I watched the video. It made me cry. In the end the "hero" is OK, but to have been treated like that is not. I didn't check on the original post date, but the video said the dog was now available for adoption. I hope it gets adopted by a loving person or family and has tons of room to run and play for the rest of its life. It was a German Shepherd puppy... approximately 8 months old by the time it was available to adopt.
I followed a link to an article on an off-grid farm in Alaska. I don't know what part of Alaska, but previous stories I had seen never showed the wonderful veggies they were growing and selling at their local Farmer's Market... really great food. It did mention that one head of lettuce was about $5... about 5 pounds of food at $1 a pound. It said they garden half an acre... and now earn about 2/3 of their income from their farming.
- This family of now four started out as a couple.
- Childhood sweethearts that found each other again after college.
- They have been there a bit over 20 years.
- They have two sons.
- Homeschooling is the norm.
- They don't eat meat and only occasionally drink milk.
- They can what they can.
- They have an outhouse with glass all around (yuk) and 4 seats :-).
- They paved their own 4-MILE road (driveway?) to the highway over several years.
- Have to have a 4-wheel drive to go across the road/driveway.
- It didn't say how many acres they own, but said it was $500 and acre in 1994, when they got there.
- It took them 10 months to build their first 12 x 12 foot cabin.
- They have solar panels to heat their water and run their appliances... 80 watts... 4 batteries.
- He is a biologist, she is multi-talented and works very hard.
- They were originally from Missouri. He wanted to go, she followed him.
- This article was on 4 separate internet pages... which I HATE reading, but I loved the topic and suffered through it.
- The boys are heading into their teens... we know what that means! :-(
A really interesting story I came across, and was reminded of while looking through my saved files, was one about an AFRICAN teen who found a book or something with a plan to make a windmill for electricity and water flow, so he made his own. :-) Isn't that great. I was amazed by the finished windmill... it was made from scraps, including a bike wheel, wood pieces in lots of sizes, and who knows what else. I went to look at the article again and decided to share this part of the initial paragraphs...
This might not seem like a mighty feat. But Kamkwamba, who grew up in Masitala, a tiny rural farming village off the grid in Malawi, was 14 years old in 2001 when he spotted a photo of a windmill in a U.S. textbook one day. He decided to make one, hacking together a contraption from strips of PVC pipe, rusty car and bicycle parts and blue gum trees.
Though he ultimately had big designs for his creation, all he really wanted to do initially was power a small bulb in his bedroom so he could stay up and read past sunset.
But one windmill has turned into three, which now generate enough electricity to light several bulbs in his family’s house, power radios and a TV, charge his neighbors’ cellphones and pump water for the village’s fields and household use.
It goes on to say the young man is 22 years old now. He has made a big difference in the lives of many people in his area. I hope someone is helping him to become better at what he is doing.
I have been very enlightened today... these are the days I stay too long at Facebook, discovering things that I hope to be able to use/utilize one day.
