Have you ever seen some of thos spectacular lightning bolt pictures in books? Ever just watched a powerful lighning storm a night. I it is awe inspiring at a distance as a spectator, and terrifying if its too close. If you live in a lighting prone area, its best to study up and know about proper grounding and basic protections you can add to your off grid building projects.
Yesterday afternoon, July 31st will be burned in my memory as I prepare for a large, high pressure technical task.
In another post we shared our not so successful composting attempt in 1,000 worms can’t be wrong. Now as a tribute to our fallen little workers, I thought it would be appropriate to review what compost is, and one of the faster ways to create it for your garden and plants.
Doh! hate when that happens
Off grid, or at work, its always important to be conscious of your safety in whatever activity you do. You must watch out for the rationalizations and shortcuts, because eventually you will get bitten! What happened to me this week is a prime example of how a short two hour task can turn into a six hour ordeal.
I was working in the field preparing to setup a new customer’s Internet service. I did the usual pre-install walk around with the customer to determine their needs, and to select the best location for the outdoor equipment and where to run Ethernet cables. This one should be easy I thought, I only have to
Fire 12 miles away
The extra wet spring has given way to hot dry and windy weather around here. Last week a major fire that consumed 20,000 acres or more started last week, and now is the time to get serious about clearing the brush and grass around the ranch!
As you may have guessed it, this is one of those posts where I show you what not to do. My thumb is not green, but is colored green wanna-be. Compost is the richest fertilizer you can use. You don’t need to buy commercial fertilizers when you use this natural one. Compost is the results of decaying organic material like leaves, grass, or kitchen scraps.
It was about seven years ago, and I thought I had read up on all the details. Well, ask the worms … I missed something. I built our little compost bin out of some scrap 12 x 12 x 2 boards and made a nice little bin
sheep getting "recharged"
Everyone has their own star. At least anyone can register a star named after them in some giant star catalog. Well this time of year the stars for Shilo, Setro wooly, Madison, Grover, Jumba, and about eight others lined up well. These ruminants, are having their fill of fresh green grass to their hearts content. No more jostling over the flakes of hay tossed over the fence. Maybe it has nothing to do with stars, but with Jackie and my good fortune seasonal grass up here. Our herd consists of llamas, sheep, and goats.
This year we ran low on hay and
Depending on your body thermostat and the climate at your off grid home, keeping cool can be a challenge to your power system. Traditional AC units draw enormous power for their compressors. Earth or underground homes are nice, but not for everyone. Evaporative coolers and their variations have broad appeal for our off grid cooling needs. We’ll finish up with a free, primitive evaporative cooler.
The weather around these parts has been cooler and wetter than past years, so its not too hot yet. Personally, I don’t like anything much above 75F and 85F is unbearable. With the weather switch
All too often a title like this might sound upsetting. You know, lost more chickens to coyotes or other predators. This time its good news the proud hens, and a fun time with new life on the homestead. Jackie shares the experience below that seems to repeat itself more than several times each year. Also, I put a plug in for the hard canine workers who keep the ‘free range’ safe. – Marshall
There are many methods of raising chickens. One of them is “free ranging”. What does that mean? At our place it means,
Its been a busy week with many distractions. My project list at the moment seems to be growing. How do you make progress on your off grid projects when work, deadlines, and other demands are all competing for your time? A lot of folks will claim to have the answer for this in the form of some magic bullet or process. Here’s my thoughts and approach.
Too often we let large projects paralyze us.
solar panels and chicken palace
Moving off grid is different for everyone. Knowing if it is right for you and your current situation is important. How will you determine what your power needs will be? What are the best energy sources available for your move? There are many questions to consider, but the more quickly you get answers, the faster you will make progress towards your new goal.
First, lets define what is meant by “moving off grid”
