Our wind tower, with a cute little wind generator screwed to the top. This little generator would see us through the often windy, dim, and cloudy days of the Pacific Northwest winter that could last a week or more before the sun rears her head again.
Who hasn't fantasized about having chickens, ducks, goats, or geese? Of going every morning to the barn and harvesting fresh eggs? Getting fresh milk? Well, I had. Once we were settled on our homestead, I was ready, willing, and able to pursue that dream. But Scott and Helen Nearing's words about livestock were fresh on our minds: the reason they didn't keep animals was that animals enslave people, not the other way around. It's a responsibility: you have to feed your animals, care for them, etc... However, in our reclusive isolated lives, we wanted companionship in the form of animals, wild or "domesticated."
We are great champions of LED lighting because LED light bulbs are energy efficient (most use from 1 to 4 watts, which is perfect for our small off-the-grid solar and wind system) and they don't have heavy metals like mercury in them like compact fluorescent lamps. The downside is LED bulbs are usually not as bright as other types of lighting, so it requires getting used to.
