Chronological Order

On these pages I, the Pithole Hermit, will document my adventures in developing a 3 acre lot near Pithole Pennsylvania.  I just completed purchase of the land today.  It is mostly wooded with a small clearing.  A 12 x 16 shed is already on the property and I plan on converting this to a cabin.  There is a 100 foot well with an electric pump, but not electricity to the site.  No sewage or other utilities.  I am starting with a 3500W generator, which I will set up tomorrow.  That is all for now.  Here are a few pictures of the site.  

Well, my plan to setup the generator was put on hold. After opening the box I found a motor mount was broken.  So now I have to return it and get another.  But I did do a short walk-through video of the property.  

Contacted the generator manufacturer All Power America, and they are shipping the part. Plus, the company selling it is refunding $100. Will soon be up and running.

Hey you kids, get off my land!  Just kidding.  I’m an old hermit but not yet a grouchy old hermit.  But I am well armed and former military so it is best not to sneak up on me.

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I was off a few days for a medical problem.  Will be back out at the land tomorrow.

Please ignore the photos of the windows below.  I have found some double pane, single hung new windows at 84 Lumber at a great price.  One 3 by 3, two 3 by 2’s and one 2 by 2 for $55, $47 and $38 respectively.  With the veterans discount I got them all, with screens, for under $200.  Similar single pane windows would have been over $300 elsewhere.  More pictures to come.  I plan on making a greenhouse/hotbed with the old windows.

The generator is up and running

And these are my new windows

The Pithole Paradise is starting to look lived in.

After nearly fifty years the old canvas tent finally ripped.  A lot of memories camping with my dad.  I got a new nylon tent.  Bet it won’t last fifty years.

While wandering my land I discovered the combination of moist soil and shady trees is perfect for mushrooms.  I am not very good at identifying mushrooms but there are some I know well.  Here is a Cauliflower Mushroom I found this morning.  It is edible, and some say very good, but it is just too ugly for me to try eating it.

I know.  I’m slow.  I can’t seem to handle the heat well so I have mainly been exploring and tenting.  When the temperature drops soon I’ll do more cabin work.

Okay.  Time to cover what Pithole is. Originally Pithole was just a creek near the Holmden farm in Venango County Pennsylvania. The name supposedly came from some sulfur smelling holes along the creek.  The holes or cracks probably also leaked natural gas into the air since some unconfirmed stories say people get sick or die near the holes.  These holes do exist but it is not certain they are the source of the name.  Another possibility is pits dug by native Indians, even predating the later Senecas, in order to obtain oil for medicine and rituals. Things began to change with the drilling of Drake Well along nearby Oil Creek in 1859. In January 1865 oil was struck in the Pithole area.  A town soon sprung up on the location of the Holmden farm and by the end of the year Pithole City had nearly 20,000 people. By 1868, after the oil flow slowed and many fires burned, Pithole City became a ghost town. Today a museum is located on the site and signs mark the location of previous streets and buildings.  The museum is run by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Drake Well Museum (Pithole.com and the Pithole Hermit are not affiliated with the commission or any state entity). No buildings are left, but when I was a kid 3rd street hill was great for sled riding.  Probably not allowed anymore.  I don’t know. Anyway, site of old Pithole City is about 1.5 miles from my land.  Pithole is the largest of many oil boom ghost towns dotting the hills of NW PA.  The town of Redhot was less than a mile from my location. Two good springs are nearby.  Hengstler’s Spring on Pithole Rd and a unnamed spring on Pike Rd. Pithole on wikipedia Pithole Museum link And yes, there’s still oil in them thar hills.  Ancient remains of an old pumphouse is in the woods on the edge of my land.  And a much newer producing gas well is just down the road.

Several improvement.  First off.  The well is working. I tried it many times and it only would drag the generator down.  Then my dad came out and I went to show him how it didn’t work.  Sure enough.  It worked.

Still runs a little red but I think that will clear up.  It hasn’t run for almost five years.   I also got a compressor to run my brad gun. Plus a propane lantern and camp shower

I finally removed the windows, caulked the seems and fastened them down permanently.  I think I might have overdone the caulking.

Still some framing to do on the inside but I can do that with the windows in.

And finally.  The last window (for now) is installed.  I’m not yet sure which side I am putting the smallest one.

I used two cans of foam insulation and sealed any unwanted daylight leaking through.  Bugs, mice, moths and spiders have tried to make this their home.  Now that I’ve sealed it I also set off a bug bomb to get any stragglers.  Of course I believe this will keep them out.  There’s just no way they can find a way around it.

With all due respect to DuPont Tyvek I have gone with Prime Wrap for 1/3 the price. Also got lots of insulating board from my Uncle Bob.

Taking some time off while my daughter is back home visiting from Chicago.  Got to spend today target shooting with her.  We practiced with her Ruger .380 LCP and Kahr 9mm.  She also shot her bows and the Marlin .22.  I sighted in my 30-06.  Beautiful day at Pithole Paradise.

I removed the shelves. The OSB was in bad shape. But the yards of 1 x 4s and 2 x 4s will come in handy.

These deer sure didn’t care I was there.  And archery season opens Saturday.

With the Autumn rains here I put up a tarp for temporary storage. And covered my building materials.

Just saw a huge coyote on the road outside my camp.  Couldn’t get a picture.  I’ll be sure to keep my camera ready for the next time.

Rain quit long enough to do some cabin wrapping.

Started installing insulation and the first panel of drywall.

One corner and floor panels in.  Floor panels not yet secured.

Update: really fast delivery.  Here’s the real thing. I decided to go with a tiny wood stove instead of propane.  Really get off the grid.  On order Plus I’m moving my firewall from my house.  Ceramic tiles will be reinstalled after mounting.

Since my cabin used to be a storage shed, I need storage space.  So I got a giant waterproof bin.

Okay.  Not completely.  But the floors, walls and windows are in.  A lot of finishing work but the cabin is now better than the tent.  Tonight will be my first night staying on the cabin. Also it has been raining so much that I now have a pond on my property.

Now that I’ve started setting up the cabin it has now become a hunting camp. Pretty empty now. Here’s a short video from my archery hunting location at the back of my property. The orange hat is to meet game commission requirements of 100 square inches of orange within 15 feet of an archery stand.

A new (old) door with a latch and windows.

Made some progress on the porch roof, but I need several 8 and 10 foot 2 by 4s. Also started mounting firewall tiles for the wood stove.

The chimney is mounted and the wood stove burning.  Note I used fireboard covered (mostly) with ceramic tile.

                 

Dinner time. 

I haven’t even done the mud and tape on the drywall.  But I started painting.  Autumn leaf color.  Also put up a shelf which filled up quickly.

Now that I have picked a color I can go on with mudding and taping the drywall.  Should take a few days.

I am nearly finished painting inside.  Because of the cold weather one of the ceramic tiles didn’t stick.  I’ll try again later. And finally a quick walkthru    

Piecing together a nice floor with some  green and beige carpet, stick on linoleum and some green throw rugs. And the pneumatic brad gun did a great job securing the carpet.

 

You can’t see it very well in the photo but at 11:44am Nov 19 the first real snow of the season started. 12:05pm and the ground is already covering.

It even works outside in the Allegheny Wild

Some folks call it an Adirondack Chair but I’m going to call it an Allegheny Chair.  It’s like an Adirondack only more crooked.  It’s not yet finished since I need some shorter screws for the back slats.

What are you looking at.  You never saw horses before?

This is kind of like what the porch will look like halfway.  Most boards are not attached yet. Actually only half the framing is done.  But it is solid.

Cabin all secured for Christmas.

I’m back from Chicago.  Hope everyone had a nice Christmas.  I’m spending New Years tonight in the cabin.

Finally a break in the weather so I could get the porch deck finished.  Almost.

Now that I know the old shed has tranformed into an insulated, heated cabin that can withstand the winter weather, I can officially call it a homestead.  Lot’s of things to do such as building a greenhouse and preparing to put in a garden.  Maybe even some livestock.  Chickens or rabbits most likely but not cows.  We’ll see.  The goal is turn the place into a self-sufficient homestead. But this January thaw and heavy rain has brought up another problem. I need to dig a drainage ditch.  With the amount of ground water I may actually start a spring.

The weather held out long enough to finally finish the porch deck. Next up.  The porch roof.

The very basic start of my outdoor workshop.

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Some of you may wonder how I write and post pictures “off the grid”.  I cheat. I am off the wired grid but I still have cell service and a generator.  Cell service is sporadic and I usually need to go outside to connect.  But for writing I have these.

That is an 8 inch Ellipses tablet and a tiny Bluetooth keyboard.  And behind that is a paper notebook and a couple of pens.  I can also watch downloaded episodes of Grizzly Adams on the tablet.

I had a wreck caused by dehydration causing me to black out. (syncope) I was in a parking lot so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  I’ll cover a problem I discovered with too much pine needle tea.  I’ll cover that later.  I have done some repairs so the car is drivable. BEFORE   AFTER

It’s sure looking like an early spring.  I hope it stays. I even cooked my lunch on the porch. Nothing fancy.  Just cream of celery soup and crackers cooked on my propane heater/cooker. I even brought my car up beside the cabin.

As I get ready to sell this land I have decided to write a semi-fictional account of getting this land and what happens after as I take to the woods to live illegally on government land.  Here’s the introduction.   The Woodsman Edward D. Clark, Jr.   “Freedom’s just another name for ‘nothing left to lose’” “It ought to have been different, but oftimes you will find, That the story doesn’t always go the way you had in mind.”      -from Jeremiah Johnson   This is the story of a man who only wished to live in nature.  But he soon learned the system today is setup to prevent exactly what he wished for.  Taxes and  a myriad of Government regulation all conspire to keep people from checking out of society.  The Land of the Free has become the land of controlling every aspect of your life.  People believe they own their land.  Wrong.  They are renting it.  Just try not paying your taxes (rent) and see how much your land belongs to you.  I can hear the comments, ‘but taxes pay for your roads and other services’.  True but you can not opt out of using these services, even if you have no car or drivers license.  You are still required to pay for those services for other people.   And in most country areas the school taxes are the highest percentage of taxes paid.  I won’t go into my thoughts on school taxes.  If I could at the time I would have home schooled my daughter.  But even when you do that you still have to pay for other people’s school if you “own” your own home.  So I just lived by the rules that were lined up against me. Once my daughter had grown and moved off on her own I decided to try for my dream of living in the wild.   I bought a few acres of land.  The land already had a 12 x 16 foot shed and a well with and electric pump.  No electricity or sewage.  The cost of the land didn’t leave me much money left to build a cabin. And the township and state codes made it too costly to make very many improvements.  I focused on the 12 x 16 shed.  At a minimal cost I insulated it, installed windows, put up drywall, built a porch and put in a wood burning stove.  I’m sure I needed to get building permits and inspections but that would have put me far over the top in funds so I just ignored them, hoping nobody would notice.  I got a generator in order  to operate the well pump.  Since putting in a sewage system based on the government regulations would have cost more than all the land initially cost, and regulations said a simple  outhouse was not legal, I made a simple composting toilet.  I think it was legal except I’m sure it needed to be inspected, but I wasn’t going to give them a chance to reject it. So I sat there living on my land, probably breaking several laws just living.  And I paid my taxes to the township who could have shut down my entire operation at any moment or at least would soon raise my taxes because of the illegal improvements I made to the land. So, since you don’t actually own the land anyway, and since having the deed requires you to pay the government rent, but not having the deed means you don’t have to pay for the roads and services, I decided to try another way to check out.  As I previously stated I have had to break laws already because I’m not rich enough to pay the government graft, I figure why not just live on someone else’s land.  Not just anybody’s land.  The government’s land.  The big problem is not being found.  Blending in to the woods has been my normal state all my life.  I can do this.  And leave no trace.  Of course writing about it is an easy way to be caught.  Therefore I will not give the specifics of where I am.  At least while I am still living in the same spot. Years ago I actually planned on doing this legally.  You can camp in national forests for 2 weeks at a time as long as you move 2000 yards every 2 weeks.  So my plan was to keep moving.  But then President Obama decided he didn’t like Americans having this freedom so he limited it to only being able to stay for 30 days total a year in any and all national forests.  Sorry Woody, this land really wasn’t made for you and me.  So that shot down that idea.  So now the only choice is the not get caught. -to be continued-      

Time to prepare a garden. This year it is only about 24ft by 24ft. There are also garden boxes around the deck.

I wouldn’t count on a very good garden this first year.  The soil is pretty rocky and I couldn’t till very deep.  Plus, even though I pre-sprayed the weeds, the area was covered with Milkweed.  Milkweed is hard to get rid of.  It is already growing back.  I don’t plan on putting a lot of effort into it this year.  If it does grow I may just let the wildlife enjoy it.  By next year I hope to bring in some better top soil.  I am amazed at how many edible wild plants are available all over my land.

The interior also evolved. The composting outhouse is also developing. Not really a composting outhouse.  This basically an outhouse with a removable holding tank.  The outhouse is designed to moved forward on skids after the back panel is removed.  This allows the storage tank to be removed for composting and a new tank put in place. The storage tank is just a 55 gallon blue poly drum.  It is partially buried but can easily be pulled out. The outhouse has been built but is not in use.  I am not sure of the township and state legal requirements so I am currently using a portable camping toilet.  I hope to replace the tank on the outhouse with an incinerating toilet which I’m sure is legal and does not need inspection.  Composting toilet are also legal in Pennsylvania but most likely require inspection.  The blue tank does not even have a hole in it yet.  But it looks cool.  When I permanently move here I will take care of residence legal requirements.  At this time the cabin is actually still just a fancy shed.  

  Two curious bruins were exploring the homestead this morning. One looked in the the window and said “somebody has been sleeping in my bed”. After reviewing the video I believe what I thought were two yearling cubs was really a mother and her yearling.  The bear who stayed back in the woods appears a bit larger than the one who came to the door.

When I am staying at the house in Titusville, I tend to eat ready made food. But cheese sausage and eggs freshly cooked and enjoyed on the porch are much better.

Yesterday I had a bunch of 1 x 4s stacked to build windows frames today. Then it rained.  All night.  So I came up with this rack to dry them quick since there only seems to be one dry, sunny day.

• Today I did a little dressing up of the inside window frames on the cabin. This is what they looked like unfinished.

Although they were framed and didn’t leak they weren’t very pretty. So I made use of the 1 x 4s I had left from when I took the shelving out of the original shed. A little measuring, cutting, routing and painting and this is the result. Much nicer.

Here’s how I stay clean at the homestead. First the shower. I still use the solar camp shower.  Just fill the bag with water, lay it black side up in the sun for a couple hours, hang it up and voila.  A hot shower.  By the end of the summer I hope to have water run from the well to inside the cabin. For laundry I just use a wash basin and hang the clothes to dry. For all washing, shower, clothes and dishes, I use original biodegradable Ivory soap.  It’s 99 44/100% pure.  What the other 56/100% is I don’t know.

I finally got a small solar panel. I have just hooked it up temporarily.  I will mount everything permanent after I test for a while. The cord is run through the windows… To the controller and the battery… And on to my voltage adapters and equipment. So far it is working great.  It even charges the battery a bit more than the ac charger at the house.

My well water tests good but sometimes it is reddish.  I have installed a filter and it helps a lot.  I installed it upside down so in the winter if I’m not around it will drain so it doesn’t freeze.

It’s been a while.  It seems a month or so ago I had a small heart attack.  But I am back.   I will be making a few changes here at the homestead.   But first I want to do a little walk through on how things are now.  

Problem:  the sun is too low in the sky to hit my solar panel. Solution:  use a mirror to reflect the sunlight back https://youtu.be/FHBEAALaOg4

The PT Cruiser finally broke down. But now I have 4 wheel drive. A 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo

I mounted my main solar panel on a tree.  I think it will get the most sun there.

But first, today is the fourth anniversary of the previous pack member’s death.  Frisbee never got to see the Pithole Homestead.  She was a good dog.  In her memory. Now, Introducing a new member to the Pithole Pack. She is from the Venango County Humane Society.  They say she is 1 year old and named Lily.  I have considered changing her name but she already knows it.  Also when I say Lily real fast a bunch of times, like yodeling, she gets excited.  She’s a Labrador Retriever mix, just as Frisbee was. Here’s a few videos Silly Lily and the Woods Silly Lily and the Woods Chapter 2 Silly Lily and the Mirror Silly Lily and the Mirror Chapter 2 Silly Lily and the Rope

In order to be able to heat up the cabin quickly, or if I’m too lazy to build a fire I got a Mr Heater Big Buddy and a 20 pound propane tank. Heats quick and shuts off immediately if I need to leave. To help keep the heat in iI put a tarp across the ceiling until I get panels. Made a world of difference.

Merry Christmas!

It’s not even the end of January, but it’s not to early to plan and prepare for Spring projects.  I’ll leave this as an open post where I will list my ideas as they come to me. The first things I am already working on.  Carvings and statues to decorate the trees entering the homestead.  Something similar to these items, only hand made.  

The Pithole Homestead is not just a place of freedom for me from the hustle and bustle of civilization and it’s many rules and regulations, it is also a place for Lily to be free to run without a leash and enjoy the forest. Up until now I have been hesitant to let her loose. Well today is freedom day and she is doing very well. I am carrying hotdog pieces to encourage and praise her. It seems to be working. The video below is just around the homestead. Earlier we walked all around the Pithole Ghost Town for an hour and she ran like a greyhound, but still listened when I called. But I forgot to film it. Maybe we’ll go back soon and get it on camera.    

Even with the smallest amount of rain the inside of the gravel drive gets large puddles.  I experimented a bit and think I might be able to pit in a small pond. I might need to line it.  Fish with my beans.  

There is still a little snow on the ground and it drops below freezing at night, but it sure feels like spring. 44 outside now. The outhouse survived winter. So did the solar panel. I’ll be connecting the other panel soon for extra summer power. And Lily is finding all kinds of things under the snow. And I put up my Pithole Hermit sign. Now both panels are chugging out current.

The time has come to make the big move.  I’ve been splitting about half the time at the house and half at the cabin.  Time to make the cabin home.  Things are set up enough at the cabin, in many ways better than the house.  For now I’ll only go back to the house to get the mail and mow the lawn.  Soon I’ll sell the house completely and stay out of town.

Possum Day Back in the 70s an 18 year old girl, pen named Dolly Freed, wrote a book about her adventures growing up with her divorced dad outside Philadelphia, in what would be today called a mini homestead. The book was called Possum Living, How to Live Well Without a Job and (almost) No Money. It is now available by audiobook, read by the now grown author. The title Possum Living comes from the fact that possum’s don’t have to have day to day jobs and can still make a living and survive. Diogenes of ancient Athens was her father’s hero. He lived in an old barrel in the center of Athens and Alexander the Great is quoted as saying if he had not been born Alexander he would have prefered to be Diogenes. The bible gives an idea of the lifestyle in the quote “Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feed them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” So this brings me to today. I am calling it Possum Day. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of living in a cabin, away from the “civilized” world. This was my intention when I bought the Pithole Homestead several years ago. But instead of living on the land I have been trying to do a balancing act of living both at the cabin and at the house in town. This has never satisfied me. I want to actually be a member of the forest I live in. I have realized that one main thing has been keeping me from living this way. My vehicle. It is just too easy to jump in the car and head to town, when I really don’t want to. So with my Declaration of Possum Day I will truly begin my adventure. It may take a couple of months to complete but starting today I will live on my land. My vehicle for now will be only for important trips and emergencies. Eventually I plan on not driving at all. In the 1976 book the girl and her father spent in one year $1498.75. Her fathers reaction was “where did it all go?”. Taking into account the cost of living from 1976 to today and that it is just me and my dog, my goal is to live on around $5 a day, or about $150 a month. For now I will calculate this not counting vehicle costs and taxes, Basically just the basic survival. The end result will be $5 a day, total. This does not mean I will start from scratch but I will make use of the the conveniences I have already setup, such as solar power, and I will attempt to maintain the status quo. Today’s post is going to be a long one.  In fact probably a week long. I will document here what I have and what I will do will each thing. I wil list my goals. By the end of this post I will have laid out my entire plan. Possibly, a 5 dollars a day may have been a good idea in the 1970s, but I may decide to adjust it after full consideration. Maybe more like $200 a month. But I will document the journey every day. So now on with the show. What do I have now? Here is my basic budget of $150 a month, leaving a little extra. Of course this will be supplemented by what nature provides. Here is my current status.  As I write I will note other costs and adjust my budget later. WATER My new .5 micron water filter  ($8 every 3 months) is doing a great job removing rust. I am thinking of attaching a home built, solar powered, UV filter, but .5 micron is actually smaller than most bacteria.  Also another small water line and a solar pump would be nice. The 100 foot well provides ice cold water, which I use to keep a few items fresh. And of course my solar shower bag heats the water up for a warm shower in the  summer. Winter is still heating water on the stove and washing up indoors. HEAT Heat is provided by a wood stove and supplemented by a propane tank ($17 a month). The tank can feed a heater, a cooking stove, a bright lantern, and maybe soon a water heater.  I can also use the large tank to refill small 1lb bottles. OUTHOUSE Well, it is actually more of a porta-potty than an actual outhouse, or a lugable loo, as the Brits might call it.  State laws don’t allow for creating and actual pit outhouse. So I have designed an 5 gallon bucket, composting outhouse, which uses replaceable, biodegradable plastic bags ($10 a year) which can then be placed in a composting barrel.

POWER To keep the electrons flowing I have a 3 battery storage bank and a large 100 watt solar panel.

I also have a smaller 40 watt panel that I feel bad when I see it making electricity but not going anywhere. This powers my tv, computer, recharge phones and tablet, provide light and even a fan. At full battery bank charge I have about 1500watts available.  That’s about 12.5 Amps max at 120VAC (depending on power factor of equipment run) or 125 Amps at 12VDC.  All 3 batteries charged provided about 120 AmpHours meaning I can run a 5 watt LED light bulb for about 12 days continously without recharging.  But they recharge nearly every day. My well pump requires 220vac with about 3500 watts peak surge so I still use a gasoline generator when I need to pump water, or run heavy power tools.  If I double my battery bank I could probably run my well pump. So that is the basics, except food.  For now I purchase my food, usually in bulk.   There are many wild foods, and as anyone who has ever planted a garden knows, squash multiply.  Even better than loaves and fish.  If you plant one you’ll be giving them away for months. Soups, rice, pasta, canned goods, etc.  But it is 2018, so I don’t really have to go anywhere to get my food. Yes.  A large part of my budget was cell phone/internet.  I can order my groceries and supplies through Amazon, etc and have it delivered right to my mailbox.  I plan on putting a special large package box behind the regular mailbox. UPDATE:  I  have added the package box. ENTERTAINMENT Yes, I am living in the woods.  Nature is my entertainment.  With bears in the morning, raccoons at night and chipmunks, squirrel, birds and deer 24 hours, there is plenty of nature.  But that is not all. Yes.  I have a tv.  And along with broadcast channels I have streaming video over my internet.  Jeremiah Johnson eat your heart out.  Remember, I am posting this online, and part of my meager income is via the internet.  And when I say tablet I’m not talking pen and paper. While there is no power, water or sewage connections here, there is an old telephone pole with a telephone connection.  It isn’t connected and with decent cell service here I see no reason to connect it. I also have many tools and equipment for building and repair. And I just got a new addition to my outdoor furnishings. PARANOID?  MAYBE At the end of my driveway is a ditch. It presently can be crossed with a 4 by 4, but I plan on digging it deeper because I have a removable bridge. Also there is a gate. This gate is normally closed, even when, or especially when I am in the cabin.

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You may have noticed that Lily has discovered the joy of photobombing.  Everything I want a picture of, she suddenly becomes interested in. Also, as I have stated elsewhere, please contact me before just dropping in.  I am a friendly hermit, but I am also a well armed veteran and don’t want any misunderstandings. (updates will continue throughout the week)  

Food:  Yellow squash and ramen, can ravioli, 2 pieces of wheat bread, 2 mountain dew, jug aof apple powder drink, peanut butter Finish the picnic table, except for the rotten board. Went to house, washed clothes, walmart supplies. Mounted package box on mailbox.

On mine and Lily’s morning walk today I found a nice surprise. Chicken of the Wood mushrooms, or Sulphur Shelf. (Laetiporus sulphureus) I didnt have my knife but these were tender so I broke off a handful. Quite a plate full. And easy to clean. I cut them up with some yellow squash. And broke out some cooking supplies.  I am going to make soup. Some spray Canola Oil, Tony Chachere’s Creole Spices, Powdered Garlic, Hot Sauce and condensed Cream of Mushroom soup. First I fried up the squash and the mushrooms.  Chicken of the Wood mushrooms do not cook away to nothing like some mushrooms. At this point you know where the mushrooms get their name.  They taste almost exactly like chicken strips.  But I want to make them into soup.  So I added a can of Cream of Mushroom soup and spices and cooked for a while. Boy, does it look good. I am not exagerating.  It is delicious.  Like something you would get at a fancy restaurant.  My only cost, 50 cents for condensed soup and a few spices.  The Creole spices make it almost taste like a seafood bisque. What’s that?  Oh. Lily says she doesn’t think those mushrooms were chicken of the wood. She always makes comments like that before she flies away. Just kidding.  The Chicken of the Wood mushroom is one of the easiest to identify.  I am no mycologist.  But once you have POSITIVELY identified this you will always be able to find it. But I am writing for entertainment, not as a field guide.  Be sure to get a good field guide to take with you, either a book or a wise older person.

I officially changed my address with all companies I do business with.  And I forwarded my mail from Titusville to the Pithole Homestead.  I plan only on returning to the house once every few weeks to check on things and mow the lawn.  So it’s official.  I live in the woods. Although I plan on the final move on August 2nd.  That day I hope to have the house as empty as possible.

I originally bought 4 windows 2 years ago for the cabin.  I installed the largest in the front, 2 medium size ones on the north side. But I could never decide where to install the smallest one. I finally decide and today I installed it on the south side. Yes, it still needs some framing on the inside.  But it lets in more light and a nice cross breeze. Some day it may be the bathroom window.  That’s why it is so small and high. The last window I am considering is a half pie shaped sunrise window on the east side. Something like this. As the sun rises in the East to open and rule the day, so will stand my sunrise window in the East to open and rule my cabin

I’m somebody now! Things are going to start happening for me now.  (apologies to the movie The Jerk) https://youtu.be/AAy7RdLJgBk

It’s been three weeks living solely in my cabin.  I haven’t updated here although I have been writing a lot of my fictional work.  My food is holding out nice.  I have realized a few things I’ve forgotten or would like and I ordered them from Amazon.  My $150 a month budget is looking very possible with no real sacrificing.  I have been completing laundry and am working on a water heater.  It will most likely be wood fired, but I might also make it capable of using propane.  The solar energy is working well.  I still would like to double it’s capacity just in case.  Been using candles at night.  They just seem to fit the woods better than the electric lights.

I would still like to have a small pond here on the homestead.  I have been hoping to borrow or rent some heavy equipment to make it easier.  But that probably won’t happen. At least not before winter. That just leaves me, and my pick and shovel.  The land here is very rocky underneath, not to mention the gravel the previous owner brought in to drive their RV on.  So I looked over the land and realized a much better place is at the back of my property.  It is the lowest area and if I setup drainage from the cabin and deck area I think the pond with not only stay full, but will help get rid of the squishy areas around the cabin.  There is a lot of moisture in this area, as shown by the plentitude of mushrooms. I also believe the best place for my garden is the grassy area next to the deck.  I’m sure this area was designed as an entertainment area, for parties and bonfires, but as a hermit I have no plans for using it this way.  The soil is less rocky, and more fertile.  Because of the gravel drive circling it it is a bit swampy.  But I can fix that with a little better drainage.  It is also the sunniest area on the acreage. So I dug some test ditches at the bottom edge of the property.  It filled up immediately.  A good sign.  Lily drank some of the water and gave it her seal of approval. There is quite a bit of rocks and old wooden timbers underground back there, probably from an old oil pumphouse or the saw mill that was once located there.  But overall it’s not too bad to dig by hand.  It is also very shady being basically in the middle of the woods. I will need to remove some trees or the pond will just be a mosquito breeding ground. It’s getting there, a shovel load at a time.

It’s time to finalize my budget.  For the past month I have kept track of what I need and what I forgot.  So now I think I can make a permanent budget list.  I am going to go for the $150 budget.  I can actually get by on less but there are times I like to splurge so I will stay with $150.  I have found that my favorite cabin food is hotcakes made with pancake batter mixed with oatmeal.  And ordering groceries and supplies online is working out great.  I save on gas money. Here is my monthly grocery, supplies and costs list.  The prices will stay pretty much the same each month although I may substitute items for variety. Update. I have decided to wait until the end of the month to list my budget and shopping list for October. This will be my basic budget for each month at the homestead.

The first day of autumn is almost here.  My favorite time of year.  A cold front passes through tomorrow just in time for a nice cool first day of fall.  

Happy First Day of Fall. And what a perfect day it is.  56 degrees, partly cloudy.  I’ve worked outside all day and didn’t sweat a drop.

It begins.  I have decided on $200 a month as my monthly cabin budget.  Since I still have the house to maintain I am not county those cost as they will go away when I sell the house.  I am allotting just $200 monthly for cabin living expenses.  Here is the current budget breakdown.

So living exclusively at the cabin has taught me some things.  I thought my two 100 watt solar panels and three 75 aH batteries were sufficient.  And I still do.  But I did run into a problem.  I had some problems with my jeep and ran my car battery down.  I used my solar charger to charge it but it was rainy for days and didn’t charge very well.  I used my deep cycle batteries to start it, then it took a while to recharge them.  So I decided with the sun lowering in the sky it was time to redesign my solar panel mounts.  So I ran an old dog run cable and hung the panels from it. Now they are higher and easy to move along to track the sun.  In the photo the line isn’t completely tight yet, so they are actually higher now.  It works great!  I may design a motor to slowly move them through the day.  I did notice last winter that in the winter the reflecting white snow actually makes direct sunlight not as important to get charging voltage.  Also I am now shopping for a 12v well pump so I don’t need to use the generator for water.  I can then have water pressure maintained automatically.  The next step towards indoor plumbing.

When I built the porch roof I didn’t leave enough overhang.  Rain runs onto the porch deck.  So I am attaching extensions along with tar paper.  

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Lily runs like a cheetah and leaps like a dolphin.  Unfortunately there are some hazards in the woods not even counting the branches and rocks.  There are leftover pipes and other metal pieces from long gone oil wells.  Anyway, something got her and she cut the web between her toes and part of the pad on her back right foot.  It was bleeding pretty bad and looked like just a bandage wouldn’t do, so I took her to the vet.  She needed stitches and spent the night there.  Amazing how lonely the cabin is for even one night now that I’m used to her being here.  Now her foot is all bandage up. She can walk on it but it doesn’t seem very comfortable.  She gets the stitches removed in 2 weeks.  The bandage can probably come off in a week if it doesn’t fall off first.

Since Lily keeps pulling off her bandages I got her some booties.  She walks like something sticky is on her feet.  I think she’ll like them in the winter.  Her foot is pretty much completely healed.  She gets the stitches out Wednesday.  

I noticed that as the sun got lower and the leaves fell off the trees more light was getting on the south side of the cabin roof than was getting to the clearing.  So I moved the solar panels to the roof.  I may angle one more East and the other West to get the best coverage.  Another plus is much shorter cables which means more voltage gets to the batteries.

I don’t prepare a huge amount of firewood. There are plenty of downed branches I can access all winter. I do keep a couple weeks worth available. The small branches are easier to cut up with no splitting and burn nice in my small wood stove.

Today is the first real snow of the year.  We have had some snow flurries in October but this is the first to really accumulate. The temperature is down in the 20s at night.  In a couple days it should be in the teens.

After several snowfalls I realized having the solar panels on the roof wasn’t a good idea.  The snow and ice just build up on them.  But, since the sun is so low in the southern sky I can get just as much light on the south side wall of the cabin.  And the eves keep the snow and ice off. Plus, from a distance they look like windows.

There are some things I don’t want to keep in the the cabin.  But many of these things are better not being left outside.  My solution?  A tarp shed.  I am building an about 10ft by 8ft shed on the deck.  I am mostly building it from poles harvested on my land.  When the frame is finished I will cover it with a 16 by 20 tarp I already have.  The shed will hold my storage bin, things like lawn chairs and shelves for other item.  There should still be room to have a small workshop for my various projects. I

I have planned and started a couple projects.  First is the tarp shed mentioned earlier.  The first timbers are in place. Next, I am going to make a portable chainsaw sawmill.  Something like this. Only with my own plan using just these two shelf posts and some bolts.

I ran out of long boards for the roof, but the rest of the frame is pretty good.  Right now there are poles holding the roofs center up.  When I’m done the roof will have trusses so the entire inside will be clear of supports.  I need to make door flaps on each end.  Should be a nice work area and tool storage.  I also need more duct tape to strengthen the sharp corners. And seeing it nearly completed makes me think of covering it with clear plastic and also use it as a greenhouse.  But I think it might be too shady. UPDATE:  It is finished except the door flaps.

1. I started with these two poles.

First I designed it. Then I cut them to length. Then I drilled the holes and bolted it together. I still need one more crossbar and a handle for control.  Plus spacers to keep the blade from hitting.  But here it is with the electric chainsaw attached. Not as fancy as this $140 one, but mine only cost $10 in nuts and bolts.