leah's pictures

Our friend Leah came over yesterday and took wonderful pictures of me and Jeff.


She also promised to help do some painting later this fall - and if she can paint houses as well as she can take photos, we're in for a treat.

In other news, we should have a decent homepage within the next few weeks, the bonfire pile is bigger than ever, and Jeff have finally replaced the seat on the Bolens tractor.

The last few days we've had lots of sun and just as much wind, which has been wonderful for working and just as wonderful for taking pictures.

Sweat Lodge and Such

I finished the sweat lodge yesterday. Will and I put up the frame yesterday morning and the rest of it came together in the evening. We haven't had our first sweat yet because people (including myself) have been coming and going from the farm the past few days. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, plus its material costs were $0. Everything used to construct it was found right here on the property.
In other news, no truck. The one I found turned out not to be the one I needed. Still looking though, so if you've got a beater pickup for sale, send word. Also, all the brewing supplies are in, so we will have our first beer fermenting as soon as this weekend!
Biodiesel is in its final stages of planning. I found a guy who would give me free buckets (with lids) to pick up used oil in. I'm waiting on a few responses for a couple of 55 gallon drums (also free). Pick up a few filters, and we'll be ready to go. I am really hoping we will have our first batch made by November. Then we just have to find something to burn it in...
My grandfather came out this afternoon, and I was really glad to have his insight. He's a cattle rancher and he and I discussed the possibilities of grazing cattle in some of our pastures, property management, growing quality hay, and many other things.
So much needs to be done around here, that sometimes it is overwhelming. But I am optomistic. It is just going to take time, money, manpower, and know-how. If you can provide any of those things, come on out!

Job Posting

Alright, I really need a gardener/landscape architect. I'm serious. If you or any one you know is in the least bit interested, let me know. Send an email straight to me at: jeff.turman@gmail.com. I can tell you all about your could be job description, fringe benefits, etc. To be completely honest, this is a job I would love to have myself and I thought I could manage it along with my other duties, but i'm really just a little too spread out at the farm right now. Naturally I'll be able to assist you on a semi-consistent basis. I will also occasionally recruit you to do completely unrelated things. An interest in sustainability and organics is a must, otherwise there aren't really any requirements for applying. Experience of any kind would be great, but we are willing to help anyone learn if they have a legitimate interest and a good work ethic.
This is a great opportunity for someone. I'll basically give you free creative reign. Come visit the farm, make a plan/presentation for the directors, we'll budget it and get it done. This could be a short or long term thing.
You could be part of something big...Work is good for the soul and you could hang out with us cool kids.

* * *

I'm buying a truck tomorrow. It will be the first of (hopefully) many in our biodiesel burning fleet of vehicles. more to follow...

Monday, October 01, 2007

I made it to Joinerville, TX about 7 am this morning, and I went to sleep. I woke up about one and got started working about two this afternoon. The first thing I did today was to replace the fuel line on the Bolens tractor. This was a pretty quick job and I got it handled thusly. Unfortunately, once I got everything replaced and the fuel line primed, it wouldn’t crank. So I’m going to have to dig into this one a little bit. The battery needs a good charging, as well. With that project on hold (once again…) I went on to finish up the front porch on the main house. I’m pretty happy with the way it’s looking right now. I’ve still got to clean up and rearrange some of the patio furniture, but all the sweeping, wasp removing, power washing and whatnot is done. From here, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get into next. After weighing a few options, I ended up working some more on the main house exterior a bit. I really want to remove all the old plants, potting soil, pots, etc away from the front of the house and have a really nice, clean, entryway. I spent the rest of the afternoon loading up Marty’s long flatbed trailer with all of this stuff. Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to finish that up as well as get started on weed removal. I got quite a bit done today, just nothing really exciting to write about.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

We’ve done it. A monumental achievement has taken place at the Center. Our first one liter batch of biodiesel is currently separating in the kitchen of the guest house a.k.a. “the lab” or “the plant”. We’re not really settled on we’re calling that. That’s not the important part. The important part is that we took a small step in accomplishing one of our goals. Tomorrow we’ll be able to see if the reaction was a complete success or if we need to tweak a few things. And with this knowledge, we’ll be able to crank out a full 40 gallon batch pretty quick. I did a few other things around the place today, but I don’t even want to talk about that stuff. Everyone here at the center is just super excited about all this.

In other news, Will and I attended the open house get-together for Tyler 21 today. This is the city’s plan for the 21^st century and essentially the next 30 years. To be completely honest, I went into this with a pretty pessimistic attitude with little hope for the future. I have just one thing to say: I was dead wrong. I have never been as optimistic about the future of this area as I am right now. I can tell that a lot of research and planning went into this and by people who are well educated not only in urban planning, but the social and psychological fields as well. I think their hearts and their heads are in the right places. I went in hoping to complain about plans that were out of touch with the community- but there wasn’t a single thing I felt they hadn’t carefully considered. For once I feel completely comfortable saying: well done Tyler.

And one more thing- we may be getting a new resident at the center…

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Okay, another big day at the Center. Typing is somewhat difficult tonight because my left hand is quite swollen- the result of a wasp with ill intentions. Regardless, I press on! We had several guests out today. The first were Stephen and Katie, who came out this morning. I always enjoy showing new people the property out here and seeing the sense of wonder in their eyes and voices as we go through the pine forest, check out the lake and pond, and tour the wonderful houses and structures. Stephen was just visiting, but Katie was here for an altogether different reason- she is now officially our first artist-in-residence! She will be working with Will and me a certain amount of time each week and spending the rest of her time actively creating! This is exactly the kind of thing we want to promote at the Center. I’m pretty excited about this.

We also had a few other folks out today, Jean and Stephen. Jean is a Master Gardener interested in our farming going-ons, and the Stephen is a chemist curious about our biodiesel operation. Our gardener friend pointed out that our Billy goat’s collar was a bit too tight for him, something I hadn’t noticed. So, some goat wrangling ensued. It was pretty exciting, not gonna lie… I’m very glad to have met these experts and I hope to dig them a little to see what I can learn from them.

On to things I accomplished today. The front porch is done. I’ve also just about finished up weeding and cleaning up the area to the left of the porch, I guess the porch extension. By tomorrow, I should be done with that, have all the old plant pots and soil in an appropriate location, and be done power washing the exterior of the front of the house. It’s apparent to me that a new coat of exterior paint on the house is in order. Yay, my favorite thing in the world…painting…

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Well, apparently the wasps around here are out to get me. Typing remains difficult today because I was stung –again- on the left hand today. Never even saw it coming. This time my entire arm hurt and my hand is swollen up to my mid forearm. So- new project. All other projects are temporarily on hold until I kill every single flying stinging insect around here. Bastards…

Our biodiesel mini-batch is looking really good. We’ve got conclusive evidence that the reaction was a success, and when I find the time I’ll get some specific gravity measurements to confirm my observations. Here pretty quick we’ll get our first real batch made. Got a diesel?

I scouted a location for the Thanksgiving Day Weekend Extravaganza bonfire today. We wanted the bonfire somewhere centrally located in the compound with easy access to the lake, restrooms, and with a good place to sit around the fire. I didn’t have to look far, there’s a perfect little spot for it about 50 feet from where I am currently typing. We’ll soon start collecting wood and whatnot for the fire. Another bonus is that we’ll be right by a power source for our live music. I hope to have the sweat lodge completed by then. Maybe even a wood burning hot tub as well…

I made more good progress today, accomplishing most of what I set out to do. I’m nearly done with the front porch/porch extension project, and I’ve got the Honda ATV and the Kubota tractor running in good shape. The drive is starting to look better too. Won’t be long and this place will be looking good.

I’m not sure what I want to tackle tomorrow. I’m only working a half-day because I’m headed to Fort Worth tomorrow afternoon.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Today I really just want to say a big thank you to Duel. He’s the man behind everything that’s going on here, and without him I’d probably be working at Burger King or something. So Duel, thanks for having a vision and believing in a couple of college dropouts. I know that a lot of great things are going to come out of this and I’m excited that I’m lucky enough to be a part of it!

idea farm

Yesterday I decided to listen to Postal Service while I swept the front porch - which hadn't been swept in months. I decided that, even though it was overplayed in its day, Give Up is still a good album, and it was time to listen to it again.

And as I swept, I thought about the people who might live here in the future, about the music that they might bring. I hoped they would bring the kind of music, old or new, that my ears need to hear - music that will speak to my soul.

Then I thought about the ideas that they might bring, as well. I thought about how, as much as the Center is a place for blackberries and biodiesel, it is a place for ideas - and I think that Jeff and Duel would agree.

And when I think about ideas that people might bring, ideas they might cultivate and harvest here, I can't help but hope they'll be the kind of ideas, old or new, that the world needs to hear - ideas that will speak to its soul.

Jeff talked about independent projects, and this is one of mine;
I'm trying to establish an idea farm.

photos

Photos. Some of these pertain to what we are working on, some don't. All are from the Center.

So Far...

Saturday, September 29, 2007

This morning I finished up the wood collection on the front drive. My next endeavor was to dig out a short trailer that I used to use in the blackberry fields. It was still right where I left it, in fact it still had a load of pine mulch on it. So I spent the next half hour or so cutting the weeds down around it so that I could gain access to it. Then I pitch forked all the old mulch off of it. Viola! Good as new. My next project for the day was to work on the main house front porch a bit. I started clearing it off and also used our brand new still-in-the-box pressure washer. That’s a handy tool to have around! That kept me busy until lunch, which was right when Will made it back. We shot a few ideas back and forth between ourselves and tried to stay on the same page about all of our going-ons.

Will brought his truck out, so after lunch we loaded up a bunch of the bulky items that we are planning on junking. Duel and Lisa made it out this afternoon, and it was a great chance for us to talk a few ideas out and show off our progress. I’m quitting early today though, because I’m off to Fort Worth this evening. I’ll be back out tomorrow night and back working on Monday morning. Osmosis Amoebas!

Friday, September 28, 2007

I think I got some good things accomplished today. First thing this morning, I headed up to the guest house area to work on that a bit. I stayed there for maybe an hour or so, mainly collecting trash and garbage out of the yard and surrounding area. I really didn’t want to tackle the shed by myself, so that got put off to another day. Late morning, I picked up trash. That’s right. The unsightliness of litter really bothers me, so I did a little community service. Armed with my bucket and claw, I took to the streets of Rusk County to hopefully put a dent in its massive litter problem. I hope that cleaner roads will inspire those who passed by to think twice before they toss that lemon lime Gatorade bottle out the window. Also, I think it helps improve the image of the center. Not only are we trying to work on projects here, but we are improving the community too. This kept me busy until lunch.

After lunch I found myself in a mechanical mood. We’ve got lots of equipment in various states of disrepair around here, and it’s my goal to fix them. The first thing I tore into was a couple of old treadmills. Neither worked properly and we certainly don’t need them, so I harvested the electric motors out of them so we can get rid of the bulk. Hopefully we can put them to good use in a project down the road. Next on the list was a lawn tractor. The tractor won’t turn over at all- I suspect the battery is dead. We don’t have a charger around, so that is as far as that got. Then I was going to use the Bolens tractor to retrieve a trailer, but when I cranked it, I discovered a pretty serious fuel leak. Add one more thing to the list!! I clearly wasn’t having much luck with my mechanical endeavors, so I moved on to other tasks. What I spent the rest of the afternoon doing was picking up fallen limbs and trees on the driveway. While doing this, I was struck with an idea: why not burn all the wood we’re collecting around here in a wicked awesome bonfire? So, upon approval, we’re having a party at the Center! I would like to suggest a pasture party complete with homebrewed beer and live music. We’ll see how that goes over.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Will and I both needed to be in town this morning, so as soon as we woke up and ate, we journeyed to Tyler. I mostly took care of some things that are outside the scope of this blog today. I made it back out to the farm right around three this afternoon. I took a little break and didn’t really start up any projects until about 4:30. I had spent a good part of this afternoon doing research on various topics and trying to put together a list of things that need to get done around here. This is all maintenance type stuff.

1. Tractors:

a) Complete Bolens tractor seat installation. This will require some fabrication.

b) Fix the flat tire on the Kubota tractor.

2. ATVs:

a) Fix the shifter problem and flat tire on the Honda.

b) Troubleshoot and repair the Yamaha.

3. Complete the guest house area clean-up.

a) Included with this are: the garage (mostly done), shed, back porch, and the entire surrounding yard. I would also like to pressure wash the garage and porch areas, and maybe some of the exterior walls.

4. Main house area and drive clean-up.

a) Included with this are: entire surrounding area including the pool and the front porch. I would like to move some of the equipment from the front yard (the plow, old mower, etc) so it isn’t the first thing you see when you drive up to the house. I think included with that should be a place to keep the tractors and ATVs out of the way and protected from the elements.

5. Began a regular maintenance schedule for the grounds, yards, facilities as well as all equipment. This should include mowing, weeding, landscaping, cleaning, or otherwise improving. Equipment (tractors, ATVs, tools, etc) will also need a regular service plan.

That is basically what I’ve got. If nothing else, I think it is definitely a good place to start. More than likely this list will grow before it starts to shrink… no worries though!

This evening I was able to pull the flat off the Honda and started working on the Kubota when lack of daylight and an ever increasing rain hampered my efforts. I should be able to get that taken care of first thing in the morning. I think for tomorrow I will also work on the guest house clean-up a bit. Will will be back out tomorrow afternoon so hopefully he and I can put a good sized dent in that project.

Now- on to the fun stuff. We have a few projects in various phases around here that are more what the center is about. Right now our big three are:

1. Biodiesel production.

2. Solar oven research.

3. Building a greenhouse and starting up some aquaculture.

Of these three, I consider myself an armchair expert in biodiesel (I think I know about as much as I can for someone who has yet to make any), somewhat knowledgeable in solar cooking, and pretty much clueless in aquaculture. Our plans are to start on a batch of biodiesel ASAP. We’ll probably complete a test batch within the next week (I hope). Marty, a friend of the Center and an expert at just about everything, is going to help us along with our aquaculture in exchange for a little manual labor on our side (building him a greenhouse). I’m not really sure how solar cooking research is going to fit into all of this just yet, but we shall see…I think we should try and make one meal a day, 3 times a week with solar power. One obstacle I see approaching is that the winter season will quickly be upon us and with that less intense sunlight and shorter days.

And one more thing. Each of us at the center have our own little pet projects going on (at least I do!). I’ve got a long list of things I’d love to do, but for right now I’m going to focus on a few. My first project is going to be brewing beer. Just a few more pieces of equipment and I’ll be all set up to make my very own “True Brew”. I’ve got a few more things in planning stages (converting a pickup to run on straight vegetable oil, maybe building a backyard foundry, building a sweat lodge, plenty of other things…) but for now, let’s take it one at a time. I’ll keep you updated on my “fun” projects as they progress.