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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.

Honoring the past - Thinking more about "invasive" plant species.

 Recently I've been giving some thought to invasive species.  I had received both positive and negative feedback on the blog post concerning kudzu and recently I came across a very well hidden, and very small, wild cherry tree while doing some yard work.  Since it's against the house it would have to be removed since the root systems could damage my foundation.   A buddy of mine at work was asking if I was going to transfer it, his logic being that it was a fruiting tree that would not only attract a variety of pollinator's but that the deer would eat the bark and cherries, keeping them away from the garden (which Sue and I swore we were not going to do this year).  It occurred to me that I was going to have to do a slightly better job of identification, since black cherries are native to America , where as other types of cherries are not.  Being able to make a precise identification would be helpful.   I used to be able to identify all these tre...
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Maybe we need to rethink invasive species???

Hi. As the writer of the post and feel that I need to clarify something. I do not advocate the planting of invasive species. The point that I'm trying to make, and clearly didn't, is that perhaps we should be thinking about an invasive species in a different light. Apples, figs and other crops are clearly non native to America and Europe but are widely cultivated because they have use to humans as a food source, animal feed, etc. Kudzu is an edible plant and although it is clearly harmful can it be used someway by humans? It's a food source, it's been used as a cloth and is showing some use as a building material. All I'm trying to do is to create discussion on how we can use invasive plants in new ways.   It's mid April here in Western Pennsylvania and so far it's been warm and wet.  The buzz of lawnmowers fill the air as I gallivant through my back yard collecting dandelions to make some tea and bread with them.  I had always known that they w...
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A sense of time in place - traveling in Central PA

One of the first items that Sue and I bought as a couple all those years ago was a grandfather clock.  We used to snuggle under the blanket and listen to the chimes on the hour, the sound filling our house with a warmth and resonance.   That clock is nothing special, being simple in its design and technology.  It's accurate because of the beauty of physics and math...and is a lost art form in its own right. I thought a lot about time and place as we traveled this week.  I thought a lot about place.   Sue and I finally took a brief vacation recently.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, every plan we had made to get away earlier in the year came to naught.  My father became ill and ended up in the hospital which we decided to stay home "just in case."  He ended up in the hospital at least three times this past year, and I decided to spend what time I could with him. Family, after all, is what brought us back to Pennsylvania. We had p...
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