Grama Sue's Rainbow Farm: alternative energy

Showing posts with label alternative energy. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2013

Candle Powered Heater Comes in Handy

On Thursday's, I usually pick up a few things from my friend Seth at the Burlington Market because it is difficult for us to produce enough for the demand we have in Nauvoo and then still make the Saturday market.

Last night was going to be Seth's last night there for the season so he offered me all that he had left over for a really good price. Then he stuffed my truck :) He and his wife have a FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huizenga-Family-Farm/111793305589433 if you want to check them out.

It was supposed to get down to 24 degrees last night. Having all that stuff on the truck when it was supposed to get that cold worried me, but instead of unloading it all and bringing it in, I put the candle powered emergency heater in amongst the melons.

Nothing is frozen! ... Now to find people to buy all this stuff! I'll be in Nauvoo today from 11 am to 5 pm and in Keokuk tomorrow from 8 am to noon. Come see me!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Sunday, September 29, 2013

New Roof Plans for Trailer

It's been a busy summer, but I finally added a new post to Grama Sue's Floor Plan Play Land .

For those of you who may not know, one of my hobbies is creating floor plans for working/country families. I love looking at floor plans, but they rarely have the features that Grampa Tom and I think ought to be in a home, like large mudrooms and master bedrooms that are away from the main living spaces.

The designs are, for the most part, dreams that we will never build, but I'd sure like to see some of them exist outside of my mind and my computer so I created a blog to show them to the world.

My most recent post though, is something Grampa Tom and I are actually planning to do :) Trailer roofs are notorious for leaking and ours is no exception. We often have to get up there to paint and fill the cracks that inevitably occur when a thin metal roof is blown around by the wind. We have often talked about putting a pole building roof over it, but not seriously, until one day a few weeks ago when Grampa Tom happened to mention our ideas to a couple of friends of ours who got all excited about it and told him they were going to help him.

This plan includes not only a roof, but a greenhouse designed for passive solar heating and cooling, a cold room for our veggies and lots of extra storage. Check it out at Grama Sue's Floor Plan Play Land

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

This Week's Floor Plan

I've been working on floor plans again. Actually came up with two this week, but I'm only posting one. This home is 2025 square feet and wraps around a sun room/ greenhouse. Check it out at Grama Sue's Floor Plan Play Land. Let me know what you think!

God Bless You All!

~Grama Sue

Beyond the Paycheck

The Rebel. That's what my neighbor dubbed me when I was a teen. Still am. Grampa Tom was always the black sheep too ... We’re a couple of radicals who are fiercely independent. The idea of punching a time clock really goes against the grain of our personalities. This blog will chronicle our journey away from the paycheck.

Grampa Tom had a great job managing a farm that gave him the freedom to set his own hours and a steady source of income. After 10 years his boss decided to give up the stress of overseeing the farm and rented out the ground. We couldn’t blame her, but it left us out in the cold. It’s not the first time he’s had a really good job that evaporated through no fault of his own. Our kids are grown. He’s a fantastic farmer and we’ve managed to accumulate a few acres over the years. We figure it’s time he struck out on his own.

Me – I haven’t held what you would call a regular job in years. I got into Avon full-time several years ago, then I started babysitting and homeschooling other people’s kids. I've also done elder care for many, many years and I'm the duly elected tax assessor for the local tax district.

We've always wanted an Old McDonald's type of farm. Grampa's main focus right now is pasture raised eggs and garden veggies. He is very interested in producing pasture raised poultry and milking cows but we're not set up for that yet. Need some more land and buildings! This little 3 acres here ain't quite enough for all dem critters! We have lots of chickens a couple of dogs, and way to many cats. We also raise cows, pigs, sheep, geese and turkeys, but these aren't always on the farm.

I'm focusing on egg noodles, baked goods and herbs for the moment. I'd love to work more on crafts to sell at farmer's markets and craft shows, but there's only so much time in a day! I often think about how great it would be to live 900 years like they did in pre-flood days. There is so much I want to do and learn! I know I've got eternity, but it seems my time on earth is disappearing in a flash! At best, there's only 30 or 40 years left to go!

Hope you enjoy this little window into our lives and our farm!

Grama Sue's Rainbow Farm

Locations