Electric Lawn Mowers Are The Best Choice

Posted on May 17, 2012 by katlupe

My husband bought our electric lawn mower in 2008. He has been very happy with it and it does a good job. Our lawn is very big. He mows the sides of the road, as well as, our forest paths. The grass here in New York is thick and has deep roots. Very healthy. It seems that the rain we get is like vitamins for plants and trees. Everything grows fast and big around here. Our plants usually put out a lot of vegetables on each plant. It is rare that our lawn looks dried up and brown. Actually, it never has. It has always been lush and green.

My husband likes this mower because it is quiet, has no fumes that he has to breathe and is lightweight. It takes him awhile to mow the lawn with it. That is because he has to charge each of the four batteries. He bought four for it when he got the mower so it would be faster to use. It is easy to change the battery. He takes a battery out when it needs to be recharged. Then brings it in the house and unhooks one that is charged and puts the other one on the charger. Otherwise, he’d have to wait for it to recharge.

The best thing is that since we use solar for our electric power, that is the way our lawn mower batteries are charged. Not having to pay the electric company for the batteries being charged, makes an electric lawn mower even a bigger savings for us.

After the grass bag is filled, my husband gives it to our horses. They knicker when he gets the lawn mower out! And wait anxiously for the freshly mowed grass. No chemicals on our lawn, ever. No fumes or gasoline on the cut grass either. They are happy eating that grass, which in the spring is so full of nourishment for them. It makes their coats very shiny!

Gifts Of Chocolate

Posted on May 11, 2012 by katlupe

Chocolate is a nice gift to receive anytime of the year. I think most people like it. Even if they can’t eat it for some reason. I am glad that I can eat it. All holidays are a good time, as well as birthdays, to give chocolate as a gift. In early times, cacao seeds were given to the gods as offerings or tributes. It was something special even back then.

In our modern times we have found many ways to enjoy our love of chcolate. Boxes of chocolate candy are given to our family, friends and coworkers. It is even considered an acceptable gift to give a box of candy to someone you barely know. A chocolate home delivery is an excellent choice for sending gifts across the country or even around the world. Who wouldn’t love to receive a box of candy unexpectedly? I know it would make my day! What about you?

Chocolate is considered more than a food and less than a drug. It has had a complex history from the earliest days.The Aztec people used the cacao beans as currency and for food and drink. The Mayan people even worshiped a cacao god. The Spaniards taught Europeans how to drink chocolate. Then they started using it as tonic for their health. John Cadbury, in the 19th century, is the smart individual who came up with the emulsification process, that made it into solid chocolate which created our chocolate candy bars.

Now we know that chocolate is even good for us! Isn’t that nice to know? With dark chocolate being the newest thing for high blood pressure and an antioxidant. Sounds good to me! What about you?

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Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photograph Sources: Public Domain Pictures

Keeping Your Garden and Lawn Green

Posted on May 10, 2012 by katlupe

Keeping our lawn green and lush is easy as long as we keep getting plenty of rain. It is not so easy for people living in drier climates than we have. If they are not getting the rain they need, they have to very careful with using the water from their wells. Many times they are on water restrictions which includes watering a garden and lawn. If you suspect a dry summer, then putting out a couple of rain barrels to collect rain water would be a good idea. Water is not wasted around our homestead.

If you keep your garden and lawn watered before drought conditions exist, then there is a good chance your plants and grass will develop a strong root system which will help them survive the dry periods. Buying irrigation supplies makes it easier to keep everything watered. An automated system is nice because you won’t have to lug the hose from spot to spot. I know, at my age now, it is not an easy job, since I have many raised garden beds. It takes a long time to get them all watered if I don’t have any help.

There are many types of lawn sprinkler systems. These systems consist of timers, valves, underground PVC piping and sprinkler heads. The sprinkler heads are either spray or rotor heads. Some pop out of the ground when the system is programed to start and other are above ground. Spray heads will spray a large amount of water in a short time. The rotor heads spray at a lower application rate and are a good choice for sloping lawns, raised beds and hilly areas. Their application is more consistant than the spray heads which is good for larger areas.

With an automated irrigation system, it is easy to just program it and forget it. But that could result with wasting water. Instead take into account your curret weather situation. Make sure it is turned off if you are getting rain. In the summer your lawn and garden need more water than the other seasons. Set your timer on the irrigation system to run several times, but for shorter periods. That allows the water time to soak into the ground. I know a system like this would be a big addition to our homestead!

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An Easy Retirement

Posted on May 9, 2012 by katlupe

I thought today on this blog, I would take a look at how other people live. Generating our own power and doing most of our own work around here is not the norm for most people. Especially in our age bracket. Many people reaching their sixties, are thinking about retirement and moving to a moderate climate. Not putting up with the cold climate of the north. Giving up shoveling snow and cutting firewood, which are not easy jobs.

PGA Village Verano in Port St. Lucie, FL, is a full-service luxury resort community featuring everything you could ever dream about. It is in the center of a PGA golf resort and includes programs and facitilites that were designed with active adults in mind. Moving south to Florida is pretty common anymore, but this community is anything but common. It has any, and everything you could possibly want!

I am pretty familiar with Port St. Lucie, having been there a few times in the past. It is a very pretty area and would be an excellent choice for retirement. Known as Florida’s Treasure Coast, which includes 21 miles of white sand beaches, it is a city where you will never be bored. Having grown up in Florida, I can attest to the many activities available through out the state. Not only swimming, surfing, boating, fishing, skiing, but many more recreational activities. So much to do! The golf courses through out the state are some of the best in the world. Port St. Lucie can boost of PGA of America’s 4 courses and PGA Learning and Golf Performance Center.

We have from time to time discussed the possibility of giving up our life here and follow the crowd to an easy life of beautiful weather and beaches. Has it crossed your mind, moving to a luxurious community and living in style? Sometimes you get worn down by day to day life and would like life to be just a tad bit easier. I am sure living in one of the communities such as the PGA Village Verano would be perfect!

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Disaster, Emergency, Survival, Whatever You Call It

Posted on May 1, 2012 by katlupe

Survival is our number one instinct. In that respect we are not that different from the animal world. Even your pets have the survival instinct. It is built in. Remember the saying, “the survival of the fittest?” Indeed, it is. If you are preparing for the long haul and prepping for whatever lies ahead of your life, your area, our country or our planet, that comes from your survival instinct. If you prepare and nothing ever happens, so what? I don’t think your preparing was a waste of time. Not at all! It is your insurance policy!

It is a wise person who teaches his family to prepare and exactly how to do it. John Corcoran, editor of Survivalist Magazine has been doing that and more, for many years now. I did some research on him and found that he is considered the expert in prepping, and helps many people to learn how to do it now.

John has been teaching his survival course to many people over the years. He does not try to scare you into prepping. His methods are to be realistic and learn to do for yourself in case you are ever put in that position in your lifetime. Teach your family to do so also. If everyone listened to this message and did what he tells you, nobody would be in a panic if and when something happened.

John Corcoran has a radio show that is quite popular and has featured Bill and Janet Liebsch on it. They are the founders of FedHealth, a publishing and marketing company formed in 1999 to help the public focus on preparedness and health-related issues.

I recently received the Liebsch’s book and found it a very high quality book to have on hand and in the paper form in case of any type of disaster or emergency. Fedhealth’s 282-page eBook helps families and businesses “be aware… be prepared… and have a plan” for most types of emergencies and disasters.

Have you started making preparations for your household yet? Start small. Fill some containers (Not milk cartons or plastic jugs!) with water. Put some away every chance you get. Buy a couple of wind up flashlights, some matches and 6 cans of SPAM and 6 foil packets of tuna. Put that away for now and you will add to it as you can. You have started!

Crosscut Saw For The Homestead

Posted on April 17, 2012 by katlupe

A chainsaw is what most people and homesteaders use for cutting firewood. One thing that has always bothered me about chainsaws is the fact that you have to breathe all those fumes while using them. That is the reason we have never owned a rototiller or used a tractor in our garden. It is true the gasoline run equipment makes your job easier. But at what cost? Breathing in all those fumes are not good for you no matter how you explain it. Then there is the cost of the gasoline and the fuel mix you need to run the chainsaw. Of course, as with all the gasoline powered equipment, you have the repairs and breakdowns. What about times when you run out of gas, and can’t leave to get more?

Time to change so you aren’t so dependent on the gasoline. The price goes up every time you go to the gas station and needing to conserve will make using manual or electric tools perfect for anyone living off-the-grid. Besides it will be nice and enjoyable listening to the birds in the trees, and the natural sounds of the forest, instead of the blaring sound of the chainsaw.

A crosscut saw is physical work. No doubt about that. If you are in shape and used to doing hard physical work, it will be a welcome change from the chainsaw. If you aren’t, you should start out slow with a crosscut saw. It is just like starting a work out program. If you go too fast in the beginning, I am afraid you will sour on using one due to it being too much work. Work smart and you will find it rewarding to use.

This is the One-Man Crosscut Saw we bought on Amazon and it was a very reasonable cost. You will have to learn to sharpen it and how to use it. With proper care, it should last us the rest of our lives. It is made in Germany and is a very good product. No complaints at all.

A Room For Our Batteries

Posted on April 10, 2012 by katlupe

As we prepare for the warm weather here in upstate NY, our first thoughts are, “what more can we get done on our projects in the works”? Getting our battery room finished finally is the thing I am most looking forward to. The battery room is where the batteries will be stored in an insulated box that is vented to the outside.

When the battery room is completed, my husband will build a box for the batteries inside the small room. As anyone who lives with a system that uses batteries knows, the batteries are VERY important. They keep your system charged when the sun is not out, like at night or during the gloomy days. When the sun is shining the power is going into your batteries and they store it until you use the power all up. It is important to keep distilled water on hand to add to them when they get low. Keep an eye on them and make sure they are in good shape. Normally, it is advised to buy and put all your batteries in service at the same time. Now, we did not do that. This is our second group of batteries, and we got these batteries used. So I really don’t know their history. We traded web design work for these batteries. The other ones we had, we bought new. Two first, then a couple of years later bought two more, and added them to our system. When we took them off our system, we gave them to our friends who used them. So that is my experience.

Next step we will install the water tank and pump. After that the hot water heater can be put in place. The hot water heater will be used when we have a lot of power coming in from the sun and/or wind turbine (once it is in place and running). Once it is hooked up, when extra power comes in, it will be diverted to the hot water heater, instead of being dumped and wasted. You can get a used hot water heater, but we bought a new one from Sears. The battery room has been built specially for these items, the batteries and box, the hot water pump, the water tank and the hot water heater. There will an area where my husband can work on the batteries as needed. This room had to be built insulating it from the root cellar. The root cellar is the original one built in our house in 1850, and we do not want anything to ruin the way it works to preserve food.

We have already put a pipe into our well that goes right into the battery room. It is capped at this time. When the other stuff is in place, it will be time to work on piping the water upstairs to the bathroom and kitchen. Waiting breathlessly for that!

Protect Your Secluded Home

Posted on April 6, 2012 by katlupe

The area we live in used to only be home to hunting camps. Now many of the owners of those camps have retired and moved from the cities they lived in to the hunting camp full time. Once they do that, they start updating and improving the camp. I think the very first thing after drilling a well, if needed, was to install a home security system. I can understand doing that since one of the camps, the one closest to our house was recently broken into. The funny thing is this particular camp is owned by a group of cops who also come to target shoot there. I doubt the burglars knew that piece of information. It was the second time it had been broken into.

Even if you live with your own alternative energy system, one thing that should not be skimped on, is the protection of your homestead. Coming home at night and having someone surprise you inside your house could turn ugly pretty fast. Or coming home to a house that has been burglarized is everyone’s nightmare. Sometimes being armed with guns is not the answer. Especially if you aren’t there! My neighbors are cops and they are armed and shoot quite often, but if they had a home security system installed, it would have had a different outcome.

A home security system is a simple way to protect your home. It is worth every penny spent since it deters would be burglars and mischief makers. Protection around the clock and alerting local authorities when the system is triggered. A key chain remote control will turn it on and off easily. All family members will be able to control it and it is pet sensitive so your pets won’t be setting it off. After all the work you’ve done on your off-the-grid home, you don’t want someone coming in and destroying or stealing all the preparedness items you have scrimped and saved for. Or stealing the alternative energy system either. Without neighbors in remote areas, that is a very possible situation. Are your protected?

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Solar Panels For Electricity

Posted on March 26, 2012 by katlupe

Solar Baby barn in woods

Solar Panels On the Roof!

Today the wind is blowing very hard. If our wind turbine was up and running we’d have plenty of power. Having lived for so long with solar alone, adjusting to wind will be another learning curve for us. Especially for me though. My husband has been studying it for a few years now. Me? I haven’t a clue! All I do know is that if the wind is very strong, there will times you have to shut it down. If it is 50 mph or more, it will be too much for the system. That thought scares me! My husband though, is very comfortable with it (I hope!).

Solar Baby's circuit breaker box

Circuit Breaker Box

Solar panels have spoiled me. They are no trouble. Just generate power without a movement or noise. The other components that go with them to run the system is another story. We have had parts break down and need replacing. Have had inverters burn out a couple of times. Some other issues occasionally. The solar panels themselves, just keep doing what they do……generating power (as long as there is sun)!

Solar Baby's washing machine

All wired and plumbed in!

With the wind turbine in the near future, I am looking forward to washing my laundry like everyone else does. In my energy efficient washing machine. The object is to lessen your load as you make progress. Before you know it, you will think of those times of hard work as the “good ole’ days!”

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Recycling Less

Posted on March 17, 2012 by katlupe

Solar Baby panels

Our panels

One thing that happens in the spring when our snow melts is that we clean up whatever got hidden under the snow. Once in awhile some trash got hidden under it. We take our garbage and recyclables to the landfill which is about five miles from our house. I try to keep all the recyclables in separate containers so it is just a matter of lifting the bag out of the containers. One for cans, one for plastic and one for glass. The milk cartons do not fit in the plastic one, even if I squash them. Sometimes I recycle the milk containers into little greenhouses for plants I put in the ground in May.

Solar Baby landfill

Cans being recycled

This is the time when I can take stock of how much I actually am spending on condiments, pet foods and anything else that comes in the plastic containers and cans. This year, I’d say our use of condiments is up due to my grown son staying with us. He uses a lot! When it is my husband and I here alone, we hardly use any due to the fact that we don’t use that much to begin with. My husband only uses the barest amounts of condiments on his food, not even using salt or pepper.

Solar Baby Italian dressing

Make your own salad dressings!

Using less of things that come in packaging, plastic or glass is another way to accumulate less recyclables and garbage to carry to the landfill. If you stop buying those products maybe the manufacturers will get the hint. Less packaging! Less plastic (for me, at least). I have one friend who requests her take out Chinese food put in her own containers. The less you bring home, the less you have to get rid of later.

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