Back to the Blog Use 12volt

It is time for more articles and they will be a bit more informal. John’s l.e.d’s I connected at my house are working great. They light up the sunporch and are really bright with less than 4 w of draw. We have a restaurant wanting a set and are discussing with others. Let’s hear it for keeping to 12 volt.

Bartering on the Blog Swap items from Don

Hi, or hey All.  John, here’s a list of items I have and am willing to barter or swap out.

Plastic bulk tubs like bulk food is dispensed from.  Need to make a top lid, have material.  12. nonLMS, 10 to usens ha.

Lots of various storm windows and screens.  Screens great for dehydrating with cheese cloth etc. 5. , 3.

Batteries when I can get them for 12v. Some below 12v. but good for lights.    20., 12.

Rototilling gardens for other trade related work.  We’ll talk about value, plus a gallon of gas.

12v. used car fans, great for attic vents or greenhouses etc.  15, 12.

 

 

Saturday Open Air Market at Coffee Traders

Last Sat. we started the Open Air Market off Hendersonville Rd.  It was great to talk to others who have an interest in self-sufficent or responsible simple living.  Cameron raises mushrooms and Mark and I were able to discuss how he has made a business from an interest in raising and gathering unique types of mushrooms to eat.  I will be in charge of the calendar of events as well so have 3 weeks of sm. workshops planned at Market time.  This Sat. will be Bamboo Wkshop. and we will make a bean trellis for a kids’ garden from cane, then next solar workshop, next glass and bottle cutting.   So, the Market is not only going to be economically profitable for all of us but we are gaining a lot of info. to build on.  Hope everyone who can will come out.  Thank you very much for being bloggers on this site.  Watch for the next post;  Bartering on the Blog.

Live Simply Gardening Workshop

We will be having The Gardening Workshop

on Sat. Mar. 31st. in Asheville NC. at The Biltmore Coffee Traders right across from Apollo Flame Restaurant on H’ville Road from 9-12 Noon.  First hands on session will be from 9-10:15 and half hr. break from 10:15-10:45.  From 10:45 till Noon+ we will finish up the garden beds, discuss and start compost pile, then look at some simple solar and 12 v. electrical projects as well as define our aim for Live More Simply Group.  Please bring active hands, hearts and minds to do something helpful.  Thank you and please call if you have further questions.  Please bring your business cards if you have a business and are willing to be introduced.  Two weeks later on April 14th. we begin a Saturday Market at Coffee Traders from 9-12 and invited small businesses and entrepreneurs to rent a table and sell.

Please exit the Gardening Workshop and Market on the Spa side of the parking lot and be cautious of the traffic on Hendersonville Road.  While it is a great location, the traffic moves quickly and there is limited reaction time to exit.
I’m looking forward to a great group. Don

Nearly natural grafting of a pear tree or other fruit trees gardening

The Bartlett pear tree was about 15 years old and not producing well so when I bought a new tree at Lowe’s Garden Ctr. I tried a grafting experiment.

I put the new tree next to the old one and removed bark on the new branch and a branch on the old tree down to the green where the two would touch.  Nails were pounded through the

old and new limbs laid next to one another.  Next, grafting tar was applied or really some roofing tar to seal the union.  A month ago I was able to cut the new limb from the new tree and move the new tree to be planted, since the graft took and the new limb is still alive.  I only wish now I’d grafted more limbs since the old tree will now produce fruit of the new kind on the new limb attached to the old tree.  The potential here is a simple way to use an older tree with strong root system to produce new and different fruit. This is also helpful to get a pollinator for the old tree and vice versa.  While there are other grafting methods, this seems to be a simple way to graft easily and simply that works. Today I noticed leaves are ready to come out.  Don @ live simply workshops

Food and Energy Savings Live Simply Workshops

At the workshops I have had discussions and agreement that if we can get our energy and food needs taken care of more cheaply, our budget will be okay as and individual or family.  We are not only not doing some simple things to save on our energy and food needs, we have a generation who doesn’t plan ahead for emergencies like our Grandparents and Greatgrandparents did.  Consider these two simple ways of saving immediately:

Energy 

-Use home for homebase and not a pitstop.  Plan your week and your trips.  Become more effecient.

-Don’t allow your electric water heater to run 24/7.  Install an inexpensive timer or shut off 20+hrs. a day.

Food

-Buy when items are on sale.  This is your commodity market purchase.

-Use dinner leftovers for lunch throughout the week

These 4 suggestions have the potential of saving hundreds for you this year.  I teach that the savings should be split in half with half being invested in more food and energy savings and the other half is true savings to the family budget and left alone.  Don@livesimply workshops