Aaron Joel

Philosophizing, diy, Jack of all trades, permaculture, biochar, writing, reluctant entrepreneur

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npub1u3m4smquzrwczzrxaft8x4c573d0vmh3r2wvqfs0700w7c7efclsv65ps2

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nprofile1qqswga6cdswpphvpppnw54nn2u20gkhkdmc348xqyc8l8hh0v0v5u0cpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsvnktye

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npub1u3m4smquzrwczzrxaft8x4c573d0vmh3r2wvqfs0700w7c7efclsv65ps2

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Last Notes

2026-06-19 14:05:57 GMT

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This episode when originally aired, was probably the "first touch"with your podcast. I started listening regularly after a comment from @npub1zqd…e6fj on one of your first 2 cathedral episodes.
https://fountain.fm/episode/sTKM6MJBBDF9HZzERQhR
#nevent1q…5w7v

2026-04-25 22:10:57 GMT

Catching up: Post 2
Originally posted on Substack on 1/16/26
By the end of 2026, the goal is to have a minimum of fifty-two posts; one a week for the year, and I'm already off to a lousy start. We're about to enter the third week in January, and I'm just beginning my second post. We do still have 49 weeks for me to hit 50 additional posts. As I mentioned in the first post, the writing process in this blog is about clarifiying a vision in which a legacy is built.
Part autobiography: we'll be looking at past experiences, decisions, and lessons...learned. Our past experiences are what brought us to where we are now. They have shaped our perspectives, our habits, and our attitudes. Some may have been ecstatic or trauatic. having an immediate and lasting impact, while others may have seemed like nothing at the time, but they keep coming back in memory as something a little more profound or grounding than the initial experience itself. And some are just amusing.
Part business primer: We'll take a look at business and organizational models and structuring, side-hustles, economics, scaling... We'll talk about building proposals, plans, and networks. I'll share tools and resources and we can dig into productivity theories and methods like SMART goals, Smart notes, Getting Things Done, My 3 Things, and many more.
Part Guide: As we explore concepts and theory, I'll share which ones I'm using and how they're working out. As the vision clarifies or changes, I'll share that as well as the steps I'm taking toward it.
Part permaculture primer: to truly understand it, you have to know that it's not all just just a bunch of hippies. Principles of permaculture follow natural law and are of necessity ethical. Businesses built on the principles of permaculture don't have to be about farms, food production, and compost; it just happens that many do and mine will as well, but we'll look at off-farm jobs for these principles as well.
Part Sermon: I'm a Bible-believing Christian and member of a conservative Lutheran congregation. I had begun studies to enter the professional ministry as a pastor. While it is not the entirety of a pastor's job, preaching is a big part of it. A part at which I did not excel, but could have worked harder on. At the time, I had preferred the social ministry roles of feeding the poor, flying medicine and goods to remote villages, digging wells, actual construction of school or church buildings, and teaching others to lead in their own communities. I wanted to be a professional missionary-pilot, and the organization utilizing these men also required ordination. I try not to get preachy often, but I believe everyone has a religion at the core of their... well, at their core. It may be Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism, or it may not even be recognized or organized as "a religion," but eveyone has something in their life to fill the role. Christianity is mine, and it provides a much deeper identity rooted in reality than who I like to sleep with, what I feel like today, the color of my skin, or who I voted for. My object of my faith is integral to my identity and has shaped decisions my whole life. Martin Luther's Small catechism, in explaining the ten commandments explains the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods," says that we should "fear, love, and trust" God above all things, then in each of the other commandments, "We should fear and love God so that," we behave in accord with the spirit and letter of the respective commandment. I've heard it said, also, that the heart is a fearing, loving, trusting organ and that it will find something to fear, love, and trust. When these are found, so is your religion.
Post length and frequency: As a habit of regular writing is new, I'm fairly certain they won't be tediously long-reads, at least at first. They will probably be varied in length as well. Maybe at some point, I'll fairly confidently be able to say I'll stick withing a certain word-count or page range. I've set a goal to average one post per week for 2026, but haven't set a schedule to release posts, so I may post a couple in quick succession and then you may not hear from me for a week or 2. Besides writing, I'm also husband to a loving and patient wife, father to an out-of-state college student and high school student athlete with entrepreneurial inclinations of his own, regularly employed, and starting a side-hustle.
The soundtrack for the writing of this post has been frente! - Marvin, the album.

2026-04-25 22:09:14 GMT

Coming back to NOSTR!
Back when GetAlby switched it's model, adding Alby Hub, I struggled to update on my linux laptop. I could no longer zap or get zapped. There's been a lot going on, but back in January I started writing again and posting on Substack. In the meantime, I think I may have a sats wallet connected again, but not sure where. Maybe my fountain wallet?
Anyway, prepare to be overwhelmed by life hitting you in the face and underwhelmed by the quantity of posts you've missed since I started posting on the stack. It's just 3.
The following was originally posted 1/16/26 on Substack.
Here's to 2026, may it be a much better year than last year.
What was wrong with 2025, anyway? I'd say '25 was better than '24. I'll explain, but I wanted to let the reader know I'm trying something "new" Well, it was new to me back in High School. Our teacher would give us a prompt and tell us to write 5 minutes on the prompt. If the 5 minutes came and we were all busy, frantically writing, he'd give us an extra couple of minutes. I've tried getting back into writing a few different times over the past few years, but I have never done it to a timed prompt again since High School. It may just be stream of consciousness, as long as it's writing and occasionally even addresses the prompt.
In 2024, I lost my job of nearly a decade, as my employer felt my position was no longer necessary and wanted to restructure operations. I took a maintenance position in December, with somewhere I'd never thought I'd be working; a government agency. The job market, especially for someone with tons of 'hard skills, and clean record, and a good work ethic' was supposed to be booming. The county was the first to reply to my application, and despite taking months for the background check, no one else bit on the resume before the offer came. I started doing a little freelance handyman work both while job hunting and since starting the county job.
I may have been earning slightly more with my full-time salaried position in 2024, but the part-time and freelance opportunities of '25 left me with some time freedom to do some much needed home remodelling and re-focusing energy on refining and redefining a vision I've visited on numerous occasions since around the time my wife and I bought our first house 20 years ago. Though there were plenty of strugles, 2025 was better for me than 2024. I'm still not where I want to be in the following areas and there will be plenty of room for improvement in 2026, but in 2025 I read more scripture than in 2024, I'm physically stronger than 2024. I've grown more plants and built more seed and cutting starting beds. I finished more compost and used it more effectively, I've actualy learned to appreciate spreadsheets and begun to learn to use them more effectively. and in 2025 I've come a little closer to making progress toward a vision that isn't even fully clear yet, but in 2025 the vision became a little more clear.
Well, the timed writing came to an end 2 days ago and I headed off to work with a rough outline of how to finish this off, but looking back at the outline, it has potential to lead down a rabbit hole I wasn't ready to follow yet. The primary aim of this blog is to continue clarifying, refining, and expanding the vision and documenting the process of starting something. Perhaps a legacy.
My brother, at our recent family reunion, described a project he was interested in starting. It sounded similar to mine in that he has a vision to pursue good that also needed refinement. I haven't signed any sort of nondisclosure agreement or anything, but it wouldn't be right to just blab it out on the internet. To you, Kiddo, if you read this; get started. Take as small steps as you need, but take them. There are 13 years between us. We may as well have been of different generations. My freshman year of college was your first year of kindergarten. I've got 13 years more experience in the world and a much broader work history. On the other hand... If you start now and maintain good health, you've got a 13 year 'head start.' Where was I 13 years ago? I was freelance interpreting. It was sort of a step toward working for myself. Technically I was self-employed, but bound by the policies of the agencies which used me and the clients which hired the agency, but it was a long way from creating something of my own.
Here's a tip: the more you work to build something you want to preserve, to conserve, the more you will begin to understand conservative thought. I'm not even speaking of the political arena, but much more generally. Over the years, the media and elite have worked hard to change the definitions of words. They'll use it just out of context, or just enough out of definition that the masses don't even notice, then use the new definition/context repeatedly until it becomes the new de-facto definiton from which to create further deviation. Better yet, they will turn an innocuous word into a label then use it repeatedly to associate the original word with the characters/characteristics of that which is labelled.
One hundred repetitions three nights a week for four years, thought Bernard Marx, who was a specialist on hypnopædia. Sixty-two thousand four hundred repetitions make one truth. -Aldus Huxley, Brave New World
"Inconceivable," you say? "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." -Inigo Montoya "The Princess Bride"
To the reader:
Whether 2025 was awful as it was for my brother, mediocre, a slight step forward as it was for me, or your best year yet; remember that while you can't always choose what happens to you, you can choose how to react to it. Whether it's in physical or spiritual health, your business, or any other area important in your life, take your own actions based on your values and become more resilient and less reactive.

2026-02-14 00:20:05 GMT

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My wife requested a fern to hang under the skylight and over the tub in our master bath for Valentine's Day. I got her that, a yellow rose bush, and deep... red.... Tulips, and it's all going to zero.
https://fountain.fm/episode/lC0dVkN8BiJuPNhskzqc
#nevent1q…vwz4

2025-09-23 18:17:45 GMT

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Mmmmm. Nothing burger. X-tra Mayo, hold the relish, please.
https://fountain.fm/episode/p3pAEaxXzNGaMnQa4HXK
#nevent1q…gste

2025-08-27 14:12:52 GMT

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Boat - definition: a hole in the water into which you throw money.
Seriously, I grew up on the Gulf coast and love boats, kayaking, canoeing, and sailing especially, but also some shrimping and water skiing. If you've never had a high-maintenance relationship, you've never really loved a boat.
https://fountain.fm/episode/bIdTTzGZi3xf8SaE0m9l
#nevent1q…6cvd

2025-08-14 00:46:43 GMT

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I think "Tree Crops" is available free at project Gutenberg. At least I think that's where I downloaded a copy.
https://gutenberg.org/
https://fountain.fm/episode/mxudV8ACSeMjdblvBidW
#nevent1q…w7tu

2025-07-15 19:48:12 GMT

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Ag-Fi. Love it.
https://fountain.fm/episode/pTmgXZ1F7ooMxospBTtQ
#nevent1q…agtv

2024-09-10 17:29:29 GMT

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Followed you back. We're practically neighbors.

2024-09-09 16:46:52 GMT

2nd week without a job; Monday...
Today's honey-do list:
Dishes, laundry, dinner, pick up boys at dinner time, apply for that one job that is just like my last job.
My own project list:
Start building some air-prune beds for propagation.
Try to start the chainsaw
Add some tools to my shopping list
Finish TaskRabbit setup to the point I can actually start scheduling Tasks
And, if there's time, do a biochar burn
This is a few more things than @nprofile…8vuw would have me put on such a list, but at least I'm pausing to make a list. That's a start, right? And, by completing some of these projects, I'm taking a function stacking approach.
Building the raised beds will not only get me closer to my business goals, it will also help clear out some space in the back yard, especially under a window that's being replaced in the next couple of months.
Starting the chainsaw (it's been sitting for about 2 years) will not only allow for faster yard cleanup than a battery powered recip saw, but it will also expand my opportunities on Task Rabbit.
Writing a cover letter, besides being a doorway to a potential job, is just more practice in writing within a specific set of parameters. Posting on nostr is the same thing, but with different parameters. It could also earn a few sats and be a source of accountability.
But right now, I've got to find those pizza crust recipes so they'll have time to rise.
#grownostr
#permaculture
#prestartup
#accountability
#joblessinaustin
#biochar
#writing

2024-09-08 00:13:02 GMT

Today's playlist for changing the water pump on my 1993 4Runner:
The doors-13
CCR - Chronicle
Depeche mode- songs of love and devotion
Boston-Boston
Spin doctors-pocket full of kryptonite
https://image.nostr.build/1a9179109b0deba753a278aa64d2be8bb8515f6af86cfbbf189ef7ca2c046be2.jpg
#old cars
#grownostr

2023-10-06 16:16:29 GMT

Today's leg workout... stacked chair stair climbs.
#grownostr #getactive #nogymneeded
https://image.nostr.build/2f46e1f4759e1fe53333311b2b14e97d552411749b394f6ad656fe1d6dedd9ba.jpg

2023-08-04 15:05:50 GMT

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I can still do both. Not planning on kicking off anytime soon!
I remember when Simpson ties were required by code after hurricane Alicia in '83. Staples were also banned for composite shingles, though Dad and I drove around checking all the roofs we'd done in the past few years and hardly list a shingle, much less a whole roof.

2023-06-09 16:04:26 GMT

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I had to try 3 times before I got any comfrey to take in my central TX yard and make it through a summer. The first 2 were from a local nursery. The ones that finally took and look good so far this year were from Brian @npub17wm…t5f4 They're bocking 4, if he didn't lie to me.

2023-05-16 15:56:37 GMT

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I had a vertical aquaponics setup at one time. My aquaculture plans for the future also include ferrocement ... and a rocket mass heater.

2023-05-15 03:46:30 GMT

Tile went down a lot faster when I was in my 30's. Not only did I not finish last night (I found a few more ½ pieces that needed chipping up) but I didn't finish tonight either. I did, however, make a pretty decent pork loin roast and "The Best mashed potatoes I've ever had." for my wife for mother's day. Look ma, no water!
The potatoes are mushroom, caramelized onion, and feta. The loin rosemary, garlic, and the beans chile and lemon. Served with a Pinot Gris in a solo cup.
The closest wash station is 40 feet away. 70 by the time you navigate the maze of kitchen boxes between here and there.
#50plus #remodellife #kitchenremodel #grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/twtd2wo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lNoiwId.jpg

2023-05-13 23:46:35 GMT

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That's pretty much what I decided... I'm not sure whether the altered line will be under the new cabinets or not, but I'LL KNOW. I'LL KNOW.

2023-05-13 22:34:53 GMT

Demo dilemma: the new tile is so much less vibrant than what I bought 15 years ago, but 2 of of these very nice pieces are ¾ inch short. Should I alter the grout line and keep the color, or keep the grid consistent?
#demodilemma
#kitchenremodel
#grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/KiJETYW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hA7HvOo.jpg

2023-05-13 21:38:25 GMT

It's paper plates from here on out... New cabinets less than 2 weeks from install date. The countertop weeks beyond that.
#remodellife
#kitchenreno
#grownostr
Hopefully the rest of the slate will go in tonight.
https://i.imgur.com/ZSGipzf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uQwiKwd.jpg

2023-05-06 17:23:19 GMT

The kitchen demo continues...
https://i.imgur.com/Ex25FVT.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FiNFAfd.jpg

2023-05-04 22:47:56 GMT

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I've got less than .2 acre. I've thought about it, but too many other projects take priority both in terms of time and space. I'd start with a small ish homebuild to collect data, then, when deciding to scale up, youll have an idea just how much capacity you'd get and how much waste you can process for a given sized system and whether your building skills and interests are up to the task.
Neither of the two best sites I found today look like the one I was looking at before, so they may have changed the layout or shadow banned it, but searches of "domestic dragon" and "dragon husbandry" have produced tons of info.

2023-05-04 22:12:30 GMT

About 11 years of soil building and I've managed a single tomato plant that has more tomatoes than all my previous attempts combined.
About every 2nd year I'd try again. Last year, I got rabbits and a few tomatoes. This year I had lots of poop and put some of the plants out before the last average frost date
#gardening #permaculture #grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/Amk0P0D.jpg

2023-04-29 18:44:28 GMT

Guess which house is mine.
#postagestamppermacultture
#suburbanpermaculture
#grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/TQ3rMmc.jpg

2023-04-29 18:00:37 GMT

Let the demo begin!
#kitchenremodel #grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/2edcoF2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8Wcl6ZI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cBAkYOz.jpg

2023-04-28 23:34:33 GMT

Saw a great bumper sticker today, "You can't fix stupid, but you sure don't have to vote for it." #grownostr

2023-04-27 22:23:44 GMT

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"up north"Minnesota. Near #[7] former homestead. About an hour east of Fargo.

2023-04-27 21:09:27 GMT

Forgot my son had detention this afternoon... #unwinding to this view for the next 15 mins. #grownostr #zapathon
https://i.imgur.com/OY1aWzo.jpg

2023-04-27 20:55:15 GMT

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I see all that. Also brings me back to walking on a beaver dam at my father in law's place. #grownostr

2023-04-27 02:51:34 GMT

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LOVE your podcast Amy! So insightful. Agreeing with those who say "get a wallet." Will totally send you zaps!
Even when a podcast is about perspective instead of chickens, who's really going to do a good job of raising chickens without a little perspective?!?
#homesteadingperspective #homesteading #grownostr

2023-04-27 02:31:37 GMT

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My parents live in the Texas gulf coast. I've seen maybe a dozen or 2 (brown pelicans) at a time at the most. I don't even remember seeing them as a kid, just in the past 15 years or so

2023-04-25 23:03:27 GMT

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Yeah. A little under half sheet 5'x10' 18ga mild steel if I remember right. I made 2. The other one (poorly welded) was stolen from the back corner of the church parking lot where I work.

2023-04-25 14:04:13 GMT

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Corporations exist mostly to earn profits for their shareholders... So basically, yeah, what you said.

2023-04-25 11:55:29 GMT

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Built it myself, yes. Based on all the information I found on the kon tiki biochar kiln and a little math. I was going for as big a possible a kiln that would fit the city code for "recreational" fire pit. I intended it to be collapsible, but haven't actually ever taken it apart as it fits nicely in the back of the pickup.

2023-04-24 19:41:30 GMT

Making biochar at work. I'll likely have to take it home to use, as the boss committee and committee boss don't understand the value of adding carbon back to the soil. They think the branches and leaves I use to make it and compost are "unsightly." I could spread it here and no one would would even notice, but I have bigger plans for it anyway.
#biochar #grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/gPDS3x4.jpg

2023-04-22 19:58:42 GMT

His name is Snoopy. He's 7. He goes by Snoopy, Schnups, goofball, goober, and/or spoiled rotten.
https://i.imgur.com/I37PulA.jpg
#dogstr #grownostr

2023-04-21 18:33:19 GMT

I swear this thing is demon possessed! We've had the control board replaced twice at a cost equal to what we paid for the thing new less than 2 years ago!
#posessedappliances #grownostr
#expensiveuselesscrap #plannedobsolescence
Is it consumer demand, or whack eco legislation that brought us so much expensive useless crap?
https://i.imgur.com/h3FVjhZ.mp4

2023-04-21 18:24:39 GMT

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Forgot the picture!
https://i.imgur.com/4h50767.jpg

2023-04-21 18:23:41 GMT

Pulled a little chicken enchilada filling from the freezer and turned it into a lunch omelette. Don't ask for the enchiladas recipe. I made them back in November. A lot has changed at the workplace since then. Otherwise, it's a little cheddar,a little cream cheese, salt pepper, some Tapatio hot sauce.
The gas has been restored!
#cookingwithgas #eggsforlunch #zerowaste #leftoverrevival

2023-04-21 13:25:26 GMT

@thelotsproject, have you tried something like this?
https://i.imgur.com/vDgrdYj.jpg
I still take allergy meds occasionally, but nowhere near as much as I used to. Like a pressurized neti pot.
#grownostr #allergiessuck #sinusrinse

2023-04-21 13:15:17 GMT

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"All the things" with Nicole sauce. Accurate. Great show with Jack yesterday!
lnbc1u1pjy9rzppp5wlw5s4tgqwmrk5udv7hfz3f04pg4y2ud4yckw8qkqz7flkmsa2hshp5y2y7pzlan8xkpey0xxqp50elzwv6ycat34r8j2nl9rmzd6zh0w4qcqzpgxqyz5vqsp5cxjjkv6xlxn7s5sc76jq3xtqlasqztsx3kpuecu4fgx4nv690fms9qyyssqvrcy3e6zsa6sgjmvkyjj8s3rnh5xl0ezcyp22ckzqjxutjndy6jzl38ldqkcwz80fmhvm452u5v62kl3k0h62e6vs3yzkwdun9rkvxgqzs4rjv

2023-04-21 12:44:14 GMT

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I have used it on outdoor stuff. One wooden park bench a neighbor had on his back porch. I'm not sure how long it lasted because he moved a couple of months later, but I do find it needs a reapplication on my garden tools about once a year.

2023-04-20 13:34:51 GMT

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Currently refinishing a 75 year old oak desk for my pastor. I used it on the pulpit in the sanctuary 2 years ago, and built a pine bunk bed for my boys about a decade ago. We just dismantled that one, but the finish still looked great!

2023-04-19 22:01:43 GMT

Are my username, banner, and avatar all messed up in everyone else's view? My Alby client took the image I selected in amethyst, but amethyst didn't. I saw a username for a while, now just a pub key.
I select my banner and it tried to play a video. And everyone else has all these cool fonts in their names and I recognize your avatars from TG. *Sigh
#grownostr #growingpains #50plus

2023-04-19 21:53:00 GMT

A recipe for my favorite wood finish... Boiled linseed oil, beeswax candle without the wick. Approximately 1 part wax to 4 parts oil. Microwave or double boiler.
Cut the wax into ½"to 1"chunks to facilitate melting. Stir occasionally in double boiler until wax is fully melted or use a microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring in between. Allow to cool.
It should be about the consistency of paste. Store in an airtight container.
I've heard commercial linseed oil for wood finish contains heavy metals to facilitate curing. If you want a food contact grade, select a suitable replacement oil, or boil your own linseed oil.
#refinishing #woodworking #grownostr
To use, grab a dollop on a disposable rag and rub well into the grain. Let sit for an hour or three and rub with a clean terry rag to remove excess. If you notice dry spots or uneven penetration, do it again the next day. It ain't rocket science.
P.S. I always thought the whole "oily rags can spontaneously combust" thing was a myth. IT'S NOT A MYTH! the curing process of these finishing oils releases heat. And, yes, enough heat to start a fire... Ask me how I know!
https://i.imgur.com/wAzd7l8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BFIEVBi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uu1IIIL.jpg

2023-04-18 03:52:57 GMT

I've been without gas at work about 30 days longer than I've been on #grownostr ... Maybe tomorrow?

2023-04-18 03:30:39 GMT

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Mine have bloomed and starting to set fruit!

2023-04-18 00:12:08 GMT

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I've been sharpening my own knives since the early 80's. I was probably under 10 at the time. I remember a mobile sharpening service that came by once a week while I cooked in restaurants in the early 2000s. It was a series of belts driven by an electric motor in the back of a cargo van. Really cool setup! If I wasn't so busy with a kitchen and bath diy remodel, the day job, and shuttling the boys to school, sports practice and games, and parent-teaching driver's Ed, I'd consider it as a side hustle. I've got a work-sharp, a cheapo 30"x1" belt sander, and cheapo diamond "stones". My first stone was a combined Arkansas soft/hard.
I could turn it on at will.
As the wife just showed me some of the kitchen estimate, I'll probably have to start sooner than I'm ready, like as soon as the older son gets his license this summer!

2023-04-17 23:26:14 GMT

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Not a pecan. Pecans have husks, but are segmented.

2023-04-16 22:32:30 GMT

Should have thought to take the picture before I started. I was hungry though.
My first bone in ribeye from K&C cattle. #thebeefinitiative #foodintelegence #iamtexasslim #grownostr
https://i.imgur.com/E2dlWWw.jpg

2023-04-15 21:22:39 GMT

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Just jumping on amethyst from L4L, the butcher, and the RVing grave robber's telegram groups. Don't think I've even setup my profile yet. -aaron #grownoster