I am back, after a long hiatus of not posting! Well, there were a couple of random comments a while back, but I am now intending to visit here more often now. Here's the story: After having to miss out on last year's trip to Vermont because I was so ill, and my mother had just had a stroke, I was determined to make this year's trip, to work on our beautiful off-the-grid property that I bought for a song. Well, miraculously, I actually made it there from CA alive (barely; but I revived!) If I had been able to access the internet, I would have invited any of you in the area to come and visit--the whole little winding woodsy road is inhabited by the most earthy, wonderful families, building their own solar-powered homes, living off the grid. Next year we plan to fell some trees (with neighbors' professional help), add another solar panel, possibly dig a pond, and enroll our son in a blacksmithing course at the Putney School.
Now I'm going to post this, and see if the link to the pictures worked. I tried it out on the practice forum until the link worked, so it should work here. If not, I'll just give up until tomorrow. Here goes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45450734@N02/
Oh, I know this should go in some other forum; but I just wanted to stress the fact that we bought the place to take our kids to, so that they'd have some concept that there are other ways to live than in suburbia, where we're stuck for the moment.
ETA: OK, the pictures as they appear on the link are all in random order; but if you click on the two little "albums" on the right, labeled "Outside the house" and "inside the house" or something like that, it's a more ordered picture of the place. It is so much fun, living off the grid--if only for a couple of months every summer! I haven't been this excited about anything since I "discovered" blacksmithing!
ETA again: And besides the house, there are the wonderful swimming holes! And only an hour and 1/4 away, Old Sturbridge Village, my favorite spot on earth!
One rather sad thing: I noticed that I already have more friends in Vermont than I've made here in CA in 6 years. How did this happen? I mean why do people here in CA just sit in their houses, and people in Vermont talk and make friends? I MUST MOVE THERE! I am convinced that both my physical and mental health depend upon that.