Robots, Chickens, and Ducks

Robots, Chickens, and Ducks

Captured by my predator sensing robot camera herding ducks and chickens into their coop.

Since the start of Mezzacello there have been chickens and rabbits integrated into the system. That was my original plan all along. Later I expanded to include robots, chickens, and ducks.

I came across this photo on the cloud from March 21, 2019. It was captured by a motion and heat sensing camera mounted on the water tank in my chicken run. The system also included a hacked Arduino controller that used IFTT architecture to send the photo to my phone.

Yes, I captured my own self herding poultry with an automated sensor. But the other thing this photo shoes is my ignorance about bird flu and sanitation. My Robot Chicken sensor caught me in the poultry area without boots.

While this is a fun early example of my push to leverage automation, robots, sensors, and data in my urban farm. It is also an indictment of my naivety and the fact that one should always be learning, improving, adapting. I am sure I was just securing chickens so I could go to work, but I am NOT wearing wellingtons.

Breaking Barriers and Rules

The cases of Avian Flu are on the rise in the US in 2022, but is not yet in Ohio. This kind of silly reckless behavior is exactly why it is on the rise though. I want to believe I sterilized my shoes after, but truth is I don’t remember and that is bird flu spreads.

There is no direct evidence that the strain of avian flu prevalent right now out west is transmissible to humans, we did just go through a pandemic. Honestly, this is not about the humans, but the birds. I developed all of this tech to keep these vital members of my ecosystems safe.

Flash forward to today and I always sterilize my boots and shoes. I have gotten sick, my fault, for this mistake. This simple mistake is also responsible for killing millions of birds and is why I have three sterilizing stations and four sinks at Mezzacello.

Sanitation stations at Mezzacello

Hand washing Station Hand washing sinks

Sanitizer Station Hand sanitizer station

Boots Washing Station Boot sanitizing station

Boots Only Icon Boots Only Area

Why Boots are a Requirement at Summer Camps

Last summer, I hosted two summer camps at Mezzacello. I rotated groups of four kids through the BioTech portion of the camps. Only students who could fit into my boots, or brought their own could be part of the biotech team.

There were a lot of bummed out kids who could not interact with the animals safely. That was a learning moment for me. And a teachable moment for those kids.

Jim Bruner

In this summer’s camps, EVERY kid will be required to wear sterilizable boots. It is a necessity and it is the Law here at Mezzacello. Live and learn it may be, but adapt and thrive is a better mission.


Versailles at Mezzacello

Versailles at Mezzacello

Versailles-Inspired Tomato Planter

This spring, There will be a little bit of Versailles at Mezzacello. Last summer we found these amazing box planters at Monticello. I was obsessed with them, so much to the point that the tour guide advised me that I should speak to the head gardener and the director of operations.

Planter boxes at Versailles
Citrus Planters at Versailles

But I digress. They were so elegant and simple, and modular. But they are $600 a piece. No way was that going to happen.

Habitat for Humanity’s ReSTORE to the Rescue

I found these amazing store display storage boxes at H4H ReSTORE here in Columbus! They are PERFECTLY proportioned and well-built. Best of all, they were $15 a PIECE!

So I bought four. My goal is to set up a spray booth here at Mezzacello and give them a good cleaning and scrubbing, then a few coats of Zinzer primer. Then I will caulk and seal everything, and then give them a few coats of Mezzacello tan paint.

Then I will build a plastic cowl to protect the top of the boxes and line the interiors with rubberized paint and then a plastic heat welded liner. Then the finishing ledge and some finials.

I have plans for creating micro-ecosystems in each box. Standard suburbanite dirt and mulch matrix in one, hugelkultur matrix in another, Martian compost in another, and a swale and soil matrix in the last. It will be a fun experiment and a classy addition to Mezzacello.

A CAD Rendering Before and After

Teaching Tool

I am over the moon about these. The fact that the polka dot inserts can be removed and replaced just sets my imagination on fire! What could I put in there?

In my dreams it is a variety of things; Chalk boards, art describing the carbon, nitrogen, water, or Oxygen/CO2 cycles. Even a description and explanation for the four different bed types.

Even if Rick makes me go with lattice or chippendale, they will still be awesome. I found a Victoria’s Secret hanger in one of them, so I assume they are from one of those stores. They will have a wildly different life now, and I pun intended, support it!


A Cold Winter’s Day At Mezzacello

A Cold Winter’s Day At Mezzacello

A Cold Winter’s Day At Mezzacello
January at Mezzacello.

It is a cold winter’s day at Mezzacello. -12C (10F) outside, (here’s a handy C to F converter) but it’s a balmy 18C (65F) inside. It’s rather hard to keep a 165+ year old house warm for the tropical plants, but we do manage. I rather like this snap of our living room today.

Because most of our focus is on the farm and the garden infrastructures, we spend little time on the house. It’s livable (and we love it) but it does need some love soon. The original fireplaces still work well and make for cozy rooms on demand.

Twenty-First Century Amenities

Gratitude is a very important part of our lives here at Mezzacello. We do have some 21st Century amenities like water (hot and cold) plumbing, electric, windows, wifi, furnaces, and lots of tech, other aspects are decidedly 19th Century; The lack of AC or a downstairs furnace, the gas fireplaces, the solid brick walls, and the basement cellar designed for munchkins.

Rather than complain or pine for more, I think there is more value in responsible planning and saving to bring this old house safely, sustainably, and graciously into the 21st Century. She has seen so much. She has been patient and steadfast and so will we.

Clinton-Era HVAC and Electric

You read that right. The Furnaces and the electrical systems were installed in 1998. The kitchen is 1989 as re the windows. She is not glamorous, but surprisingly, she is still highly functional.

The downstairs furnace died four years ago. To update it we must also update the electrical systems to code and repair the foundation walls. That is a BIG and expensive commitment and we don’t take that lightly.

The house (thankfully) still has all of her original chimneys, and her gas lines are plumbed to functional fireplaces. There is a fireplace in every room and all the original rooms were designed with 19th Century sensibility; the rooms can be isolated. The only exception is the Depression era extension in the back which is also the structurally weakest and coldest part of the house.

It’s not as abad as it sounds. The upstairs (where the bedrooms are) has its own furnace, so we are grateful for that. But the electrical system was designed for the last century. It’s a gremlin to make modern electronics work well in this house, and her bricks are like Kryptonite to a wifi signal.

Charm Before Harm

We have always known this was going to be a long-term multi-phase process to bring the house back with grace and dignity. Instead of being frustrated that the work is not done, we have decided to be happy and grateful that even though this house has sat abandoned TWICE for years at a time, she still has all of her original charm.

I believe that if we came into this endeavor focused on building a show house and transforming it just to be modern and comfortable, we would have missed out on a HUGE lesson. And that is that living with a wounded house and caring for it, building on to it’s legacy and making due together actually does build character. It builds charm and sustainability – and clever solutions.

So this summer we shall endeavor to make it the summer of interior and infrastructure renovations. After 7 years of building a mission and purpose, we also need to bring our brick friend along as well. So here’s to our house!

She hugs us the best that she can, and we love her well in return. She is one of the many heroes in the story of Mezzacello and she is our home. It’s easy to love her even when it’s bitter cold outside and chilly inside, it’s good to remember, this house has weathered worse!


Anatomy of The Brunerform

Anatomy of The Brunerform

Anatomy of a Brunerform. All clothes and accessories are from thrift store – Exception: Underclothes and DNA Bow Tie.

Something I rarely reference on this blog is the anatomy of the Brunerform. This is the name I give to my distinctive fashion choices. I’m sure you’ve seen me in photos on here or out and about in Columbus, OH. Today I decided as I was going through my closet in the run up for a new year, to do an anatomy of what I call the Brunerform.

What is a Brunerform?

In short it is a combination of brand, style, and functionality that I am fond of wearing. The brand has evolved over the years and it’s got multiple purposes and serves my needs in vastly differing ways. First let’s break it down into its component parts:

  • A hat (Usually a fedora – dishwasher safe is best)
  • A dress shirt (always from Thrift Store)
  • A bow tie (Often hand made, always silk)
  • A sturdy belt
  • A pair of jeans or slacks (Thrift Store!)
  • A pair of sturdy socks
  • Boots, Clogs, Wellies
  • A clean tshirt (for sweat and heat control and so you always have a wicking layer)
  • clean underwear (in case of ER visit)
  • Your keys (on a lanyard connected to pants)

Of course the Brunerform should always look the same. It’s a brand. But it should NEVER restrict one from getting dirty or doing hard work, I call this “battle ready”, and it should always be ready for being in public.

These clothes are a tool for my peculiar mission as a scientist, farmer, engineer, inventor, designer, mentor, and educator. One never knows what they will get into; so always be ready. Hence, Battle-Ready and Brunerform. It’s a Swiss Army Knife made from fabrics.

Variations on a Theme or Bougie Brunerform

Conversely, there will be times where the Brunerform needs to appear all bespoke and high end. These include social functions, business meetings, and the theater. In these cases I still follow the basic anatomy of the Brunerform.

Clothes and accessories are limited to a budget of under $100 for any fabric, tie, shoes, or suit. There’s no point in having an action ready brand if it’s too precious to actually serve as a uniform for work? It’s a quirk of my personality to be ready and thrifty. That’s why I named it as a uniform AFTER myself.

Confidence is the Ultimate Accessory

Confidence when you need it, replaceable clothes when you need it. Style, always.

There are levels of usefulness to this brand and there is history and precedence. It is important to me that I am always ready for anything. As a brand, people recognize me instantly. Every item has more than one purpose. And most importantly, I am comfortable in it.

Confidence is a gift we give ourselves. If clothes make the man, then my clothes make me more effective and flexible. As I age I worry (quietly to myself) that people can’t relate — especially young people. It’s more important for me to be adaptable and. consistent than it is to be considered cool.

Jim Bruner

I need to work harder and not caring and drawing on the confidence that the uniform I wear is going to make a difference in times where work is needed. The Brunerform is my outward expression of my mission and service focus. And I like it. What’s your brand? Tell me in the comments.

What’s Your Brand?

So get busy on your own brand. It’s your most important asset in a world where being different is tough or scary. (Eccentricity is a difficult and demanding task) Commit and justify yourself to yourself. Y’all know what others think of you is none of your business, right?


Spring 2021 and the Brunerform

Spring 2021 and the Brunerform

Spring 2021 and the Brunerform
Almost Spring!

It was 14C in Ohio yesterday and this is my observation of spring 2021 and the Brunerform. Rick and I decided to go out and talk to Mezzacello and see what she might be needing. We saw a lot of trash (hidden beneath the snows) and many signs of life! It was a nice little jaunt.

Rick checked on all of his formal garden beds to encourage them. I checked on the pond, the potager herb beds and my #ProjectMartian beds. Oof! They need love, but they are thriving.

I let the poultry into the potager vegetable beds. They went crazy and TURNED everything over for me. Thanks! Mental note: Don’t spend $50 on mulch to make the walkways between the beds look clean. Those birds turned EVERYTHING over. LOL!

But that is a natural sustainable system for you. The compost beds look terrific! I have 2,000 Liters of additional compost cured in the #ProjectMartian BioReactors. That will be added into the potager beds and into parts of Rick’s gardens.

It’s only fair, since his gardens provided a lot of the biomass. I snapped this quick photo of Rick and I. As per usual I am in my “Brunerform”.

The Brunerform

One question I get asked a lot about sustainable #AppliedSTEM bio-engineered gardens is why I am always wearing a dress shirt and bow tie while I am gardening. It’s an important question that deserves an answer; It’s because I want to.

Everyone assumes that I wear expensive clothes. WRONG. That bow tie costs more than everything else I am wearing in this photo – including the hat and shoes. I wear Thrift Store clothes.

I prefer natural fibers that can be shredded and added back into the system or at the very least, re-donated. I am not insane. I am just aware that nature recycles everything, even beauty.

This is what I fondly refer to as my “Brunerform” You’ll rarely see me out of it. In fact, amongst my friends and neighbors, they loudly complain when they see me out of it. It is my style and it has become my brand.

Every time I use the Hashtag #GentlemanFarmer I mean it. What is your impression you want to make on the world? Mine is classy and always #BattleReady in a boardroom or in a garden room, take your pick.


New Mezzacello Portrait

New Mezzacello Portrait

Mezzacello Portrait by @ArtbyGeez Gabriel Gatton

We are unveiling the new Mezzacello portrait! After five years of plugging along on our mission to Grow, Maintain, Sustain, and Explain we decided we needed an official portrait. We commissioned a fabulous local artist, Gabriel Gatton.

He asked a ton of questions and then ran away in fear. Six sustainable ecosystems. Two gardens, formal and potager.

Animal husbandry and botanical greenhouses. Lots of science, art, architecture, agriculture, education, and systems engineering. How do you tell all that story?

Gabriel Gatton is a Story Teller

Well Gabriel came back with this iteration and I love it. It is modeled after Grant Woods’ “American Gothic” and subtly tells our story. Have a look.

Reach out and tell me what you think. As we begin to transition our role on the farm into more and more social engagement this was an important step. Also, be sure to check out Gabriel at ArtbyGeez.com


When An Urban Farm is More Urban

When An Urban Farm is More Urban

Sometimes the Urban Part is more important than the Farming part.

I live on an urban farm in downtown Columbus, OH. I have a job I love and I have chores I have to do everyday. This was early spring, 2019 when an Urban Farm is more urban.

The camera I keep to monitor the poultry and rabbit yards safe from vandals has toppled upside down. On this day, it caught me between work and probably a board meeting at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra or an opening night at ShadowboxLive.

There was no time to change. Let’s just get the chickens and ducks fed and watered and keep going. This is life on an urban farm.

Because I don’t always make distinctions between “work” clothes and “farm work” clothes I am pretty selective with the clothes I wear. The lion’s share of my clothing comes from Ohio Thrift Store, Hand me  downs and Amazon.com. That way if I destroy my clothes doing farm chores unexpectedly I’m not out an arm and a leg on fashion.

I like to imagine I am shooting an editorial for GQ Magazine. In this photo Jim is wearing a $79 suit from @Amazon, a $3 dress shirt from @OhioThriftStores, $6 crew socks from @Menards, $30 shoes from @DSW, a $70 bow tie from @Macy’s and a $70 @CountryGentleman trilby fedora. Don’t skimp on the hat or the bow tie; even the chickens will judge you for that.