Had to pass on this blog from one of my favorite bloggers.

This is from an amazing young woman!

http://storydreamcaster.wordpress.com/2014/07/01/america-the-beautiful/#like-958

Perils of Living in the Woods

At least one of the perils of living in the woods is that of falling trees. Forget snakes, poison ivy, wild animals consuming your garden and livestock, nothing has to be addressed with more immediacy than a fallen tree on your storage shed or across your road. A few years ago, after one of the hurricanes pummeled the East Coast, heavy rains loosened the soil around the tree roots. One tree fell onto the shed and crushed the entire upper story. This led to two years of clean-up and rebuilding. Now that the rebuilding is finished and the cleanup is done, we’ve had to deal with more falling trees and it feels never-ending.

Sometimes falling trees can be a blessing. One year, when my husband was out of town, a tree fell across the road on the night before Mother’s Day. Most women I know don’t enjoy Mother’s Day services. First, mother’s day talks at church relay how angel single women raised ten children while holding down three jobs and still managing to be the perfect mother or it’s the speaker’s personal ramblings about how much they love their mother because she never missed their baseball game—either way, it either makes you feel guilty that you aren’t that mother or you’re irritated that your mother was a flesh and blood woman and not one of these super legends and you’re not at the point in your life where you can accept that your mom has (hard swallow-gulp) flaws. So, in my excitement of not having to attend that particular Mother’s Day meeting, I called my girlfriend to relay my good news. Unbeknownst to me, her elderly father overheard her side of the phone call. So, it was at five in the morning that I heard the sound of the chainsaw humming faintly outside the house. I threw on some clothes and jogged down the road to find my friend’s father, wearing his Sunday best protected by an apron cutting up the offensive tree so I could make it to church on time. How could I not go after that? So much for missing out on Mother’s Day—I tried.

Earlier this spring, we came home after working long hours to find two trees down across the road. This meant that even though we were tired, we weren’t going to go anywhere until the tree was moved. Last month, another tree fell across the road a few feet down from the original spot. Just this week, again another two trees fell across the road in a different spot. Each time this happens, we have to drop whatever we’re doing and concentrate all our efforts and energy into moving entire trees off the road. We drag out the chainsaws, chains and tractor and get to work. Sometimes it takes a few days to get it all done. But, on the positive side, we’ll have wood for the winter . . .

Take Care, ALL

Hey, if you’re planning to buy our “Unplug From the Grid,” ebook, wait a few weeks. We are revamping it, adding to it and doing some reformatting to make it better. However, “The Nearly Painless Guide to Rainwater Harvesting” ebook is ready to go and I think it can help those wanting to find ways to get water without drilling a well. We just uploaded “The Nearly Painless Guide to Food Storage” in May and it’s doing well. If you get a chance, I would love to hear what you think of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Nearly-Painless-Guide-Food-Storage--Survival-ebook/dp/B00KBCF5FC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403376803&sr=8-3&keywords=Hillary+Bergeron

This blog is amazing. I felt it was something that needed to be passed on.

You never know when you're looking at someone what they're going through. 

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/poverty-being-punched-face-over-and-over

A Tale of Two Nurserywomen

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” A Tale of Two Cities

Today, I worked on my herb garden. I had thrown a few potatoes into one little section since the soil was sitting their unused and I had some sprouts. They seem to really enjoy it there, so for now, I’ll let them stay. Since space is at such a premium around here, I can’t afford to be wasteful. I know I’m getting a late start on planting, but it couldn’t be helped. I have spent the past few months working on my food storage book and could barely find time to take my dog for his daily walk. I knew I would be paying the price for my procrastination, but I had no idea it would be as bad as it was.

First off, by the time I visited the local nursery, my favorite nurseryman had sold it and moved north. The first clue that he was gone was the lack of plants. As I drove up, one car was in the lot. A woman on a cell phone was milling about with her phone glued to her ear. She could hardly be bothered with her only customer and when she finally lowered her phone (not hanging up) to ask us what we wanted, I realized I wasn’t going to have a good experience. Second, the scant amount of plants she did have were hideously mistreated. Yellowed leaves on some, and some pepper plants had ALL the leaves plucked off with only a small undeveloped pepper hanging off it. WOW—I couldn’t believe it, they’d removed every single one of the plant’s leaves. How was it supposed to nourish itself? Anyway, I left there, feeling as if this nursery woman, no, not nursery woman—just woman on the phone, had committed a heinous murder of vegetables—HOW DARE SHE!

We had to drive an extra ten miles to get to the second nursery. As we rounded the corner, I could see the place filled with plants, compost heaps across the yard, and the nursery woman was actually happy to see us. No begging to ask prices. No feeling as though I was a rude interloper when asking about various plants. As I settled on my purchases, I was comfortable knowing that she had actually cared about producing great plants instead of just making a buck. This was evident in the quality of them, the courteous service and her knowledgeable suggestions. Although I didn’t get the exact plants I wanted because of my tardiness, I left meeting a new gardener—someone who took pride in their work and was interested in living a holistic and a purposeful life.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” A Tale of Two Cities

Take care, All—Hope you enjoyed the excursion into “A Tale of Two Cities,” one of my favorites.

If you’re interested in storing food, be sure to check out my new book. http://www.amazon.com/Nearly-Painless-Guide-Storage--Survival-Series-ebook/dp/B00KBCF5FC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402019915&sr=8-2&keywords=hillary+bergeron

It's Maple Tapping Time!!!

First, let me say that a little preparation goes a long, long, long way.

     Last year, we tapped anything that looked remotely like a maple tree.  The result was a funky mapley-tasting syrup that wasn't half-bad, which made it only half-good.  Who knows what we were pouring onto our pancakes.  To repent of our wayward tapping habit, we went out into the woods last fall and searched for actual maple trees and then marked them with orange tape.  One tree had rows of woodpecker holes at several different heights.  I learned something important from this--if a bird likes it, it's a good tree.  You wouldn't believe how much sap flowed from it --it's amazing!  It's like a fountain of sugary wonder--my taste buds are crying with happiness as I type this.
     Last year, our spiels drained into open buckets subject to the elements and critters.  This year, we ordered 5 new spiels with hoses.  At first, I was annoyed that Bob wanted to do this.  I'm the cheapest person I know and I saw this as waste since we had 6 perfectly good spiels and our tapping operation was just fine.  I can see now the folly of my ways.  Instead of the sap water brimming with leaves, twigs, floating dead bugs, it is pure.  I should've gotten on board with this sooner since I am not a fan of proteins that are not cheese, eggs, chicken, beef or fish.  You guessed it, I'm never going to be that person that relishes the idea of fried grasshoppers or chocolate coated worms. 
     So here are some facts for making your own syrup.  Did you know that you can tap trees other than just maple?  You may not get the same taste, but it will still be good.  Some tapping varieties are box elder, walnut, birch, sycamore, poplar and hickory.  However, not all saps are created equal--some may be a tad bitter, some will take more sap to make the same amount you would get from a maple tree and the list goes on.

     It's an easy process to tap a tree.  First, it has to be the right time of year.  The best sap flows when temperatures are below freezing at night and warming up to above 40 degrees during the day.  Find a tree that is between 10 and 20 inches in diameter.  Drill a hole about 2 inches into the tree with a drill bit that is the same size as your spiel.  Tap the spiel gently into the tree with a rubber mallet.  Hang your bucket off the spiel and wait for it to fill.  It may take a while.  It probably won't flow like it did in the Hunger Games—when they drove the spiel into the tree, sap miraculously poured out.  It may take a few days depending on the tree.  Don't be discouraged that it takes 50 to 60 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup--it's worth it.  Once you have a good amount, put it on the stove and boil it down.  If you have endless amounts of energy (like the heat from a wood stove) or someone else pays your gas/electric/propane bill for your kitchen stove, you're in luck.  I happen to heat with a wood stove and I'm unapologetic about having the opportunity to make syrup when I can--there has to be some pay off to having to shove wood into that metal monster day and night 5 months of the year.
     Anyway, once you have your syrup--enjoy.  I put it on pretty much everything--wheat bread dough, cereal, ice cream . . . and today, I drizzled it over my pot roast.  No, there is no such thing as too much maple syrup. 

Take care, All.

We added our Rain Water Collection book to Amazon recently.  You won’t learn how to tap maple trees here, but it will discuss the ins and outs of rainwater collection.

http://www.amazon.com/Preppers-Guide-Rainwater-Harvesting-Threat-ebook/dp/B00HYR3LGM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1393471248&sr=8-5&keywords=Hillary+Bergeron

Happ-happ-happenings on the Homestead on the Coldest of Days

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY

WHAT I WISH I COULD BE DOING

 

Hi friends,

Yes, it's been a long time and I've been absent.  But, in that time, I finished two college courses and I am halfway through another one.  Bob finished his Weapons book and is now working on his water book, which should be great. 

We are currently experiencing the coldest winter that we've ever had here in Tennessee.  The week before last, freezing air blasted down from the north and chilled us all to the bone.  We had to keep all of our wood stoves going full blast, including the hot tub outside (although it was way too cold to expose our skin to the cold air).  At the same time, we were battling the flu.  So for that week and a half, while trying to keep our pipes from freezing day and night, and trying to keep our animals warm, happy and watered, we were fighting sickness.  Believe me, carrying firewood in while dealing with nausea, coughing, body aches and weakness is no picnic.  It was probably the most miserably inconvenient time to be sick.  But you know how Murphy's Law works  . . .

To take extra precautions for the animals, we insulated the chicken house and pulled tarps over the pen for more protection.  We added extra bedding to the cat cubby where they hang out at nights.  Everyone received extra protein and food at mealtime.  Bear, our big dog, refused to go into a dog house.  We tried everything to lure him into that dog house--putting his favorite food into it so he would have to go in to get it, moving the dog house onto the porch so he could be close to the front door--but nothing worked.  He still refused to go in as if the ghosts from dogs' past were haunting it.  So, to save him from the weather, we dragged him into the house against his will.  You know how little kids perform the wet-fish maneuver when they don't want to do something?  Well, that was Bear--all 80 pounds of him, as he flopped down on the ground and laid there in a locked paw position, toenails digging into the ground, making it impossible to move him.  It took every ounce of strength to get him inside.  Once in for the night, he refused to sit and stood next to the door and gave me the stink-eye whenever I walked by.  When we put him back outside, he was pretty perturbed with us for a couple of days--and all this because we were trying to save his life. It seems as though no good deed goes unpunished.

We had a week of favorable temperatures, but now the cold weather has returned.  However, it should be easier to deal with this time around.  We've recovered from the flu by about 80%, and the freezing weather is only supposed to last a day or two.  So, looks like we're in for a few more days of hauling wood up to the porch.

Take care, All.  

If you haven't had a chance to look at Bob's Weapons book, here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Threat-Level-Survival-Weapons-Non-Weapons-ebook/dp/B00FAX2RP8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1389924133&sr=8-4&keywords=Hillary+bergeron

Blog-Tag--I'm it.

Happy October Friends,

I know I've been a real slug about posting in my blog.  My friend tagged me in a Blog-Tag and I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I was tagged by Sandy.  I admire so many things about Sandy.  First, she's very knowledgeable about art.  I've been wanting to get into painting for so many years, but it wasn't until one of our visits with Sandy that I actually made the plunge and started painting.  Whenever I want an honest opinion about my work, whether it be writing or painting, I go to Sandy.  Then I have to pull up my big girl panties and get to work.  She catches things that I wouldn't have thought about and I'd like to think that I'm a better artist and writer because of it.

Sandy also motivates me to be more of a minimalist and less of a hoarder.  Now, this is hard to do with my lifestyle being what it is.  I don't want to get rid of anything I may need in the future.  So, I have to honestly sit down and decide--"Is this essential for my lifestyle or will it just get in the way?"

Anyway, if you get a chance to visit her blog, I think you would enjoy it.
http://hoardercomesclean.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/blog-tag-focus-on-writing/
So, here it goes:

1.  What are you working on right now?
I am editing Robert's how-to book about home protection with weapons and non-weapons and expect to get this up in the next few weeks.  I am also working on an apocalyptic-style survival story about a Mormon girl.  This is mostly done, but needs heavy amounts of tweaking, layers and editing.

2.  How does it differ from other works in its genre?
I believe the subject matter in itself is different.  I feel a lot of adventure, apocalyptic stories published are graphic to the point of being grotesque.  Mostly, I would like to think this story will help readers gain enough courage to face their own challenges.

3. What experiences have influenced you?
I was raised in Alaska back when it wasn't as commercialized and a major tourist destination.  It was there that we experienced the fragility of life surrounded by the majesty of nature.  I have an unquenchable longing for the serenity of the woods and for this reason, I will never feel "at home" in the city.

4.  Why do you write what you do?
I keep a blog for friends, family and those who wish to take the plunge into a homesteading lifestyle, but haven't yet.  This isn't an easy way to live, but it has its rewards.  When I write novels, I try to write the book I want to read, tell the story I want to hear.

5.  How does your writing process work? 
I don't spend as much time writing as I should because I'm still finishing my college degree and spend hours upon hours studying.  When I do write, I usually push through a first draft as fast as I can and then I go back through and layer in details.  This process can take months.

6.  What is the hardest part about writing?
Just finding the time.  There are so many projects that I need to accomplish in a day.

7.  What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?
Probably, a historical time travel.  I love time travel stories if they are done right.

8.  Who are the authors you most admire?
I read a hodge-podge of books from nonfiction, history-based memoirs, fantasy, mysteries, thrillers and romance, young adult to adult and everything in between.  I'll usually give an author at least three chapters and if I find their characters too over the top, whiny, weirdly hostile and brash and the story doesn't move me--I stop.

I admire different authors for various reasons.  Sue Grafton has the ability to make me laugh and engage my interest from beginning to end with her masterful plotting.  Philip Pullman builds interesting worlds that inspire my imagination.  Jude Deveraux portrays likeable, everyday characters in her historical romances that if they were real people, I would probably enjoy being their side-kick.  If it's a good story, I read it.  The last set of books I couldn't seem to put down was the Hunger Games series.  I'd heard it was good and it took quite a bit of coaxing for me to start reading, because I didn't like the idea of a sporting event that killed children, but once I started, I was drawn into that world and that was it.

9.  What scares you?
Living an unfulfilling, low-quality life.

I'm passing this Blog-tag onto one of my favorite writers--and I know you're gonna love her too.  I knew her when she was a tiny sprite and this girl is going places.  She's extremely accomplished--Check her out:

http://mjaderivera.blogspot.com/

HIGHWAY 127--THE WORLD'S LONGEST YARD SALE.

Yep, it’s that time of year again.  This is the time of year when Hwy 127 that stretches from Alabama all the way up to Michigan becomes a nightmare to travel because the of the World’s Longest Yard Sale.  This is why, on this particular weekend, we pretty much stay as close to home as possible so as not to run over unsuspecting pedestrians trying their hardest to burn through the money in their pockets.

People become idiots at this time of year–slamming on their breaks without warning as they pass a yard filled with the junk from someone’s garage or basement–stepping into the road without looking.  “Wow, there’s a rack full of really old clothes, I might find a Members Only jacket from the 1980s on it…and look at those old mayonnaise jars–I must possess them right now.”  It’s also the time of year when that old exercise bike in the corner of the basement that the owner didn’t give a thought to is suddenly worth $80 and the dated, faded picture of a farm tractor that hung in the kitchen for years and is spotted with mildew is now a masterpiece.

Yesterday, I broke my own rule of never getting anywhere near the 127 Yard Sale.  However, in the minimalist spirit, I decided to only purchase exactly what I needed and that the deal had to be a good one.  You would be amazed at how high prices can get at some of these yard sales.  For example, why would you want to buy a tool that you can buy brand new for the same price with a warranty.  Also, why buy cast iron cookware when we have an actual Lodge outlet down the road where we can purchase it for less.

All that being said, I did find something useful yesterday–I bought a brand new pair of steel-toed work boots (tags still on them) I needed for $25 from a lady who said she was closing down her shoe store and had set up a booth at one of the yard-sale hot spots.  So all-in-all it was a good day.  I’m still looking for that Members Only jacket for my cats’ luxury bedding.

Take Care, All

Week 2 Chick News and Life Lessons Learned from Chickens.

Hi everyone,

It's week two and the chicks are growing fast.  It's almost time to find them a bigger home.  I've noticed when chickens get crowded that they fight and peck at each other.  Once blood is drawn, that particular chicken is seen as a weakling and the rest will literally peck it to death.  So tomorrow, I will be looking for a bigger container to hold them until it's safe to put them outside.

But, before we sit back and point our fingers at the terrible behavior of chickens, keep in mind the human race's natural tendency to do the same.  First off, when we're crowded into one area with no hope for escape and have to compete for food, history shows that humans will do whatever it takes to survive.  If you're looking for recent evidence of this, then all you have to do is read reports from the New Orleans Superdome during hurricane Katrina.  I can't imagine what it was like for those people to be cooped up in there, trying to weather the storm outside when another equally deadly storm raged inside. 
 
As I mentioned before, once blood is drawn, the rest of the flock of chickens will literally peck a  chicken to death.  I've experienced this before with my human counterparts.  I remember sitting in a meeting and one person will bring up someone's negative trait or something maybe he or she did, stop and watch how many people jump on the bandwagon.  One person, usually someone with a strong personality will say something, and everyone else like a flock of chickens will quickly agree.  I've seen this done time and time again.  As a rule, I try to sit back and delay any sort of judgement until I know all the facts. 

This brings me around to the pecking order.  Back when I had a full flock of twelve chickens, I noticed that there were about five favored hens that surrounded the rooster almost constantly.  The other six hens hung out on the outskirts of the group.  Whenever one would get too close to the rooster or were too close to the food when they were all eating, they would get chased away by the favored hens.  To put this into human terms, when you walk into any gathering there is always a pecking order that is established.  If you have never noticed--probably you're at the top of the pecking order or you're one of those rare individuals that couldn't care less.  The learned pecking order starts when a child goes to school.  Every kid knows which kids are the popular ones in the classroom and which ones are gross and kept at arm's length.  Hollywood has capitalized on this, in that many teen movies tell stories of the poor kid on the other side of the tracks that just wants to be popular. 

The last lesson learned, is that hens don't really need roosters.  They will produce eggs without roosters and they can happily saunter through their lives without a rooster nearby.  In fact, if you have neighbors closeby that complain about crowing, you can have a few hens and they probably won't realize you have animals in your backyard.  I refuse to go into the man versus woman debate--it's absolutely useless banter and a waste of time.  Let's just say that nothing beats having a good man around and the same could be said of a woman....

But back to roosters, a rooster can be useful when you want fertilized eggs and want to hatch out your own chicks.  If you have a good rooster, he will actually protect the hens, as well as ensure that they eat.  Donnie, the best rooster of all time, never ate anything until all his girls ate.  Now, there's a man!!! 

Take care, All

New Chicks on the Homestead

Hello friends,

Today is a great day!  My friend hatched out some chicks and gave me half.  I ended up with eight.  What I really wanted was some guineas because they have very keen eyesight and will eat bugs--and I have an abundance of nasty little bugs.  They are also said to be great "watch-dogs" and are said to make a ruckus when anyone shows up at the house.  But when a friend gives you free chicks, you just don't say no.  I'm hoping that they're mostly female because I'm already salivating for fresh farm eggs and our old roosters used to hang outside the bedroom window at 5:00 a.m. and start crowing.  It pretty much set my bad mood for the day. 

Chickens are fairly easy to care for with providing food and housing.  I have to have a new coop, but I have a few weeks to get that finished.  I'm also planning to keep my flock small so it will be more manageable.  There was a time when I had 24 chickens running around and I couldn't step outside my door without stepping in chicken poop on my porch.  During that time, after tiring of tripping over chickens wherever I went, I decided to block off the front porch and fence it in.  It was at that point I noticed the chickens had more freedom than I did and I gave half of them away.  So now I'm back in the business of caring for chickens and I'm kind of looking forward to it. 

Take care, All.

My View on Extreme Prepping

When I was visiting my parents recently in Alaska, I had the opportunity to watch some television.  Normally, I don’t do this because we don’t get reception where I live and I’m too cheap to spring for cable.  Once I bought rabbit ears so I could tune in to local stations.  Only PBS came up (very fuzzy, I might add) and it was my bad luck that they were having a “Thomas the Train” marathon.  I took the rabbit ears back to the store since they were basically useless—unless I was four years old and then I would’ve been in something akin to heaven. 

So, back to my original story.  I watched some episodes about extreme preppers.  I have to say that out of all the crazy reality television shows, this one was the most entertaining.  I saw episodes where one guy dug a fox hole that he could disappear into if an invading army came his way, the family that was obsessed with some kind of flu epidemic and the guy who was going to ride out hard times on his sailboat.  I especially enjoyed the episode of the man with the vineyard that he planned to protect with extreme prejudice.  There were many other stories, too many to mention, but all brought up a few questions in my mind. 

First, why would someone who was prepping for the end of the world, want to go on television?  Don’t their neighbors already think they’re one brick shy of a load anyway?  Why would they want an entire nation to have the same sentiments?  And—why would they want to broadcast what they have and how “prepared” they are to an entire nation?  If they are prepping because they don’t trust the government, won’t this put them on some kind of list?  If they’re on television, won’t their neighbors and friends recognize them immediately?  “Hey, there’s Dave.  Cool, I know where I’m going if anything happens.”    

Second, I noticed that these same “preppers” only obsess on one aspect of prepping, like the family that believes there will be an epidemic so they practice donning their protective gear (gas mask, protective clothing, rubber boots).  They never take into account that the chances of them actually needing it are one in a million, and if something like that were to happen, I’d probably want to go outside, take a deep breath and get the pain over with quickly. 

Third, if you’ve watched the show, you’ll notice how defensive these people get when they get their scores back.  It’s usually low because they can’t protect themselves and live in an isolated bubble without outside interference.  If you’re locked inside a bomb shelter, sooner or later you’re going to run out of food and supplies and you have to come out.  There will most likely be someone waiting for you when you open that door and re-enter the world again.  Also, if you haven’t taken your community into consideration, all your preparation is pretty much useless.   

My thoughts on the subject:  There is absolutely no way to protect yourself completely for every inevitability.  Although you can do things that will help you get through tough times, like store a little extra food, sooner or later the masses will come—either in an armored vehicle or on foot they will come.  Also, I’m not sure I could exist with any form of happiness in a “Water World” or “Mad Max” situation. 

It’s probably more important to prep for everyday life—find ways to save money for a rainy day, get out of debt, and learn to garden so you don’t have to eat genetically modified foods that are sprayed in pesticides and you aren’t dependent on others for your food sources.  I’d also want a little extra food as insurance so I know if something did happen, that would not have to be a concern.  The last thing I would want if truck deliveries stopped for a period of time is to stand in a long line for rations.  Along those lines, you’ll want to find ways to improve your health in every way possible.  If something were to happen, I’d want to face whatever problems with a healthy body instead of a broken one.  So if this sounds good to you—get prepping.  

Take care, All

Remembering Victory Gardens during World War II while fighting my own war in my backyard.

     Did you know that "Victory Gardens" during World War II produced about 40% of the nation's vegetables?  Gardens were planted in spare lots, local parks, yards-large or small and even rooftops in the cities.  The US War Department felt that if the people planted their own gardens it would lower the price of vegetables needed to feed the troops.  Another factoid from this period of time is that America experienced a food shortage because the forced interment of Japanese-Americans.  About 40% of the vegetables in California were grown by Japanese farmers.  When they were forced to leave their farms, they left about 200,000 acres and the land was transferred to European immigrants or "Oakies" coming into California from the "Dust Bowl."  Since these newcomers weren't familiar with the California climate, they couldn't match the production of the Japanese farmers, thus resulting in a food shortage.          
     I've kept all this in the back of my mind as I've tried to ready my ground for my own Victory Garden. I call it my Victory Garden because I need one--I need a victory from being in a slump, from the drain of high food prices, or just for something nice to happen.  But before I can plant, I have to go to war against the waist high weeds in my garden area.  I realize I'm a month late in getting started because of the trip to Alaska.  But instead of letting it go and fighting two years of weed growth next year, I decided to go ahead and put it together anyway. 
     Every year I come to the garden with high hopes of a great harvest.  Memories of various years come to mind.  One year, I had a bumper crop of tomatoes.  It was beautiful.  Tomatoes everywhere--what more could a gardener want.  Then our friend came by for a visit.  I'm going to call him "Tom" just for the sake of giving him a name.  Anyway, Tom came by and "dumb me" invited him to the back yard to see my bumper crop of tomatoes.  He was impressed and I was very proud.  Then Tom wanted a favor.  He asked me if he could pick a few of my tomatoes.  Since I had plenty and some to spare, I agreed--after all, sharing is a good thing.  I went in the house and about twenty minutes later, here comes Tom with bags and bags of tomatoes.  "Thanks," he said.  "I'm planning to make some salsa.  I'll be sure and bring you some."  I was taken back.  He'd picked EVERY SINGLE TOMATO.  Then he said, "Oh, by the way, I took some of your peppers too.  I left a couple since they were too small to pick."  A few days later, he came back and handed me a "pint" sized jar of salsa.  It was unbelievable.  Instead of getting to enjoy my harvest, I had a measly little jar of salsa for my efforts.  That was the last time I had a good harvest of tomatoes.  I'm hoping one day I will have another bumper crop--then maybe I can look fondly back on the summer that I had bags and bags of tomatoes instead of thinking of Tom.  I need new memories.
     My goals this year include devising a plan to take care of general weed control in the pathways and surrounding the garden without using herbicides.  It seems like if I turn my back for one minute, like errant children, it will take over and waist-high weeds are followed by copperheads.  I would like to spend time weeding my actual vegetable garden instead of the pathways into and around the garden.  So, here's to a new year, and hopefully new memories and successes.

Take care, All

By the way, our book is up and ready. 
http://www.amazon.com/UNPLUG-From-Grid-Collection-ebook/dp/B00CBWMANK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369425470&sr=8-1&keywords=Unplug+from+Grid

Back from Alaska

I'm back in Tennessee.  It was an eventful trip.  While I was in Alaska, my father passed away.  While it was expected, it was still hard.  I was grateful to be there and be able to say goodbye though.  I did get to see many friends who stopped by to pay condolences.  One friend, a chef-and quite a good one at that, stopped by for dinner.  I had marinated steaks all day from a recipe on the internet that promised the "very best steaks on the planet" and then found out when I was about to cook them, we didn't have any propane for the grill.  I ended up cooking them on a George Forman Grill.  They turned out all right, but it is very intimidating cooking for a chef.  The weather there was said to be one of the coldest springs for Alaska and I believed it.  It actually snowed the second week in May-not just a light sprinkling, but a full-blown snow storm.  It was very disheartening as I was looking forward to spring. 

The trip home was a disaster, which was also expected.  Of course, I packed too many clothes in the first place.  I didn't need quite so many since I spent the majority of my time in my pajamas--as one should.  When it came time to pack to go home, of course I came home with more than I'd left with.  I did the sitting on the suitcase as I was zipping technique, but still had to resort to a second suitcase.  Then, because the zipper broke, I ended up duck-taping around it several times.  I believe that will be the luggage's last trip.  In the end, of course I looked like a "hillbilly"--just one more humiliating experience to add to my repertoire. 

The trip home was eventful.  Halfway through the long flight from Anchorage to Minneapolis, the guy in the seat behind me kept shoving my seat forward so that it felt like we were experiencing constant turbulence.  I would've been annoyed, but since it's a given that we're all going to be shoved into the plane like over-sized sardines in a small tin, I let it go.  Now I'm glad I did.  It turned out he was having medical problems-some kind of seizure.  The flight attendants came over the intercom and called for a doctor (preferably one with a license to come to the back of the plane).  When we landed, everyone had to remain seated until the paramedics boarded and helped him off the plane.  The next flight was delayed for 2 hours because one of the flight attendants had a family emergency.  The new flight attendant suggested, over the intercom, that since we were so happy she came, we could leave her $5, or preferably diamonds if we chose as we exited the plane.  But she was so curt and bossy during the flight, I doubt anyone would've wanted to-despite being saved after a 2-hour wait.  I've come to the determination that flying is never fun.  So, in a way, I'm glad to be back--but on the other hand, I left quite a few loved ones behind and I was sad to go.

Take care, All

Back in Alaska and saying goodbye to my father.

I left a beautiful spring to head to Alaska to experience breakup.  Anyone who's been in Alaska in the spring time knows and loathes"breakup."  It's the time of year when weather vacillates between warm and freezing temperatures.  Snow melts, then freezes, then melts again, turning the yard into a giant mud puddle.  It's usually this time of year when Alaskans bet on exactly when the Nenana River ice will break.  The contest started in 1906 and is still a big deal around these parts.

However, I'm not here to enjoy the crisp, unpredictable weather.  My father passed away the week before last, so I came to help out and say goodbye.  When I think about the life of my father, I remember him as a lucky man.  He really did live a full life.  He spent a lot of time exploring the Alaskan wilderness, leading a team of pack-horses into the back country, either hunting or taking in a group of Sierra Club members to experience Alaska at its best.  He spent time teaching art at remote native Alaskan villages, as well as in Old-Believer Russian villages.  He would tell us the stories of how he'd have to get permission to enter the Russian villages from the elders who were trying to preserve their culture in an evolving world.  After growing up hearing his stories and seeing the fruits of his life through his painting and carving, I would be hard-pressed to find another individual who'd lived a more exciting life than my father.  It's my hope that I can enjoy my life as much as he did in his. 

Take care, All
P.S.  Our new book on how to build a solar home is on Amazon.  If you haven't had the chance to check it out, you may want to.  We also included a step-by-step guide on how to build a compost toilet and rainwater collection system. 
http://www.amazon.com/UNPLUG-From-Grid-Collection-ebook/dp/B00CBWMANK/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1367522034&sr=1-3&keywords=hillary+bergeron

Bombing versus the Balm of Gilead

The recent events of the bombing of the Boston Marathon has left me heart-sick.  Every time something of this magnitude happens, I feel a piece of my soul being chipped away and being replaced by an angry, unfeeling heart, intent on revenge.  I was contemplating the events of yesterday and how it brought about an effect that chased away any happiness.  I realized my soul needed healing from the thoughts of helplessness encompassing me.  The Balm of Gilead came to mind, an ancient herb used in healing a variety of ailments as well as is symbolic for the power to soothe and heal.  I needed some kind of strong medicine to combat the pure evil it takes to blow up a child.

Since the opposite of evil is decent,good,honest,moral, sinless,upright and virtuous, to combat the evils of society we can do something that would represent these terms.  So, today, if you feel overwhelmed by evils of society, do something decent and good for humanity.  Do one thing that will help relieve human suffering in some way.  This may take the form of donating to a good cause, gathering supplies for a women’s shelter or going to the rest home to visit someone who doesn’t get any visitors, reading them a book perhaps.  Just do something that will help wipe away the evil of the day.  Don’t let them win.  We will never be able to eliminate the evils of society, but we can do something to wipe away the tidal wave of negative feelings and fear they leave in their wake.

Take care, All

NEW BOOK IS UP!!!!

Hi everyone,

My new book, "UNPLUG from the Grid" is finally finished.  This book should help you set up your PV (solar) system.  We've included quite a lot of pictures and diagrams to help with the process.  We've also included sections on how to build a compost toilet and a rainwater collection system.   You know that saying, "there's more than one way to skin a cat," well if you ask 10 different people how to do something, you'll get 10 different answers.  This is just the way we did it--our answer.  Even researching for this book, I came across new ideas and learned new techniques in the off-grid lifestyle.  It's my hope that our experiences might be helpful to someone trying to get off the grid.  If you come across something that isn't in the book, let us know.  I'm sure that we will try and update this book over time, adding new technological information as it becomes available. 

I can be reached at hsbergeron@yahoo.com
  
On a personal note, I'm back in Alaska again.  I actually left 80-degree weather for freezing temperatures. 

Take care, All.

Pajama-Mama and Her New Water Filter

I’ve uploaded a video from our latest venture–trying to make a cheap water filter.  Somehow, we didn’t do something right.

Please excuse the pajamas, they’re super comfortable.  In fact, I think we should be able to wear pajamas “all” the time.  Why should we save the most comfortable clothing for bedtime?
 

Take care, All.

50:1 Maple Syrup Fun

Hi friends,

It's been a few weeks since I've been on to update this blog.  In that time, I have put in any spare minute possible working on my Off-Grid Book.  While "Unplugged" is a memoir about my experiences, I've been getting a lot of feedback about how there wasn't any "how-to" information in it.  I took the hint.  Bob and I have been working on "Solar Blessed--Building the Off-Grid Home," for the past few months.  Since that time, we have put in anywhere from eight hours to sixteen hours a day, with the majority of our time near the sixteen-hour range.  Of course, this isn't without some pain.  My upper back and arms, after spending hours bent over a computer, are strained to the point that for the past two weeks I have been in pain and had a constant headache.  It's so bad, I actually had to visit my massage therapist friend.  Might I say, massage therapy is "AWESOME."  I'm not over all my pain, but for one day, I felt like a normal person again.

Despite all the work on the new book, I was still able to take a few minutes of time and put in some lettuce seed and collect the maple sap from the trees we tapped last month.  We strained out the bugs, leaves and twigs and set it on the wood stove to boil down.  After burning the first batch, we resolved to make sure the second batch came out.  When it got down to a certain point, we set the kitchen timer in fifteen-minute intervals.  After three days, we had the sap boiled down enough to call it syrup.  Wow!!!  It was great!!!  Nothing at the store compares.  Next year, we will start earlier collecting the sap.  Since it boils down from a 50-to-1 ratio, I would like a little more than just a baby food jar.

Just a side note, the deer actually pulled one of my buckets off the tree and chewed on it. 

Take care,
Hillary

Tapping the maple trees

Tomorrow should be a magical day.  We've had 30-degree nights and 50-degree days.  I'm planning to go out and tap the maple trees.  A couple years ago I ordered some spouts from Lehman's.  I put them away in a drawer where they stayed.  Then last week, my friend called to tell me she'd been tapping her maple trees and had boiled down her maple sap into a syrup and had been enjoying eating it.  I realized, gee, I've got spouts sitting in my drawer, doing absolutely nothing.  So, tomorrow will be the day.  She said to use a 7/16 drill.  She also said she was planning to tap some other kinds of trees.  This friend is also the same one who built her own house and builds rock walls without abandon.  If I only had her energy, I might have been sitting on a gold mine of maple syrup by now.  Instead, I may end up with a whole cup, but I'm willing to take chances.   Wish me luck.
Take care, All. 

http://www.amazon.com/Unplugged-ebook/dp/B006X7FEDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360975579&sr=8-1&keywords=hillary+bergeron

Back From Atlanta

 Hello friends,

We're back from Atlanta and had a fabulous time.  We dined at the Sun Dial Restaurant, a swanky downtown restaurant that revolves on the 18th floor.  It takes about an hour for the restaurant to make one complete turn.  Afterwards, we visited a gallery.  This is one of my favorite activities--it's fun to see what's out there and it spurs on my creativity.  I'll be the first to admit that I can get into a rut and sometimes a change in scenery is the only thing that helps.  This gallery had a lot of folk art, which I find whimsical and fun.  It reminds me that art can take many forms.  I included a picture of the rabbit that captured my heart.

Now I'm back and settled into my regular life again.  It's time to get back on task and finish the off-grid book that's been consuming my time for the past month.  I'm two-thirds the way through it and am finding it hard to stay on task.  Sometimes I wish I had some kind of motivation switch that I could just flip on.  Despite lack of motivation to do anything but read books on kindle, we were able to get our ETSY shop back on line again.  If you want to take a look, I've included a link below.

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=hsbergeron&ref=auto_recent

Take care, All.