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This Christmas, we celebrated our 9th year living off-grid (actually the 22nd), I thought it was our 10th year and was so excited, then I realized I was having a senior moment and apparently forgot how to count. Oh well, 9 years isn’t anything to sneeze at, right?

Yesterday we had our Christmas Eve music special at church, I’m in charge of the music, I even have a title, Music Director, sounds fancier than it is, I pick out the music for church and our special events, including Christmas. It was quite nice, we had some new voices in our choir, good strong voices. Today we had our regular service, after which I came home and made a brunch of fried potatoes with onions, in butter of course, toast and fried eggs with runny yolks. It’s one of our favorite meals, it’s easy to cook, it’s frugal and tasty.

The weather has been so very nice, we have had a few cold days & nights, but for the most part, it’s been in the 50s, 60s and 70s (F) during the day all month long, the nights get cold, cold enough for a fire in the woodstove, but nothing terrible. It’s been nice enough that PB has been pouring concrete again, this time working on the back of the SkyCastle.

I will leave you with another chatty vlog, ignore my pleas for the phone, I’m just having a droolfest over the phone mentioned in the video, I’ll eventually get one, hopefully this coming year, my son got one and he has been telling me all about his, I’m only a tiny bit jealous :) but I’m glad he has one.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a wonderful New Year!

https://youtu.be/QCF-bucVOwQ
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I’m amazed at how the people in your life can become your biggest and loudest critics when you decide you are going to do something, especially something positive and life changing. You have decided to take the plunge and move off-grid, then there they are, your friends, your family, they begin telling you all the things that can go wrong, all the mistakes you are going to make, how you are going to fail, how risky change like that is, how you shouldn’t even try, bla bla bla.

What’s even worse, is these people will most likely never do anything like this with their life, they are afraid, afraid of change, afraid of risk, perhaps even afraid of succeeding. As a result, they don’t think anyone else would be able to or even should be able to make such a change in their life. They will take every opportunity to let you know that your chances of succeeding are so slim, your chances of failure are so sure, they will do everything they they can to pull you down to a point where you will give up your dreams.

I’m here to tell you, yes stepping away from your regular life is risky, everything you do is a risk, sitting still is risky too. Don’t listen to the naysayers, don’t allow the negative people to decide which road you take, you are the only one that gets to do that. Choose to walk the path that leads you to your dreams, to the things you have always wanted to do. If you are here, reading this, I have to assume your dream includes living more independently, perhaps even off-grid.

Start making your plans, set some goals, learn more skills that will help you now and in the future. If your circle of people around you aren’t supportive of your plans, then enlarge your circle to include more positive supportive people. I’m not saying to ditch your current friends, just know which ones are supportive of your dreams and which aren’t and understand that the ones who aren’t supportive, aren’t necessarily trying to pull you down, they are just afraid, or perhaps they are content in their current life. If you aren’t content and want to move toward a different life, then DO IT, surround yourself with folks who will support your dreams and even help you achieve them. Start the new year off with a new direction and a more supportive set of friends.

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I’ve seen many barn conversions but this is the best one I’ve seen to date! I LOVE the sliding barn doors that completely cover the windows, giving privacy and security. The rock work on this building is top shelf, it was obviously created by a master rocksmith.

Here is the video, enjoy!
https://youtu.be/8Gcgz6aZ3jk

When Carlos Alonso and his sister Camino (partners at Madrid architecture firm Ábaton) were looking for a country home for their extended family, they stumbled upon an abandoned stable in rural Extremadura, Spain and recognized it as a special place.

High on a hill and far from city water or an electrical grid, the crumbling cow shed was far from the conventional image of luxury estate, but Carlos and Camino could envision a transformation.

This part of the province of Cáceres (near the Portuguese border) has been home to generations of cattle ranchers and the Alonsos recognized the wisdom those who came before them.

Building on the instinctual knowledge of the ranchers before them, the Alonsos preserved much of the old stable. The old watering trough became a fountain and interior patio where water now helps cool the home in summer. The hay loft above became bedrooms. The facade is still the original stone, though given the homes crumbling state, they were forced to add cement behind it.

Without access to the grid, the Alonsos added photovoltaics and hydro power and worked to ensure the home wouldn’t use much energy. The original position of the stable worked to their favor. The southern exposure allows for the sun to be the main source of heat during the winter.

The Alonsos also added large wooden shutters that slide closed like a second skin, covering the large windows at night to trap in most of the home’s daily solar heat gain.

The home was located far from city water, but perfectly positioned below two streams that flow year round. Since there is no one else above the home on the mountain, the water is pure and can be used for drinking and bathing (after a simple filter and rest period).

Greywater is purified and the water is put back to use on the property for watering the fields. On those fields, cattle still graze.

Even local rancher José Vicente Jiménez, whose family has worked this land for generations, is still here. His cattle graze the property and he clearly is pleased the Alonsos have rescued the old stable from certain ruin.

Original story: https://faircompanies.com/videos/view/abandoned-stable-now-luxuriousf-grid-family-dream-home/

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What does it take to be a good neighbor… One thing is being willing to help when help is needed. I don’t have really close by neighbors, but they are within shouting distance. Sometime this last year, we got a few new neighbors, we have gotten close to one couple in particular. They are the type that tend to make it out here, being DIY’ers, knowing how to do things for themselves, they are also independent souls.

A few months ago, they were going out of town and had another neighbor who was going to feed & take care of their menagerie, several dogs, a cat, 2 horses, a goat and a bunch of chickens. That fell through at the very last minute and we were asked if we could take care of the animals over a long weekend. We agreed and had a great time. One of the perks was we could have any eggs we found. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten really fresh eggs, I have to tell you, there is a huge difference between commercially purchased eggs and fresh homegrown eggs.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, those same neighbors went out of town again, we again agreed to look after the critters, those chickens are so sweet, they come up to you and cluck, they seem to like the interaction, or perhaps it’s the food… At any rate, the eggs were there for us to collect, PB diligently collected all the eggs he could find and brought them home.

A few mornings ago, I decided to cook up some fried eggs with those fresh eggs, they needed to be washed first, then I proceeded to crack the eggs into a bowl. The first one cracked just fine, with a rich golden yolk, it was going to be good! The second one, well, it wouldn’t crack. I know these homegrown eggs have hard shells, but this was ridiculous! It even sounded different as I continued to whack it harder and harder on the sink. Eventually I figured out that it was a fake egg made of ceramic.

I spoke to my neighbors when they got back, and sure enough, they had put in 2 of these fake eggs, put in there to teach the hens not to peck their eggs, I have no idea where the second one is, we checked all the other eggs that we collected, it’s not at my house… I am amazed at how real these fake eggs look AND feel, they even have the weight correct.

That’s my egg story and I’m sticking to it! Oh, one more thing, I have wanted chickens since before we moved out here, but PB wasn’t really crazy about the idea, one thing that tends to happen out here is someone will get chickens, and usually get far too many for their needs, having a dozen …