Living Freedom Posts
Because the Late and Increasingly Unlamented Handyman Mike built the bathroom without correcting underlying problems, The Wandering Monk and I, having repaired and leveled the foundation , are now faced with having to re-level major elements. Phase II of the Great Foundation and Screen Porch Project has been a breeze compared with Phase I, but today we come to the hard part. The north bathroom wall (which Mike built level without regard to what the rest of the house was doing around it) leans in. The bathroom window runs uphill. Rebuilding the wall or cutting it loose from its moorings…
Leave a CommentSorry for the lack of updates on the Great Foundation and Screen Porch Project, and for the lack of photos now. On Thursday we (and this time it was both The Wandering Monk and me in equal measure) finally entered the “hey, there might really be a house in all this mess” stage. In May and July we labored painfully on the foundation and rotted lower walls of the back wing. Necessary, of course. But hard, scary, and mostly not gratifying. That is, not aesthetically gratifying (except for that new bedroom wall with the glass door in it). It’s intellectually…
3 CommentsWe (but mostly The Wandering Monk) finished the screen porch framing except for the part above the door. That, and hopefully a fair bit of siding, should be done tomorrow. Well, barring the standard unpleasant discoveries, courtesy of Ye Olde Wreck’s original builders, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. Fortunately we’ve reached the point where those discoveries are of the “how the heck do we fit those crazy angles together” variety rather than the “why didn’t I just tear the house down when I had the chance?” sort. But there sure are a lot of those little angles that don’t like…
11 CommentsWriter Annie Dillard described the wonder and strangeness of a total solar eclipse. Even scientists express awe as they examine data. I’ll be outside the totality zone for this month’s nation-covering eclipse. Everyone says that even near totality (which I’ll see) is a million miles from the true magic. Until you’ve watched the sun completely disappear by day, leaving only a glowing corona, you don’t know the glory of an eclipse, so they tell us. Where will you be on August 21? Anybody traveling to get a better view?
30 CommentsBest air rifles and pellet guns for SHTF. In places where cannabis has been legalized, the DUI laws regarding THC blood levels are often insane. Completely out of touch with the reality of what’s an intoxicating level and what’s not. Although the laws are bad, there’s good reason for the badness: It’s impossible. Los Angeles just “won” the 2028 summer Olympics. Nick Gillsepie tells Angelenos: run like hell before it’s too late. And that’s without even talking about the effects federal “homeland (achtung!) security” will have on the city. Another city from which to run like hell. Oh, Baltimore. A…
13 CommentsA few days ago we had to halt new signups for Claire’s Cabal due to petty vandalism. We’ve just created and tested a new process for joining. So if you’re interested, have at it. Enter the Cabal through the above link, click on Join us, then answer the questions on the form. Cabal membership is now free for active, productive members.
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