Well, I declare!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

American Vision is giving away a free pocket copy of The Constitution of the United States and The Declaration of Independence.  For your free copy *click here*.

While you're at it, might I recommend printing out a copy of your state's constitution?  It can make for fascinating reading.  Did you know that, up until 1975, the rules for dueling were included in the constitution for the state of Wisconsin?  Thus far, I can only find that the statute was removed.  I cannot tell, aside from laws governing assault and murder, that it is actually illegal in our state.  Yes, as I said, it's fascinating!

Miscellany ...

I couldn’t pull together my intended post on “A Christian’s Perspective on Sustainability” today, so please check back for it later this week.  Instead I thought I’d share a few bunny trails that, in and of themselves, aren’t quite enough to constitute an honest-to-goodness blog post.

Blog Re-Design ~ I wasted invested a lot of time today in redesigning my blog, as folks who visited prior to today are sure to notice.  When I first set it up, I thought I’d like a minimalistic approach.  Whether my love of Fall colors finally burst forth or the doldrums of winter pushed me to the edge, I cannot tell.  I only know that I needed *color*.  I hope you like it.  Cutest Blog on the Block provided the graphics.  If you have a blog or Twitter page, it's super-easy to use their designs.  They have many cute graphics to choose from.

Blogging for Books & BookSneeze ~ I signed up with both BookSneeze.com and Blogging for Books today.  If you have an active blog, you ought to join.  Books are sent to you for review.  The books are yours to keep in exchange for your honest review.

 

Give-Away ~ Amy at Homestead Revival is hosting a give-away on her blog.  Ramsign, a company out of Denmark, makes high quality enamel signs in many shapes and sizes.  I’m partial to the Lighthouse Oval Address Plaque, myself.  Pop over to Amy’s blog and let her know which design you like because your comment to her post is your automatic entry in the contest.

We may build our next home ...

When we moved to our place last October, we knew the current house would not be our permanent home.  It is too small and has a poor layout.

We played with the idea of building a steel frame building.  That would require quite an outlay financially for someone else to build the actual structure.  This was my favorite photo among the many we looked at.

I came across an article about cordwood construction a couple of weeks ago.  I was intrigued, so Kenny and I set out to do more research.

Not only can we do this ourselves, but we can personalize it to a great extent.

We are looking for sources for pine.  Many folks can't burn it due to the risk of chimney fires.  We can harvest a good deal from our property and from my parents', but we don't want to thin our woods too much.  Fallen-but-not-rotten trees are perfectly acceptable.

I spoke about alternative energy with a representative from our electric cooperative.  He recommended we visit FocusOnEnergy.com for the first steps in the process.

Kenny talked with a gentleman from BEC Solar regarding solar power (good choice!), geothermal (not right for us) and wind (debatable).  It will cost about $300 to have an assessment done on our property.

I talked with the plumber that has come so highly recommended to us.  He will do the required next step - a perk test, septic inspection, well test and pump inspection - for about $500.


I also spoke with the area building inspector.  We expected some roadblocks while utilizing alternative construction, but he was very encouraging.  He sent a preliminary packet to us and gave us an idea of how much we can do ourselves and what would require a plumber, electrician or engineer.

Our next assignment is to locate an engineer who will be willing to work with us.  We're considering contacting KickapooGreen.org to see if they can recommend someone.

Of course, since we are building with a commitment to being debt-free, each step will take some time.

Learn more about cordwood construction and view lots of photographs at DayCreek.com and on Facebook!

A simple CHRISTmas ...

Finally ... real snow!

I have lived in Wisconsin for 28 years.  Many people automatically assume we have frigid temperatures and deep blankets of snow every winter.

Not so!  In fact, I can only recall one memorable winter since moving here in 1982.  I don't remember just which year it was, but I do remember that the streets of our small town were mere tunnels with snow well above the roofs of our cars.  I remember that the boys at one house on Church Street had taken to skiing off their roof into the drifts.  I imagine now that their mother couldn't have appreciated their bravery very much.  At the time, I thought it sounded like an adventuresome thing to do.

We have just experienced our first blizzard in years.  We already had 4 inches of snow on the ground and another 16 inches have joined it, with more in the forecast for tomorrow.  The high winds that came at the end of the snow made for white-out conditions.  It's all been followed by temperatures dipping as low as -29 degrees.  We are so thankful that our pipes have not frozen!

Our road out to Dad and Mom's house was well drifted in.  We have been partially plowed out now, so we can get out in case of an emergency.  After the next storm passes, we'll get it properly cleared.

With no ability to work outside other than to split wood, our thoughts are turning to plans for our little homestead.

We've been looking at heirloom seeds for our garden beds.  We also need to seriously consider which breeds of chickens we want, how many and from which place we should order them.

Dairy goats, too, are on our minds.  A friend in Texas may have some available to us, but the drive will make the purchase financially difficult.

What plans are you making as winter has set in?

Red State, Blue State ...

My friends know that I am active politically.  Since the fall elections passed, I have refocused on pursuing our interest in homesteading now that we can actually live out what we learn.

As I have time, I am reading past posts on The Contrary Farmer blog.  A post from April of this year discusses some of the political and philosophical differences between rural folks and city dwellers.

"But there’s something else that I think is important in this regard. The fact that our country has become divided into so-called red and blue states is an outcome directly traceable to the urban-rural division of our society. This is something of a simplification, but food producers and their social allies tend to vote red and food consumers and their social allies tend to vote blue. The division is thought to be between conservative and liberal philosophies, but it much more reflects the difference between rural and urban values. (There are plenty of urban conservatives and rural liberals.)"

The folks in rural areas with a tendency toward conservative family values are often frustrated when redistricting includes an urban area in their district.

Our district has included two urban areas and several colleges.  Our county voted strongly conservative, but the urban voters pushed us out of conservative representation and saddled us yet again with representatives who do not reflect our votes nor our values.

This map shows Congressional District results.  We are in the blue section in Western Wisconsin.

Introducing Crockett ...

About a month ago, we visited the local pet store.  The owner takes in rescue animals and mentioned she had an Airedale Terrier mix that would soon be available.  She had taken him in because the previous owner couldn't care for him.

Unfortunately, she put the Airedale in with a Pit Bull puppy which attacked him and, among other injuries, nearly severed the Airedale's ear.

The thought of rescuing the rescued-then-injured Airedale tugged at our hearts.  However, she said he was too badly injured to allow anyone to see him.

 

My phone rang while I was out today.  I almost ignored the call because I didn't recognize the number.  It was the pet shop lady calling to say he was ready.

Mom and I agreed to come see him, banding together so we could keep level heads about it.  One look at the grubby little fellow and our hearts were won.  The nominal adoption fee covered his up-to-date vaccinations and treatment costs for his injuries.

 

Crockett is 3/4 Airedale Terrier and 1/4 Bouvier des Flanders. He is seven months old, but seems small considering his mix and age.  It could be that his breed mix is incorrect or perhaps he was a runt or stunted by his injuries.

Regardless, he is adorable and he is ours.