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    #61
    Re: Alternative Building Ideas

    That is so very, very cool!
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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      #62
      Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

      Originally posted by thalassa View Post
      I found this site today...http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/
      Even though I'm not urban, I love Urban farm, it's a great magazine.

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        #63
        Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

        Originally posted by thalassa View Post
        I found this site today...http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/
        Haven't checked this thread in a while but I just saw that...what a great site! It's funny because I was thinking about this concept today and wondering how it might be possible to start some sort of urban farming collective here, with gardens, chickens, ducks, goats and the whole deal.

        So much great info on containter gardening too, which is what I do.

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          #64
          Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

          Since we're looking into moving into the city, this is a useful link to have! Thanks, Thal

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            #65
            Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

            I think I may take up poaching to keep us in meat this winter. Anybody got any links on trapping rabbits?

            (deer are too hard to butcher)
            Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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              #66
              Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

              Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
              I think I may take up poaching to keep us in meat this winter. Anybody got any links on trapping rabbits?

              (deer are too hard to butcher)
              Raising rabbits is pretty easy actually and can be done in a garage, plus domestic raised rabbits have fat on them which makes them a heck of a lot healthier than wild rabbit.

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                #67
                Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                And the best part is...the breed like rabbits!




                I couldn't help it...
                Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                sigpic

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                  #68
                  Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                  Originally posted by LadyGarnetRose View Post
                  Raising rabbits is pretty easy actually and can be done in a garage, plus domestic raised rabbits have fat on them which makes them a heck of a lot healthier than wild rabbit.
                  Yeah, I know... But I don't want to get all involved in setting something else up - I don't have time to maintain the projects I have running now. And honestly - the lack of fat doesn't matter that much, unless you are trying to live off them exclusively.

                  I'm currently seriously looking at harvesting road kill... I looked at snaring rabbits, and don't think it's for me.
                  Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                    #69
                    Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                    Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                    And the best part is...the breed like rabbits!




                    I couldn't help it...
                    LOL yup and much easier to care for than a lot of other animals.


                    Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                    Yeah, I know... But I don't want to get all involved in setting something else up - I don't have time to maintain the projects I have running now. And honestly - the lack of fat doesn't matter that much, unless you are trying to live off them exclusively.

                    I'm currently seriously looking at harvesting road kill... I looked at snaring rabbits, and don't think it's for me.
                    Personally I can't recommend harvesting road kill that you didn't hit. It's a good way to get very very sick. If you look into what it takes to keep rabbits, you'll find it's a lot less work and energy than driving around looking for road kill. I know folks who have up to 20 rabbits, and it takes them maybe 10 minutes a day to take care of.

                    Not only do you get rabbit meat, you get really good grade fur off of them for future projects of yours

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                      #70
                      Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                      LOL - Lady Garnet Rose, you're trying to make me work... Now you want me tanning rabbit skins...

                      I had a friend who worked on a road crew. He told me that the time to harvest road kill is in the winter - the theory is that if it's still warm, it's still fresh.

                      I could pick up a coon or 'possum or two every week just by walking to the end of my driveway in the morning.

                      I think I'm going to shelf the project though... Wifey turns out to be picky eater.

                      My hillbilly brother in law likes to sit on his porch and shoot the coons that climb his bird feeders. Maybe I'll just ask him to save them for me. Coon is supposed to taste like bear, which tastes like pork, which doesn't taste like chicken. 'Possum, on the other hand (I'm told) needs special treatment.

                      Maybe I should just take up hunting.. But I really don't like killing things.

                      Oh well... There's always going vegetarian (again).
                      Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                        #71
                        Re: Alternative Building Ideas

                        back on topic:

                        I have really no idea how to help you with alternative materials, but i know many, so called, crazy designs for the house. Not to mention i am planing to make my house to look like a modern Gothic cathedral with old elements, tall entrance room with staircase at the left and right of the doors, so when you will be entering you would get a pretty much such compilation of ideas in your head: (1)Oh my, that looks.. exquisite.. and made by someone with too much money... (2)entering the house, noticing the tall room with staircases for the upper floors. Only a jawdroping. and my favorite: (3) funcionality of modern house system So it will be basicaly a normal house with unnormal look
                        sigpic

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                          #72
                          Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                          I read someone's reply just now and they mentioned an underground house which is exactly what I plan to build one day sometime hopefully before retirement. Although I have no idea how you would go about building an underground house I do know however it's very easy on the heating and air bills I've even got a rough kind of blueprint too. I've always wanted a Hobbit House ever since I watched Lord of the Rings and now it really seems like a possibilty although finding the right hill/plot/piece of land is probably going to be quite difficult but I'm still so excited but I've read somewhere that the round door is a bitof a problem ue to the hinge. But yeah I really like the idea of retiring one day and settling down and having a few animals like rabbits, ducks, chickens, and even a cow living off-the-grid that really appeals to me.
                          I'll admit that the idea of killing an animal is...unpleasant but humans have to eat to and I for one LIKE MY MEAT!! But I'm kinda reassured in a way because it's also part of the wiccan way to respect all life and if you need to take an animals life for food then it's not a bad sacrifice I'll just have to find a use for all the parts of the animal. Even if I can't find any use for say the bones I'll just bury whatever I can't use and give it back to the Earth and when I comes time to kill the chicken or duck....well i get to that bridge when I get there, lol.

                          Laketear
                          A witch is a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to work to achieve it. She has strong beliefs and the power to go through with her wishes. She has the power to turn thought into action. She's a strong, hardworking and intelligent woman.
                          Call me a witch and I will thank you for the compliment.

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                            #73
                            Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                            I just thought of this after I posted but I know there's some people who live without energy through like solar power and being green but say you ha an underground house how would you get power for things like your washing machine or refridgerator or your shower??? Is it possible to use like a water wheel or something?

                            Laketear
                            A witch is a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to work to achieve it. She has strong beliefs and the power to go through with her wishes. She has the power to turn thought into action. She's a strong, hardworking and intelligent woman.
                            Call me a witch and I will thank you for the compliment.

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                              #74
                              Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                              Yes, it is possible to harness energy with a waterwheel. If you want to get complicated, you can gear it directly into whatever machine you want to run. The easier way is to connect it to a generator and battery system.

                              You can use solar panels to power an underground house - the panels have to be exposed to light, but they can be wired into batteries that are wired to the house.

                              Another possibility is a windmill system, or a diesel (or gas) genarator.

                              If I were interested in"going off the grid," I'd start with the diesel generator while I was building whatever other system I wanted to use, and then keep the generator for back up and emergencies.
                              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                                #75
                                Re: Homesteading, Living Off Grid, and Other Alternative Living

                                Thanks Corbin, I liked the idea of having a little underground cottage and a waterwheel for some reason altough I don't think I'd ever actually be able to incorporate something like that into my actual house design...though it would be soo cute. But I do agree with you it would definitly be a good idea to have a back up system in case of emergencies.
                                A witch is a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to work to achieve it. She has strong beliefs and the power to go through with her wishes. She has the power to turn thought into action. She's a strong, hardworking and intelligent woman.
                                Call me a witch and I will thank you for the compliment.

                                Comment

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