Justins Farm

$938 billion dollars for free health care. Wheee! But who pays for it???

2010-03-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

A beaming President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a historic $938 billion health care overhaul that guarantees coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans and will touch nearly every citizen's life.

I would like to emphatically comment on this. First of all our country is hugely in massive debt. We need to have a balanced budget and be actively paying down that debt before we even dream of more spending. We need far less government, not more. If our country goes bankrupt everything stops. All the free rides, all government payments. Oops! The less dependant you are on anything from the government the less vulnerable you will be in the future.

I don’t want health care of any kind. I am tired of getting offered drugs for every symptom. I use natural things to keep myself healthy - home grown organic food, use a rife machine (www.rife911.com) drink ionized water I make myself, and make my own free electricity from solar power so I won’t be a burden or problem to anybody else.

Most illnesses are self caused by diet and self abuse. We all need to work on prevention to stay out of a doctors office. More people die from hospital mistakes than in dangerous battlefields. With all the corruption from FDA, big pharm and corporations I don’t need another government agency telling me what I need or must do.

What’s next - free new cars for everyone? Guaranteed free tropical vacations? Or yearly grants of $100,000 to every citizen?

This used to be the land of the free - that meant freedom from oppression, not a free ride somebody else pays for. This free health care will be a big pot of ongoing problems, all on borrowed money.

We are all busy, but we must speak out and be counted!

Solar Hot Water Heaters aren't that hot after all

2010-03-19T19:44:00.000-04:00

I love alternate energy and have been touting self sufficiency to anyone that would listen for the last 30 years, even before it was chic to be green. I want something that was simple, effective, easy to install and use, trouble free plus it can’t cost a lot. I am not a multi millionaire buying $75,000 worth of solar panels to look good. I also believe in use less, need less and waste less.

I want to comment on solar hot water heaters. I have gone to home visits and seen product demostrations. I have read extensive articles on the latest solar water heaters where they got a small one installed for $6,800 (bigger would have cost twice the amount). The installers took three days to get all the plumbing put in, filling up one whole wall of the basement. After this was all done I was told that it would heat water best during the five hottest months of the summer and only if it was sunny out. The rest of the year not much. On cloudy, rainy and cold days you have to buy a plan “B” system also. If the system developed a problem could the wife figure it out and fix the problem if the husband was away? How many parts and pipes are prone to leaks and mishaps years down the line? What is the payback period? It seemed tedious and expensive.

I started doing research on alternatives. Tank water heaters are old fashioned and obsolete, heating water 24 hours a day whether you are needing it or not. The USA is so far behind! Why do we put them in? Because everyone else puts them in. The cities says we have to get better efficiency in our houses, then has the permit division practice saying no to alternative ingenuity.

In traveling I saw people in many countries using tankless hot water heaters. If you don’t turn them on they use zero energy. If you take a 6 minute shower and 5 minutes to wash your dishes that is all it is on all day. Amazing. I excitedly came home and went to the big box home stores and found some of these water heaters. I asked the clerk who “didn’t know nothing” but pointed to wording on the box. I can do that myself. I asked how many they sold? He didn’t know of any. The price was $985. It also required a fan that stayed on and had to be connected to an electric line This was not going to be my answer.

I found some on eBay, ordered one and had problems from the start. They were cheap and weren’t built very well. It took 6 months to get my money back. In frustration I decided to create my own hot water heater and get them built with many nice features. I looked at many tankless hot water heaters. Many were whole house, big volume water heaters. I saw them as being wasteful, costing you more money than necessary by needing to heat a much bigger water supply and push it 50 feet away in the house AND be able to do 3 showers and dishes at the same time. I see that as wasteful and dumb. Why not do one hot water event at a time? Why not put a smaller, cheaper hot water heater by where it is needed for less wasted cold water waiting for the hot? If your water needs are spread apart install two heaters. In the future I hope builders will keep water end use closer together.

I use and highly recommend a low flow high pressure shower head ($20? EBay) and use under 2 gallons of water for a nice hot shower. One day you will be charged for water by the gallon going in and going out. It might be good to practice cutting the waste now. You don’t need a huge amount of hot water.

I created a $250 6L unit that is good for a bathroom or kitchen unless it is in a really cold place with really cold incoming water. The less it has to heat the water the more flow. I also made a 8L ($279) and a heavy duty 12L ($399) which people really seem to like.

The units take about an hour to install; cut a vent pipe hole, attach the heater to the wall, connect the vent pipe, connect cold water in, hot water out. Our units can run off two D batteries or AC connection so you don’t need an electrical connection. No fan needed. Simple to operate. Lasts for years with no problems. Turn on the faucet and you have endless hot water. You can take 20 showers right after each other which is why it is a money saver at summer camps. These units can save about $25 a month in hot water costs giving them a payback in less than a year. I have a motorhome and instead of using my precious propane to heat the water for 15 minutes for my morning shower I just turn on my tankless water heater for a 5 minute shower anytime without waiting which is great coming back from a sweaty hike. Also no driving around with a lit pilot light.

I don’t recommend these heaters for endless on uses like filling a big wasteful garden bathtub, Jacuzzi or for radiant flooring, especially when starting from a dead cold start - it’s just not made for that. It works perfect for instant on, do the job, and shuts off completely.

We also harvest rainwater into big 550 gallon ($350) black tanks, run the water through a three stage filter ($85) then into the hot water heater for free water too. We love getting all our bills to as close to zero as possible. You can too!

Want more information and lots of pictures? Go to http://www.cozyhotwater.com/

or our main information website http://www.aceguru.com/.

I worry about America

2010-02-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

I worry about what our government leaders are doing.

We pay them fabulous salaries to make the best decisions for us. Instead they are running our country into the ground incurring huge debt and still spending! Don't start expensive no win wars. Stop trying to make natural health products illegal. Stop closing down and regulating the small farmer.

So what have we learned in 2,064 years ?

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." ... Cicero - 55 BC

We must not ever spend more than we have. If I can do it the government should set a good example and do it too.

The government should be as small as possible not trying to take over everything with more and more people on the payroll to check up on the people that aren’t.

The government needs to uphold the Constitution, promoting privacy and freedom. Have them stop trying so hard to eavesdrop on and control the people.

Have the government fear the people not the other way around.

Have people get off government payments. Now 58%+ get a government check for non productivity. How long can the few productive workers float all the bills? What happens if it all stops? People aren’t used to providing for themselves anymore. No survival skills. TV and a government check doesn’t make you a survivor. I ask people what would you do if the lights went off, the water was off and you have one flush of your toilet left? “I have no idea.” “Sit on the couch till I die.” In the end who will be left are the knowledgeable people, Tupperware, cockroaches... and Cher.

I suggest getting debt free, have a paid for mortgage, grow a garden and save your own food, create your own electricity and water. Don’t need much of any income to still live well. Don’t be dependent on anybody. Get out of the false security zone. Be as self sufficient as you can. If the outside world turns off have it not make any difference to your lifestyle.

A fun watch that does everything!

2010-02-10T13:16:00.004-05:00

I have been looking for a watch that does just about everything. I have looked at many watches up to $800 and found one for far less ($129 free shipping) on Amazon:

Tech 4 O 2010 Traileader Jet All-In-One Outdoor Watch

It has an altimeter - handy for when I go skiing, barometer and storm watcher to watch for upcoming weather, a thermometer so I can tell people the temp around us, a pedometer, calories and heart rate monitor for when I exercise, digital compass so I don’t let lost coming out of the Costa Rica jungle, and a PC link to track my progress. Also a countdown timer handy for when my homemade bread is done, a stopwatch for how long to get to the cabin and back, 2 daily and weekly alarms. It also tells the time! It has been highly rated so I ordered one and love it.
More detailed specs http://www.tech4o.com/p-80-traileader-jet.aspx

Creating less garbage

2010-02-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

I don't like to have bills of any kind and this is how I got rid of my garbage bill.

I started analyzing what was in my garbage and made definite changes that worked:

I saw a cereal box crumpled up. The change: When I go to the grocery store I leave behind the packaging like with cereal boxes. I can tell what it is. If enough people did it they might switch (to look politically correct green) simple biodegradable packaging with just a label on the outside. The disadvantage to them is that we could see how much or little we are really getting without the box to hide it in!

Even better change: I bought a wonderful oat roller/flaker. I run raw oats through it, making my own oatmeal, enough for a fresh bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I put the oats in hot water, add some raisins, cloves and cinnamon and cover for 10 minutes. It's wonderful!

Stop buying cans. I can make homemade pea soup and many others in only a few minutes prep time. I started making my own marinara sauce and putting it into jars with reusable canning lids.

Stop using plastic wrap. We started using real Tupperware that seals great, is made from safe plastic and has a lifetime warranty. If it breaks you get a new one.

Stop using paper towels. Use reusable heavy duty absorbent towels that can be washed. Tupperware has these too. Oops, I sound like a commercial for them.

Fruit and veggie peels, coffee grounds, scraps. These are wonderful to put in a worm bin that is in or by your kitchen. You can create the best potting soil for free.

Newspapers: in your garden put them on the ground spread out next to your plants then cover thickly with grass clippings. This way no weeds all season and no watering needed. Each year your soil will be even richer.

Yogurt cups. Handy for making homemade yogurt for 1/4 the price. They also make good little pots. We don’t buy or drink commercial pasteurized milk as they found it is not good for you and causes illnesses. We get raw milk from Daisy, a cow we know personally and exchange glass bottles.

Shopping bags. We have been collecting and bringing our own cloth shopping bags we keep in our car. You get many positive comments on your effort at the farmers market.

By the way when the city found out I stopped my garbage service they issued a warrant that I could be fined and arrested for "illegal dumping of my garbage." I told them I didn’t have any garbage and could use more garbage for my projects. They came to inspect me. I explained my system. They thought it was revolutionary in reducing community waste but said they wouldn’t go to the trouble of doing it themselves and would still come check and "get me" if I tried anything sneaky.

What if the girlfriend gets cold?

2010-02-09T15:53:00.004-05:00

It can get cold and snowy here and I enjoy using my wits to live well, but most ladies would rather be where it is “civilized” and warm during the really cold months.

We haven’t build our house yet, using several separate buildings. We have an outdoor kitchen which is really nice in the summer with the windows all the way around. But when we’re in the “office” and want something to eat and she’s making it, this is Tina bringing in the meal from the outside kitchen.

So what to do? Due to some unexpected circumstances Tina now has no mother and a condo in Florida. We drove down in her Prius and are enjoying some warm while it can be so cold up north.

What’s it like here? Are you Jewish, No? Almost every one else is in Delray Beach. Oy! I learned a lot about the Jewish people. As Mark Twain said long ago (see below), they are smart, good natured and humorous. They have always valued education very highly, building schools before synagogues if funds were short. They help others. Often Jewish charities are one of the first to quietly arrive at international disasters with assistance, almost never being mentioned in the media, most recently setting up the first medical facility in Haiti after the earthquake. They have strong ethics of personal decency and getting along with others. I feel sorry for people that condemn them and others without taking the time to know anything about them.There are lots of seniors in south Florida. Lots of new 55+ condos being built with perfectly manicured landscaping. “So, who do you belong to?” “Don’t get on the grass,” “Slow down,” “Are you old enough to be here?”
South-east Florida is crowded with lots of late people on 6 lanes of traffic going each way. It’s noisy from fire trucks, ambulances and police cars stopping people. In the areas with lots of senior citizens, people hardly cook. There are lots of restaurants at almost every street corner with many good early bird specials. I love Italian restaurants! Burp! I am available if you want to invite me.
You think it would always be sunny and warm but it can be cold, rainy and windy like today in Florida.

South Florida is also a good low-cost airport. We just booked a trip going to Costa Rica for $69 each way. So we’re getting untangled and getting booked for some fun adventures. You can get 8 day cruises for $499 - almost cheaper than staying home.

They also have many events happening: Wednesday I’m going to a fancy brass band show at the condo. Thursday is the Miami Boat and Yacht Show. Friday is the Garlic Festival. Saturday is the Renaissance Festival.

Winter time on the West Virginia Farm

2010-02-09T12:07:00.003-05:00

It can be cold with snow coming down hard and the people in Florida pity us but let me tell you the inside story why we are here. We have been making preparations for this all year.

While the warm weather people are going off to work so they can pay their big mortgage, food, electric, cable TV, air conditioning, condo fees, garbage and water bill... that stuff doesn’t even apply to us. We have paid off the farm years ago in the first year, we are debt free and pay off any credit card payment at the end of each month with an automatic payment, run so little electricity for what we actually use we can run with four solar panels for free electricity.

My paid for 1998 Chevy S-10 pickup truck works great and insurance costs only $33 a month. We grow, preserve, can and dehydrate more food than we can eat. We don’t have to waste gas and time to go to the store shopping, we just pick the best organic home grown food from a well filled shelf. Picking some stored golden potatoes and opening a jar of applesauce and chicken meat doesn’t create much garbage. The peels go to the worm bins which are making me free fancy potting soil for springtime. We harvest rainwater in several 550 gallon tanks for more free water than we can use.

Winter days are good for a crockpot of stew, some homemade bread, some elderberry wine and a peach cobbler all a pretty much no cost. As you read your book in the soft padded rocking chair by the fireplace you can smell all the goodness getting ready. The content cat is loving being inside licking her paws just right. I may even go for a 30 minute nature walk in the snow with the rich blue sky to come back just as everything is done. What a burst of smells greets me at the door!

After dinner it's fun to play some music or get a game of gin rummy going with your sweetie. No TV or video games are needed. Are we lucky? No, this was just our plan. Just good country living. Now go create a life plan that really works for you, so good, people say “wow, I wish I was living YOUR life!"

Our 12'x54' greenhouse stays warm all winter growing bananas, tomatoes, papyas, hibiscus, geraniums and much more.

It can look snowy but still excellent for a walk down our driveway.

Raising Piranhas

2009-08-09T10:17:00.013-04:00

I started raising fancy guppies when I was a kid and was always curious about raising piranhas.

In 2008 I order 20 one-inch babies from a guy on eBay. They grew fast eating little chunks of meat and fish.

I thought I would raise these up and sell a few to help pay for the remaining ones. What I found is that there is no resale market for piranhas no matter how nice they are. People will come and eagerly look at them but don't want to take them home.

I ended up putting them in a big 300 gallon tub in the garden. It's fun to tell people you can rinse your hands there but don't dangle them for too long because we have big piranhas in there.

I ran an ad to sell the ever growing fish - one guy asked how many would it take to fill up a moat? He is tired of trespassers and wants to dig a moat and put in piranhas to solve the problem. I didn't hear back from him.

The fish are easy to keep, just don't over crowd them or over feed them. The water can get dirty and then they die. I got an over sized biofilter that worked well. I fed catfish chunks (cheaper!) and raw peeled shrimp till it got expensive to feed 20 six inch hungry fish. I eventually got a minnow trap and would catch a bunch of live minnows from the creek for free each morning.

One reason I am getting rid of the tropical fish is that the fluorescent lights use a lot of electricity (40w x 2 each) plus the heaters can be 300 watts in a 55 gallon fish tank. I had 5 big aquariums and it could suck up the power. Not a good idea if you want to run with the least amount of solar panels. Also the lights had a very high EMF radiation which we were able to check with a $40 EMF meter from EBay.

We just got more solar

2009-08-09T10:12:00.005-04:00

A very kind benefactor ordered this solar setup for us. It has 3 big solar panels on top and inside 20 6v heavy duty batteries, charge controller and 1200 watt inverter. It also has a generator for charging the batteries, when low, all included in one handy well put together package.

What's nice is that it is totally portable so you can move to where you need it. This solar setup was custom built by a man in Michigan who makes these as a business.

Jim (989) 872-3424.

Cute big dog Rocky and our cat Piewacket

2009-08-09T09:53:00.007-04:00

This is Rocky, our German Shepherd.

It hard to believe we carried him home in our arms 18 months ago.

His favorite thing is to go chase a stick. You can throw a stick way into the woods, brush and brambles, at night, and he can find it.

This is our cat, Piewacket.

Someone threw her out a car window as a wee bitty kitten and drove off. Now she has become a loved part of the family. If you come by and need loving she will come up to you

Spring wildflowers

2009-08-09T09:50:00.017-04:00

On our hillsides we have fields with thousands of these wildflowers and more.

It is so amazing to see the wonders of nature, just taking care of itself.

Luna moths

2009-08-09T09:45:00.005-04:00

One of the biggest, showiest, magical moths around is the Luna moth.

I created a cardboard box with 1/4" hardware cloth on the front and hatched out a female luna moth. I put the box outside for the night and found several eager and lonely male Luna's at the front of the screen. Males can smell an appealing female from several miles away.

The moths are sleepy in the day time and active at night.

April in the country

2009-08-09T09:29:00.008-04:00

It is so pretty here in the country.
The flowers start to bloom making all the work worth while.
We have about 200 different iris colors and styles along 400 feet of driveway.

I like Gothic doors

2009-08-09T08:32:00.004-04:00

As I travel I love to discover good gothic doors. There is something mystical and marvelous about them. You almost expect a hobbit to be on the other side with hot tea.

This door was the front door of the house Mary Ingles (of Little House on the Prarie) bought and built for her parents in Missouri.

Send in any good pictures you have. I wonder how hard they are to build?

FLY FREE! How to get a free round trip airline ticket.

2009-02-20T08:18:00.002-05:00

Justin’s SECRET on how he flies all over the world for free - mileage Credit cards. The best offer in 16 years. You need 25,000 points to fly anywhere in the USA.
The offer: earn 30,000 points just for signing up for a Mileage Plus Visa card from United and make at least one purchase plus earn 1 mile per $1 spent. Cost $75 a year. Still cheap for what you get.
Call 1-877 858-5188 (offer code C7G4) to apply, and be sure they provide the operator with Justin’s Mileage Plus number of 00652717888. Call Justin after you have signed up and he will send you his “Getting Lots More Free Miles Secrets Newsletter.”

WHEN DID I FIRST START TO THINK ABOUT THIS?

2009-02-19T18:44:00.000-05:00

I have a relative with a fancy house in a upscale location, 3 freezer filled with food in case of an emergency. She even has a generator. I was there visiting when a storm hit. The power went out which meant all the lights went out. She found 2 small candles. The hubby went to start the never- been-used generator. Oops - the only gas was half a gallon in the lawn mower. It took awhile to syphon some gas. He got the generator going. Oops, he can’t use it in the garage because of the fumes. It’s pouring rain outside. He opened the garage door and started the generator. He then had to find an extension cord and found none. He rolled the generator back into the garage, left the garage door open and having only 2 electric outlets plugged in only 2 refrigerators. Fumes filled the garage but what else can you do?

Someone soon said “how come the toilets aren’t flushing? With no water and no water pump you get one flush till it comes on or you go out and fill the toilet water tank with a bucket. They didn’t have any stored water so that was not an option. They had an all electric kitchen so no cooking was possible. The hubby started up the BBQ and half way cooking the rapidly defrosting fancy steaks he ran out of propane. He was drinking the beer because that’s no good warm. Just about then the generators ran out of gas and stopped. The 2 candles had burned down and went out. This really happened. I was there. It was all quiet. No electricity, 1 refrigerator, 2 big freezers getting warm, the dark house getting cold, no working toilets and bored kids demanding to watch TV. This is not a good time to start a self sufficiency program

I was there visiting in my self sufficient solar powered motorhome. I asked if they wanted to come out there but I think they were too embarrassed to do so. I put on a nice meal, watched a video and went to bed heated with an electric blanket, took a hot shower in the morning then went in to see how the socialites were doing. Hubby got in the car to go get more gas but a big tree was blocking the road. He got out with his 5 gallon gas can and walked 2 and half miles to the gas station. There was 80 people in line ahead of him. After waiting an hour they ran out of gas and he walked back to his car. Could he even have carried five gallons/45 pounds of gas back?

Unprepared people waste valuable time and are in misery trying to play catchup. The hubby also left the wife and kids vulnerable when he left for several hours. If you are prepared a “disaster” is not a big deal or even noticeable. You have everything you need all ready in place. You have a gas refrigerator, stove and heating system and plenty of backup fuel. Flashlights, candles, lanterns, water, backup water, more backup water, food, well stocked backup food pantry. You have plenty of blankets, you have solar electricity backup with batteries and low wattage appliances. Have the kids each be significantly trained to cook, clean, and help out. It’s only a disaster when you aren’t ready for it.

Starting is the hardest part

2009-02-19T16:18:00.003-05:00

So many people have been asking about the farm happenings I have started this blog. Being on a farm is fun because you get the peace and quiet, you have room to roam... and no charge for parking. The snow is gone for the moment, chickens are digging in the flower bed, I try and get the dog to chase them out but he just wants to play with his ball.
The greenhouse did the best this winter - the tomatoe plants are 8 foot high with 8 varieties of the weirdest heirloom tomatoes. Next time will grow a few more normal ones.
Coming back from a trip in Jamaica I have some 20 fancy hibiscus flower stems which I think I can get to root and grow. I love to see things prosper and grow.