Winston Churchill

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong." - Winston Churchill

Sitting Bull

"The earth has received the embrace of the sun and we shall see the results of that love." - Sitting Bull

Leigh Hunt

"Colors are the smiles of nature." - Leigh Hunt

Marilyn French

"Nature is inside art as its content, not outside as its model." - Marilyn French

John Lubbock

"Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven." - John Lubbock

George Bernard Shaw

"The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there." - George Bernard Shaw

Daniel Boone

"Nature was here a series of wonders, and a fund of delight." - Daniel Boone

6 Best Farm Animals to Raise (and 1 Not to) When You’re Just Starting out

6 Best Farm Animals to Raise (and 1 Not to) When You’re Just Starting out

Dennis Franz

"Coming from Chicago, I like a white Christmas." - Dennis Franz

Aesop

"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds." - Aesop

How would chickens l

How would chickens l - http://ift.tt/1OgXbqm

Preserve your harves

Preserve your harves - http://ift.tt/1OEvimi

What to think about

What to think about - http://ift.tt/1OgXam9

Overcoming Homestead

Overcoming Homestead - http://ift.tt/1OEvge6

How to extract the g

How to extract the g - http://ift.tt/1OgXbqa

Interested in fresh

Interested in fresh - http://ift.tt/1OEvge4

The cheapest and eas

The cheapest and eas - http://ift.tt/1OgXbq6

Put cardboard & comp

Put cardboard & comp - http://ift.tt/1OEvge0

So you dream about h

So you dream about h - http://ift.tt/1OgXam0

Growing hazelnuts is

Growing hazelnuts is - http://ift.tt/1OEvfXG

Preserving Prickly P

Preserving Prickly P - http://ift.tt/1OgXa5G

Ever wondered how of

Ever wondered how of - http://ift.tt/1OEvimc

Rabbit meat is popul

Rabbit meat is popul - http://ift.tt/1OgXa5A

Anyone grow Potatoes

Anyone grow Potatoes - http://ift.tt/1OEvim8

How to make a Desert

How to make a Desert - http://ift.tt/1OgXb9G

In a long-term disas

In a long-term disas - http://ift.tt/1OEvfXu

How to feed your ani

How to feed your ani - http://ift.tt/1OgXb9z

The Ultimate Homeste

The Ultimate Homeste - http://ift.tt/1OEvi5M

Homesteading Through

Homesteading Through - http://ift.tt/1OgXaTl

Food Web, make more

Food Web, make more - http://ift.tt/1OEvi5E

Why I Love Raising M

Why I Love Raising M - http://ift.tt/1OgXa5v

Murano Chicken Farm:

Murano Chicken Farm: - http://ift.tt/1OEvi5A

How to Grow Mushroom

How to Grow Mushroom - http://ift.tt/1OgX9Pf

Get your children involved in homesteading - try these ideas.

Get your children involved in homesteading - try these ideas.

[Hydro Power] High Quality Youtube Channel Documenting a Large-Scale Personal Hydro Plant. Civil, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering... it's all here

[Hydro Power] High Quality Youtube Channel Documenting a Large-Scale Personal Hydro Plant. Civil, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering... it's all here

6,000 square foot aquaponic growing facility going up at the new Denver Mental Health Facility.

6,000 square foot aquaponic growing facility going up at the new Denver Mental Health Facility.

V. S. Naipaul

"The world is always in movement." - V. S. Naipaul

Don Marquis

"Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." - Don Marquis

Engineers are building solar balloons that float above the clouds for constant sun

Engineers are building solar balloons that float above the clouds for constant sun

Duke Kahanamoku

"I have never seen snow and do not know what winter means." - Duke Kahanamoku

Arthur C. Clarke

"Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal." - Arthur C. Clarke

Michel de Montaigne

"Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do." - Michel de Montaigne

Apparaently a Judge said this cop is only guilty of 'not using enough force,' when arresting a 15 y/o 100 lb girl

Apparaently a Judge said this cop is only guilty of 'not using enough force,' when arresting a 15 y/o 100 lb girl

Supreme Court Won't Touch $5.7 Million Jury Award Against Two Cops Who Left Man Paralyzed

Supreme Court Won't Touch $5.7 Million Jury Award Against Two Cops Who Left Man Paralyzed

Percy Bysshe Shelley

"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" - Percy Bysshe Shelley

RMH Bench

A few years ago, we made a Rocket Mass Heater in our living room. There wasn't much space, so the design had to be fairly compact, but it still worked great. We can light a fire in the evening for a couple of hours, and the thermal mass will still be warm in the morning. The only thing we regret is that we hadn't known about the concept of an RMH before we started building, so that we could have put a larger one into the house design.

The town house, on the other hand, has plenty of room, mainly because we don't actually live there. So, we figured we'd use some of the space in its living room to try out a larger design. It is now finished, and turned out really beautifully.

It has the wood part in the corner, with an ash box under it. The riser is made out of firebricks and perlite, and it is contained within a 55 gallon barrel, which acts as a very efficient heat exchanger. The heat then travels through 8" stove pipe all the way to the other end of the room and back. This length of pipe is contained within sand under a bench.

We've only run it for an hour or two so far, as it hasn't been that cold. It heats up the room fine in that time, but hasn't yet been able to warm up the whole bench. Although neither of us likes the cold, we're kind of hoping for a front to move in, just so we try out our new butt-warmer.

Check out the full flickr set for a better idea of how it was all put together.

The post RMH Bench appeared first on VelaCreations.

RMH Bench

John Ruskin

"It is written on the arched sky; it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature; it is that which uplifts the spirit within us." - John Ruskin

Dozens of Nations Back Regenerative Farming Initiative That Can Help Solve Global Warming

Dozens of Nations Back Regenerative Farming Initiative That Can Help Solve Global Warming

Food Freedom Spreading Across States: "Wyoming's groundbreaking direct-to-market law, adopted earlier this year, appears to have sparked a growing movement."

Food Freedom Spreading Across States: "Wyoming's groundbreaking direct-to-market law, adopted earlier this year, appears to have sparked a growing movement."

Homemade Water Filter

Homemade Water Filter

John McGraw

"My boy, one small breeze doesn't make a wind storm." - John McGraw

RMH

RMH -

1-Acre Farm Plan: Here’s What to Plant, Raise, and Build on A Smaller Land

1-Acre Farm Plan: Here’s What to Plant, Raise, and Build on A Smaller Land

Agroforestry – Life in Syntropy

Agroforestry – Life in Syntropy

James M. Barrie

"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December." - James M. Barrie

Pamela Hansford Johnson

"The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire." - Pamela Hansford Johnson

Andy Warhol

"Land really is the best art." - Andy Warhol

Loren Eiseley

"One could not pluck a flower without troubling a star." - Loren Eiseley

Duke Ellington

"Gray skies are just clouds passing over." - Duke Ellington

puppies

puppies -

Nursery continued

Do you ever feel like your husband is trying to plant you out of house and home?

The post Nursery continued appeared first on VelaCreations.

Nursery continued

Jacques Yves Cousteau

"The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it is to know that and to wonder at it." - Jacques Yves Cousteau

FunFortless

A couple of years we ago, we made the kids a Funfort in their room (see howto here.). It was awesome and the kids loved it.

The only downside was that it was pretty big and took up quite a bit of the space in their small room. They started bringing more and more toys downstairs to be somewhere with more area to play. So, with their permission and approval, I took it all apart and converted all the lumber into shelving for around their room.

The room has now been rearranged to fit the new furniture. There is plenty of space for all their toys (and, of course, all the toys we inherited from Abe's childhood too!). They have joint shelves and individual shelves, so that Leo can keep his stuff as organized as he wants, while Nicky can have his as messy as he wants.

It should work fine until we get to build our room on the west end of the house (whenever that might be), at which time the kids will have a room each.

The post FunFortless appeared first on VelaCreations.

FunFortless

Walter Scott

"We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt." - Walter Scott