Devin Horsman @salamander@merveilles.town

I think it might have been the ash box. I found out the ash tray door handle is spring loaded, and the spring is very firm, so to get a good seal you need to give it a good push while you turn it. The air control seems to be doing a little more now. I'll check the air vent housing next time the stove isn't running to be sure.

I've learned a lot about building good fires. I learned about top down fire building techniques [1,2] and what ratio of kindling is require to start a fire with efficient flame. Finally which level of coals should be left before loading the fire again.

[1] https://www.woodheat.org/top-down-steps.html
[2] (Page 10) https://jotul-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/usa/Current_Manuals/Wood/F500%20V2/139681_R06_Manual_F_500_NA_EPA.pdf

My stove has been burning it's fuel faster than I would expect it to. The potential reasons are that the ash tray door might be leaking air, the air control might not be working correctly, my wood might be too dry resulting in faster burning, or some other issue I'm not yet aware of.

I'm learning more and more about operation of wood stoves for home heating over the last while.

The Jotul Oslo F500 is the wood stove I have at the Hearth, the main building on the land. I learned that different woodstoves burn most efficient at different temperatures and that most often people underfire their wood stoves, producing creosote in the chimney which creates a hazard that could result in a chimney fire.

Timing diagrams. Not fun to make but pretty useful in understanding a parallel or pipelined system

The fountain remains my preferred film on mortality.

Years later and with more experience with death, grief and ego, it has more impact than each time before.

A worthwhile reminder to help appreciate the high cost of living.

https://merveilles.town/@anandra/105494600705690662

re-styling mediawiki for a land project wiki

Our first suspension. We’ve been doing floor work for 3 1/2 years prior to this. Everything went smoother than expected and felt almost like second nature. Here’s the moment after the feet left the ground for the first time.

Also, I added two more weeks in September as options in case the summer doesn't work for folks.

For all those who are interested in a merveilles meetup in eastern canada next year, I've created a poll here:

https://forms.gle/981mdXWS3uFZDyb27

original thread here:

https://merveilles.town/@salamander/105102690723268858

A poll is now up here for those interested in attending:

https://forms.gle/981mdXWS3uFZDyb27

Repaired an antique table as one of the first projects in the woodshop.

I fumbled through it and it was mostly easy things like replacing the castors and putting the bottom of the table and chairs back together, but that is all I'm really capable of at the moment.

Ti, Jo and I harvested and processed turkey tail found growing on a log pile.

Home.

Finished a 3 day directional tree felling course. Feeling very prepared to safely cut trees for fuel, building, safety and forest health🌲

Thinking about hosting a merveilles meetup, mid 2021 (COVID permitting). 1-2 weeks long

Maybe: Art residency and group art making. Cooking for each other. Eco technology discussions. Natural building projects. Musical performances.

Anyone interested?

​

I saw that most of the beech trees had a disease of some kind. It appears to be called Beech Bark Disease [1].

I've learned that some beech trees are resistant to the disease, and that by selectively cutting the beech that show the disease, I can improve outcomes for beech in the forest. The cut trees can be used for fuel, as beech is one of the best firewoods.

[1] https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/2851/stdprod-096009.pdf