Author Archives: Sandy

OK, I’m back to talk about coal

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Sandy

After the shortest blog vacation ever, I’m back because I want to start talking about coal. The Coal documentary on PBS outlines the issues far better than I could in a single blog post, so check it out. Additionally, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal | Tagged , | 1 Comment

On Blogging Vacation

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Sandy

Wow! After five years, I’ve covered pretty much every energy efficiency, self-sufficiency, and gardening topic possible as it relates to our little patch of earth. It’s getting harder and harder to come up with topics to write about that I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Bees & bikes

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Sandy

Wow! After a slow start, the Orchard Mason Bees have done really well this year. Last week, I shared a video of the bees doing their thing. A few sunny days later and the bee nesting tubes are pretty much … Continue reading →

Posted in Bees, Energy usage, Gardening | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Orchard Mason Bees

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Sandy

Steve the bee guy set up an extra orchard mason bee nest at our place this year. The bees having been doing great and have almost filled all the nesting tubes. The timing has been perfect since we have many fruit … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged | 8 Comments

Where or where have I been?

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Sandy

Everything about this gardening season has gotten off to a slow start. I didn’t get my spring seedlings planted in time so I had to buy starts this year. I planted the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and onion starts only to … Continue reading →

Posted in Electricity usage, Gardening | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Great Stuff Purge of 2013 – first up, the family room

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Sandy

We’ve lived in our house for ten years. When you live in one place for this long, stuff accumulates and fills in all the nooks and crannies. Drawers, closets, freezers, desks, shelves — all become resting spots for both the … Continue reading →

Posted in Clutter | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Final summer harvest & I LOVE my Leaf

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Sandy

In the late fall and winter, I have to remind myself to head out the greenhouse every few weeks to water the potted trees. Obviously, they get zero rainfall inside and it’s a task I sometimes forget. While watering today, … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy usage, Gardening | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

I’ve gone EV!

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Sandy

I’ve been planning to purchase an energy-efficient vehicle for years. Originally, I thought about purchasing a Prius, but decided against it. As I explained in “Why I’m saying no to the Prius,” which I wrote back in 2008, there were … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon, Transportation | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Pear-fect & pumpkins

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Sandy

We moved into our house ten years ago. There were a few fruit trees, including a broken off twig of a young pear tree. It’s a in a weird location jammed up against a fence and was obviously seriously damaged at … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | 5 Comments

5000 kWhs of production!

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Sandy

We just surpassed 5000 kWhs of solar energy production! As you can see from our solar log, we’re averaging 30.66 kWhs a day. Of course this will go down as we head into the winter months, but we’re feeling good about … Continue reading →

Posted in Solar | Tagged , | 3 Comments