There's a controversy cropping up over the new smart meters in cities  all across America

A concerned reader asked us the following question:

Just curious if ya'll have a "smart meter" installed on your house yet? We do here in Claremont and Im worried about it. And if you do what precautionary measures are you doing to block any possible radiation from those meters? Would love to see a post about it. You guys and gals would really help the movement to get rid of these smart meters.

Edison says they emit signals at least once a minute, while videos all over Youtube shows these meter sending signals several times per minute.

In fact, a " ...growing numbers of activists who are protesting against Smart Meters ...  They contend that the radio frequency (RF) Smart Meters emit is harmful to human health. People living with the meters are claiming mild to severe symptoms that are all over the board: Concentration and memory problems, dizziness, tinnitus, heart palpitations, headaches, sleep disruptions, nausea, anxiety and behavioral problems in children." - via Smart Meter Radiation Risk

Our response:

We are not too thrilled at the prospect of smart meters but from what I can tell we (thankfully) got a AMR (aka "Automatic Meter Reading") meter so the city still has to send someone out and "Walk By" to take a reading

But the installation of smart meters may well be on their way in your area.  However, many adverse side affects are being reported, such as ringing in the ears, headaches and even cancer.   See:  Living Nightmare How Smart Meters Led to Health Problems

Here is a list of counties in CA that have made smart meters illegal.

For an in depth look at smart meters and what you can do about it see Stop Smart Meters

We all need to educate ourselves and make sure we know what the dangers are and what our options can be.

What are your concerns, if any, over Smart Meters?

:: Resources ::

Smart Meter Dangers

Say No to Smart Meters!

Thermal curtains helps keep a drafty house, less drafty and warm

It's January right?  Just checking because the temp feel otherwise.  Today’s high will be a toasty 90 degrees (seems we are back on that wacky weather roller coaster ride)

Keeping warm won't be a problem this week, but here’s a post that’s been in my queue with a tip how to winterize your home.

From Better Homes and Gardens website:

"In the days before central heat and air, heavy portieres were used to ward off the drafts between rooms. Today, these draperies in the doorway serve decorative purposes. Portieres can add softness, color, and pattern to a room. Doorway drapes also make an eye-catching welcome into public rooms, and they can conceal the way to private rooms."

As ya'll know, we don’t have central heat and this old 1917 house can be down right drafty.

Fact: 33% of home heating and cooling energy loss happening through the windows    We don't have the money to replace our old windows(34 in all) but there is one simple solution that we can do.

Obviously, curtains on windows, especially thermal,  can keep a room warmer in winter and cooler in summer.  But, if you look at the vintage homes and cottages on especially on those  BBC programs, you will notice  period homes had curtains in doorways to keep the drafts out.  In some cases, depending on the fabric used, it will also  help soundproof a room.

Thermal curtain adds color and warmth to our bedroom

We find that by sealing off rooms with these curtains keep in the heat, prevents drafts and even add softness to a room.   In the girls room, especially that is blessed (cursed) with three walls of window (12 windows to be exact), thermal curtains have made our room more comfortable in winter.   Before you could hang meat it was so cold but now it's noticeably warmer - more like a refrigerator than a freezer.   In summer, the curtains keep the room cooler so it's a pretty wise and money saving investment.

:: Resources ::

How to make thermal curtains

Benefits of thermal curtains

Drying clothes on the homestead

Well, since I have never had a dryer to use (except when visiting friends or traveling), I cannot comment on using a dryer from firsthand experience.  All I know is that an electric clothes dryer is an energy hog.

Ever wonder why detergent companies try to sell their products that claim to give your clothes the smell of the great outdoors?  That's because nothing can make your clothes smell better than old-fashioned fresh air and sunshine.  Here on the homestead, we even love the smell of our chickens and other critters who have soaked up the rays for hours.  Ya just can't beat that natural solar dryer for clothes.  {Did you know that Fabric Softeners are made with rendered animal fats? eeewwwww}

There are many advantages to line drying.

Cost: Obviously, the cost in fossil fuel is zero.

Freedom from wrinkles:   You are freer in the sense that you don't have to wait around for the dryer to stop so you can get your clothes out before they wrinkle.  With line drying, clothes can't wrinkle if you know how to hang them up.  Hanging up damp shirts and slacks on hangers immediately after hand washing with a little hand pressing as needed often is all you need. Then they can immediately be put into your closet when dry. "Snapping" or shaking the clothes before hanging up other clothes will help with lessening of wrinkles.

Preservation of clothes:  Clothes last longer when line dried as they are not heated to high temps.  The lint collected in the dryer has come from off your clothes as they are partially disintegrating in the dryer.

Bleaching of whites:  Can't beat the sun for that and for sanitizing. In New Zealand, it was well-known that women would keep their nappies hung out during a frost, get them stiff  to get the whitest nappies.

Smell: Get the freshest smell ever without adding chemicals to your body or the environment.

Tips:

Line drying is a no brainer for southern Californians where there is no "weather" but mostly sunshine year round, little rain and dry air.  For humid climates, I understand that line drying, whether indoors or outdoors, can be aided by having a fan on a low speed blowing on well-arranged clothes to assist in air circulation and drying.

Line dried towels and jeans can become stiff. To avoid this, add vinegar or vinegar and baking soda mix to the final rinse.  Any vinegar smell will dissipate out.  Actually, we don't mind that our towels come out stiff as they smell so great.

Some clothes that aren't dirty enough to wash just yet can benefit from being out on the line to freshen up.

In dry winter weather, drying slightly damp clothes inside will help humidify the air.

Consideration of neighbors:  Our clothes line is not in direct view of any of our neighbors as our clothes line is strategically placed.  We also use a low clothes rack to hang smaller items and the more intimate apparel.

By reducing our dependence on air-conditioning, we can not only save energy but also become more resilient human beings. And we'll need that resilience. The coming decades will test our ability to adapt and create, and we can't leave it to technology to bail us out this time. - Stan Cox

We were spoiled this summer!  While most of the nation sizzled, it was So Cal's second coolest summer ever recorded.   More sweater time than swim suits.

But Nature sure wasn't going to let us go into fall and winter without one hot blast and, boy, is it a good one.   Yesterday, it was the hottest day ever recorded in downtown LA. 113 degrees.  Yep, hottest day EVER!  Pasadena broke its very own record high temperature coming in at 111 degrees!

I've lived without AC all my life.   Even in the hot & humid south where just sitting still you'd drip buckets of sweat.  I sure miss the South but not the humidity.

Moving to the dry heat of California was rather nice.  Heat is one thing; humidity is another animal.   Thankfully, we live in a pre AC house that has high ceilings, lots of windows and wood floors.   Sure, some days are just unbearably hot but we deal with it.   Our bodies have become acclimated - naturally.  I rather hate going into AC stores or even cars blowing that ice cold artificial air even when it's not even hot out.

As [urban] homesteaders it's not just about what we do but what we don't do.  Of course,  some of the choices are sometimes rather unpleasant.

A Step Backwards is Progress

How can one ever survive without AC? I mean it's one of the greatest modern invention, right?    Or is it?

The case against AC

... this invention has changed how people live, determined the population patterns of entire continents, and affected everything from when we have babies to why we feel so tired in the morning. It’s gone from being a salvation, literally sparing lives, to a possible health risk to an environmental demon because it could alter the planet’s climate.

Waking up from the air-conditioned dream

AC: It's not as cool as you think Artificial cooling has had a profound effect on how, and where, we live and work.

No Air-Conditioning, and Happy

In the heat wave, the case against air conditioning

The big chill: how air conditioning changed the world

Now you've read the case against AC and are courageous enough to pull the plug - now what?

How to to Keep Your Cool

8 Ways To Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning

Keeping Cool Without AC

Cool Yourself Without AC

Care to share some natural (or fun) ways you have found to keep cool without AC?

There's lots happening here on the urban homestead, I can't even begin to start with details.  So I am going to let pictures do the "talking."

Once again here's a pictorial post of what's happening on the homefront.

Enjoy!

Something Fishy Going On

New critter additions to the urban homestead - fishes!

Working a aquaponics contraption

Brewmeister

Jordanne's, our head brew mistress, been busy in the kitchen whipping up some wonderful drinks like ginger soda, beer and bugs. Yeah bug!

Jordanne starts a ginger "bug" with grated ginger, yeast, sugar and raisins

Ginger bug recipe here

Now all we have to do is feed "the lil buggy"

Sun Worshipers

When it comes to sunshine, our goats just love the warm morning rays.  Ahhhhhhh

Of course, "her ladyship", Fairlight has to come in and hog the camera.  Can't stand not getting all the attention herself.

Fun With Veggies

Harvesting the heads of cabbage

Cabbage head, sprouts pigtails!

Eats & Treats

More marmalade

Baking goodies

Mending & Maintenance

Fixing our new clothes line

Our new solar clothes dryer ready for action

Maintaining the hives

Hope you are enjoying all the pics, because there's more coming up.  Stay tuned for part 2.

VOTE FOR OUR PROJECT in TWO CATEGORIES!

Don't forget: you can vote once a day, and you do not have to sign up for anything.

Vote Now

I just wrote about not being able to work the AC at the last event saying it was good practice for the future.

I picked up that quite a few people were uncomfortable with the room being warm but if only they knew it has hip and trendy now!  With this latest article in the NY Times, it seems more and more people are unplugging their AC and going natural.

We kids have lived without AC all our lives so this concept is nothing new to us but it's neat to read about other peoples experiences and how they deal with going au naturel.

Farmer D always told us people survived the heat long before air conditioning coming up with sensible and practical ways to beat the heat - opening windows, doors, etc.   Living without AC you become more responsible for your actions - do you heat up the kitchen or opt for solar cooking or no cooking instead.  You dress appropriately and change your habits according to season, making you more aware of you natural surroundings.  And because we as kids lived without central air or heat I personal thing we are better off for it -  certainly healthier.

THE UNCHILLED LIFE

TO many Americans, abstaining from air-conditioning is a masochistic folly akin to refusing Novocain or renouncing the dishwasher.

Yet as this particular summer finally heats up, even citizens who believe that climate control is a God-given right may be questioning whether it has become a luxury they can no longer afford. They are probably also wondering how they can survive without it.

Those who’ve done just that like to point out that air-conditioning is a relatively recent boon to humanity: The Allies won World War II without it, and the great pyramids of Egypt were built al fresco. Today, fans of the unchilled life say that it is not only possible to turn back the clock and live as one with summer, but to do it while maintaining a fairly high quality of life.

Read full NY TImes article

So readers how are you dealing with the heat?  Care to share your no AC experiences.

Tips for living without air conditioning

Make it thru the summer without air conditioning

Earth Hour came and went like just another evening here on the urban homestead - in the dark.

Here's an entry from last year talking about how we power down

How many of you powered down and unplugged last night and how many of you will continue to incorporate these new habits on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.

Care to share?

Keeping Up Appearances

Everyone knows that actions speak louder than words.  So are there things, small things, that you do that you don't think as significant but are to those around you.

I recall a time when we had someone over and she walked into our kitchen and noticed that we didn't have any paper towels.  Of course we are a paper towel less household but what people observe about us and our lifestyle got me thinking.  What other things to people notice that aren't so obvious to me/us because they are habits now.  Is it that we carry metal water bottles with us where ever we got while others around us are guzzling from plastic bottles, is it the pile of cloth bags in the corner, or what brand of TP we use in our bathrooms.

Can someone, anyone just walk into our house anytime of day or night and see that we are striving to live a low impact life 24/7.

Or how about if someone were to go into our kitchen, bathroom or laundry room and open up a cabinet or refrigerator.  What would they find?

Something for all of us to think about - if our insides reflect our outsides.  I know one thing, this is we are still working on and it's certainly a struggle and part of the journey.  Right now I could list a whole slew of things we could do better - waste less paper when we print or on the computer too much these days, continue to whittle down the basic staples list, etc, etc.

But it's a matter of taking steps, small steps at a time.

What about you?

Back in 2003, we self installed 12 solar panels on our garage roof. The City of Pasadena solar rebating us 2/3rds of the cost.  This was something that we couldn't pass up!  They made solar affordable to common resident.  By producing our own green power, it was one more step in making the urban homestead more self- sufficient.

With our energy use being at 6.5 KWH a day, the solar panels are able to produce nearly 3/4 of our energy for the year.  For the other 1/4, we opted to pay the few extra cents for the city's green power program.  The urban homestead energy source is either sun or wind - both renewable.

Our DIY solar project is highlighted in the Kids Book Series GREEN TEAM.  In fact you can purchase a copy at our online store.

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Headlines like "So Cal braces for winter storm"  have been teasing us for the past few days leave us wondering where this phantom storm is.  We haven't had a lick of rain only dreary and cold temperatures instead.

A chance of rain was predicted Fri, Sat, Sun now they are changing the weather forecast to chance of rain tonight and there's even weather models that have rain all next week!  OK now that they've told us to brace for rain um we are waiting.  The garden beds are winterized, the animal area rainproof and the earth oven covered - we are ready!

We definitely could use the rain!  But one wonders where/when this storm is coming because  this morning it's cold but not one puffy cloud in sight.  But of course that could change...

With the dip in temperatures, we finally gave in - gave into to turning on some heat!

Arriving back from our goat walk in the lower Arroyo Seco, on paths full of golden leaves, we found the house heated with a nice little fire going in the Jotul wood stove.    Justin fired it up to get the chill out and for such a small size that stove really does a good job of heating three of the most used rooms in the house (living, dining and study room)  We all sat together for our Saturday movie night (Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian) enjoying the warmth and glow of the fire.  Our first fire of the season.

Over the year, Justin has been collecting scrap wood from construction sites and offcuts from building projects here on the urban homestead.  With a bit of recycled wood, the Jotul stove is very efficient heating source and we try to only fire it up only when necessary.

You can read other ways we like to keep warm here on the urban homestead.

News

There's a lot of stuff I need to write about and post.  For one, there's an upcoming article in a major magazine and more!  So stay tuned, this week (hopefully) will be full of informative posts.  I sense a posting blitz.  You ready?

"During World War II many consumer goods were rationed for civilians in order to supply more goods for both American and Allied troops. Among the items rationed were sugar, red meat, gas, oil, coffee, and rubber. In October 1942 fuel oil was rationed. During the especially cold winter of 1942-43 this brought numerous protests from citizens. A temperature of 65 degrees was set as the standard for homes, by the federal government."

For us Southern Californians, winter is winter only in the sense of the word.  Compared with other parts of the state we typically have what many consider mild winters.  No blizzards or snow just chilly temperatures and sometimes damp days. Nothing that would require us to spend weeks prepping for (no snow shovel, laying in of firewood, buying heating oil)  Actually I would consider us rather lackadaisical about the change of season.  Or rather Angelinos like to be moan our missed weekends if they are rain out or like comedian Sindbad says "when temperatures drop below 60 - it's close the schools and save the children!"  Yeah, we Angelinos are pretty pathetic when we have to deal with any REAL weather.  Heaven forbid we have a none sunny day.

Here on the urban homestead given that our winters are relatively mild the winterization of our home isn't much to speak of.  We do what we have done for the past twenty years (and we are hearty and stronger for it) living in the city.

Our winter preparations include (off the top of my head and it's still morning so, here it goes)

1. Use heat only when necessary - we try holding off using any source of heat until we really, really have to.  I would take a guess that out of 365 days in the year we only use our very efficient wood stove less than 30 of those days.

2, Bundle up - out come the (hand) knitted caps, socks, scarfs, jackets, sweaters and more jackets (purchased primarily from thrift stores).  Though we may look like we've lost our way and should be in Siberia, wearing all those layers does do the trick.

3. Chores -  moving those muscles and heating up our inner thermos. With garden, animal and other urban homestead chores it keeps the blood going and body warm.

4, Bread baking.  Now is the time to do a bit more baking in the kitchen.  Nothing heats up the house and your stomach like a warm piece of bread with homemade jam.

5, Soups da jour.  Warm & hearty meals warm the soul.

6. Blankets, blankets and more blankets.  Given that we don't have central heat and the bedrooms could be on many a winters day a meat locker we pile on blankets on the bed to give us a bit of extra protection from the cold.

How are you winterizing your home?

What sort of low impact solutions have you come up with to keep warm?

If you are new to low impact living, in history there's really good examples of how the greatest generation conserved resources for a good cause (PBS 1940 House).    Today more than ever we need to reduce our extraneous use of resources and perhaps these nifty old time propaganda posters will rally your family into action for the winter.

Here's an interesting article

"New arrivals went to the village office and picked up hand tools, wood, wire netting and fibro to clear their blocks, put up fences and grow vegetables, or run … poultry. It was all about self-sufficiency, getting back to basics,"

At the same time, Dr Jensen questioned the ability of 21st-century Australians - accustomed to abundance, softened by material comforts, isolated by selfish pursuits - to cope, and to help others cope, with coming hardships.

"We're experiencing a significant economic downturn, with possible increases in unemployment, poverty, homelessness, even hunger." Where now, he wondered, were the qualities of "mateship, good neighbourliness and lending a hand to those in need".

A suburb for our times: Depression-era village in Australia

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