back where it belongs

MA stained HM’s floor and then put on the top coat.  It was “professionally” done.  It looks really nice too.

When he finished we began the waiting.  Waiting for something to dry is not exciting.  The moment you know it is dry is very exciting!

Then late this afternoon a wonderful thing happened.  She moved back into her room.  You’ll see in these pictures why we are building a raised bed.  She needs a place to stash her stuff.  The bed will have a large dust ruffle, so you won’t be able to see the totes.

eco evaluation

An interesting thing happened this morning.  I was surfing around reading some of my favorite eco-blogs and saw that I was mentioned in a comment.  Crazy!

It did make me stop and evaluate where we are now.  I don’t post much about our 90% efforts anymore.  Mostly because it is just the way we live now.  We’ve gone on to incorporate new challenges into our lifestyle.  I’m the kind of person who believes you read, learn, share, try, adjust, and try again.

So where are we on our eco-path?

Gasoline: CK still works 35 miles away and he’s still driving the same car.  He gets about 30 mpg and that makes us happy!  MA (20) works 12 miles away and that vehicle gets 22 mpg.   So our guys use about 3 gallons per day.  HM and I don’t do a lot of driving.   Once a week we’ll get groceries and do all our errands on that day.  Then we all go to church (2.5 miles) once a week.  So we’re using about 17 gallons a week.

We used a lot of gas when MA hurt his thumb.   The ER was quite a distance, and the hand doctor is 30 miles away.  We made that trip several times a week at first.  Now he’s going every other week and I really think it won’t be long until he doesn’t need to be seen.   This was one of those times that I am thankful that we could make the trips and didn’t worry at all about the amount of gas we were using.

Electricity: We are still furnace free and AC free.  We’re still using down/dead wood to heat our home and fans to cool the house.  We don’t have a clothes dryer.  We got a new hot water heater that uses 1/4 of the power of our old one.  That has been a nice improvement.  Our fridge is still set on the highest temperature.  We really don’t need it.  Mostly it is just a place to store the fruits and veggies.  But I won’t get rid of it until it dies.  Then I think we’re getting a chest freezer and a 5 day cooler (for rice milk, maple syrup, etc).

We still purchase green energy.  Ours comes from using landfill gas!  We’re using about 16 kwh/day — so, with our green energy credit that makes it 4 kwh/day.  It went up a bit when I started making all our own bread again and using the treadmill on a daily basis.  Lately I’ve been walking on the road and I believe our number will reflect that this month.

Garbage: I quit weighing our garbage shortly after the first year.   We’re pretty consistent in our amount and it hasn’t changed much since the Riot days.   We’re still a plastic bag free house (except those times that CK forgets when he stops to pick something up).  We have produce bags now too and those help keep those pesky bags away.

Water: We’re using 50 gallons per day.  That includes watering the sheep.  We’ve had so much rain this year that we rarely have to use the hose for their water.  We filled our pool up once this summer and the rain has helped keep it full too.  The front-loading washer is amazing.   It really was the breakthrough we needed to get the water numbers down.

Consumer Good, Food, and Other:

HM has been redoing her room and that has brought in drywall, paint, and wood flooring.  However the new drywall had twice the insulating value of the old.   We’ve added new bamboo shades and insulating curtains in the master bedroom.  They are much more efficient than my several layers of thin cotton.  Since that is on the east wall of the house it helps keep the whole house cooler.

We’ve bought some books, some movies, and lots of clothes lately.  I am culprit.   I love to read and losing weight is good for my health, but not on the budget.  I’ve needed everything!

Oh yes, we also added Jake this year.  Puppies!  We got rid of all but a few chickens, the goats, the rabbits, and the partridge in the pear tree!  Seriously,  we only have 4 chickens (plus a few bantams) and the sheep.  I love my sheep.

Food:  We started a garden this year, but haven’t kept up with it.  There was just too much rain.  Most stuff rotted in the ground and even with raised beds it was a muddy mess.  Plus all the time and energy to care for MA, and I was exhausted.  So we took a break.  We’ll pump it back into shape late this fall and be energized for a new year.  It was actually quite nice taking the break.  I guess after 12 straight years we needed a break.

For health reasons I went to a whole foods/vegan diet.  I am feeling great.  We’re using a lot of whole grains, dried beans, rice milk, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies.  Without the garden this year everything has to be purchased.   Since I’ve spent 8 weeks running with MA to the doctor the majority of the food has come from a local supermarket.  Once again, I am thankful that we have that option and can afford to use it.

I guess to sum it all up:  We’re still refusing, reusing, and trying to live lightly.

Kim

there . . . and back again

Here are some pictures from the outbound part of my daily walk.   My companion on these walks is often Opal.  Jake’s hips won’t let him take such a long journey, but little Opal is a powerhouse of healthy energy.

sunday

Sunday

The lambs born earlier this year are so big that it is hard to tell them apart from the Mommas.  Yesterday we opened up the dog  yard for the sheep.  They have been wandering all over, choosing a spot to eat, finding places to rest, and tidying up the yard.

Sheep are so peaceful.  I really think they are my favorite animals.  They are content with so little.  Just a bit of grass, water, and some shelter.  Shelter can be as simple as a tree.  It keeps both the rain and the sun off.  That’s all they ask.

Jake and Opal aren’t nearly as happy.  They don’t understand why they can’t run out in the yard.   They do like the extra walks though.  Soon we’ll fence the other half of the front yard.  Then the dogs will have a yard to play in while the sheep do their business in the other dog  yard.

And . . . . I won’t have to spend hours on a lawnmower or pay neighbor boys to do a half-a#$ job!  Then I will be as peaceful as my sheep!

if I clean it . . .

. . . some one is sure to spill.

Don’t worry this is the day before grocery shopping.  Our fridge is mostly stuffed with veggies, rice milk, leftover beans,  maple syrup, and an odd egg or two.

I’ve noticed that the fridge stays cleaner and fresher smelling now that there isn’t any cheese or meat in there.  I like that.  Cleaning it was never one of my favorite tasks.

4 months

Total Lost:  19.5 inches, 20 pounds, lots of aches and pains

Found:  renewed energy, some new friends, old clothes that fit like new!

whatcha doin?

rain rain go away . . .

Here is what happens when you get 6 inches of rain in 1 hour when the ground is already saturated by a July full of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures.

As always my camera is one day ahead of the calendar.

front yard

side yard

more side yard

more front yard

orchard

stream bed

more stream bed

stream bed as it exits the sheep pasture near the pond

hm’s floor