The Weekly Watch

House and Home

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Nothing speaks independence louder than owning your own home. Owning it free and clear provides an even greater sense of freedom and control over your life.


The CDC’s final eviction moratorium expires July 31.

Housing has increasingly become one of the most unequal parts of the economic recovery.

At the top there is a nationwide housing boom, fueled by a run-up in home prices as higher-income households rush to take advantage of record-low mortgages. But at the same time, millions of renters, especially people who have missed rent payments or whose jobs haven’t come back, are at risk of losing their homes before the end of the summer.

The looming eviction crisis has added urgency — in Washington and across the country — to ensuring emergency rental aid reaches the most vulnerable Americans before it is too late.

Are we headed toward a housing crisis? I hope you all have secure living situations in these volatile times.

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Our house in about 2005. It was (semi)completed in the fall of 1989.

I live in a house which I built with a lot of help from my friends. We were DINKs (double income no kids) and were able to pay off our place in less than a decade. We have continued to improve our home, adding radiant floor heat and a year later adding solar water heat to the radiant system. We also applied a spray foam roof sealer and insulation a few years ago. Those of you lucky enough to own a home understand the endless maintenance required.

Anyone considering building their own home, I recommend checking out "The Owner Built Home" by Ken Kern to explore a variety of ideas. We settled on a pole structure, which made for a relatively quick and easy build.

We built our house with a similar approach to this couple. We first created a summer camp where we lived as we built. We got a head start by having a house raising in which we put up all the telephone/power type poles and framed the entire structure in one weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-0voq3nQ6U (19 min)
A simple off grid homestead. Built from the ground up with your own hands. That's the dream for thousands of people around the world. But, with cable TV programs and made up YouTube videos, what does that look like in reality. In this video , my wife Brooke and I show the process of building an off grid homestead , start to finish, and what its actually like.
For more on their project try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiCGM7n79VU (35 min)

Now, we are considering building another house on our place as a caretaker residence. I've got a number of pine trees which I want to harvest, and I have a neighbor with a portable band sawmill. We are looking at many different design ideas. So, I thought it might be fun today to look at a variety alternate housing options.

First off, there are many existing structures which we might use to ease the homeless problem. Italy is offering village homes for one euro. Other communities are providing a few years free rent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8F1jp05vsA (26 min)

More Italians are migrating to big cities, and every year around 200,000 leave to go abroad. Entire villages now stand empty. So small towns are providing incentives for incomers - like rent-free homes in Campania or one euro house prices in Sicily.

They've had a similar program in Detroit for a while, and now a couple of fellows have a HGTV show featuring their rehab work...
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/duos-renovation-of-detroit-land-bank-ho...

They buy the homes from the Detroit Land Bank for around $1,000 then they a few spend thousand dollars to fix them up before selling them for a little bit more than they spent.

Sometimes old homes are too far gone to repair. However, many can provide salvaged materials. https://www.angi.com/articles/old-house-salvage-home-deconstruction-meth...
Some of these materials are sold at Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations.

Another possibility is moving houses to new locations. This couple has been buying and relocating homes built by the US best known architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcb1i0BX4D8 (8.5 min)

So rehabbing and salvage are two techniques to expand housing, but suppose (like me) you want to build something new. There have been two other homes on our place, but they burned down long ago leaving only old foundation stones.

Frank Lloyd Wright's book, The Natural House, had a big effect on the way I envision homes and construction.
https://www.motherearthliving.com/green-homes/the-natural-house-by-frank...

When synthetics were king and plastic was a new “miracle” material, Frank Lloyd Wright bucked the trend and wrote The Natural House. Published in 1954, the book was full of ideas the architect had been practicing for decades–starting, in many ways, with the 1934 Willey House. Wright laid out his theory of “organic architecture,” where “the nature of material and method and purpose are all in unison.” He urged architects to respect materials for their intrinsic nature and design accordingly.

Organic architecture, Wright posited, “is an architecture upon which true American society will eventually be based if we survive at all…If we succeed, we will have done a great service to our moral nature–the psyche–of our democratic society. Integrity would become more natural…living within a house wherein everything is genuine and harmonious, a new sense of freedom gives one a new sense of life.”

The Usonian house–for which the Willey House became a sort of prototype–offered an equally utopian vision: affordable shelter that embodied these aims. “Integral to its site; integral to its environment; integral to the life of the inhabitants…Into this new integrity, once there, those who live in it will take root and grow,” he wrote.

He promotes the use of local natural materials and building in a way the accommodates life's changes.

I live in the forest, and trees are a resource here. After 30+ years, some of the pines have grown to the point they are shading the garden and the solar collector, and I want to harvest and make use of them here. I plan to hire a crew to cut the trees, and my neighbor to saw some of them. There's lots of work in timber harvest and milling. https://www.logcabinhub.com/build-a-log-cabin-using-trees/
I need to have a pretty good house plan to determine the dimension and lengths of lumber I'll need. Some I want to use in the round...
There are several options building with logs. To my mind two of the easiest are:

Cord wood style

https://cordwoodconstruction.org/cordwood-cabin-with-24-thick-walls-is-e...
https://insteading.com/blog/cordwood-construction/

Vertical (stockade) style

https://www.small-cabin.com/forum/2_1959_0.html
https://www.countryliving.ws/listing/10-reasons-to-consider-a-vertical-s...
http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004QQy

Here on the mountain there is also plenty of rock. I have done a few rock structures using the Flagg (slip form) method I learned from Scott and Helen Nearing's book, Living the Good Life.

https://digginginthedriftless.com/2012/05/08/building-a-rock-wall-using-...
https://digginginthedriftless.com/2012/05/10/building-rock-wall-using-sl...

Another book which helped me design our house was The Passive Solar Primer which advocates building a home like a thermos that gathers solar energy in winter, and shades against it in the summer. Building materials and orientation are key.

The first big issue I see with most new homes is how poorly they are sited. I often see dark brick homes sitting in the middle of a sun drenched field like a masonry solar oven. People are scared trees will fall on their home I guess, and scrape their building lots almost bare before construction. Another problem I often see is poor orientation, in other words not maximizing protections from weather systems nor winter solar gain nor water collection.

Proper plantings can also increase energy savings. Houses use 22 percent of the energy consumed in the United States today. About half of this is for heating and cooling. A properly designed landscape can make a home significantly more energy efficient and reduce air pollution, including greenhouse gases. It can also cut heating and cooling bills by as much as 40 percent.

Use plants to shade your air conditioner unit, heat sinks like driveways, windows with direct summer sun, and so on. Vines can be used to create arbors over porches and patios. Evergreen trees can provide windbreaks on the side of your home which receives most prevailing weather.

The extent of protection is related to a windbreak’s height and length. For the greatest protection, homeowners should plant windbreaks at a distance from their house of about two to five times the height of the trees when they’re mature. That means that if the trees being planting will grow to 40 feet tall, homeowners should plant them at least 80 feet upwind from the house.

I've written before about Earthships which I admire and want to emulate. (24 min)

With walls made from old tires packed with earth, as well as upcycled glass bottles and cans, Earthships have always been built with mainly found materials. The home provides its own energy (with photovoltaics and passive solar and geothermal tubes), water (rainwater and even dew-water capture) and grows food in the essential greenhouse (necessary for temperature regulation and for filtering the water to be reused).

Costs range from $100,000 for a Simple Survival model to $1.5 million for the top-of-the-line Global design. Earthship Biotecture has just completed their first Encounter: an affordable model that provides all the power, water and good of a more costly home.

As climate chaos accelerates I think buffering homes and buildings in the Earth is wise. Some people literally build with Earth. Rammed Earth is one technique...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjyGOOtOFik&t=60s (12 min)

Adobe is another Earthen material which has been used for centuries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWBz9kl-hTA (11 min)

Earth bags can also be used to make walls and structures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vdI72pSbb4 (7 min)

Usually these Earth bag structures are covered in a Earthen cob mixture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyOq-yAJ8Kc&t=30s

Earthen floors have been around as long as people have built homes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSIsEF3nybA (11 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKg8j1VfUM (5 min)

There are also more modern methods to build Earthen structures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9cDy9XkXPw (7 min)
The most Advanced Compressed Earth Block Technology! The new BP714, producing perfectly dimensioned earth blocks with strengths exceeding concrete!

Or how about 3D printing with Earth?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ZbTD-2keo (8 min)

Another interesting energy efficient structure is a straw bale building.
22 undergraduates and one fearless leader used 200 bales of straw and some mud to build the University of Michigan's first off-the-grid, solar-powered building.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEmPJYvieo (3 min)

Here's a more detailed explanation from North Carolina.

Straw bales are basically rectangular BRICKS OF INSULATION that you can stack to make a wall and literally just smear them with mud to create a superior wall system. Think about it, these are about the closest thing to legos that you can use to build your home, except even better. Like LEGO’s, straw bales are lightweight and easy to move. Yet they are BIG, so stacking a whole house can easily be done in a single weekend with help from a few friends.

Stack the bales like bricks in a running bond where they overlap on each successive course. We use a chainsaw to notch out space in the bale for the framing - so it’s all flush on the outside. Then all we gotta do is apply an earthen clay or lime plaster for BOTH the interior and exterior surfaces. We smear it directly on the bales to seal them up and protect from rain, pests and fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h1SKGWSpmU&t=6m30s (9 min)

How about combining straw and Earth to make a straw clay house?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J0862TFPwU (6 min)

I featured this fellow's underground homes before, but it is worth visiting again. (24 min)

The house we are considering building utilizes several of the preceding techniques in combination and mixtures. We are still in the exploration and incubation stage of development. I enjoy the design and planning stage of big projects, so I've been having fun with the exploration.

What about the bigger concept of house and home?

Eco is a derivation of the Greek oikos, meaning an extended family unit that consists of the house, members of the family, slaves, farmland, and all property...
Eco now designates a broad, self-sustained unit, as in the terms ecology and ecosystem.

https://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/etymology-of-economy/
Of course -ology means study of, and the suffix –nomy is derived from the Greek nomos, meaning management, law, or principle.

Well things are not going too well in our larger house. There's a leaking gas line that is on fire in the Gulf...(1 min)

Like meth addiction getting off fossil fuels is a going to be difficult with TPTB fighting every step of the way. I admire the first nations peoples...
“Defending the Sacred”: Indigenous Water Protectors Continue Resistance to Line 3 Pipeline in Minnesota (video or text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/7/2/line_3_resistance_minnesota_water_...
And this is despite being targeted by hired mercenaries and now even the national guard.
Lethal Force Against Pipeline Protests? Documents Reveal Shocking South Dakota Plans for National Guard (video or text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/7/2/south_dakota_mercenary_force_pipel...

Those who challenge these fuel behemoths at most any level are persecuted.
After winning a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against Chevron, Steve Donziger was put under house arrest. Big Oil wants the public to stay silent about their abuses. We will not be silent. To help visit: freedonziger.org (1 min)

Pre-industrial CO2 levels were around 280 parts per million (ppm) and today, we stand near 420 ppm. Climate chaos is literally "baked in"... especially in the oceans where most of the heat has been trapped.

Those of you living in the west understand how the change is here.

‘Megadrought’ persists in western U.S., as another extremely dry year develops
The long-running dry stretch rivals anything in the last 1200 years, a sign of climate-change induced "aridification."

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/megadrought-persi...

I wish I had good news about the US economy, but things are pretty dismal there too.
We have an rigged system where the Fed creates currency for banks and corporations to literally purchase their own stocks boosting CEO and stockholder revenues.
Ron Paul has been railing about the Fed for years.
https://mises.org/power-market/road-authoritarianism-paved-fiat-currency

Let’s start with what the Fed did beginning in December of 2007 without any approval from Congress. The Fed created a sprawling octopus of bailout programs for the mega banks and their foreign derivative counterparties. The Fed then battled in court for years to keep Congress and the public from learning the astronomical sums the Fed had spent to prop up failed banks across Wall Street. When the government finally released an audit of the Fed’s bailout programs on July 21, 2011, the tally came to a cumulative $16 trillion. (See chart below.) But when the Levy Economics Institute added in other Fed bailout programs that the government audit had bypassed, the actual tally came to $29 trillion.

In what kind of democracy does an institution lacking even one elected official get to unilaterally prop up insolvent banking behemoths after those same banks cratered the U.S. economy through the creation of fraudulent mortgage products?

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2021/06/there-is-not-one-elected-official...

Never let a crisis go to waste...

The “novel” coronavirus pandemic marks the greatest turning point in U.S. monetary history since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. The Virus Pandemic and the Federal Reserve are fascinating historical figures for many reasons, starting with the deceptions their very names work on the public. “Federal” Reserve falsely implies that “the Fed” is an agency of the federal government when in fact it is a cartel of 12 private banks acting in concert from different locations to skim interest payments off the top of the U.S. money supply in perpetuity. “Coronavirus pandemic” deliberately misdiagnoses the real disease at the root of the current crisis, which is not in fact any virus (hint: it has a 99+% survival rate) but rather a radical plan for the eventual takeover of the U.S. monetary system by the privately owned Federal Reserve.

https://theduran.com/austin-fitts-its-a-war-the-private-fed-and-central-...

Is now the time to consider building your dream house of the future? Well times are improving for new construction.

After climbing to historic heights this spring, lumber prices are headed back down—fast. Last week the cash price per thousand board feet of lumber fell $211 to $1,113, according to industry trade publication Random Lengths. That's down 27% from its $1,515 all-time high on May 28.

"We are in a free fall," Andy Goodman, CEO of Sherwood Lumber, told Fortune. In the lumber futures market, prices are down even more—dropping 47% since going above $1,700 on May 10.

https://fortune.com/2021/06/22/lumber-prices-bubble-burst-price-of-wood-...

One thing is for sure, living in a home you enjoy is true wealth.

The most famous song of the nineteenth century.

words by John Howard Payne
music by Henry Rowley Bishop
published by G. E. Blake

1. 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam
Be it ever so humble there's no place like home
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there
Which seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere

Chorus:
Home! home! sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home!
There's no place like home!

2. An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again
The birds singing gaily that came at my call
Give me them with the peace of mind, dearer than all

This genteel, vaguely "classical" piece was used as a good-night/closing song at the end of many evening functions during the 1800s. All would join in with robust voice. Because of this it became very well-known and well-loved.

Here's wishing you all a "home, sweet, home"!

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Lookout's picture

I hope you all have a great holiday. I like the "Declaration of Independence" which we celebrate today. Of course there are issues like not valuing women, slaves, nor indigenous peoples as "created equal". Hypocrites from the start I guess...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,...

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Well, none the less, I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I've already got BBQ, beans, and sweet tater treats cooked and ready for our midday meal. Hope you're eating well too!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

mimi's picture

is a keeper and goes in my archives. I am in awe of what you have built and how you did it.
I live now in a house that was built in 1936 and it is super-solid. I want to keep it up and hope the bureaucrats let me have it one day. The way I watch people defend and cling to their property and the way those, who do not own it, try use every trick to take it away from you, is revealing and mind boggling. A little piece of land to my son himself would be a dream come through, but with these prices
hourly wages of 16 dollars don't get you to rent the restroom in such houses So, I guess let's shit from a branch of a tree, at least it's good fertilizer.

PS I miss the USA and our walks to the DC Mall on 4rth of July. Those were the days my friends...

Be happy today and plant a tree. Wink

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Lookout's picture

@mimi

older homes have better quality lumber and materials IMO. Hope you can hold on to it!

I sing a song by Larry Gross called "Where are the wide open spaces?" There's a line in it -There's many afraid they will lose what they got
-and other folks who ain't got a thing.

Pretty well sums up inequality, and he wrote it about 1970.

Hope you can get out and walk today in your world. I just got in from grading the road again. We got an inch of rain this week in about 15 minutes and it scoured the road, but the tractor pulled it back up hill. Round and round we go...

Have a good one!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@mimi Were much better built than those built in the Roaring rwenties. Builders struggled for buyers in the '30s.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

mimi's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
with insulation in between them. Can"t beat that. Other parts were added by my mother, but it's just not the same. During wwII and after the owner housed many returning soldiers from the war amd fed them back to health. One of the most famous guests she hosted for a long time was Ivan Rebroff [video:https://youtu.be/iPNYG3RAnZ4]

I try to keep it til nobody wants it anymore. Because my mother did an excellent job, I want to cherish and respect that.

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Lookout's picture

@mimi

I think the same of our place. So glad you have a nice home. Hope your son will follow soon.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@The Voice In the Wilderness

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

enhydra lutris's picture

Tons of useful info there, but, not planning on moving so only a limited amoung is of much use to us, and a bunch we have already done (deciduous trees for incident energy management, etc.) Current priorities are to improve energy and water management systems while also, hopefully, improving garden and not decreasing or diminishing the critter habitat we provide.

Really appreciate what you've done, having spent a tiny bit of my youth assisting some in doing similar and somewhat living on (and off of) the land in ye olde forest.

Be well and have a good one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Lookout's picture

@enhydra lutris

...floating around in their brain. Some of these ideas might augment an existing home with walls, beds, etc., but inventing a home from scratch is a fun design project to me.

We've sure been pleased with our open floor home.

Wishing us all independence and freedom from the ole ball and chain.

Have a wonderful holiday!

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9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Happy 4th to you and all ! I am back in my old place in Central Texas with jet ski races on the river in front and fireworks at night. The rain may dampen some of the activities today but will not bother me. Glad for the rain. Got up early and did my morning bike ride before it got too warm and the rain is just now starting.

This Weekly Watch has been bookmarked because it has so many good ideas for me as I move forward in my plans for housing. Selling my condo in Santa Fe and then creating some sort of housing for myself. The place I have is old and in need of some major repairs along with some other issues. This information you posted should help me a great deal. Thanks again!

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Life is what you make it, so make it something worthwhile.

This ain't no dress rehearsal!

Lookout's picture

@jakkalbessie

I sure miss Molly Ivins stories of Austin. She did an NPR story about the tug of war across the river between the yuppies and the bubbas and bubbettes that was so funny. Wish I could find it again. Guess who won? Hint wasn't the yups.
"Morning Edition: Tug of War," Molly Ivins, April 24, 1987

Best of luck in your transition. Love NM, but there's more rain in TX for sure... Especially lately.

Enjoy the day!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

The in-ground models make plenty of sense for their insulating properties. When combined with a
solar gain orientation, the heating and cooling requirements are greatly minimized.
Natural ventilation and site drainage are also key. Add-in selective plantings for shade and wind
abatement and you have a comfortable, low impact shelter.

There is a trade-off between solar exposure and the shading qualities of trees. Deciduous trees
allow the sun in during winter and leafy shade in summer. Best of both worlds.

Your BBQ sounds great! Thanks for the WWOT.

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Lookout's picture

@QMS

Thanks for the pics!

I like the sailboat and van community approach to design efficiency too. Independent living in tiny spaces.

Our house is about 1000 sq ft, but with porches and decks it is more like 1600 sq ft. Plenty for the two of us, and quite large compared to boat life.

I hope your boat projects are progressing nicely. Have a happy holiday!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Creosote.'s picture

@QMS

You might like the old book on my desk here - Architecture Without Architects, by Bernard Rudofskuy. (Doubleday, 1964, 143 pp) - with its portfolio of mostly older photos of the way whole cities were formerly built to respond adequately to their intrinsic surroundings. Many lessons.

And thank you for building this post.

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@Creosote.

Will look for that book.

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8 users have voted.

I built my home, never made a single mortgage payment. More about that later.
I am getting ready to head to the courthouse gazebo and get married. I am wearing an old dress I bought 20 years ago to wear to a friend's wedding. I bought a new pair of shoes. My underwear is blue...who knew I even had that? And my sweetheart is loaning me a $2 bill I will wear strategically. Honestly, the "borrow" just might be time, huh?
Have a great day celebrating Independence. I will spend mine celebrating the loss of mine! I now enter the future of strategic negotiating! LOL!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

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@TB mare n/t

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

congratulations to you both!

Good luck!

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@QMS My camera failed, but a neighbor is coming over to take some pictures. He is very artistic, so they should be good.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

to you and hubby to be.

Be well, be joyous, and have a fantastic one.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris as we did. He suggested my Dear One "cleaned up nice" and remarked my dress looked great.
My neighbor came to the house, snapped up some pictures of us, joined us in a celebratory beer, brought some cool blues on his blue tooth speaker, and we had a blast.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp @on the cusp

profession. You can stop carrying that damn power of attorney around all the time.

Congrats again and mucho happy and good times be upon you.

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10 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris as "the day", I laughed that anniversaries would be easy to remember. Dear One says the whole country is throwing a great party with fireworks, beer, hotdogs, and BBQ for us! They just don't necessarily know it.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

Parties and celebrations everywhere we go.

be well and have a good one

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7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris in parts of Texas, just not these parts.
Great idea you two had. How fun.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

makes the best of partners. Wishing you both all the best and happy life to y'all!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout A fun start to a fun life!
We love the whole idea of togetherness made official!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

So glad you two can enjoy your new life together. A partner in these times sure is assuring.

Best to you both!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

mimi's picture

@on the cusp

I now enter the future of strategic negotiating! LOL!

Your love of your life couldn't have chosen a better negotiator. you will win the negotiations and he will love you forever for it. Smile

Be happy.

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12 users have voted.

@mimi you just might be right!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp
You will never forget your anniversary!

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7 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness Not a chance we will forget the anniversaries!
Let the games begin!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

ggersh's picture

@on the cusp may many years of happiness be in both of yours future together!

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9 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

@ggersh We are old, hope to eke out 15 fun years. We will give it out best effort.
We were teared up saying our vows. That surprised us, but, hey, we are thrilled AND dedicated.

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12 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

janis b's picture

@on the cusp

All the best always.

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9 users have voted.

@janis b Our goal is to have fun. We are healthy, active, love to go adventuring, love to laugh. The ceremony was simple, the judge was just delighted to do it.
The judge's Mom was from Germany, and I loved that woman so! I gave him an 18 pack of Shiner Bock Beer. Shiner, Texas, where it originated, was settled by German immigrants a century or more ago. Even when booze wasn't allowed, it was allowed in Shiner, Texas.
He was on his way to a barbecue with friends, took it with him for the party.

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9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

janis b's picture

@on the cusp

I'm glad the cheer was spread all around, l'chaim!

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9 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

@on the cusp Hoooray! Congratulations OTC and Mr.! Awesome, great for y'all, my very best wishes for you and the lucky man! I don't know how he will ever win an argument though? Wink Peace and love!

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5 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

@dystopian So, last evening, in the afterglow of the ceremony, I started listing out 20 things for him to do while I watch and give moral support, and he put his face in his hands, "I want a divorce!" Then, this morning, did we want me to make tacos, or does he make goulash? Goulash was sounding pretty darn good to me, as I have stored up good will and moral support for such tasks. He put his face in his hands, "I want an annulment!" Well, he lost the cause of action for that lawsuit, so it is back to divorce!
Except I am making tacos for dinner, so that can wait until another time.
The jokes are just endless. "If you love me, you will hand me a beer." "If you love me, you will add more salt." This proves it is the little things...

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

He's started that sensuous talk...

"Honey, since you is up how 'bout bringing me a beer."

That sure was quick....

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2 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout coffee pot on." There have been big hints that it would be a contest.
Did you know that hauling out garbage is a sign of undying love? It is in my book.

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3 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

I set up the kettle the night before and grind coffee in the morning.

I bring my SO coffee about 5:30 most mornings. She would sleep in much later otherwise, but I'm not explaining that to her. She thinks it is cause she's special, and I ain't going to destroy that illusion!

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5 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout Although, pal, 5:30am is only if I have to catch a plane. That time would not play well here!
I make coffee every night, turn it on work days at 7am.
On weekends, we negotiate. Occasionally, Dear One gets up, not only turns the pot on, but brings me my first cup while I am in bed.
I cannot be babied during the week. I have court in the morning, cannot be late. However, we go on a little 3 day trip to Padre Island this weekend. We will leave before noon, arrive at the condo about 5pm. I will work a couple of hours before driving off, and will check my calls and business emails throughout the trip. Dear One is used to that.
There is some bird habitat that is a mile walk that should be open. However, the boats that do 90 minute trips for dolphins and birds viewing may be booked. If we can sit on the balcony and see and hear the ocean, we don't care. We can always go back.

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3 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

magiamma's picture

Supreme Court Allows Fracked Gas Pipeline’s Use of Eminent Domain. But the Pipeline’s Victory Comes with Some Big Caveats.

https://www.desmog.com/2021/07/01/supreme-court-fracked-gas-pipeline-pen...

Passe un buen dia

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11 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

Lookout's picture

@magiamma

for the fossil fools.

All we can do is what we can do. I'm planting a few trees every year, like adding a few drops to the ocean.

Treasure every day.

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13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

I hope to be there one day. I feel like my window of opportunity is closing. I have been trapped in the high rent cycle for my entire adult life. My rent is higher than most of my friends mortgages. It's crazy, every time I get a little bit ahead, (rent)prices rise again. I've lived here in Seattle for almost my whole life. It has transformed drastically to where only the very rich can afford to do, well anything. A 1/4 acre lot with a knockdown on it would go for nearly a million dollars. And the sprawl is overwhelming, one needs to drive at least 3 hours away (from town, where the work is) to find available/barely affordable land.

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13 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@BORG_US_BORG

most think WHY??? I bought 120 acres for 40K and built the home roads and water system for another 30K. Many boomers hit the system at the right time. Ain't right and ain't fair.

However as a result lots of aging homesteaders are looking for partners. Can't help much with WA state, but I'm sure it is happening there too.
https://permies.com/t/88506/experiences/Opportunities-Western-Washington...

Rent is a vicious cycle ... throwing money in the landlords pocket. We rented throughout our college years and early in our teaching career.

Wishing you an easy escape. Our friend Ranting rooster managed to get out of his scene and start a new life.

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15 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@BORG_US_BORG My former paralegal live in San Francisco, paid $2000 monthly for an efficiency apt. that didn't have a full kitchen or bathroom. And that was 15 years ago!

Rent sucked up all her discretionary income. She was a teacher, made a good salary that mostly went to rent and health insurance premiums.
The sprawl sounds so inconvenient for working people. All this hits the people with the least choice of jobs and lodging.

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12 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

mimi's picture

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11 users have voted.

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11 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@humphrey

When is Hurricane Exxon coming?

A decade ago? Names ain't everything after all.

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11 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

and even the guides said WWIII was likely to start there.
I had a trip lined up for Azerbaijan when the pandemic hit. No way I would travel there now.

https://scheerpost.com/2021/06/27/the-seeds-of-the-next-nagorno-karabakh...

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6 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

@on the cusp

was the site of many wars.

Even Goths vs Romans...
https://www.history.com/news/who-were-the-goths-and-vandals

Interesting part of the world. Haven't been there yet.

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6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout @Lookout A big wig from the tour company was with us, doing research on hotels, restaurants, roads...she told me the next new thing would be Azerbaijan. She said Gate 1 Travel, the largest agency in the world, already had their tours ready to market.
not now, I am sure.

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5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

janis b's picture

even if only in dreams. I know I have a couple hours of pure inspiration and enjoyment to watch, thank you.

Good on you for living a dream. May it continue to fulfil you always.

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8 users have voted.

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9 users have voted.

They do not necessarily have anything to do with the economic disaster caused by the shut downs of the pandemic.
I go to trial Tuesday morning to evict a woman in her 30s. Her Mom didn't leave her the Mom's residence in her will. She left it to her older, disabled sister. Said Sister allowed her niece to move in the home, ostensibly to give the disabled woman minimal care. The niece tormented her aunt, physically threatened her, demanded a deed to the home as she believed shewas entitled to it. The niece physically removed the old lady from her home. That lady is now homeless. The cops won't help, Adult Protection Services won't help, so I am doing this eviction for free.
I will fucking help.
Not all evictions should be suspended.

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8 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

dystopian's picture

HI LO,

sorry to be sooooo slow as to miss this until too late...

Wife and I lived in a straw bale adobe for 16 months, was a lease/option thing here in south
central Edwards Plateau in Texas. It was great for insulation, but this guy ran out of money building it and messed a couple things up. Did I mention how awesome the insulation characteristics were? The super wide ledges on insides of windows were also cool. The locals call it 'the hay house' and would ask if plants were growing out of the walls. ROFL. Some will say these are best in the west where mold and mildew not an issue. Drier climes. They were common a hundred years ago. One Hay church blew down in Kansas I think it was in the mid-1900's or so, tornado. Every animal within 200 miles showed up to eat the hay from the destroyed church. It was found to be made from an then extinct tall grass prairie species of grass. They searched and found no seeds to germinate any with.

thanks for the great WW!

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5 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Lookout's picture

@dystopian

and enjoyed the piece. We have a friend here in AL with a straw bale home. It is stuccoed inside and out, and as far as I know without moisture issues.

Sure makes sense especially on the cold north side of a structure.

Well take care and have a good one.

Thrush are still singing, but fewer of them. Are they calling for a mate or just singing, I wonder.

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3 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”