Small and Sustainable

An update from Maine and talk of barns

Feb 8th, 2010 | By Fritz Nordengren
An update from Maine and talk of barns

Lou Ureneck blogged about his cabin building on the New York Times and has moved his blog to it’s new home at MaineCabinBlog.com coinciding with his completion and move in to the space. We’ve swapped emails from time to time during his building and I look forward to his notes, ideas, challenges, and sharing the world of a small cabin life. So, as I wrote earlier, what do you call a colleague / friend / email correspondent / blog buddy? “Neighbor” works well.



Street Farmer – NYTimes.com

Jul 7th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
Street Farmer – NYTimes.com

A nice profile of Will Allen and urban farming. There are great quotes in this article and a terrific example of ways to re-think “conventional wisdom” .

“We need 50 million more people growing food,” Allen told them, “on porches, in pots, in side yards.” The reasons are simple: as oil prices rise, cities expand and
[continue reading...]



Q & A With Mark Van Roojen, a Philosophy Professor and Cabin Builder – Times Topics Blog – NYTimes.com

Jul 3rd, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
Q & A With Mark Van Roojen, a Philosophy Professor and Cabin Builder – Times Topics Blog – NYTimes.com

In past blog posts, I’ve mentioned both Lou Ureneck and Mark Van Roojen.  If the Internet is the “Information SuperHighway”, then I guess you could call Mark, Lou, and I ”neighbors” on the same “Internet gravel road”. Mark had some weather slow downs during his trip west in June, and Lou spent time away from the
[continue reading...]



The Other “typical” day

May 20th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
The Other “typical” day

In the interest of fairness, my post about a typical day needs to be balanced by a view of the “other” kind of day.  The kind of day that goes on more often than anyone admits or likes.  It started simply enough, with a head start on the day to do some mowing.  Well, not
[continue reading...]



A typical day – just another day in paradise

May 17th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren

One of the most common questions I get about living at Two Mile Ranch is, “do you ever get lonely?”  I’ve written Five Things You Should Know about Living in Solitude earlier on this site.
It’s a fair question. The idea of living alone in less than 700 ft. is a far cry from typical. Readers
[continue reading...]



Cut your square footage in half – MSN Real Estate

May 14th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
Cut your square footage in half – MSN Real Estate

Scaling back is the new black.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, houses started in the third quarter of 2008 averaged 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 feet in the previous quarter. That’s a whole extra room — poof!
via Cut your square footage in half – MSN Real Estate.



Tractor keeping time?

May 7th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
Tractor keeping time?


Another side of Michael Pollan

Apr 3rd, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
Another side of Michael Pollan

While perhaps best known as a food writer, Pollan penned “A Place of My Own” in 1997, subtitled “The Education of an Inexperienced Builder.”
In my own case, there came a moment, a few years shy of my fortieth birthday, on the verge of making several large changes in my life– when the notion of a
[continue reading...]



Simple pleasures gain ground | csmonitor.com

Mar 15th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren

Simple pleasures gain ground | csmonitor.com
a growing group of Americans who are finding it cathartic to unplug from the digital grid, at least temporarily. While there is no exact data to track how many people are forming knitting groups, hosting house concerts, or organizing family game nights, it is possible to connect the dots between
[continue reading...]



watchthehousegrow: house from field, vice versa

Mar 13th, 2009 | By Fritz Nordengren
watchthehousegrow: house from field, vice versa

John Letourneau’s blog at watchthehousegrow shares his  cabin on his rural land in the Catskills.  He writes:
After 20 years of various homes and renovations, it’s time to grow my first one from scratch.
via watchthehousegrow: house from field, vice versa.