Tales from beyond the grid

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May 2023
April 2023
Leaving the grid; and a trip to the Valley with a visit to The Rice Bowl
Solar lights at our property at sunset. Leaving the grid is a subversive and revolutionary act. It might not seem like it, but the banks don’t want you…
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Charles Mandel
7
Making an off-grid move sounds easy, but you can’t bank on it
Our off-grid home. [Editor’s note: I first published this opinion piece in the National Observer, January 29, 2021. In terms of obtaining a mortgage for…
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Charles Mandel
11
Sheila's brush; Nova Scotia coastal protection not in sight any time soon; dining at the Knot Pub; and more
A brush with winter Mabel sticks her nose in the picture (L) while Farley goes: “Really? Snow? Again?” The past couple of weeks in Nova Scotia Sheila…
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Charles Mandel
March 2023
Our wild marsh; our neglected shoreline; and other odds and ends in March
This morning as I stacked split wood on the outdoor pile for next winter, I noticed something that I don’t believe I had in previous springs. It was…
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Charles Mandel
12
The rite of spring, part four; general stores; and what constitutes a po'boy sandwich
This is…spring? It could be Sheila’s Brush, the traditional snow following Saint Patrick’s Day, but it landed two days early. After silence, the birds…
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Charles Mandel
10
Extended off-grid news edition:
The off-grid reader: an occasional column on off-grid news and views
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Charles Mandel
17
Buying an off-grid home: Not a turn-key experience; local love, and more
New cabinet front. In the background, you can see the previous open style. Now the dishes are closed off, preventing dust, animal dander and so forth…
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Charles Mandel
9
February 2023
© 2023 Charles Mandel
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