The more I have looked for it, the more I have seen how large a problem erosion is for our area of Minnesota. Among such facts was that apparently the Zumbro River saw massive erosion into a valley after initial settlement (late 1800’s) and required the state reacquiring land to help stabilize it. The land […]
If you follow the world of green energy, you will know there is a basic need to store excess energy from wind and solar in order to provide power when there is no wind or sun. Such systems also offer the potential for microgrids – ie being able to keep small parts of the grid,
A Quick Feasibility Study on Home Pumped-Hydro Storage + Geothermal Read More »
I am quite proud of this project because it is the first thing I have done that really counts as electrician work (not that I ever plan to be an electrician, but it’s a useful skill). I have been playing with DC circuits for a while, but never with mains powered, 120V AC wires. While
Replacing Fluorescent Tubes with LED Tubes Read More »
Wabasha, where I currently live, is the oldest town in Minnesota, inhabited since 1826. An 1843 map, by Nicollet and Fremont (names you’ll see a lot of in Minneapolis) lists it as the trading post of ‘Roques’ for the half-Indian (mother was the sister of chief Wapasha, for whom the town is named), half-French leader
A Brief Wabasha and Farm Early History Read More »
For various reasons, I spent more of 2022 at the family farm than I had been planning. It is, undeniably, not a bad place to be held up. At least for three seasons of the year. There is good cycling. Lots of tools for projects. A well-staffed kitchen. Plenty of space. And above all, gardens.
A Year of Gardening: 2022 Read More »
Power, glorious power!That’s what I think when I see the stream raging through the ravine in early spring. I’ve wanted to put a hydroelectric generator in there for ages. There is one problem, there isn’t really enough water flow for enough of the year to do anything. Actually, it’s either dry or frozen solid for
Hydroelectric Power for IOT devices (more fun than practical) Read More »
This winter was particularly harsh, with lots of young trees dying back or dying completely, even though they are supposedly hardy to much further north. This spring also saw a particularly powerful spring melt. And that, of course, is an erosion problem. The valley here is in a fragile balance. It has never quite adjusted
A bit over year ago, I built a small dam across the ravine’s stream bed to reduce erosion. The dam, failed. And now, I have figured out why. It was pretty simple to figure out, and just involved standing around a bit in heavy rain. The water coming from the side (up where the house
Ravine Project, a year later Read More »
My mom and I both ordered rather more fruit trees than we really needed. In particular my mother ordered four Yellow Transparents, because she really wanted to make sure we had something like the old yellow apple which we love but is aging. I got quite a few more than four trees, but most were
Fruit Tree Planting 2021 Read More »
2020… …was a hard year for many people.For me, it wasn’t too bad, although it definitely did not turn out as expected. The year started off with a really amazing trip to New Zealand. My second time there, I got to see a bunch of new sites I hadn’t seen before (Abel Tasman and Mt
