Author Archives: Sandy

When times are scary, head to the garden

Posted on October 11, 2008 by Sandy

These have been a tough few weeks.  I caught a bad cold a few weeks ago and am still recovering.  I had to fly to NYC on a business trip and I am not exactly a good flier.  And of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Here comes the rain: Barrels, clotheslines, firing up the furnace, and chocolate zucchini bread

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Sandy

Summer in Seattle is short and can end abruptly.  In the last week, we’ve gone from days in the 80s to barely hitting 60, with lots of rain to boot. The change in weather has impact on many aspects of … Continue reading →

Posted in Electricity usage, Water collection | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Homegrown Revolution

Posted on September 14, 2008 by Sandy

We’ve been very busy this week working on the greenhouse (putting in insulation and shelves) and planting fall crops. So far, we’ve planted onions, lettuce, radishes, spinach, chard, peas, broccoli, and cabbage. I’m also trying a greenhouse-friendly cucumber variety. We’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , | 2 Comments

School days (and carpooling woes), more chickens, and lettuce success

Posted on September 7, 2008 by Sandy

With the start of school, our effort to carpool is falling apart. Previously, our two kids attended the same school. This made it very easy for Derek and I to drop them off at their school and then head to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Homesteading, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Greenhouse: Under the polycarbonate

Posted on September 2, 2008 by Sandy

I’ve received a few emails from people curious to know more about the greenhouse.  When I started researching greenhouse options, I primarily looked at kits.  There are numerous online and catalogue retailers that sell all shapes and sizes of greenhouses.  I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Cooped up: Chickens in their new home

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Sandy

We’ve been housing our four new chickens in the greenhouse while we waited for the coop to be built.  Luckily, the weather has been mild and it hasn’t been too hot in there.  Dylan from ChickenRanching.com came over yesterday and built … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Photo album: Chickens, goats, greenhouse

Posted on August 24, 2008 by Sandy

We bought four chickens on Saturday.  Two Australorps and two Buff Orpingtons.  I figured out which breeds to get by using a breed selector tool.  Who knew such a thing existed?  In selecting chickens I was looking for a few things:  … Continue reading →

Posted in Homesteading | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Electricity usage: One step forward, two steps back

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Sandy

Between the middle of July and the middle of August, we installed a few dozen new compact fluorescent bulbs in our house. We’ve been more diligent than ever about turning off lights.  As the middle of the month approached, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Electricity usage | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Hung out to dry

Posted on August 17, 2008 by Sandy

While we may be looking a bit countrified, a bit Ma and Pa Kettle in this photo, it actually shows that we’ve made some real progress. If you look past the dormant lawn/weeds that have turned into exposed dirt thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Electricity usage | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Extreme green living and sustainable sustainability

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Sandy

On the occasions I’ve watched The Biggest Loser, I couldn’t help but think it was a terrible example for showing people how to lose weight. Sure the candidates had amazing, dramatic results, but the methods were extreme and not exactly … Continue reading →

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