Skip to main content

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

 



 



Comments

What all the cool kids are reading.

In praise of the simple pumpkin. It has a lot of potential other than pies.

As I write this the temperature is climbing.  We have a window or two open, knowing that soon enough we will be shutting up the house for the next three months or so we can protect ourselves and our cats against the onslaught of winter.   Our wood stove burned overnight to take the chill out of the air and I found myself buying new boots and gloves and driving home with the windows down. This is the nature of autumn in Western Pennsylvania and as I sip on my pumpkin flavored coffee, I cannot help but praise the fruit of the season, and yes it is a fruit, the simple pumpkin. A few things are still growing in our garden, the last of the herbs and tomatoes...a stray pepper or two that needs to be picked.  Yet I find myself interested in growing pumpkins next year after realizing their potential and that they are high in nutritional value.   It's easy to forget in our modern world just how easy we have it as compared to our great grandparents and their grandparents....

Dopamine fix and my take on AI.

When I sat down at the computer recently to type all of this out,  I let out frustrated sigh.    I had plans to release a completely different blog post long before this date but over the last two weeks or so I've done everything I could do but actually work on the yard, or write, or just do anything that was constructive. When you are moving towards a dream or an idea or...well anything really, you can't break the chain.  Even if it's just 10 minutes a day working, that is constructive.    I have an addiction.  It's not to drugs or alcohol and in a way that would be a bit more excusable.   I have an addiction to dopamine .    Dopamine simply is a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good, and it in turn unleashes other "pleasure" chemicals in your brain.  In my case it a program called Second Life,  (SL) which honestly, I used to be on all the time in the early 2000's.  It's hard to explain but the term multius...

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...