeast Missouri is not known for its progressive edge or counter-cultural activities, except for what you yourself create. While the tri-communities (Dancing Rabbit, Red Earth Farms, and Sandhill Farm) and the Possibility Alliance of La Plata, MO attract lots of very interesting folks, these communities are basically the beginning and the end of the eco and progressive edge (or whatever you want to call it) in northeast Missouri.

What we’ve discovered around Berea, Kentucky is an area with equally limited (or no) building codes and cheap living, but with many other very significant perks, as well. Here’s a distillation of what has attracted us to re-settling here on the edge of Appalachia.

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Dec 17
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Enter Our Free Giveaway for Ricefield Collective Handmade Item

By Uncategorized

ricefield-collective-01

Today, we’re running a free giveaway, partnering with the folks of Ricefield Collective, a sweet enterprise that provides a fulfilling means for Philippine indigenous people to stay on their ancestral land, the gorgeous Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This collective of Philippine women make hand-knit goods in order to supplement their income, which enables them to stay on their land and avoid moving to the city to find higher wages.

Click ahead to read how to enter the giveaway to win a pair of hand-knit Winnower’s Mittens, straight from the women of the Banaue Rice Terraces, and more background on this unique enterprise.

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