The City Mouse in the Country

 There is an old saying that goes something like " You can never really own the land, you are only borrowing it from future generations." The exact quote escapes me at the time of this writing.  However the sentiment holds true.   We are considering the possibility of buying our next door neighbors one acre lot. At one time Harvey, who long time readers of this blog know was helpful when we first moved into our home, lived there. However the property and the trailer he lived in where showing signs of falling apart; when he moved unexpectedly the property fell into further disrepair.  For the past year or so, it has simply been empty. Susan and I are considering buying it.   Partly because we can put another trailer on the land to rent if we wish, as the plumbing and electrical wiring is all ready in place and we don't believe the current property is worth saving.  That of course, means tearing the old one down. Rents in our area are actually below the national average an

These last few days have convinced me that I need to get off my proverbial ass and find a work from home position, or failing that; one that only needs me in the office two or three days out of the week. My 2012 Kia Soul (stock photo) The reason is that recently I "threw a rod" in my car.   This is basically the worst type of engine failure possible.  My starter also died at roughly the same time, which means that they can't even turn over the car to try to determine the extent of the damage or what exactly failed.  A new starter won't be in for a week.   Now this type of engine disaster can be fixed but it's going to take anywhere between two to three weeks at minimum even if I can get the parts in a timely manner. Living out in the "boondocks" requires that my wife and I have two cars.  We work in two different parts of the county and two different schedules, so it is just a requirement. There is no public transportation, no car sharing services,

This is the "personal" piece that I didn't plan on writing at all. I keep this blog to help me sort out the jumble of thoughts and emotions that are always bouncing around my head and for the sake of history.  For example, I knew I suffered from depression when I went back and read my personal journals; noticing how I was always bitching about the same things but never doing anything to change it.   The old saying about repeating the same pattern and expecting different results is very true.  Once I broke out of those patterns (with help from a mental health professional) my life got a whole hell of a lot better.  Thus it sort of pains me to see me considering going back into a career that I never expected to be in the first place. Call Centers/Customer Service have been what I've done for the majority of my life.  When the pandemic came, I was able to work form home, and I got used to sitting around in my PJ's drinking my coffee and answering call after call abou

I'm slowly but surely becoming more of a vegetarian.  I find myself ordering plant based dishes whenever possible when eating out.  I've packed myself plant based dishes for lunch. If I'm on my own for dinner I've been known to have some veggie pizza or plant based seafood from time to time.  I don't mind tofu, lentils and chickpeas and even have some falafel and saitan in my freezer although I've no idea what to do with the latter.  I'm sure I'll figure it out.     I've made paneer and used it as a meat substitute .   My diet started to change for several reasons, but reducing my carbon footprint was certainly one of those reasons.  While I'm sure this is going to upset some people, animal welfare really didn't play that much of a role into my decision to go flexatarian . So the question becomes; if I believe in plant based diets and it's ability to reduce my overall impact on this planet.  Why in the hell did I buy one half of a co

The original post that inspired this piece was removed by the moderators of the Solarpunk subreddit.   In a nutshell it was a comment about how many in the Solarpunk community are simply not grounded in reality.    Or at least that was the way I interpreted it.   The original poster could have simply been trolling the group, but before I get into the meat of this opinion piece I need to take a moment and introduce those that are unsure of what Solarpunk is to some of the concepts of it. Solarpunk is a literary and artistic movement primarily but has grown into a movement that strives for the integration of community, technology and nature.  It's a hopeful future that imagines renewable energy as our primary sources of power; this includes geothermal , wave energy and other sources as well as solar and wind power.   What I love about the movement is that it encourages action through a variety of means and understands that change, real change, requires actions that are based in the

Every job has it's problems, it's good points and its bad points.  Evey one has had that boss from hell or that co-worker that you loved.   We spend a majority of our lives with complete strangers, sometimes seeing them more than our family. The average American commute to and from work is slightly under 1 hour round trip.  That adds up to a little more than 10 days a year spent in our cars going to and from work. I recently left my job in the Insurance industry.  I've been involved with insurance, banking and finance for most of my adult life...and this voluntary departure was based on several reasons...but it got me thinking about work, anti-work and significant work. I am not afraid of work. We all have to put food on the table, we all have bills to pay.   When I first started looking around for a new job, which at the age of 57 I thought it would be daunting, I quickly discovered it wasn't.   A lot of employers actually contacted me directly when I floated my resume

My wife and I have been blessed with good luck, good opportunities and  family that has always been there for us.  However I also know that not everyone has the fortune, family or opportunities that we have had.    We have sadly learned a lot about those families in our area through the IOOF and other charities in the local area that Sue and I belong to.   So as I throw another log onto the proverbial fire and think about how lucky I've been compared to others I thought I would pass on some common sense, and not so common sense ideas to help someone save a bit of money and get through the coming winter months.   I can see no reason why someone needs to live in an icebox, or choose between food and warmth .   Sadly there is no easy solutions and everything that is worth doing takes time and energy.  Sometimes even a little money.  So what I'm offering here is advice that will help reduce your energy costs at least and can be used to help cool your home in the summer as wel

      To be honest I'm not sure how many containers we have growing with various fruits and vegetables growing in them.  I never really did a count, all I know is that my strawberry bushes have little red strawberries on them, that my zucchini is blooming and my tomato plants will soon need to be surround by cages.        I'm hesitant to say that my first garden is successful, but I feel pretty confident that we will soon have green peppers and sprouts on our plates.    I have fresh thyme, basil and parsley just outside our back door; along with cucumbers that are ready to vine up a vertically standing pallet.       Technically this is not my first garden, as my ex-wife Teri and myself planted a more "traditional" tilled garden years ago and produced much the same foodstuffs as I'm growing in containers,  Growing in a container however is a bit easier to manage and certainly makes weeding easier.       Even the dogwood trees I planted seem to be doing well.      

      When I sit down to write something, I do so for two reasons; the first is that yes, I want to remember my thoughts and feeling about a particular moment in time, so in some ways this blog serves as my journal.  The second reason is that I hope to impart some knowledge or information on.  In the hope that you, gentle reader, might learn something new or, more likely, avoid the mistakes I make.        I leave that decision up to you.       Thus, in some ways you can blame our youngest cat, Bobble, for our upcoming spending a lot of money on window's and other home improvements.       Our first winter in Western Pennsylvania was not really that bad.  This year it seemed we had weeks of sub zero temperatures and several feet of snow.  Our house was physically colder.   Now if your wondering why I'm blaming the cat then please read on dear reader.      Bobble was born in the early spring of last year, so he's still a kitten come winter.  A kitten with very sharp claws and

      When we first moved out to the country, we had a vague notion of what we wanted to do.  We failed in our first year to meet any of those nebulous goals.       Sue, my wife and I have adjusted.      I've always had a passing interest in things like permaculture , we had always grown a few tomato's and other plants on our lanai when we lived in Florida.   It was, and still is to a certain extent, my hope that I have a full garden and become a bit more self sufficient.     After a year however, my plans have changed somewhat and become more focused.  We know what our limitations are.   Our original plans simply did not meet the reality of our situation.  It just being Sue and myself for example, a large garden doesn't make sense.  A container garden does.     This isn't failure, but the realization that we are always adjusting and regrouping based upon several factors.  Our plans have gained focus as the situation warrants.        However I do consider this blog to

    Well I don't consider myself a homesteader in a strict sense, I often find that homesteaders often ask questions about income and financial matters.  This article is to address a bit of confusion about how a home equity loan works and why home improvement is a secret weapon you can take advantage off.        You should always consult a tax and licensed financial advisor in your area. That being said, I am a licensed and bonded insurance agent and have over 20+ years of banking and financial experience and offer this advice freely.               I'm standing outside the house with a tape measure in my hand and marking off an area roughly 24 feet wide (7.3 M) by 24 feet long.  It's roughly the area of a two car garage.   The current garage we have is internal and used more for storage than anything else.   It's a tight space for one car.     Rates will be going up soon and it makes sense to lock in a home equality loan now while the market for homes is still high (our