Perhaps I should change the name of this newsletter to the Ramblings of an Old Geezer, or something like that. I am just going on these days about this and that, but I gather a few of you actually enjoy that. So for now I’ll stay the course, and write about what interests me, how we live, and so forth. After all, all of it captures what it’s like for us off the grid.
Love your ramblings. Have been semi-offgrid for the last couple of years, though when I say offgrid, I still love good ciders from local cideries, stuff from the farmers' markets, and good maple syrup and honey from the Valley. We exist with a small solar system -- 3.5 kW, and direct rainwater into our cistern, and grow a lot of berries, but still rely on local producers of lots of things to sustain ourselves. And we are involved in many community activities and organizations. Climate change: remember a fellow at University of BC in the late 1980's telling us about the coming large disruptions to our weather and climate systems, and the various ripple effects regarding habitat, species extinction, as well as the much more variable food and weather patterns that would be coming. Doesn't mean I am hunkering down, though it does mean that this little solidly constructed passive solar house with 20" walls of cellulose and south-facing triple-pane windows, is something I am counting on to help us shelter through some uncertain weather patterns in the future.
Never mind changing the title, its a metaphor for "Old Geezer" anyway. Re: Weeds. I have a pretty high tolerance for weeds, even propagate/deliberately keep some of them, but I have tried to keep my garden beds as free of goutweed as possible. This year because of back issues, I had to give up my annual digging up 9 garden beds each spring to take out goutweed. Instead I just cut them back here and there. The result is not that bad. It's all in the eye of the beholder as they say. And now I have a new name for it, 'The Tangled Garden'. Thx!!
Thanks Charles for your update, a nice diversion into another life. Enjoy what's left of summer.
Love your ramblings. Have been semi-offgrid for the last couple of years, though when I say offgrid, I still love good ciders from local cideries, stuff from the farmers' markets, and good maple syrup and honey from the Valley. We exist with a small solar system -- 3.5 kW, and direct rainwater into our cistern, and grow a lot of berries, but still rely on local producers of lots of things to sustain ourselves. And we are involved in many community activities and organizations. Climate change: remember a fellow at University of BC in the late 1980's telling us about the coming large disruptions to our weather and climate systems, and the various ripple effects regarding habitat, species extinction, as well as the much more variable food and weather patterns that would be coming. Doesn't mean I am hunkering down, though it does mean that this little solidly constructed passive solar house with 20" walls of cellulose and south-facing triple-pane windows, is something I am counting on to help us shelter through some uncertain weather patterns in the future.
Thank you, Susan. I hope you are having a brilliant summer. Thank you for your support and reading
Never mind changing the title, its a metaphor for "Old Geezer" anyway. Re: Weeds. I have a pretty high tolerance for weeds, even propagate/deliberately keep some of them, but I have tried to keep my garden beds as free of goutweed as possible. This year because of back issues, I had to give up my annual digging up 9 garden beds each spring to take out goutweed. Instead I just cut them back here and there. The result is not that bad. It's all in the eye of the beholder as they say. And now I have a new name for it, 'The Tangled Garden'. Thx!!
I love the look of the Tangled Garden