Thursday - January 1,  2004                           posted by Anaĩs at  6:35 AM PST

HIP, HIP, HOORAY!

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooal (whew, let me take a breath) has been reached! 

All things considered and with many crops not doing well because of weather conditions and a few crop failures (See Facts & Stats), it's a real blessing to have reached the goal.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

Honestly, there were times when we didn't think our little place could ever produce 3 TONS of food.

Mission, IMPOSSIBLE... or so we thought.  (Many of the trees aren't even mature and are only a few years old, so could it be possible that this little space of ours could reach close to 8,000 lbs in a couple years' time????)  Just imagine if everyone in urban, suburbanite areas in America grew a garden (any size), how much food there'd be! 

Never say never, dream big dreams, reach for the stars ... it's possible.

 THE ROSE CITY

We live by the parade route and Rose Bowl area (and during these times, we stick close to home and try to avoid the crowds).  This morning the Stealth Bomber was circling around the house, waiting for its grand entrance at the beginning of the Rose Parade and game.   At 8 o'clock, it swooped low over our house to do the first-ever flyover with F/A 22 and F-117A stealth fighters flanking the boomerang-shaped B-2 bomber, and flew down the entire parade route (and later flew again over our house after doing a fly-by on the Rose Bowl right after the national anthem).   Not too thrilled about war machines, but it is sure an impressive sight to say the least. 

WE SAY WE WANT A RESOLUTION

Well, ya know...

We accomplished some milestones this year in our Path to Freedom.  This year we look forward to moving on to better and greater things here on the homestead...

Our focus will be on "beyond gardening" and on reclaiming, reducing water, heating, conserving more electricity, handworks and skills, beekeeping, secondary products and more (as the ' to do' list at the right column shows).  

Lots of time and energy are and were spent thinking/planning the details of the projects than actually doing the real work. That's the most frustrating part.... but is a good lesson in patience and perseverance in this fast paced world of ours.

Do not be afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still  ~ Chinese Proverb ~

Weather Report:  Overcast and cool.

Wednesday - December 31,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  6:31 AM PST

AH, SUGAR, SUGAR

JC cut down a sugar cane stalk yesterday and handed out pieces to everyone to suck on. Mmmm ... very delicious! It was like returning to a part of our family history as our great-great ... (maternal) grandfather was the first to granulate sugar on his plantation in Louisiana (which is now part of beautiful Audubon Park for those who are familiar with New Orleans).

CHECK LISTS

Nice to know we aren't alone in the being afflicted with the excessive list making syndrome. Jeff’s making his lists and checking them twice …  Time to order seeds, plan for the new year and make goals.

WE THINK WE CAN, WE THINK WE CAN

Tuesday - December 30,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:17 AM PST

BITS & PIECES

We are blessed with such a big garage with three nice large windows and high ceiling... and to think it was such an embarrassing eyesore years ago.  A lesson well taken.

 As you can see from the photo on the left there's still a bit of work to be done, but we are getting there.  JC took the bikes from the cellar and hung 'em up from the rafters and organized the tools. JM and I would like to use the exposed rafters to dry herbs and flowers.  Think it would make it feel/look a bit more country and rustic,

 Photo on the right--the salvaged chalk board looks nice hung up and we hope it gets some use soon.  JD took the PTF sign we made out of sticks for the Simple Living Festival out of storage and hung it above the board.

FOLLOW THE SUN

Yesterday the guys worked on sprucing up the solar oven.  Needs to be re-painted and re-caulked for Spring and Summer usage.

Speaking of sun, so looking forward to Spring and "thawing" out a bit.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST

There was an interesting article in the Sunday LA Times about the problem we are having here in SoCal with forests in our local mountains.  With the disastrous fires, mudslide and devastating spread of the bark beetle it's time to take another approach.

...Compounding problems, 100 years of fire suppression has rendered local forest 10 times denser than they should be, making it easier for the insect to proliferate.  Forest experts estimate that more local pine trees have died in the past year than the last 400 years.

Walking through a dense forest behind the Twin Peaks lodge, Asher said, "What we see happening now is an example of Mother Nature taking over the management of this place because people wouldn't let her."

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?

JD was accosted the other day in our front yard by a guy who wanted "spare change."  He was a local neighborhood guy and we knew what he'd use it for so JD politely turned him down, but a friend of ours dug in his pockets and gave him some quarters.  The guy ungratefully remarked, "Well, it ain't a twenty."  Guess now "spare change" is $20. 

Weather Report:  The "big storm" never materialized... so much for their predicted amounts.

Monday - December 29,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  11:50 AM PST

THREE DOG NIGHT

To say the least...  Brrrrrrrrr....  It was another cold one again last night. Many of the veggies and tropicals were hit hard (blackened) by the cold snap over the past three days. Hopefully, we shouldn't have any more because it will be awhile before we can recover from this one. Thankfully, a storm should be arriving late today and that will help raise the night temps a bit.

LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS

Spent the day yesterday cleaning and organizing cabinets and drawers in the garage.  It sure is messy and dusty in there as we have yet to find some doors and lots of dirt accumulates. If we can't find any soon, it may be that the guys will have to try their hand at building one. That'll give them a chance to improve their carpentry skills.

JD bought some orange cleaner, scrubber at the hardware store and JM and I spent time scrubbing down the packing table and sink. It's a constant challenge to keep things nice and clean, but simply cleaning sure does do wonders to "old" stuff. Finding time to clean something up instead of buying something new saves money and you get a good workout in the meantime!

JR finished painting and priming the garage trim and should be putting it up today and he also finished painting the cellar door. Yesterday JC and JD planted more annual edibles in the front yard and JD make a lovely spiral bed using the broken concrete.

We also salvaged and cleaned some old shutters that we found on the side of the road which will be used as a door to the outdoor solar shower.

HOLIDAY SLOWDOWN

With the holidays our clients have cut back on their orders as many are closed for the holidays.   A few are even thinking of cutting back the days they are open for business - meaning less orders from us.  Hopefully, 04' will be good one for the restaurants and caterers or we are going to have to figure how we can earn extra income at home.

BON APPETITE

Problem almost solved!  We figure out how to use all our extra duck eggs - FRENCH TOAST (ah, can just feel the calories being packed on, but, hey, it's winter and with no central heat the only way to keep the fire inside going is to EAT!). One of our clients for our edible flower and salad mix owns an English tea house. They throw away bags of fluffy white and "wheat" bread (ok, have to admit it's not Trader Joes Whole Grain Sprouted Bread - but it's free). We've been taking it home and feeding the bread to the ducks and worms and using some once and awhile to make croutons.  Now our Saturday morning special is French Toast (using a duck egg batter of a vanilla, soy milk and raw sugar. The toasts are then dipped in crushed corn flakes -- a secret learned from a local restaurant that's famous for its breakfasts, topped off with maple syrup or honey. YUM! Hum, getting hungry now - I think JM and I could use some of that bread to make bread pudding - haven't had that dessert in awhile.

PLASTIC, PAPER.... OR CANVAS?

When shopping I usually ask for paper bags as they can be used around the homestead for mulching, storing items and even drying seeds. Always wanted some nice canvas bags. Luckily, JM came across some really big ones for cheap from Twisted Toad. People have commented on how big the bags are and  ask where we get them. They are shocked at the low price (about $2). It was great feeling using them the other day at Wild Oats where they give you 5¢ a bag or 5¢ wood token to give to a charity. We opted to give ours to a charity and plan to continue...

NEW PAGE UP

Whoopeeee!  Finally got something new up on PTF about our solar power system.

CLOSING IN ON 6,000 lbs

Close, but no cigar as the saying goes....

From briefly scanning our Dec harvest chart, we are slowly closing in on 6,000 lbs.  Although, it looks like we may be a bit short -- stay tuned.  We'd have made it (and possibly surpassed) had the winter and summer squash harvest not been so pathetic . A couple of pumpkins or hubbard's would have made a difference...  But it's great to know that we've encouraged people in our quest.

Weather Report:  Glorious red sky this morning.  Going to be partly cloudy, massive storm's arriving tonight and into Tues (2"-3" expected!!!)

Sunday - December 28,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:10 AM PST

RAIN & MUDSLIDES
 

Just a quick update of what's been going on the past few days....

On the 25th we had over 2 inches of torrential rain with extremely strong gusts of wind. The wind was very scary at times, so much so that we thought there was a chance of a small tornado. (Hadn't rained on xmas for nearly 20 years and a few people, unfortunately, lost their lives from a massive mudslide in the local mountain area that had been burned in the fall.)

LOOKING TO THE NEW YEAR

We all have been taking stock of the year's progress AND failures, figuring out what we want to accomplish in '04 and outlining new goals and deciding which projects should be tackled first (or scraped for now).

Sometimes we wonder if we bit off more than we can swallow.  We'll need to rearrange our priorities, seeing if we can spend time more wisely and get things done, but not too hurriedly and sloppily.  It's a matter of being wise enough to know "when to say when."

We like to do things ourselves,  bit of an independent lot we are (which is good and bad). But it looks like we might have to ask for some help to get some of the projects accomplished - possibly ask if people would like to volunteer or assist us.  We need to get through this rough patch and clear off some of the debris on the path.  Just hard to find friends and acquaintances that don't have a busy schedule too.

WATER WOES

The guys have been busy organizing and fixing up the inside of garage and the cellar - still a ways to go.  Also, they'll soon be moving the grey water reed bed to a sunnier location, The place we had it in was too shady as a result of  our neighbor's massive pecan tree. We'll be needing gravel and sand for that.

Speaking of reclaiming water, the JD & JR arranged a packing and cleaning area in the garage for the produce and set up a plastic sink that drains into a bucket so that we can reclaim and save water there.  Every little bit helps.

We still need to buy some gutters to and drums to harvest rainwater and hopefully soon, with the rainy season upon us.

The plumbing still isn't fixed. We thought if we told the plumber that we'd do the work and dig the trench and so forth that all he would need to do is lay the pipe and we'd get a bit of a break. Not so.  So, we are put in a bit of a predicament... hmm wonder one of the guys could take a crash course in soldering copper pipes.  Saw it done on This Old House, doesn't look hard... or so we think!

MUSHROOMS, ROUND II

On Wednesday the mushrooms arrived from Amycel, and JC planted a few boxes in the cellar.  Hopefully we've gain some knowledge from the last time -- we had a good first flush, but then they just puttered out possibly due to over watering.  If we can get that project going, would be great to gain the unused cellar as another growing space, not to mention some additional income.

MORE SOIL!

On Friday had another load of compost from Tim delivered. Can't believe how many loads we have gotten over the year and how it's just "disappeared."  Our soil's beginning to get that nice dark, loamy look!

HARD FREEZE

Friday night and again last night we experienced a hard freeze (8 hrs of temps at or below 30), damaging quite a few plants and it looks like the bitter cold will unfortunately continue again tonight.

Last night we all went out to cover the plants at around 10pm and already the the grass was crunchy under our feet with ice, not a good sign we thought.  This morning the yard looks like tent city and JC is out with a hose trying to get the ice off before the sun rises (not helping yet air is so cold the water just freezes). Unfortunately, covering the plants didn't seem to help as it froze the plants under cover as well.  As it gets lighter, things are not looking good, many plants are black and shriveled, even the water in the birdbath is solid ice (perhaps the birdies can do a bit of ice-skating).

We had been spoiled for the past few years in a row, as we didn't have any real hard freezes - just light frosts. This is the worse we've seen in years!!!

STILL TO DO

Today JM and I will be trying to finish updating charts, making a chart of our electrical usage over the past few years,  writing some informative papers for tour groups that'll be coming in January, catch up on emails, finish organizing yarn and craft notions and so on.

BAD NEWS

 News over the holidays has been depressing as killer weather, mad cow, earthquakes, death, destruction dominate the headlines. 

But there's a lot to be grateful for!

Weather Report:  Sunny day, but another cooooold night.

Tuesday - December 23,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  8:04 AM PST

SEASONS GREETINGS

We are continually inspired and are grateful to all of you travelers who are mindful of the world we live in, and are doing your best to make an effort to "be the change you wish to see in the world." 

The PTF crew wishes everyone a joyous season.

Peace.
 

Weather Report:  Overcast and chilly.  Chance of rain expected later this evening.

Monday - December 22,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  6:40 AM PST

It seems like we always keep re-re landscaping the yard. Not everything that we plant works out and the winter months are the best time to transplant all the plants that didn't do well and find them a good home, er location.

SOLSTICE

The winter solstice is here!  From now on it's increased daylight hours... yippeee!

THE GOOD LIFE

A smashing, good show! We don't watch TV sitcoms but we do enjoy PBS and often rent movies. JM discovered a little gem on video that she felt was calling to us: 

Good Neighbors (or The Good Life as it was known in the UK) is the story of Tom and Barbara Good, a middle-aged couple in the 1970s who decide to escape the rat race by living a life of complete self-sufficiency. They exchange their car for a cultivator, and turn their garden into a full-fledged (if rather small) farm. Their good friends and neighbors, the social climbing Gerry and Margot Leadbetter sometimes provide support, and other times disapproval. Through it all, the antics of the two mismatched set of neighbors produces laughs and good times for all!

So she rented it.  Unfortunately we found out that they have only the last eight episodes on rental DVD. We'd really like to see the entire 30 or so episodes, especially w/o having to buy the VHS (and still they don't have the complete series available!)

It was really quite funny to find out that we truly could identify with the characters.  The producers did a wonderful job portraying real life self sufficiency situations.  It was a real riot! They had some really great lines about manure, money, eating chickens, frugal living, wild edibles and so forth.

I wonder if PBS will ever show this British sitcom again... In the meantime JM will try to find someone who might have the series on video.  Jolly good.

Weather Report:  Going to be a nice sunny day.

Thursday - December 18,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  8:56 AM PST

TO DO, TO DO, TO DO...

 Hmm, that sounds to me like the theme song from the Pink Panther series....

The four old garage doors that JD picked up the other day will be used to build a tool shed and a new cellar door. We first thought about using them to replace our ugly old garage door, but one of them has been cut considerably on the bottom so unfortunately, it can't be used as it is much shorter than the others. Finding some old barn doors is harder than we expected.  JM called around to some salvage yards with not much luck but there's a possibly of something turning up on Friday. We'll hope and see.

Renovation on the garage has stalled a bit due to time and budget, though yesterday the guys went to pick up the trim and that was some progress. Since it's a redwood garage we decided to keep with the character of the building and purchase redwood trim.  The cost of seven pieces of wood was enough to make us gulp but what can you do about it?

The plumbing problem is still not fixed as we don't want to hire a plumber and his crew to dig a trench as they wouldn't respect the landscape. So the guys will have to move plants, rocks and dig the trench themselves and just hire someone to put in the copper piping. So, in the meantime we still have a hole in the front yard and a bare spot where the plants have been.

I've been researching wood stoves and it looks like the best model for us is the Vermont Casting Wood Stove Aspen model - clean burning and small. I don't know if we'll get around to installing one this winter seeing how our budget is.  We'll need to have our chimney inspected and it hasn't been used for years so I don't know what they might find that needs to be brought up to working order....

IT'S ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES...

We got the birds, now we gotta get the bees.  We'd like to get back into beekeeping this Spring. Unfortunately, thinking we'd be moving somewhere a few years back JD sold all his bee equipment that he had for years from his honey business way back (kept his Dadant books though!). We called the city and the guy we spoke with told us that there'd be no problem if none of the neighbors complained and if we'd agree to be inspected every year by the county AG extension.   We are doing to do a little experimenting this time and are trying to move away from the traditional bee hive system, stay tuned!

JM's taken it upon herself to track down equipment that we'll need at a good price, perhaps find some used equipment somewhere. Darn, I wish we never sold that stuff... anyways no use crying over spilled milk.

So many plans and things to do..... I'd better get to work as my giant 'to-do' list is staring me in the face. to do to do to do....

Weather Report:  Warm with temps in the 80's

Tuesday - December 16,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:23 AM PST

If it registers at or below 40º at 10pm then it's more than likely to freeze during the night.  Last night  JC knew it was going to be a cold one when the thermometer registered  36º at 10pm, so JC and JR went out and covered the plants with tarps. 

Ducks are certainly funny creatures and these Khaki Campbells are even less hassle than our Banty chooks, meaning that they eggs lay all the time with no broodiness problems. Our ducks aren't sensitive to changes of temps and keep on producing eggs while the chickens stop.  We currently have a backlog of duck eggs!!!!

And, as a matter of fact, we are having a bit of a hard time selling the extra eggs. People's reactions are basically "eeeewwww."  I think they believe duck eggs are "nasty" when in fact they are wonderful for baked goods.   It's like people have some sort of mental block against anything they see as "unusual."  I don't know personally about how duck eggs are for scrambled eggs as we don't eat many eggs, but a friend of ours who is French told JM that in France, bakers will only use duck eggs.  I don't know either if that's all true or not, but I do know that the cakes and baked goodies we've made with duck eggs are certainly richer.

Anyhow, looks like I'll have to give some away first to get people to try them out. 

FLU PREVENTION

With the nasty flu going around we are making sure to wash our hands after going out and taking doses of vitamins and herbs. So far, thank God, so good.

RESPECT, RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

As we try to live by the five R's, we are still trying to reduce our electricity usage even more. In the winter, candles are used in the morning. Also, we are expecting to receive some glass oil lamps which we hope to use during the nights along with candles.  For more about candles, visit the PTF Forum (which is hopping with activity BTW, so please stop in and chat).

We really like Lehman's and Cumberland General Store catalogs, but their prices are a bit steep. So, by doing a bit of browsing on Ebay, we have found similar. if not the same items, for considerably less!

THIS OLD HOUSE

Besides having an old, albeit "fixer upper" house, we are thankful that our home is old and hasn't been tampered with (aka modernized--though it needs a lot of work and TLC).

In the kitchen there's an old time vegetable cooler which was a useful commodity  to homes in 1917 in the pre-fridge" era. The cooler was the "icebox" of its day. It outwardly appears to be an ordinary kitchen cabinet but the shelves inside are made of wire mesh. At the bottom, there is a vent opening into the cellar and at the top, an opening to the attic. This allows a natural cooling air flow which is a very sensible arrangement that has all been forgotten by modern builders.   We use it to store veggies and fruits in.  As a matter of fact, for a few years we had lived without a refrigerator (more because we had to for financial reasons). It was hard in that we had to go to the store almost every other day for things such as butter and cheese (which was not very easy on our side of town). But it was a very interesting learning experience - teaching us planning and frugality.  A few years ago we had to purchase a fridge for the edible flower/produce business so we bought an Energy Star model.  It's much bigger than what we need for our personal use - could definitely get by with a much smaller model, but at least it doesn't use much energy. Well 'nuff said about that!

BY GIVING WE ALL RECEIVE

As the year starts to wind to a close, there's still work that need to be done and plans to put into action.  Yesterday, I was going through the log of visitors that have come and taken a tour of our wip (work in progress) urban homestead. For 2003 we had over 170 visitors (not including friends, btw) stop by!!  Many have been kind enough to take the time to thank us and write about their experience (not to mention those who have brought things from our "Wish List" - we THANK you!). 

We'd like to take the time to warmly thank all those of you who have generously lent us a hand by offering your time and services in volunteering here at Path to Freedom. Your much needed help and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated!

Whew, this is certainly becoming quite a long winded posting, so I'd better stop and save some musings for tomorrow!  ;-)

Weather Report:  Touch of frost in the mornings, warming up to a gorgeous sunny day..

Monday - December 15,  2003                            re-posted by Anaĩs at  6:45 AM PST

The pink Indian guavas were harvested over the weekend and, boy, are they delicious (a scrumptious tropical delight)!!! I suspect this is our favorite among the different varieties of guavas as the flesh is solid and firm with few seeds and a gorgeous (almost fake looking) pink color. On Saturday we had our first Ruby red grapefruits and every morning we now add an orange to our breakfast from our orange trees.

Really quite a blessing to be eating citrus and tropical fruit in winter.

KNOCK ON WOOD

The landlord of a friend of ours was throwing away some old wood garage doors, so JD and some friends went to pick them up. We were thinking we could use the wood for something... stay tuned.

Weather Report:  Chilly, expected to warm up to mid 70's.

Friday - December 12,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  5:10 PM PST

RRRR REBATE

A PWP official came yesterday to give us our rebate for the solar and had JD sign the net metering agreement.  We had expected it to take a few weeks or more as they had told us that the paperwork and work overload would mean that it'd be a few weeks until we received our rebate.... rather it took only a bit over a week!  THANKS PASADENA! 

The PWP also told us an interesting fact that there are 30 other Pasadenians who have some sort of pv solar system out of a population of over 275,000

Speaking of solar rebates, an acquaintance told me that he read an article in the LA Times about SoCal Edison wanting take the California Solar Rebate Program from residences of the state and using the allotted fund themselves to build a huge solar plant and sell the solar electricity.  I don't particularly like the sound of that.

Weather Report:  It's going to be a cold one tonight, bring out the extra blankets and cozy up with some hot cocoa.

Friday - December 12,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  6:40 AM PST

GOING  THRIFTIN'

On WED, JM and I went with a friend to visit a couple of the local thrift stores to do some shopping.  The women's clothing was mostly picked over but we hit the jackpot on men's clothing.   One store had just gotten in a huge load of perfectly brand new heavy button-up jacket/flannels (donated from a local retailer in the area) and at $4.99, they were a real steal.  So we picked up a bunch and on Thurs we shared the news of the wonderful bargain with a couple of friends.   Well, of course, they all wanted some for the men in their lives and so wasting no time, we headed to the store again hoping they were still there. We were in luck! We came out with an armful of flannels and brand new sweaters for less than $30 bucks!  Love thrift store finds!

Weather Report:  Sunny and cold.

Wednesday - December 10,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:07 AM PST

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

JC and I finished sifting, sorting and packing the last of the seeds... it was quite a sniff, achoo, er job. The fine particles and dust make your nose a bit, sniff, uncomfortable.
 

JR harvested over 5 pounds of tomatoes the other day and they were surpassingly sweet and very juicy and were a welcomed addition to our meals (would have taken a picture but digital camera batteries needed recharge). In the fruit department, we are still harvesting a few Anna apples and all the guavas are started to kick in.

It's cool and raining this morning....

As Jimmy Stewart merrily stated in It's a Wonderful Life.. our house is drafty old one.  Our little bungalow is surprisingly cool during the hot summer months (high ceilings and lots of windows), but oh come winter time *shiver* it's like a meat locker. Luckily we have many south facing windows which warm up the main living and eating areas. And located in the living room there’s a "fireplace." Well, not really a fireplace as it’s meant for some sort of gas operating heating unit.

In the dining room and kitchen there are blocked up pipes for wood stoves. We would  like to put in a cast iron wood stove but California has strict emissions regulation on which types of wood stoves are allowed – which is great for the environment, but a bit more costly.

Until then, we use small electric space heater to chase the nip out of the air and wear layers of clothing.
 

Weather Report:  Drizzling and cool.

Monday - December 8,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  6:14 AM PST

SOLAR FAQ

We've received a few emails regarding solar energy.

Off grid vs net metered?

Producing our power means having the potential to be more energy independent while still being able to use the grid for backup. With utility "net metering" we get a bill from the power company only once a year. This allows us to "run the meter backwards" during the summer, and then use that excess power we have accumulated for use in the evenings and at other times when the sun is not shining. Over the course of a year, all our production and usages are averaged. We pay only for the "net usage." With grid-tied net metering we have the best of both worlds. These systems are more efficient and less expensive than systems that use batteries for backup power. However, remote property owners have found that it pays to be "off the grid” because of the savings resulting from the cost of land away from the grid are considerable.

What kind of system  would I need?

Some points you may want to consider in deciding about a solar pv system before you contact a solar company (or DIY).

1. Do you have a south facing section (rooftop or arbor) that receives adequate sunlight, i.e., no nearby trees or building that would shade the area?

2. Check with your utility company to see what system is allowed: i.e. "off the grid" or "grid tied."? Or what can you afford?

3. Check your utility bills. How much electricity do you use on an average per year. Before we got energy efficient appliances we were using an average of 10.6 KW per day, presently we are using 6.5 KW on average.

4. Choose solar panels to fit your needs. We chose Sharp 165 W(12 panels). California Energy Commission has rated all makes of solar panels by independent testing to help assist people. No solar panel puts out as much as it claims. Therefore, the Sharp 165 W was rated as 144.8 W (not as the manufacturer stated 165 W per panel) but still very good). Multiply that by the number of panels you plan to buy. Therefore, we get 1727.6 W from them under optimal conditions (144.8 times 12 panels in our case). As for a SMA inverter, we purchased a 1800 Sunny Boy. If you want your PV system to store excess in batteries, you would have purchase a Sunny Boy 2500.

5. "How much PV you need depends on your power loads and their duty cycles. If you want to completely replace your current electrical purchases from the utility with a PV system, you could look at your kWh usage on your electric bills for a year, calculate a daily average, and divide that by the number of average daily sun hours for your location. For example: 3600 kWh/yr divided by 365 days/yr equals approximately 10 kWh/day, divided by 5 sun-hours per day (for locations in middle America), equals 2 kW. This would indicate that a 2-kW system would, over the course of an average year, produce enough energy to replace the power you are currently using." read more >>

In addition, besides solar panels that are placed on roofs there are available models that are freestanding units and quite inexpensive.

How much KW does your system produce?

Our solar array photovoltaic system consists of 12 Sharp 165 panels and a 1800 Sunny Boy Inverter. The 12 panel system should, on a prime day, produce approximately 7.2 KW. Since installing our system in late November, on a sunny winter’s day the system produces approximately 4.2 KW.

What happens if you exceed the KW amount ?

The city of Pasadena is also offering its residents a chance to switch any grid energy sources to "Green Power." Taking advantage of this means that any additional energy that our household uses will now be from a green source.

Weather Report:  Going to be a crisp sunny day.

Sunday - December 7,  2003                             re-posted by Anaĩs at  10:15 PM PST

RAIN, RAIN, PLEASE STAY

I was so looking forward to a dark and rainy day (just like today)  as an excuse to slow down and stay inside - perhaps sort out stash(es) of yarn or knit, read a book or (er.. the dreaded 'o' word) organize.

This old home doesn't have adequate closet or cabinet space and it's quite a daunting challenge to keep things clean and tidy.  JC fondly remembers and recounts of the time he purchased a book on organizing but couldn't find it due to the clutter (sad but true).   It's hard to separate life and work under one roof - stuff starts to mingle and pile up. We desperately need adequate linen storage, food storage, etc.... ah so much to do!

Do you have a story or know of any tips on how to downsize and or de-clutter?  Please share them at our PTF forum:  Organizing tips for your home and life.

HOME TOUR

Speaking of space and homes. JM and I were invited by some friends to tour some of Pasadena's finest homes.  It was quite interesting to see how "the other folks" live. There were five houses on the tour, four of which were mansions (having master bedrooms as big as the two biggest rooms of our home. One had six car garage and also a kitchen 1/2 the size of our house!).  But one of them was our favorite -- a cute, tastefully decorated and small English cottage (more our size).

WINTER HARVEST

Besides peas, greens and broccoli, we harvested a bunch of yellow guavas yesterday and the oranges should be ready this week.  What a blessing to have fruit in December.

Oh, yes almost forgot, we are harvesting some lovely tomatoes, also... Lemon Boy, Celebrity,  Sungold, Oregon Spring and Black Krim.  JC planted some more winter tomatoes over the weekend so we should have tomatoes throughout the  winter months.

Weather Report:  It's raining!

Sunday - December 7,  2003                            re-posted by Anaĩs at  7:29 AM PST

IT'S THE REAL THING?

Would have liked to link this article, but was unable due to membership fees.  Please excuse any typo errors...

LOOKING FOR 'REAL'

Quest for meaning through merchandise

The quest for authenticity led to the Renaissance, prompted the journey to the New World and inspired Thoreau. Now it's all about buying a better life

Los Angeles Times 12/06  By Gina Piccalo

In the blink of a satellite , modern life has become an endless high speed connection. It's streaming 24-7, with crystal clean reception that's virtually life like. It's airtight and soundproof, except of course for he white noise or the dead air or the occasionally break-in of cell phone chatter..... It's now wonder you're always online, and on medication, checking email, checking voice mail, checking email.

What you crave is something fare more visceral. You want calloused hands and lungful of fresh are.... You want the stripped down, low-fi versions of life, the kind that feels vintage, handmade or homegrown, You want authenticity. Or a really authentic imitation of it. That is why you buy DVD's that sound like vinyl and brand new T shirts that look like thrift store finds. It's why you keep your SUV bust ask for paper bags at Whole Foods... It's why you quite your job to start an alpaca farm and "live richly" like Citibank says you can.....

Can you shop for a better life? IKEA thinks so. Just toss some DIY birch veneer shelves and paper lampshades into the mix and you’re "unboring," not broke. ... Even Levi-Strauss, possibly the most authentic brand on the planet, is digging deep for a meaning behind its message. the 130-year old company is now launching "the reinvention of the blue jean," with a more "real," "iconic" look....

On vacation, you seek out those eco-friendly resorts... or maybe you choose a "culture tour" instead, because, let's face it, it's not a real experience unless you can brag about roaming the Australian Outback with an Aboriginal guide....

A craving for authenticity

So what's going on here? Are we really so lost that our search for meaning is in earnest? Or does this faded-jeans-and-iron-ons infatuation with "real" just look good in magazine ads? Some social observers say this is the dawning of a new civilization. Really...

"What consumers are seeking is more of a balanced lifestyle, which talks about physicality but also emotionally, mental and spiritual balance."...

Translated, this means we've grown bored with consumption for consumption’s sake. Our lives, constrained by gridlock and sprawl, air conditioning and antidepressants, video games and Internet anomie, lack the milk bottles on the doorstep and the smell of homemade bread that in our minds add up to genuine experience.

"If you live in a major city, the pace of life is somehow not real."...

"Remember a time when you could actually go to the corner store before there were supermarkets? Remember a time when there weren’t focus groups that anticipated how we’re supposed to response to something? Well, they don’t exists any more, and they never will. What we had in its place are people who can give us a false sense of authenticity.”….
 

"I believe people are looking for hope in the way they live their daily lives. How ma of us live is not exactly synonymous with consumption, But there's a lot of overlap there- between what we buy and consume, and who we are."

The pursuit of authenticity, of a life free form conformity and industrialization, had motivated similar cultural shifts over the centuries - from the Renaissance to journey to the New World, to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s that all things modern were evil, to Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists' 19th century credo of self-reliance.....

In the 20th century, the pursuit continued with Mohandas Gandhi and his nonviolent movement.... It surfaced in the united Stares in 1950's when Nashville Rev. James Lawson adapted Gandhi's teachings.... He mobilized college students with the phrase "walk your talk."... The phrase would later be used by the peace, student and women's movements.

Today, retailers such as Starbucks, IKEA, Pottery Barn and Trader Joe's trade in earnestness. The star student of this trend, however might be Whole Foods Market. ... Shoppers stroll down aisle where Haagen-Dazs is sold alongside soy ice cream sandwiches, In Style magazine next to Organic Style….

Beyond the cash registers beyond the store’s wide windows, the dichotomy comes into clear view – the organic Farmers’ Market in the shadow of spotlights on the Grove. On a saffron wall framing that picture scraps of a mission statement have been painted in curly script.. One reads: “ We create wealth through profits and growth.”

POSTSCRIPT:  Article now online! 

Weather Report:  Dreary and drizzling...

Friday - December 5,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  8:25 AM PST

MR, MS, MRS FIX IT?

There is more work that needs to be done on the garage... such as having to buy some wood trim for the accent moldings around the door frames and a "new garage" door to be found. We are hoping to purchase an inexpensive old barn style door from a salvage yard so I've been calling around to some dealers in the area.  One such salvage yard had some doors but the prices... yipes!  It makes you cringe and wonder how in the world can old, rundown doors cost more than brand spanking new ones?   

The side of the garage is becoming a nice outdoor living space.  In the summer the grapes should grow back on the arbor and once again make it a cool and shady area.  In addition, over this winter we hope to rip out the ugly, boring concrete and put in a more natural patio surface.

So many projects and so little time ....  or maybe it just feels that way as we are  frustrated because we have run into so many difficulties along the way.....

Speaking of DIY woes here's an article: Home Improvement? When Do-It-Yourself Turns Ugly

"You try to redo your kitchen or fix that leaky sink and in no time you find yourself knee-deep in extra parts and a blown budget."

Been there, done that (*wince*)....... I believe we are prime candidates for their "disaster stories."

Readers,  do you have any favorite DIY for budget home renovation/remodeling sites?  Or DIY tips, stories?  Share them at our PTF discussion forum!

SALVAGED

A school was throwing away a nice large chalk board because the wheels on the stand were broken so we saved it. It'd be perfect to put on the inside of the garage for use in workshops of some sort. Now just have to figure on what to use for seating as we don't want to use plain old metal chairs. The idea of hay bales as seating is appealing as well as useful for the garden/animals, but they are bulky and will be in the way of our limited space ... perhaps the guys might whip up some benches if we can track down some scrap wood.   Boy, what we would give to get our hands on some scrap wood....

Another popular item again this year is pea shoots. One of our clients buys all we have. So peas are a great profit plant for us in that they are easy to grow, don't take up much space, we can eat or sell the peas and even shoots.

Things are looking up in the sales department!

Are you thinking of starting a home-based produce venture or are a seasoned market gardener and would like to share your story? Check out the PTF forum on MARKET GARDENING  How have you taken advantage of your garden's produce?

Weather Report:  DITTO... Warm and extremely dry

Thursday - December 4,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:54 AM PST

NEW PROJECTS

The guys finished installing the Sun Pipe system in the garage so we won't have to worry about using lights during the day. Speaking of lights, we finally have a light outlet in the garage with energy efficient light bulbs. This is great because it allows us to work in the garage during the evenings and catch up on some of the projects.

Making use of the lighting, last evening the guys made their first attempts at making a hyperbtufa plantera (pdf file). We'll know the results in about three days or so. Once we get the hang of the procedure and hit on the best recipe (almost like baking--deciding which chocolate cake recipe is the best), we hope to build a small duck pond and lots of planters.

EXTREME MAKEOVER

New ideas come from old buildings of the past ~ Famous Architect  ~

Sorry, can't remember the name of that "Famous Architect" right now, but wanted to put the quote up anyway.

Through the years.....

Nah, haven't watched any of the popular Extreme Makeover TV shows... but the garage is going through one right now.   In between plantings, packing, and delivering, we are slowly restoring the once very ugly "eye sore."  We recently gave it a new paint job as you can see from the last of the photos. (The first picture was taken when we bought the house back in the 80's)   The new paint has given the garage a warm, homey feeling - what a difference a few gallons of paint make!  It was quite amazing to see it transform before our very eyes.   After practicing on the garage, we hope to tackle the house soon and restore it back to a simple "Arts & Crafts" bungalow of its 1917 time period.  

All that these old buildings need is a bit of love and a whole lot of elbow grease.  But the transformation is worth it and not to mention having done it yourself makes it even more special.

Speaking of restoring, I called Linda yesterday of Eco Home Network.  She has lovingly eco-renovated her 1911 bungalow and has written about her personal experiences (worth the read!!!).   She was very nice and helpful and told me about CHEERS (California Home Energy Efficiency Rating System).   I'll be speaking with them sometime today. 

Weather Report:  DITTO... Warm and extremely dry

Wednesday - December 3,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  7:34 AM PST

There are still over 20 paper bags that have drying seed stalks that need to stripped, sifted, put in glass jars and labeled.  Going to be a busy day.

Weather Report:  Warm and extremely dry - major moisturizing needed.

Tuesday - December 2,  2003                             posted by Anaĩs at  6:49 PM PST

EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE....

The average amount of time that the average American spends looking for misplaced things over the course of a lifetime is one year. ~  Harper's Index ~

Hard to believe we are already in December and that '04 is just around the corner. How time flies!

The weather has been perfect with brilliant blue skies, puffy clouds, warm sunny days - boy, we are certainly spoiled! The past couple of days were spent keeping busy with cleaning and sorting but still there seems to be a motherload of organizing that remains to be done. Too many precious hours are spent searching for the elusive misplaced something-or-other.

OK, I know what you are thinking -- just as almost everyone else comments on  -- what's with all the J names in the family anyhow? Not sure how it happened, but names beginning with J became prominent in our family or we just seem to like J names.

Anyhow, back to the state of the garden report. The palm stump is still there, but inconspicuously hidden under the raised concrete bed. The stump should start decomposing quickly as the guys mounded it with quite a lot of "royal soil." Hopefully in a couple months the massive stump will have turned into soil allowing us to plant an edible tree in its place.

There's still a huge trench in the yard as we are waiting for a local plumber to give us an estimate on how much it'll cost to replace the old rusted galvanized pipe with copper. Until then, it's a bit of an attraction in the neighborhood - people stopping to look down the hole... maybe we should charge admission. hehe. Oh, yeah and not to mention people stopping to give plumbing advice. ;-)

IT'S SUCH A GOOD FEELING

Two city officials came by today to start the paper work for our rebate (which we should receive by the end of the month).   They mentioned the possibility of our being put on a "tour" to show Pasadena's residents/officials  "green in action."   In addition, they mentioned possibilities of participating in city sponsored workshops and even a community garden! We are very grateful to the city for all its rebate programs to assist us in our journey and welcome the opportunity to assist them as they help others (not to mention to have met city officials who are trying to make a difference in the community!)

It's such a wonderful feeling - solar power that is. The panels just "sit there", no noise, no pollution.  We can "kick back" and let those panels collect the sun's rays into power to run the fridge, computer or lights. On this winter's day the panels produced over 4.5 KW of power (we average about 6.5 KW per day)!  Imagine during the summer when we'll producing more than we can use...  It's such good feeling... off to hum Mr. Rodger's little ditty. 

Weather Report:  Warm and extremely dry - major moisturizing needed.