All posts by Ben

Off Grid Living

Tips for Tiny Houses (or any off grid living)

There are plenty of benefits that come with living the tiny lifestyle. Flexibility,  freedom, and ease are the advantages that usually come to mind, but reducing your environmental footprint is another big bonus. Reducing living quarters doesn’t automatically make your lifestyle more eco-friendly, though. There is plenty more to it. That’s why it’s important to develop some of these green habits while living life on the tiny side.

Source: Sustainability Tips and FAQs for Living Tiny – 84 Tiny Houses

Click the link for some common sense tips for off grid living

It’s especially important if one is to be off grid to learn to think in terms of power usage.  Solar power enables us to live far from the city, but one is now the power plant manager.

While using energy efficient appliances and lights is very important, it’s vital to pay good attention to which appliance use the most electricity. For example, one should generally stay away from anything electrical that produces heat. Those electric space heaters are death in an off grid system. Likewise, pumps, microwave ovens, toasters, electric coffee makers etc. will draw a lot of power and need to be used sparingly. Replace with propane whenever possible.

At home we have a propane/electric refrigerator. It’s not terribly efficient when on electric, so it will always stay on gas, unless we have power to spare. It’s a Godsend on those cloudy days though.

 

 

Odds & Ends

Surprising English Words from Other Languages

Languages are tapestries of historical and cultural influences. When it comes to English, the language is largely derived from the previously spoken Germanic tongue of the Anglo-Saxons and bears heavy influences from Latin as a result of Roman rule. Many Latin words and phrases are well-known in their origins and commonly used, such as bona fide, de facto, and vice versa. However, English also contains a number of loanwords from other languages far removed from its Germanic and Latin origins. Many of these words are part of the common dialect, which mean that you’ve probably used them at some point without any idea of their foreign origins.

Source: English words that are from different languages | Trivia Genius (Click for the fascinating article)

Off Grid Living, Prepping

25 Most Popular Survival Books: Survivalist & Prepper Best Sellers

Knowledge is the most powerful survival tool you could ever possibly possess. A knife and a fire steel will do wonders in the wilderness, and a hefty stockpile will be a huge asset in case of an emergency situation, but nothing will ever come close to helping you survive like the knowledge and skills you possess.While we all already know this, we also simultaneously realize how difficult attaining knowledge can be. The learning curve can be steep, mastering skills often happens slowly, and the material we need to learn can feel broad and overwhelming. Sometimes, too, it can be hard to determine whether a source of information is even reliable enough to help us on our quest for valuable knowledge.That’s where this list comes in handy. The survival books below are some of the most read, rated, and reviewed on the web. These books are written by some of the most well respected and knowledgeable industry leaders. It’s vitally important to get your information from trustworthy sources – after all, you never want your facts wrong when your life is on the line.

Source: 25 Most Popular Survival Books: Survivalist & Prepper Best Sellers

Arizona, Wildlife

More Visitors

Well, after leaving the hose on to help water the pine tree, we’ve had quite a show here as all day long visitors come to our real oasis in the desert. We’ve even had multiple visits from as many as 6 javalina.

It’s quite hot here today, already 106 degrees at 11:30 am. We’ll probably try to keep these guys happy for a little while longer, but being on solar, our water is power meaning that we need to run pumps more etc. to keep the flow flowing. We may have to back off a little on the happy oasis.

Meanwhile, we’re quite comfortable in the house as the swamp cooler is doing a marvelous job, and we were all the way down to 68 degrees at dawn.

Arizona, Odds & Ends, Wildlife

Morning Visitor

I have a leaky hose. It’s in a bad place in that I would have to shut off the entire water system in order to fix it. It’s not a big leak, and it keeps the wildlife happy as there is always at least a little water.

I keep the hose by a pine tree that was planted 20 years ago this coming Christmas. It’s flourished over the years, not the least because I forget that I’m watering it sometimes, and it gets a healthy extra watering.

Yesterday, I had turned up the water ever so slightly, and then ended up leaving it that way all night. This morning, there was an indented area full of water, and a deer!

Odds & Ends, Off Grid Living, Real Estate

Tiny Houses from None Other than Amazon

We all know you can find almost anything on Amazon, but did you know that includes a house? A dive into the online shopping giant shows that they actually have a fairly wide range of kits and prefabricated tiny homes for sale. What could be better than getting the tiny house of your dreams with free shipping?

From basic shipping container homes to rustic cabins, prices range from just over $5,000 to more than $50,000, allowing you to select the kit that fits into your budget. A quick search for “garden house” or “cabin kit” will pull up most options, with these tiny dwellings perfect for guest houses or extra office space if you aren’t looking to permanently downsize.It’s worth noting that many of the kits are sold through third-party vendors, and most will need you to get inventive when it comes to a bathroom and installing insulation, but isn’t improvising part of the fun with a tiny home? You’ll also want to check local building codes, as laws vary state by state about acceptable structures. Once you’ve done your research, it’s just click and go.

Source: Prefabricated Tiny Homes Available for Sale on Amazon

Arizona, Land, Real Estate

Real Estate Update June 2019

We’ve had an extraordinary year, both in terms of rainfall, and also in terms of just nice weather. Instead of suffering through days of 100 plus degrees, it’s been pleasant 80s & low 90s. Everything is so green and beautiful this year.

People have discovered that Yucca is not only an inexpensive destination, but a high quality of life place too.

It’s all meant a big uptick in interest in the Yucca area. We’re putting in long days answering questions ranging from costs of solar systems to wells and septic systems. Between showings, emails, and a steady stream of calls, our days are fully occupied.

Blah blah blah, the travails of a land guy. Anyways, back to work…

Have a great June!

Real Estate

Quick Spring Update

It’s been a whirlwind of a time here as we’re seeing sustained interest in property out here where the Grand Mohave desert meets blue Sonoran skies.

Be careful what you wish for, I’ve heard, and for years it’s been a drought in Real Estate here. Sure, there have been sales, but never a return to how it had been before the boom of 2005-2008. We had wished for some calls and lo and behold, the phone keeps ringing, and the emails and leads from a variety of websites are pouring in.

So, it’s back to “half days,” you know, 12 hours a day…

For the best deals, call or email. Don’t wait, all of a sudden we’re a hot commodity out here, but there are still some shockingly good values.

 

Odds & Ends

The Joy of Spring

This year has been glorious with one of the best wildflower seasons ever. Unfortunately with wildflowers comes pollen, and that semi delirious state when all of those histamines are making your head spin. Which is worse, the allergies or the Benadryl?

Mormon tea grows naturally here in the desert, literally all over. Simmer for 20 minutes, and you have a good tea for colds, allergies, or chest congestion. Please note that it is a stimulant and is not for those with heart conditions or prior to bed.

Here’s something every pollen sufferer will appreciate:

Via Bits and Pieces

Gardening, Off Grid Living

Start Your Garden Revolution Today

Came across this one. As Charles Hugh Smith says, “A home cooked meal is a revolutionary act.” So too is producing your very own food. There’s nothing like an amazing tomato, or the crunch of fresh lettuce. Yum!

Sometimes I think that the next Revolutionary War will take place in a vegetable garden. Instead of bullets, there will be seeds.  Instead of chemical warfare, there will be rainwater, carefully collected from the gutters of the house. Instead of soldiers in body armor and helmets, there will be back yard rebels, with bare feet, cut-off jean shorts, and wide-brimmed hats.  Instead of death, there will be life, sustained by a harvest of home-grown produce.  Children will be witness to these battles, but instead of being traumatized, they will be happy, grimy, and healthy, as they learn about the miracles that take place in a little plot of land or pot of dirt. Every day, the big industries that run our nation take steps towards food totalitarianism.  They do so flying a standard of “sustainability” but what they are actually trying to sustain is NOT our natural resources, but their control. (to read more, click on the link)

Source: 10 Ways to Sow Revolution in Your Back Yard – The Organic Prepper