Wednesday, February 17, 2016

SOURCES FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING, MOTHER EARTH NEWS, GRIT AND OTHERS

JUST WANTED TO TRY TO SHARE A FEW AMERICAN WEBSITES AND PUBLICATIONS WITH MY MANY FOREIGN READERS AND WITH THOSE HERE IN AMERICA WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT I CONSIDER SOME OF THE BEST "INDEPENDENT LIVING" RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE LIVING EITHER COMPLETELY OR PARTIALLY "OFF THE GRID".

MAYBE IT'S THE SIGHT OF THE FIRST JONQUILS AND WILD CHIVES APPEARING IN THE YARD, BUT THOUGHTS OF ANOTHER CHANCE AT A GARDEN STIRRED ME TO START A FEW SEEDS INDOORS TODAY. 

KNOWING THERE WILL SOON BE AN ABUNDANCE OF "WILD FOODS" AVAILABLE ALONG AND BEYOND EVERY SMALL PATH THROUGH THE WOODS HERE ON THE OXBOW, I PAUSE TO OFFER READERS THESE EXCELLENT RESOURCES IN THE SPIRIT OF MY BLOG SERIES, "WHAT IF ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE?"

FROM APRIL OF 2015, I OFFERED 7 BLOG ENTRIES TO HELP US ALL PREPARE (MOSTLY OUR MINDS) FOR THE "UNTHINKABLE".
BEING PREPARED FOR ANYTHING IS JUST RATIONAL, AND HAVING THE TIME TO DO SO NOW IS A GREAT LUXURY, SO WITH THAT IN MIND, AND ESPECIALLY FOR MY NON-AMERICAN READERS, TRY THESE, IF YOU ENJOY THE THOUGHT THAT WE CAN ALL LIVE WITH LESS AND LIVE MORE INDEPENDENT LIVES, CONFIDENT OF OUR ABILITY TO SURVIVE FLEETING EMERGENCIES AND THE LONG-TERM UNEXPECTED.

MOTHER EARTH NEWS
The Mother Earth News online website is http://www.motherearthnews.com/.

When Mother Earth News began, it was, to me, just a great education in 'American ingenuity and know-how'.
'Mother' and the Foxfire books helped change how I looked at having grown up in "Appalachia".

The articles were no-nonsense and straightforward.
Every one of them could be utilized by even "city-slickers".
As time went on, as advertisements seemed to become the main thing, the articles became less and less practical, less everything.

I cancelled my subscription and didn't bother picking up an issue for years.

Then one day a close friend mentioned how "Mother" had rebounded, had "come back from the dead" as she put it.
Skeptical, I borrowed her copy.
She was right, but I waited another 3 issues before subscribing again.

All should know who read here how I loathe ads, won't allow them here in any form, so this is surely NOT meant to sell magazines, but just to show a few examples of what's out there to help us live better for less.
The FREE to read websites are full of some fairly amazing offerings.
NO SUBSCRIPTION NECESSARY.

Those who don't see the need for living better for less, those who don't have a "pioneer spirit" that craves a simple, more independent lifestyle, one closer to nature, one that will see us through when the grocery stores close, etc, then, for those, this blog post will just come off as a "tree-hugging-hippie" line of bull.

As I've said before, nobody drags anybody to the Tea Room and MAKES them read...feel free NOT to read another word.

For those who DO like the idea of being able to feed yourself, heat your home, build simple things, etc, even without "modern conveniences", read on.

Recent articles form "Mother" that impressed me:

~Build an outdoor stove/oven/grill/smoker
Anyone can do this, trust me, and it doesn't have to look like something from
"House Beautiful".
Basic, even "ugly" materials work just fine.
No need to "polish it up to look good", unless one wants to.


(See the materials list ).
"Even if you only use it to bake bread, you can save enough money in one year to more than pay for the $300 cost."

Nope, doesn't have to cost $300...one can often get the concrete blocks for free or almost free and can pick up fire bricks as "seconds" that work just as well as 'new'.


~ NEXT, build a solar heat collector in an hour (Or in less than two hours by the more fumble-fingered among us) for the astonishingly low price of $32.18

Simple, easy, and if/when the power fails, we don't have to freeze, right?
Electricity in my area goes for about 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Being, in any way, independent of the grid is a huge plus, but not all will find this project as awesome as I did, I'm sure.

~ Solar food dehydrator?
Food dehydrating is one of the oldest methods for preserving food known.
Dehydrated foods are packed with nutrients, easy to package, store and take along with us.
No need for elaborate designs or "polishing it up to look good", but I did like the basic idea of this article.

As one guy commented:

"Here in the Appalachians, we have not had much but economic depressions. My people have always "sun dried' fruits and vegetables. it was very common to see the tops of the front porches [covered] with apple slices, tomatoes, persimmons, etc., strings of beans hanging, called "leather britches". 

You would never hear anyone "squalling" (whining) about they didn't have the equipment to do it with. I knew several folks that would take a couple of screen doors off and lay them together to keep the bugs off till the food was dry enough. My mother-in-law would put homemade trays, or ones we would get from old refrigerators, in the window of a car (even an old one that didn't run anymore). Just put your little "scrounging" (recycling) caps on. There are several sources all around, like companies that do window replacements. You ought to see all the glass and screens they throw away every day, and most will give it to you for the asking. As mentioned before old refrigerator racks, most communities have a repair company that has old fridges that they just haul away for junk."

See?
American ingenuity...but all nations have common sense ideas for this.

GRIT MAGAZINE
http://www.grit.com/

I remember when my younger brother sold subscriptions of Grit door-to-door as a Cub Scout.
It was in newspaper format back then.


~ Options for home heating.

With our winters a bit colder than they "used to be" the past few years, a lot of folks have become concerned with heating homes without breaking the bank.

The Tea Room has never advocated wood heating and never will, but just because we have fireplaces and "wood" stoves does NOT mean we have to use cords upon cords of freshly felled trees to make them heat and cook.

Apart from gathering fallen limbs & burnable bush cuttings (often left beside the road for "yard trash" collection by homeowners), one can also go behind those who cut down and take just the "best" parts of trees for lumber.
Yes, it feels a little wrong to go clean up the left-behind limbs from such operations, but a lot of "pulpwood cutters" will almost pay you to do so.

SOME wood, but not a lot, used in construction, "cured" woods, can also be gathered and burned.
Some wooden pallets can be used, but this is a VERY 'iffy' endeavor as the chemicals in some of those are toxic when burned, or even heated.

One can also CREATE fireplace "logs" from some recycled paper products that provide a fairly long-lasting heat source, if you roll them right.
Any "slicks", that high-gloss paper used in magazines, for example, are not suitable for this, nor are heavily inked papers.
Just a little research can point to SAFE papers to burn.

Some state parks offer campfire wood for the taking, but one must always check with the local rangers before wandering onto ANY park land and gathering wood.

~ Heat 4,200 square feet of greenhouse space all year long for free.
The fuel?
Used vegetable oil from restaurants.


This article on GRIT shows how one man gets enough FREE used vegetable oil to heat three large greenhouses, his house, his shop, and his hot water.  

He also powers two trucks, a tractor and a skid loader on waste vegetable oil.

“We’re not 100 percent off the grid,” he says, “but we’ve been running off the grid several days a week now.”

[Want to build a greenhouse? 3 designs that cost under $300, and way less than that if you use gathered recycled materials.]

I really like the "One Acre Farm" articles in Grit.
The latest one explores things we WANT, NEED, and CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT.

The author is just diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, so his articles are ever so slightly changed, but still wonderful.
As a cancer survivor, the Tea room author wishes him well....100% WELL.


CAPPER'S FARMER
http://www.cappersfarmer.com/

Another old magazine that goes "way back" to 1893.

I find that fewer people have heard of Capper's than 'Mother' or GRIT.

RAISING HEALTHY CHICKENS NATURALLY

[For those opposed to eating eggs and/or small animals, don't read any further.]

I know of few who live a rural life who don't raise a few chickens...for eggs, for meat, for feathers even, as some "exotic" breeds do have gorgeous feathers.
A few chickens can eat a LOT of garden pests as well, but can get a bit carried away if allowed full access to all the garden plants...they'll eat your tiny budding harvest!

[For a remedy to that, see "How to manage chickens in your garden".]

Those just starting out raising a small flock, however, don't always research the PROPER way to maintain a flock.
You can't just go get a few baby chicks, toss them in the back yard and leave them to scratch out a living.

The healthy chickens article offers dozens of simple and intelligent tips for “going natural” that help you avoid common ailments that plague many backyard flocks. This excerpt comes from the first chapter of a book, "In the Coop," and covers the basic things to know before building a backyard chicken coop. 
Making a small barn with recycled materials is an inspiring short article, one of many found at "Stories of DIY Projects made with Recycled Materials". 

EAT THE WEEDS

http://www.eattheweeds.com/

Though not a magazine, this contains invaluable info.
Admittedly, this is one of my TOP 3 favorite websites.
Amazing videos, sage advice on foraging, and an introduction to finding some of the freshest flavors on the planet.
Green Dean is a very generous man to share so much with so many.
It was a very good day when I found his website.

Though I grew up "eating the weeds", I learned a few things thanks to Deane.
Like, which "lowly weed" has roots that can be ground up and mixed with vinegar for a type of horseradish.
Delicious!

The warning is given again and again that not all can eat all weeds, or even most weeds, so caution is always advised.

In almost 70 years of eating wild foods, I have had ONE bad experience.
I so look forward to a walk in the woods that one might think me 'daft' because I tend to get so excited.

On the weeds website, do try to visit the "Pickles/Vinegar" section...many surprises there as to what we can use to put by both pickles and vinegar.

Deane has so many Youtube videos it's hard to decide where to start.

Episode One is maybe the logical place to start and just follow his other videos off his play list.
https://youtu.be/x97jebTQisU

THE "TOP 10" ONLINE MAGAZINES/'GREEN' SITES LISTED BY TIME MAGAZINE CAN BE FOUND IN THE "OTHER READS" SECTION BELOW THE BLOG.

I haven't been abroad in years, so I don't know if the "Tiny Home Movement" has taken root where all of you live, but it has become quite a sensation here in America.

I have managed to downsize to under 1000 square feet of living space, using my two dogs as excuses for needing THAT much room...2 bedrooms, a too large kitchen and living area. a single bath and foyer plus closets...and packed to the walls with my "stuff"... all necessary, all still too much 'stuff'.

But, SOME DAY, I tell myself, I WILL go "tiny"...

Below, just some photos and a few links to the tiny home community, here and abroad, that I hope you enjoy.

TO BEGIN WITH, TWO FROM THE U.K.:

[It may be that by enlarging the following photos, a large empty space follows this...if so, blame Google Blogs, AGAIN, and just scroll down a bit.]



























MY PERSONAL FAVORITES, THE HOBBIT HOMES BUILT IN NEW ZEALAND FOR THE MOVIE 'LORD OF THE RINGS'.

SEE SEVERAL LIKE THE HOBBIT HOMES THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVE IN <HERE>.


AND, LAST, THE MICRO COMPACT HOUSES, IN REALITY AND AS A CONCEPT TREE VILLAGE.

The m-ch measures 266cm x 266cm x 266cm.
[ FOR AMERICANS, THAT'S 104 INCHES, 8.7 FEET.]

The ceiling height is 198cm and the door width is 60cm.


I'm sure there are other online magazines out there in other nations that address a more independent lifestyle, so if you know of any, no matter the language, leave a comment.


All the best, hope all of you are WELL.



___________________________

OTHER READS:

~ UNDER $5 SOLAR WATER HEATER
(FOR THOSE WHO DON'T NEED A LOT OF HOT WATER EVERY DAY, OR WHO JUST WANT TO SAVE A FEW DOLLARS ON ELECTRIC BILLS.)


~ 8 WAYS TO GROW FOOD, AND OTHER PLANTS, IN EMPTY COCA COLA BOTTLES


ON A WALL, IN PLACES WHERE GARDENING WAS THOUGHT TO BE IMPOSSIBLE...



~ TOP 10 'SUSTAINABLE/GREEN SITES/MAGAZINES LISTED BY TIME MAGAZINE

TRY, PLEASE, TO IGNORE ALL REFERENCES THAT THE TITLES HAVE TO CLIMATE CHANGE...

"CLIMATE CHANGE" IS THE MOST OVERUSED AND LUDICROUS PHRASE THE TEA ROOM IS CURRENTLY AWARE OF. 
THE CLIMATE CHANGES IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

MEANWHILE, JUST ENJOY A LOT OF GOOD, FREE ARTICLES ON A SIMPLER LIFESTYLE.

  1. Grist
  2. TreeHugger
  3. Dot Earth (New York Times)
  4. Climate Change (Guardian)
  5. RealClimate
  6. Environmental Capital (WSJ)
  7. No Impact Man
  8. EcoGeek
  9. Ecorazzi
  10. Switchboard (NRDC)
  11. Mongabay
  12. Climate Ethics
  13. Climate Progress
  14. World Changing
  15. Planet Ark

~ FROM AUSTRALIA, AN ONLINE MAGAZINE ABOUT SIMPLE LIVING







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