Had an appointment this morning to do some soil consulting, and rolled up on this sketchy looking property. Turns out I was at the right place. A retired guy is looking to buy the acreage, but wanted to get an idea of the cost required to demolish the old structures and build a new house with proper a wastewater system before finalizing the purchase. I fixed him up with a soil evaluation, advised him to rebuild further up the slope to have more available space for the leach field, and located and uncovered the existing septic tank so it can be properly decommissioned. The moral of the story: When buying land, call your local soil scientist, because it sucks to buy a place and then find out you can't have running water and a shitter. #grownostr #soil #proofofwork #ruralruins

Today was the day to clean out the deep bedding from the chicken house. Job passed inspection from the rooster. I'm trying something new for the compost. Usually I mound up the compost material, and mix in some forest soil. But wouldn't it be easier to just bring the compost material to the forest soil. So I dumped the whole lot in the woods. I found a damp shady area at the base of a north facing slope near the creek, and where I know there is lots of fungal activity. We'll see what happens. #grownostr #proofofwork #farmstr #chickens #compost

Spring has arrived and it's been a busy week. Digging trenches, equipment maintenance, poured some concrete, and finished out the week by mowing the cemetery today. #grownostr #proofofwork

It's a good Spring day to get your work done early and slip away for a pipe in the woods. Currently enjoying some Boswell's Northwoods tobacco and carving feathersticks with the Condor Compact Kephart while watching wild turkeys scratching through the leaves. Go outside, adventure awaits. #grownostr #getoutside #pipestr #knifestr

Here is today's soil profile. Deep, dark topsoil with lots of grass roots, but it was very rocky. Then cobbly clay below. I assigned it a .3 gallon per day per square foot loading rate. So a wastewater system for a 2 bedroom house on this site will require 800 square feet of trench bottom. #grownostr #soil #proofofwork

Made some progress today. Cattle waterer mostly installed. Dug out multiflora rose bushes and cleared Osage orange limbs around the corral and piled them in the massive brush pile in the background. Had a hydraulic leak on the mini excavator, so one evening this week was spent removing the leaky hose and the next evening reassembling with the replacement hose. Topped off the hydraulic fluid, and changed engine oil while I was at it. #farmstr #proofofwork #grownostr

Gm If you've ever wondered what the tunnels under Capitol Hill that Congressmen and Staffers use to travel between buildings look like, here's a couple pictures. #gm #grownostr

Gn, nostr #grownostr

Washington DC carry Much to my chagrin most of the places we're going while in DC don't allow firearms and pocket knives, so this is how I'm rolling. Wallet Mec Army compass Griffin Mini pocket tool Fisher pen Maratac flashlight #grownostr #edcstr #pocketdump #knifestr

Gm I'm in Washington DC for a couple days with Missouri Farm Bureau. Meeting this morning with Senate Staffers. #grownostr #gm

Winter has returned. Moved the cattle to a new pasture yesterday evening before the snow and rolled out some hay. Lots of trees in this paddock so they're out of the wind. #grownostr #farmstr #winter

Interesting. Are nickels next? "The cost to mint a US nickel is currently around 8.52 cents per coin, according to the US Mint's 2022 annual report. This is higher than the face value of the coin, which is 5 cents. The main reason for this discrepancy is the high cost of the metals used to make nickels, particularly nickel and copper." How long until Sats replace coinage? #bitcoin

#grownostr #memestr

Gm This old brick building was once a pump house for an oil pipeline. It's located in the woods in Dallas County, Missouri. We got to go look at it a few years ago when the property was up for sale. I can't recall exactly, but it was something like 160- 180 feet long. There used to be massive pump machinery lining both walls. We were told that the machinery was pulled by mule team when it was delivered to the site. #ruralruins #grownostr #gm

I try to take a moment to get a picture of old buildings that I find on my backroad travels, because someday they will be gone. I posted this picture in 2023, though my image link is no longer functioning. I passed by this building again this week, and the roof had completely fallen in. #grownostr #ruralruins

Trying a new blend. Meridian from G. L. Pease. This is a medium English blend. Leathery orientals are definitely in the foreground. Latakia is present but very subtle, and occasionally I detect a bit of sweetness from the Virginias. Smoked in a Petersen Irish Harp #pipestr #grownostr