Back to Basics Newsletter, 6/7/2010
Written by Roxanne Louise. Feel free to circulate.
Dear Group,
Many thanks to those who contributed at the last meeting (Glenn Mingo, Ron Mauer, Jim Conboy, myself – hope I didn’t leave anyone out). Special thanks to Larrie Kline for opening his strawbale house to show us his many healing and green devices, garden, and root cellar.
There is NO MEETING FOR JUNE. June 20 is Father’s Day. Also, VICFA (see below) is having farm tours. I plan on going to the one in Nelson. If anyone is interested in joining me at any of the 3 listed below, we can meet up and do a loop. Or you could just go on to what you want on your own. Also, if anyone wants to get together, perhaps at the brewery on Rt. 151 in Afton for beer or food and conversation or the one in Wintergreen (Rt. 664 corner of Rt. 151) or my house afterwards, let me know.
FIELD TRIP, Sunday, July 18 at 2:30 to home/gardens of Deborah Davis, Herbalist in Afton (434)296-1829.
Deborah sells herbs and interesting planters at Nellysford Farmer’s Market. Her home is half straw bale, solar powered, has a generator, is totally off the grid, and has a living roof. She has a geodesic dome greenhouse, multiple gardens including herbs and medicinal plants, flower and vegetables, bees. Should be interesting to see. Address and directions to follow.
VICFA (Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association) is celebrating “On The Farm” Day, Sunday, June 20.
Here is a partial list of participating farms, one/county. For other counties, see http://www.vicfa.org/meetings-events.html
Albemarle: The Local Food Hub Educational Farm at Maple Hill
| Contact: | Emily Manley |
| Address: | 7129 Scottsville Road
Scottsville, VA 24590 |
| Phone: | 434-286-2176 |
| Email: | emily@localfoodhub.org |
| Website: | http://www.localfoodhub.org |
| Opening Hours: | 2-5 pm. PLEASE EMAIL to reserve a space on a farm tour. Guided tours at 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm. Farm produce available for purchase. |
| Products: | Organic vegetables and eggs. |
| Directions: | From I 64, take Rt 20 south (Scottsville Road). Go about 14 1/2 miles to farm. |
Augusta: Charis-Eco Farm
| Contact: | Guy and Sue Freesen |
| Address: | 3081 Shutterlee Mill Road
Staunton, VA 24401 |
| Phone: | 540-886-8486 |
| Email: | charisfarm@yahoo.com |
| Website: | http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M3985 |
| Opening Hours: | 1-5 pm |
| Products: | Pastured beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, eggs, produce, quiche, jams, preserves, marmalades. |
| Directions: | Exit 225 off I 81. Go south on Rt 262. Turn right at 2nd flashing yellow light onto Rt 742 (Shutterlee Mill Road). Go approx 2.5 miles. Farm is #3081 on right. |
Nelson: Whistling Hollow Farm
| Contact: | Kate Mahanes and Jim Fleming |
| Address: | 8979 Dick Woods Road
Afton, VA 22920 |
| Phone: | 540-456-8212 |
| Email: | katemahanes@hotmail.com |
| Website: | |
| Opening Hours: | 11 am – 3 pm |
| Products: | Pastured lamb from Katahdin / Dorper hair sheep, duck eggs, goose eggs. |
| Directions: | From the junction of Rt 250 and Rt 151, go south on Rt 151 about 1 mile. Turn left on Dick Woods Road. Farm is .25 mile on right. |
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Build a Geodesic Dome Solar Greenhouse
I really liked this slide show of dome built in mountains of Colorado for year-round gardening.
Here’s another site for greenhouse kits. http://www.geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com
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Living Roof
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems….
Also known as Ҭiving roofsӬ green roofs serve several purposes for a building, such as absorbing rainwater, providing insulation, creating a habitat for wildlife, and helping to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect. There are two types of green roofs: intensive roofs, which are thicker and can support a wider variety of plants but are heavier and require more maintenance, and extensive roofs, which are covered in a light layer of vegetation and are lighter than an intensive green roof.
The term green roof may also be used to indicate roofs that use some form of “green” technology, such as a cool roof, a roof with solar thermal collectors or photovoltaic modules. Green roofs are also referred to as eco-roofs, oikosteges, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and greenroofs.
From http://www.livingroofsinc.com/our_work/?id=222
Featured green roof: Garden Shed – Raleigh, NC
This green roof was completed in 2005 and consists of a 4-inch extensive system on a 7:12 slope. The roof was specially designed to support the weight of a fully saturated green roof and retain the soil on a steep pitch. A mix of Delosperma, Sedum, Talinum, Euphorbia, and Sempervium species were planted in April 2005. The roof provides valuable habitat for backyard insects and birds.
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Thanks to David Dwillick, my Florida friend (you’ll have to tell us if things get rough from the oil spill, Dave) for reminding me about Backwoods Home Magazine, available online for valuable information on homesteading, self reliance, self sufficiency, country living, how-to, alternative energy.
Article index: http://www.backwoodshome.com/article_index.html#en
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One interesting article available for free viewing is
Wild edibles in delectable dishes By Rebekah L. Cowell.
Never eat anything you cannot identify without 100 percent confidence. The main edibles here include six easily-found and simple-to-prepare herbs: sassafras, sumac berries, chickweed and cress, dandelion, and stinging nettle. See http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/cowell123.html
For the beginning forager learning to identify wild herbs and edibles, refer to
àA Field Guide to Wild Edibles and A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Peterson Field Guides (be sure to get the appropriate edition for your region)
àThe Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, and
àany book by Susun Weed or Euell Gibbons.
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Solar hot water systems By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago118.html
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10 country doճ and donմs By Julie Crist,
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/crist96.html
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Also from Dave, How to Make Your Own Off-Grid Laundry Machine, http://lifehacker.com/5554390/build-a-simple-off+grid-laundry-machine
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Again, from Dave,
Key Ingredient to Super Strong Mortar Found in Sticky Rice | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World
“ Around 1,500 years ago, the Chinese started adding sticky rice soup to their traditional lime mortar mixture, which dramatically increased the strength of the mortar. Important buildings….were constructed using this composite mixture, and some of the buildings are still standing today even after earthquakes. …the key ingredient (responsible) for such a strong mortar…amylopectin, a type of polysaccharide, or complex carbohydrate, found in rice and other starchy foods. The amylopectin combines with the inorganic calcium carbonate from the lime to form a mortar that has more stable physical properties, greater mechanical strength, and is more compatible than normal lime mortar. After their tests on various mortar recipes, the scientists determined that the sticky rice mortar is the most suitable mortar for restoration of ancient buildings, which means its probably also appropriate for new construction as well.Ӽ/font>
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From Ed Pearson
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19047
Chemtrails: The Consequences of Toxic Metals and Chemical Aerosols on Human Health
by Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri
May 12, 2010
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From Ron Mauer
Latest way to seal a mylar bag using a Foodsaver and an iron. Ron’s favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnMOV8sWuiI
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For Amateur Radio Repeaters in Virginia, see http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/states/Virginia.asp
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From Project Avalon with Bill Ryan, an interview with Jim Humble. See http://jimhumble.biz and also http://projectavalon.net/lang/en/jim_humble_en.html
| Jim Humble: Using MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution) in Africa: treating HIV and Cancer, January 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgRrlqsTII
See website http://jimhumble.biz/biz-fundamentals.htm for 21 protocols for burn victims, cancer, AIDS, Swine Flu, fungus, malaria and more. The Fundamentals for using MMS (abbreviated) See site for full information. 1. Repeated small doses are more effective than large morning and evening doses. chlorine dioxide chemical generated by MMS does not remain in the body more than one or two hours at most. ….If you are in the habit of taking larger MMS doses only in the morning and evening as was suggested in the past, MMS will still cleanse the body of microbes and pathogens. However, new research clearly reveals that a smaller-but-continuous circulation of ClO2 prevents regrouping and reproduction of pathogens, especially in situations where you are fighting a specific health issue – whether a cold or herpes or hepatitis. 2. Put as much MMS into the body as you can without causing an increase in sickness, nausea, or diarrhea. Always start out with a one drop dose at first and increase the drops every time you feel you can. That means, of course, that you activate each MMS drop with 5 drops of citric acid or vinegar and wait the 3 minutes and add juice or water as always. .. increase to two drops if the first drop didn’t seem to increase sickness two hours after taking the first dose. Then keep increasing each one or two hours until you feel that you have reached maximum or until you notice a slight nausea. Generally two or three or four drops each time is all that is needed. …put a limit on 10 drop doses and normally you would never need to go to 10 drops doses if you are doing 5 to 10 doses a day. You stop when you are well. Or if you are just trying to clean yourself out then you could try the 15 drops dose three times a day as that has always been the standard. If you can take 15 drops three times a day for a week without nausea or diarrhea or other negative effects, then most likely the majority of the infections and pathogens and parasites are gone. After you are cleaned out a maintenance dose is still the same as always, 6 drops a day of MMS along with the citric or other acids required for activation. That’s for older people and 6 drops twice a week for younger people, older people being over 60. 3. Decrease the number of drops as needed if diarrhea or nausea occur, but do not stop taking MMS. Nausea and diarrhea are both good indicator signs that MMS is working. Diarrhea lasting for an hour or two is very good, but to keep it up for days at a time can cause more harm than good. 4. Avoid all forms of Vitamin C for two hours before and after use of MMS. This is a temporary requirement, necessary during the significant weeks of your ramping up to the level of drops where you can be considered to be “Cleaned Out.” If you are taking Vitamin C capsules marked as “12 hour” type, you will have to discontinue their use and only take capsules or tablets that do not indicate a timed action and take them only at night after MMS hours. See more information at http://JimHumble.biz/biz-normal.htm 5. Thoughtfully maintain a nutrition program adequate to maintain your immune system. Maintain intake of friendly micro-organisms (acidophilus, and other flora). MMS itself does not kill intestinal friendly micro-organisms but forceful diarrhea can sometimes reduce their numbers. Similarly, maintain intake of minerals – especially calcium and magnesium. Daily sunshine on the skin will maintain your vitamin D or, if you rarely see the sun, you must maintain “D” with supplements – - essential for maintaining the immune system. ====================== From Ron: “I can recommend this Amateur Radio dealer in Virginia http://www.hamradio.com/ . There are others. My most recent purchase, a 2 meter Kenwood TM-271 base station (not an HT), was purchased from here. Free shipping and next day delivery as I remember. They are located in Woodbridge. Phone 800-444-4799. |
From the website http://www.albemarleradio.org/ :
The 147.075 repeater of the Wayensboro Repeater Association has one of the most extensive coverage patterns of any repeater in Virginia. It’s about 60 feet from the Appalachian Trail on Bear Den Mountain, and both valleys East and West, are clearly visible from the location. Please consider supporting their effort by becoming a member. Here’s a membership form. Print it out, fill in the information (they want a copy of your FCC license if you are a first-time member) and send it in.
My handheld (generically called an HT) is a Kenwood TH-F6A. “
2) Manufacturer: KENWOOD
Item : TH-F6A
Description : 2M/220/440 5W HT 1.3GHZ RX
*$329.95
Coupon: $40.00
YOUR HRO PRICE $289.95
Additional information :
Larryճ is a Yaesu VX-7.
4) Manufacturer: YAESU
Item : VX-7R BLACK
Description : BLACK VERSION 6M/2M/440 5W 300MW 220MHZ HT 900 MEMS WIRES 1300MAH LI-ION BATT
$319.95
Coupon: $20.00
YOUR HRO PRICE $299.95
Additional information :
These HTs share the most popular frequency bands for repeaters, 2 meters (wavelength) and 440 MHz (frequency). They also have a third band that are not the same.
There are two more popular manufacturers, ICOM and Alinco. I do not have any experience with Alinco. They may or may not share the top quality ratings that I would assign to Kenwood, Yaesu and ICOM. I just do not know.
I think the most useful frequency bands for HTs are 2 meters (144 MHz), 440 MHz and 220 MHz in that order.
The more feature rich HTs like the Kenwood TH-F6A can be intimidating to get on the air because there are so many features that can be programmed. The less expensive HTs such as the following may be more user friendly.
3) Manufacturer: ICOM
Item : IC-V80-25
Description : 2M 5.5W HT WITH LOUD RX AUDIO
YOUR HRO PRICE: $109
Additional information :
The IC-V80 uses a BTL (bridge-tied load) amplifier that doubles the audio output.
The 36mm large speaker delivers 750mW of loud and intelligible audio.
Now available in most HRO stores.
Great price. Includes 1400mA battery and charger. $109
6) Manufacturer: KENWOOD
Item : TH-K2AT
Description : 2M 5W HT W/ BATTERY & CHARGER
YOUR HRO PRICE $149.95
Additional information :
8) Manufacturer: YAESU
Item : FT-270R
Description : 2M 5W HT W FNB-83 & CHARGER
$139.99
Coupon: $10.00
YOUR HRO PRICE $129.99
Additional information :
