To Protect and Serve.

 
Pretty scary when you see the lights in your mirror?

Returning from Rutland today I was stopped several times. I thought I knew exactly why (for the most part) however it is always a bit unnerving when you see the blue lights in the mirror and know you are the only one in front of them. I will admit I had a 36" door with a full frame strapped to my roof, however I was pretty certain this was not the issue.

I was stopped first 6 miles out of Rutland. It took me by surprise since I haven't seen blue lights in my mirror for many years. It was not until I pulled over at the first place I could find that I realized I was the one being stopped. It was pretty obvious when the state police cruiser followed me to where I stopped, then I knew it was me they were after.

After seeing several videos in the last couple years about police and the intrusive methods they can use I began to feel a bit worried. This however was not the case at all. I live in Vermont! Growing up one of the most trusted people we knew was Leroy Prior, a VT State COP, (as we used to call them). and as kids we used to talk to him all the time. I think at times we bugged him so much he should have told us to leave. He was however a truly caring individual. Even when we called him Uncle Leroy, and as we later found out he was a real hero. It would turn out that the officer who stopped me was one of the same mold.

I had just acquired my car from a friend in NY and registered it in VT. I had since done everything the car needed to pass inspection.. except for getting the inspection done. There is a 15 day period in VT to do so and it was obvious when he came to the window and said, "No you were not speeding" that it had to be the sticker. This was confirmed when he walked to the front of the car and looked below the mirror.

He asked for my paperwork and my license when I told him I had just registered the car. With a quick look at the papers he handed them back to me though he held on to my license saying you are all set as soon as I run a 27. I sat in the car for less than a minute before he returned. I asked him "what is a 27" and he replied it was a license check. Looking at him a bit confused he added, You have a clean record. It checks for violations, warrants and reports.

Handing me back my license he asked if it was a door on top of my car. Although I felt I didn't have to explain I did so, feeling much more comfortable with the situation. He the told me we were all set and to have a good day before adding, If you get stopped again tell them that the big fat ugly guy has already run a 27 on you. Not knowing quite how to respond I told him, Thank you I will do that.

3 miles down the road I did and it worked. It was a couple more miles before I saw more blue lights and this time I was checked again. Another 27 and all was well.

I have to say that the police,  peace officers, constables and such in our state are something to be proud of. In all my 57 years I have only had one who made me feel uncomfortable and it was not in VT.

Thank you to all those in our beautiful state who "Protect and serve". You do your job with compassion and understanding.

Book Release Chanterra by C.W. Wolf

Its Here! As promised Chanterra is ready for the holiday season. You can find it at Createspace or Amazon. The second book in the triolgy of The Unknown Pyp takes us even deeper into the relationship between the Humans of Glendenbury and the Pyps of Chanterra.

Here is a little excerpt from the book from page 99.

 

Natika had taken her place among the circle of pines in plain sight. Her fire had been lit and the stone circle had been closed around her to ensure her safety. The items she concealed beneath the old blanket were carefully placed and she nodded a sign of her readiness allowing the others to withdraw to their positions behind nearby cover. As the full moon began to rise through the trees, a strange stillness came over the forest. The village below remained silent except for the sound of a single snowy owl on the distant hillside.

Footsteps could be heard from the thicket, slowly and unevenly approaching from the west. The frozen leaves crunched beneath the feet, depicting the uneven rhythm of an Elder stopping periodically as if to catch their breath. As the footsteps grew closer, they were joined by the sound of several four legged creatures. As if they were under the control of the Elder, the wild wolves approached from four directions, their breath illuminated by the light of the rising moon.

Be sure to visit my website cwwolf.com to see when and where autographed copies are available.

Time for a change

Let me know what you think.

Recently my website went down for reasons too fierce to mention. Therefore I have had a change in plans and aquired an all new look.  I suppose it was a long overdo change. Although the website is not complete I decided to publish it anyway to maintain my presence on the web. Now perhaps I will have some time to follow through with more of my creations.

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The long awaited second book, Chanterra is almost here!

That's right, I am currently awaiting the arrival of my second proof copy of Chanterra. My plan is to have available at the beginning of the month of December in time for holiday delivery. Stay tuned for more information and an exact launch date. If you would like to order an inscribed copy or purchase the first two books in the trilogy together, check my writing page for updates.

Orders will be available as soon as possible and I will process them in a speedy and accurate manner.

All My Best

C.W. Wolf

Building the root cellar

The recycled root cellar

I know, I haven't been here in a very long time. I have been busy creating though and this time it is a root Cellar.

I got a used walk in freezer years ago and decided it was finally time to put it to good use. I dug a 9foot by 9 foot hole and created a locust frame to support the north facing bank. Spread a generous layer of dead sand and built the box into the frame.

The latches had rusted out so I braided loops on cables and cabled it together. Sealed the places where the foam had rotted with a couple cans of expandable foam and then covered it with rubberized undercoating. The blue on top is a pool cover I got from freecycle.

The pipe the pool cover was on also went to good use as I decided to build my vents with it. This is some very sturdy hardened aluminum pipe. I decided I will need 4 vents, two inlets and two exhausts. Today's project was building those. I used a drill and a jigsaw to make tight fitting holes in the roof for the exhausts. I made the inside hole slightly smaller so the vent would rest on the interior aluminum skin.

I decided that most importantly the vent needed to have a good cap. It had to be critter proof. I used old sap bucket lids and shaped them into cones. Put some architectural strapping on them so they fit tightly into the pipe. Then I used 1/4 inch hardware cloth to make a frame which holds some recycled screen from the trash bin of a local hardware store. When they change a screen for people they are happy to give you the old ones.

Onward and upward.

This is the first exhaust vent on the root cellar. I have one more for the other side. Next project is the intake pipes. I am still debating on exactly how I want to do those. I have some larger pipe that was part of the same pool cover.

Parts and Cost to date...

I pair of cheap work gloves, $1.00
Two cans of spray foam.       $9.00
Two cans of undercoating.    $6.00
Total material cost to date.   $16.00

All other materials so far have been recycled for free or items I have had on hand.

Now I need to go haul some fill and bank it in good before winter.

Oh and by the way. I am looking for crates to store my veggies in. You wouldn't happen to have a couple extra?

Release of The Unknown Pyp by C. W. Wolf

My great respect for the animal kingdom and a thirst for ancient wisdom meet in The Unknown Pyp, along with my cravings for adventure. It is my belief that the ancient world conceals secrets of magic and intrigue which easily rival the greatest creations of modern man. Truths which can only be revealed through respect and knowledge. A world where shape-shifting is commonplace and clans are taught the importance of solidarity and honor. Please feel free to contact me about this offering, serious inquiries only please.

This title is available online at Createspace, Amazon, and by request from your local bookstore. You can also request an autographed copy from the Author or pick up a copy in person at Heron Brook Haven in Pawlet Vermont. ISBN: 1456338188

Coming soon: The Unknown Pyp is soon to be available in e-book format from Amazon.

Stay Tuned!

It is getting really close, in fact I ordered my proof copy of The Unknown Pyp and it is on the way. As soon as I have my final approval it will be available at my CreateSpace store and when I sell 10 copies it will also be available at Amazon and most major book stores.

Wow, am I dreaming?
I think Not!
This my friends is real!

The Chicken Tractor

Raising seven baby chicks in a box in the corner of the living room gets old around the 4th week. By the 5th week they are just too big to keep inside any longer. I started building the Chicken Tractor when they were about 2 weeks old. The weather this time of year was not exactly cooperative to say the least. One final nice day yesterday allowed me to finish this project and get the Chicks into their new home.

The idea behind this tractor was to house the birds comfortably and take advantage of the scratching and fertilizing without having to do a lot of cleaning. I looked at MANY designs and as I usually do I took the parts of each that I liked and incorporated them into this design.

The (Portable Coop) or Chicken Tractor was built almost entirely of recycled and re-purposed materials other than the Chicken Wire and hardware, although some of that came from a burn pile too.


The "Free Air" roost is part of the design I really liked. It keeps the birds out of the wet ammonia atmosphere and dry and comfortable. The roost itself is removable along with the nests for easy cleaning, (Think pressure washer) and the end opens when you only need to gather eggs and check bedding, food and water.

I am sure that I will make a few improvements in the design and I haven't designed the feed system and waterer yet, however I have some really neat ideas for those too.


Bottom line on this project. It is worth doing the research into all the types of coops and tractors you can build or buy. Look into space suggestions for the birds, nesting requirements and shelter needs for your area and then have some fun. Your Chickens will thank you.