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Links of Interest (To me at least).



I thought I should create a little links page.  As I come across other blogs or pages that interest me I'll include them here.  For now these are in no particular order but that may change in time.   You can always email me directly if you wish as well.    If you have a page or link you would like me to share, let me know!


City Mouse in the Boondocks Facebook page - when we have something that's related to the page but just doesn't fit here.  

 

Educational and Environmental Websites 

 

Neuroqueer solarpunker:  Follow his Facebook page, always thinking and always interesting this is one of the better "solar punk" sites I've found.

 Climate Victory Gardens - I won't lie, it's a bit more political than I would like but it does contain some good info.  Of course, if your fighting for a greener world you have to be a bit political.

No Mow Movement - Generally speaking it's the home of the No Mow May movement and the related Slow-Mow movement.   Let your yard run wild in May and then only mow it every two to three weeks after that.

Blue Thumb -  A combination of conservation groups and business groups working to create watersheds and to restore the prairies.  Lots of free info and general help.  Possible green washing.

Native Plants Online - exactly what it sounds like. 

Land Art Generator - A combination of renewable energy projects with public art, urban planning and design.  Many of these projects are in the real world now and are really beautiful and functional.

Playing in the Dirt - Designed by a forest and ecological educator, this site has a lot to offer teachers and students of any age.  Lots of ideas about how to get your students hands dirty too.



Personal and Fun Sites:

Scooter Revolution! - My now defunct motorcycling blog, from when I lived in Florida. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows - This is one of the world's oldest service organizations, and I am a member.   You can be too. 

 Tasting History - History and tasty food.  This YouTube channel has it going on.  I actually plan on trying a few of these dishes as we go.

Townsends - A historical reenactor whose channel dives into the history of the last 200 years or so. He also tries to recreate various food and beer from that time period. Some interesting stuff.

Legal Eagle - Curious about the law and how its applied, misunderstood, broken or mistreated?  This is an entertaining and always interesting channel where a real Lawyer explains the law.   You just might learn something.  

My Personal Facebook  page - I have to admit I'm iffy about posting this.   However I can always change it around.   

Learn to make Cheese - A Facebook page that is full of good people and better information.  As a total noob to cheese making, I feel comfortable there.    


Resources near me:

Sunshine Farms Cat Rescue - Adoptions and very low cost spray and neuter services.  Highly Recommended

Stoneboro Fair - This is what my adopted town is known for.  

Mercer County, PA - The "what the hell to do" site

The Macoskey Center - A resource I hope to use more in the future as we move towards a more self sufficient lifestyle.   The Official website is here.  

Local Harvest - Various farm shares and farmer markets, with a searchable map.   

Munnell Run Farm - Educational working farm located in nearby Mercer, PA

Mercer County, PA extension office  - various continuing education classes

PA Solar Power Info.- exactly what it sounds like.  Great informational site.

Shenango Crest - A local organization working with rural areas on improving the environment.  

Rustbelt Natives - A nursery concentrating on native plants


Seeds and Gardening info

 Seed Savers Exchange - Yes, they are a non-profit seed organization whose roots (no pun intended) are in the simple exchange of heirloom and rare seeds.   So any company that supports a diversity of food and helps to keep historical crops alive deserves a link at least.  

Burpee - Probably the one company that everyone knows.  

Botanical Interests - An online catalog only but the company did come highly recommended to me.   

Apple Search - one man's effort to keep rare apple species from disappearing.    

Tree Pittsburgh -  Urban forest protection and tree planting.   

The Allegheny Front - Environmental news organization for all of Pennsylvania.  

Native Plants - from our bird loving friends


 

Energy Resources - 

Home Energy Audit - While this site is specific to Northwestern PA, it's still not a bad idea to check with your local energy company to see if they have a similar program.  

BPI Certificated Contractors

MAREA - A great resource on "alternative energy" with an emphasis on Solar Power. 

Wood Heat vs Pellet Stove - Interesting side by side comparison. 


Homesteading resources and other reading material:

 

How to Start a Homestead - Exactly what it sounds like.  A practical step by step guide.  

Why I'm a Homesteader - An opinion piece that I don't exactly agree with but I understand their reasoning.  

Homesteading in Suburbia - Part of the Tenth Acre Farm blog which is not a bad site in its own right. 

Homestead.org - A good sight with good info, but your mileage may vary.   

The Not so Simple Life - Interesting article about a family owned farm/homestead 

Hobby Farming - Good and informative article.  Something I am going to come back to again and again.  

A Farm Girl in the Making:   A lot of recipes and it may seem "to commercial" but some good advice here and there.  Plus, some scrumptious looking food.  You know I like to eat right?

Homestead America:  Another "for profit" homestead site but what I like about this one is the amount of simple, free info they give.   But seriously...I am tired of everything being commercialized.

Backyard goats and Backyard poultry - exactly as advertised.   We may not be there yet...but you never know.

Homesteading in PA - Brief but informative with some interesting info.

Treehugger.com - Quickly becoming one of my favorite sites.  Interesting and informative articles on a little bit of everything.    

5 Acres and a Dream - from someone that has been doing this for about 12 years now.  A great blog and resource site.   

PA Eats guide - general website about what plants are edible in the surrounding area

 



 



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What all the cool kids are reading.

Getting things done. Small victories add up.

In the new TV show Fallout there is a great line.  " The Golden Rule of the wasteland is thou shalt be distracted by bullshit every single time." I've never played the game it is based on but the picture shows the two newest distractions in my life.  We have taken care of our former neighbors barn cats since he moved out nearly a year ago.   Long story short the mama cat gave birth in his barn that we we given access to.  We found four little black long hair kittens and decided to take them, as it would probably be the only time we would be able to catch them.   Much to our surprise after a day or so the mama came over and started to milk them laying on our kitchen floor.  She's comes in, feeds them and then goes back outside.  Once they are mature enough to have them fixed we are planning on doing so and then they will go to a good home.   That's the plan...but plans have a tendency to change as one or two of them are findi...
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America's 250th - I am still a Patriot, I still believe....

  I could not let America's 250th birthday pass without some comment.   I love this country, but frankly this is not the country that I grew up in.   I'm not sure exactly where we went wrong and although it would be very easy to blame the current administration and the whole MAGA movement, that is to easy of a solution and not entirely true. What ills America today is a combination of things.   A combination of errors, bad decisions, mistakes that created a cascading effort.   We simply are not the country we thought we were and the proverbial chickens have come home roost.   Nor do I have a solution.    So why write about America's 250th birthday at all?   Because I believe in this country, despite where we are currently.  Because I am a student of history and we have seen all this before, and we have seen the solution to it as well.  Because after much thought about the state of the world and reading ...
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Just a short interlude to catch up.

  resting cat Recently I found myself with a bit of time on my hands.  Normally this time of year my wife and I like to take some vacation time.   We generally don't go to far, having visited Niagara Falls and New York state the last two years, the plan this year was to go south, to visit an old friend that has just accepted a facility position at Duke University .   A few days there, a few days in Charlotte; where I once lived and then, if we had time, a few days in Charleston, SC where I also lived for a brief time. Sadly however, due to circumstances that I won't get into here, our vacation became a staycation .  Which was fine because I still had a tree to plant from the Native Plant sale, odds and ends to do and to continue my war against some aggressive neighboring plants, which it seems I was now finding everywhere, as well as other small jobs that I've been putting off. I actually wondered if it would be affordable (and reasonable) to rent a f...
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