Off Grid Solar System
This has been great! We put up a 200 watt solar panel and attached that to a 200 watt inverter with two plug ins. Now we have power!
Solar panel kits have come down in price and many great ones can now be purchased on Amazon. Here is an example of one from Amazon
This year has been a really bad year for mice and rats, we have mice where they have never been before and it appears most of the neighborhood is experiencing the same problem.
Why do we have such an increase in rodent activity? I suspect it has something to do with the weather, we have had an unusually cool summer with much more rain than usual. Here is an article I found that talks about how weather can affect rodents. Home owners over run by mice
I don’t like to use poison as we are out in the country and who know what is going to eat that poisoned rat or mouse, so we are careful with how we get rid of these critters.
This year I found these new traps and I just love them! They are way better than the old Victors (that’s the old wooden ones grandma used) The Catchmaster traps I think are the best, they are so easy to set and to take the mouse or rat out of. They come in three sizes. I have them all!
Catchmaster 2-Pack Snapper Easy Set Mouse Trap
In the past we have tried all kinds of makes and models of mouse and rat traps, some works OK and others not at all. These are by far the best, and very easy to set and very easy to remove the mice as well. The trap is built well, not flimsy at all.
Rodents eat mostly nuts and seeds – I think the majority of people use peanut butter to bait the traps.
I have used peanut butter before, but I found if I put two or three pumpkin seeds in the well of these new traps works very well.
Last May the Dandelions were out and with so man we figured we would try our hand at making Dandelion Wine. This was a first, but I had come across an old recipe in my Grandmothers book, so thought I’d give it a try.
Dandelions are the first flowers to be seen in the spring, we often add the tender young greens to our salads because of the healthy benefits this plant has. Making wine with the dandelion flower gave us a wonderful tonic, we would occasionally have a glass for its medicinal benefits.
We have a nice grove of Birch Trees not far from the property so this spring we decided to try our hand at tapping the birch trees to drink the water and make Birch Syrup.
I started growing Garlic several years ago, but never really knew what to do with the Scapes, to be honest I didn’t even know I was supposed to cut them off the Garlic Plant……that might have had something to do with the poor crops I was producing.
Found on the west coast of North America here is a picture of Oregon Grape in bloom.
Soon these flowers will turn into clusters of purple berries with a that bring to mind a cluster of grapes…hence the name.
This is an excellent off grid tool, an all in one that comes with a Hatchet Blade, Hammer head, Nail Claw and Pry bar as well as a replaceable 6″ saw blade, but that’s not all. It also has 5 hex sockets and a hardened steel glass breaker and seat belt cutter.
When living off grid often you will find yourself having to plow your way out in the winter. We have an ATV for the 2 km piece of road we have to plow out. This blade has proven to be an excellent asset to us.
Price: $537.94 (includes everything you need) You just can’t beat that price.
Everything you need to hook a snow plow up to your ATV. The box will include a plow blade, universal mount, and push tube assembly. The universal mount will fit most ATVs on the market.
This blade can be installed in minimal time and comes with everything you need to start moving snow.
We have been spending a lot of time out at the cabin this year and I’ve found it a bit of a pain to travel back and forth just to get some laundry done. It’s time to find a portable washing machine.
I suppose I could go down to the spring and do it the old-fashioned way with a washboard, but somehow that just doesn’t sound like too much fun to me. lol.
Our latest project has been putting an outdoor wood burning stove out near the small cabin with a cover, so we can cook on it in the spring and fall. Of course, we will use it in the winter as well to warm up or just to enjoy.
