December 20, 2015

Community

Do you see what I see?

eyes-260571_640

There are many things we can live without and still do pretty well, but eyesight isn’t one of them. I know there are many folk who live with limited or no sight, but living independently is near impossible without good vision.

As I am getting older, I have noticed my eyesight going south, it’s not terrible, but I have used readers for a number of years, and my night vision has been something troublesome for more years than I like to admit. I can see OK at night, but lights bother me when I drive, street lights, oncoming traffic, I noticed I was getting “dazzled” by lights at night while driving, nothing that would stop me from driving, but definitely something that bothered me.

A few months ago, I flashed my brights at an oncoming car out on a lonely dark road, I felt like they had their brights on, that car turned around on the highway and came back toward me, I thought that I had really ticked someone off and was getting prepared to defend myself. Then the red and blue lights came on, turned out I had flashed a highway patrol car. He was very polite, and I was very contrite, I didn’t get a ticket, just a warning. That’s when I decided I needed to do something about my night vision in particular.

After a bit of research, I settled on 2 (technically 3) supplements for my eyes. The first is Bilberry, after taking it for a good week, I added a Lutein & Zeaxanthin combination, I had read the reviews and many said after using the 3 together, they noticed a difference within a week, I didn’t know if I believed that, but I’m going to tell you that after taking the 3 for a week, I noticed a difference, specifically in my night vision! The biggest change was the fact that lights, oncoming traffic and streetlights no longer bothered my eyes. If that is all it does, I’ll be happy with those results, but I’m expecting even more results as I continue to take them.

According to herbwisdom.com, Bilberry has a long medicinal history in Europe. It has been used to treat anything from kidney stones to Typhoid fever. During World War 2 British pilots noted that Bilberry jam before a flight dramatically improved night vision. Modern research now supports these claims.

WebMD says Lutein and Zeaxanthin protect the eyes from harmful high-energy light waves, such as some ultraviolet rays in sunlight. Studies suggest that high levels of lutein and zeaxathin in eye tissue are associated with better vision, especially in dim light or where glare is a problem.

I am absolutely a believer now, fortunately these are inexpensive supplements, especially for their benefit. Have you tried these? If so, how has it worked for you?


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Closed tavern in Swett
Land

South Dakota ghost town – ideal for staging off-grid reality show

The South Dakota ghost town of Swett is once again for sale, and this time the asking price is a lot cheaper.

Swett in the southwestern part of the State is home to about 6 acres of land, an empty house reputed to be haunted and a closed bar. It first went on the market in June 2014, for $399,000. It generated interest around the world, but three written offers fell through for various reasons.

Real estate agent Stacie Montgomery says she’s put the town southeast of Rapid City back on the market, at a reduced price of $250,000. The tract was cleaned up, with three decaying mobile homes and an aging transport truck removed.

Swett isn’t the only town in the area put up for sale in recent years. In 2011, a Philippines-based church bought most of the town of Scenic, paying $700,000.

Montgomery said when Swett went on the market last year, she got hundreds of emails and calls from prospects as far away as China, Russia and Australia. She said she got several verbal offers in addition to the written ones.

Those who showed interest in buying the town included people who wanted to be mayor or live off-grid, and a Nebraska man who wanted to bring in 2,000 women from Russia and 600 men who are felons, build houses and run cameras nonstop.

Montgomery still gets phone calls about the town, she said.

“It’s been a year and a half and people still want to know about Swett,” Montgomery said.

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Heat my Homestead

There are many ways of staying warm in your off-grid home without the aid of the sun. Here are some tips on how to keep toasty during the frosty winter months.
Clothing: Warm yoursefl and not the room!!

Two great websites for buying your essential winter clothing are:

https://www.offgridclothing.co.uk/

https://www.smartwool.com/

Woollen, insulating socks, gloves and hats are a must to keep your extremities warm. Waterproof
jackets and trousers will mean that you are both cosy and dry when working outdoors collecting
wood or tending to your livestock. Army surplus stores are also great for buying durable and warm
clothing that will be dependable for many years. A friend spent some time in northern Sweden as a musher. With an average temperature of -25 degrees Celsius he needed the correct clothing and bought the majority of it via army surplus stores

https://www.armysurplusworld.com/sitemap.asp

Layers of lighter clothing for outdoor work are ideal as they will allow body heat to travel easily
through the various items of clothing, providing you with a jacket of circulating heat. Steel-capped boots, goggles (with a UV protection lens) and face masks will also make the outdoor hours more
comfortable.

Firewood: Wood, wood and more wood is the order for the winter. Stocking up on firewood in the months leading up to winter will mean that you can rest easy in the knowledge that you have an abundance offuel to keep those wood-burning stoves roaring. Jamie writes in his blog
Prepping for an Off-Grid Winter https://anamericanhomestead.com/prepping-for-an-off-grid-winter/ how he buys “slab wood from a nearby mill” at a cost of “$20 for 1 ton (2000 pounds)”. Slab wood is the rounded part of the wood that goes to waste after boards are created. So on an eco-level, employing this wood for your fire puts it to good use. The bits of wood tend to be rather small so are ideal for continuous feeding of your fire. Larger logs should be used for overnight heat and off-grid blogger

Jamie collects these from fallen trees and branches in the local area. Make sure that all wood is kept in a dry storage area. Furthermore, if you have a generator or vehicles, you need to stock up on gas and petrol. This is especially important if your home is liable to being snowed in and unreachable.

Rooms: Be cautious and conservative with how much indoor space you are using at any one time.

Shut off rooms that won’t be used for prolonged periods of time. Block up the space under the door with blankets. If door and window frames have expanded and contracted, cracks and crevices will have appeared. These can be sealed with gaffer tape or plastic cling-film. By using a candle or lighter and tracing the frames, the flame will flicker where air is passing through, signifying where you need to apply a seal. Attic and loft insulation …

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