luvinlife offthegrid- will winter ever arrive?

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Well! I checked this by chance, and I wasn't aware of more replies even though I subscribed to the post. I need to post the specs of my system, but it's too much of a PIA from the iPhone. But for now... We have a 24 volt system, outback inverters with inside "mate" monitoring system- auto gen start control. I am ashamed to say that I forgot the size of the battery bank and the new array. We have upgraded so many times since 98 that I just can't remember. Dh does all the battery maintenance I just check the voltage level daily in the winter. We are currently supplying 2 houses with our system. MIL lives in the cabin across the yard, and we heat the house, cabin, and office with the outdoor boiler. We recently took down our whisper. It wasn't producing what it should have been bc we couldnt get a permit to have the tower the right height. After we installed the second array, we really didn't need it anyway. It seems like yesterday that we had the six little golf cart batteries and a trace modified sin wav! I do know we have to increase our battery bank bc of the power output on the new array. More later!

So far no more raccoons.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Dear Vancouver Canucks: pull your sticks outta your butts and SCORE ALREADY.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Got another coon last week, and there is another one living under the MIL's cabin.

Something weird that I noticed... but I have not seen a single wasp this year. I wonder if the wet weather this spring (flood conditions) or the super deep snow has anything to do with it. The south side of the house is always covered with them looking for a way in. Before we replaced the windows, siding, and trim, they'd be IN the house. I'd have to vaccuum ladybugs and wasps from the windows on a sunny day. This year: not a single wasp inside or out. I've never used pesticides or anything. It's weird.

The garden fence is finally back up, now the cats can use something else as a litter box. I was sick of trying to fish out any fresh droppings on a daily basis.

We put up a swing for the chickens inside their run. Hubby used wire staples to attach a 2 x 4 to a rope looped around the rafters in the run. They like to perch up there and swing in the breeze, haha!

 

[savingdogs]

I've seen wasps, they are not extinct this year, I'll vouch for them.

We seem to be having a "mosquito" year here, probably because we had extra rain.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

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[luvinlife offthegrid]

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[sunsaver]

Congratulation on both accounts!

 

[savingdogs]

Don't be afraid to ask for special help for your son. My youngest was in the Title 1 program for years and it helped him tremendously. He does not have an official diagnosis but is one of those kids who does not learn well in a classroom setting and it almost has to be one-on-one for him for certain things and lots of hands-on.

The special classes and tutors they gave him were extremely helpful and were a part of our public school program. It was handled with sensitivity and individualized to his needs. My son has NOT been a schoolastic success despite the extra help, but it was a huge assistance to me, in trying to keep him "keeping up" with his classmates, to have the special help from the teachers and the programs offered. There were summer school courses as well. We just took it as a matter of course that our son needs all of these special crutches, he just learns things slower than the other kids despite being very bright. We don't really understand it, but at least the special tutors and one-on-one assistance he got has kept him passing with his peers. We don't mean to have low expectations for him, but sometimes a parent needs to adapt their parenting style to their child.

With our older three, I once employed a tutor but did all the "homework help", etc., myself. But in the case of my youngest, he works best with someone more of a stranger. Since we could not afford private school, we are so grateful for the special help the public school has given him and the choices offered for us to try. We did a year of online public school as well.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

My son has a diagnosis. It was necessary for him to receive an IEP as opposed to a 504. (Whatever, NYS. ) He he has aide that works with him in the classroom. He receives counseling and OT twice a week. He has been discharged from speech therapy after this year, but will be adding PT. So far a gen ed classroom has been ok for him. He is not becoming overstimulated as much as he used to, we have seen huge improvements in this throughout the year. Any issues he has are more directly related to performance anxiety over certain tasks. (Writing, art class, phys. ed class.) The school is willing to try a multitude of accomodations to help him with his school work.

Thanks for the support.

 

[luvinlife offthegrid]

Hey there, people. Someone just shared a funny with me, and I thought I'd share here. Owls with stupid expressions on their faces. Last one made me LOL @ work. I love owls!

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2011/06/21/owls-with-stupid-expressions-on-their-faces/

It's raining hard here. At least I don't have to water the garden and it'll top off my 300 gallon rain collection tank.

VACATION with my son next week!