The Human Experiment: Part 1 Intro and BPA

   The other night Mike and I were scrolling through Netflix taking our usual ten minutes to dispute over what looks good or not and who is going to choose this time. Being our oh so curious selves that prefer documentaries over the last sci-fi movie that got 4 stars, we stumbled upon a documentary called The Human Experiment. Although this film doesn’t go into intense detail of the thousands and thousands of chemicals that leech into our unsuspecting bodies every day, it is definitely a starting point for those of you who’d like to begin your journey of knowledge of the evil and corrupt of big pharmaceutical, plastic, and any other big money corporations only out to increase profit without the humanity to care about what damage is being done by their products. This film lifts the curtain to the many known secrets of the rich and ‘I don’t care if it causes cancer, sell it’s. You’ll be taken into some individuals lives from different walks of life and how the everyday products we use affect them in so many unnatural and unwelcoming ways; products that maybe even you use or are around every single day.

               

   I’d like to start this hopefully multiple part essay with more information on one of the chemicals

that that has been found in more products than you can imagine and the effects having it in your life. BPA (Bisphenol-A) is one of the main components found today in a variety of everyday lives. An insert from the article Use of Polycarbonate Plastic Products and Human Health by R. K. Srivastava and Sushila Godara gives an upfront statement about the dangers of BPA:

“Researchers found links between abnormal liver enzymes in the people and Bisphenol-A (BPA). Changes in insulin resistance, reproduction system, cardiovascular and brain function are also reported. BPA is used in the production of epoxy resins, polycarbonate resins, and polyester resins. BPA can leach out of certain plastic products including variety of modern goods, reusable food storage containers, eyeglass lenses, white dental fillings, sealants, medical equipment’s etc. In the body, BPA behaves as an estrogen receptor agonist and mimics estrogen hormone. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a widespread endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) used as the base compound in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics. Children and unborn and new born babies are at high risk of unwanted effects of BPA. Children suffer from chronic exposure to bisphenol A with manifestation of gastrointestinal problems, adrenal stress, immune dysfunction, toxic over load and neurological disorders. (1)”

   So from the gist of this small excerpt, I hope you still don’t get the feeling that consuming anything laced with BPA is a safe bet over time, for you, your children, and even your unborn child.  Did I say consume? Yes, I did. On top of BPA leaching into your beverages and water from the plastic bottles, canned foods being lined with it, and almost every other new plastic made that mankind uses or holds on to at any point; it’s also in some of our foods. The products and produce that we as humans hope would be safe on the shelves just because other humans placed them there is a very sad statement to find false. And if some of you won’t take this serious personally, and to be frank I tend to not when it only comes to me (I still gorge on Pizza and drink too much pop sometimes), lets place this devastation and danger on your children instead. Let’s start with your babies that haven’t even left the womb yet.

   According to the Environmental Working Group, “In the month leading up to a baby's birth, the umbilical cord pulses with the equivalent of at least 300 quarts of blood each day, pumped back and forth from the nutrient- and oxygen-rich placenta to the rapidly growing child cradled in a sack of amniotic fluid. (2)” This is the life source that leads from mother to unborn infant; the infant that depends on us for everything to be perfectly safe, secure, and healthy. Once thought to be a safety net for all things harmful that went through the mother to not be passed to the child, has been proven to be a falsity. Everything, EVERYTHING, that the mother ingests, skin leeches in, and air that she breathes takes effect on the fetus. From the variety of tests done from other sources and here in, the Environmental Working Group also found that “In a study … in collaboration with Commonweal, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals in the group (2)”.  

Here is the basic overview of the chemicals they found in the umbilical cords:

http://www.ewg.org/research/body-burden-pollution-newborns (2)

Gross, right? The majority of these things we almost simply cannot get away from as a common blue collar worker unless the stress and utmost desire is there.One statement made in the movie went along the lines of:

If I were to give you a glass of water to drink and told you that there was only a 4% chance that the poison I placed in it would kill you, would you drink it? I most definitely would not. But what if I told you that I was 94% sure that it wouldn’t kill you, high chances right? Would you still drink it? I would still say no. How about if there was a 1% chance that you would die, would you drink it?

   Now when we eat and drink the nasty things we do in our quick pace quick food lives aside from all the extra chemical crap placed in it, we know that it’s bad for us already, yet we alas do it anyways. Does that mean we should just say whatever to these facts and carry on with our lives that we hope will be full, healthy, and long? I suppose that is your decision, but to not fight for the health of the common human and the generations to come is actually a very selfish act.

   1 in 88 kids now are born with autism compared just over a decade ago when it was 1 in 500. Do you really think things are going to get better just with that statistic alone? Not to blame autism on BPA just yet without the proper research, but with the multitude of other chemicals piled up on the 4% that may provide a sarcastically wonderful dose of disease, cancer, and premature death, wouldn’t you think there is something wrong with this industrialized life and want to do something about it? If not for you, then for your children, niblings, and younger cousins?

   The wee man in the right amount of numbers can be heard over the dollar of every disgusting paying lobbyist from the corps. Not that this has to do much with bill writing at the moment, but even because of it some are being put in motion, but I’m sure you have heard of the Cecil the Lion situation and the Dentist that killed him. Lions have been killed and shipped to the US forever now, but because the people roared loud enough, Mahita Gajanan, a reporter for The Guardian, stated that “New Jersey senator Bob Menendez announced on Friday that he will be introducing an act to disincentive trophy killings, named for the internationally mourned lion. The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (Cecil) Animal Trophies Act will extend import and export protections for species proposed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act (3)”. Now the leads being involved in the hunt are in trial and the man that paid for the hunt is being voted to be extradited.

   The power of numbers when we care about something is very strong. So if we should care so much about one lion, why shouldn’t we care about our own well-being and fight for that? Find something to care about. Do your research. Then fight for it.

1)      Srivastava, R.K., and Sushila Godara. "Use of Polycarbonate Plastic Products and Human Health." Http://www.scopemed.org. IJBCP, Jan. 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2015. <http://www.scopemed.org/fulltextpdf.php?mno=32059>.

2)      Environmental Working Group. "Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns." EWG. EWG, 14 July 2005. Web. 05 Aug. 2015. <http://www.ewg.org/research/body-burden-pollution-newborns>.

3)      Gajanan, Mahita. "Cecil the Lion Spurs US Lawmakers to Draft Bills to Discourage Trophy Hunting." The Guardian. The Guardian, 31 July 2015. Web. 05 Aug. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/31/cecil-the-lion-legislation-trophy-hunting-bob-menendez>.

Niche

Sometimes it takes a little time, but sooner or later you find your personal niche in terms of how you decorate the space around you to basically reflect you. Some individuals stick to a specific color scheme their entire life; switching and swapping out green and orange colored rugs as time goes by to match those drapes their grandmother made in the 70s that they could never ever get rid of. Some spaces are filled with trinkets and music boxes collected from family members over the years and they are so used to the décor of miniature items that a collection of randoms soon turns into a hobby of sorts; with time their space becomes exhausted with so many mini glass, brass, and porcelain loves that it’s dangerous to go near their walls if you're having an off day.

The people we have met so far have introduced us to so many small homes with so much personality without having to really layout or say a lot. I feel that’s almost a large difference between having a large house compared to a small home on an average blue-collar wage. If you have a large house on that sort of wage, it’s harder to reflect your personality, unless you're a very dry person (sorry we can't be friends then ha-ha), throughout the entire home. And I don't know about some of you guys, but with my past work I was involved with, I was inside a lot of huge money filled houses; and you know what I found in not all, but the majority? A lot of blandness.

Makes me think they're thinking: “Oh my, I have a lot of money so my extra big house has to look like everyone else’s bland house. Let’s kick the fact that I have a right to having a personality that is my own and be like everyone else.”

Many of you that personally know me, know that I grimace at the thought of being like the majority of my generation. Some aspects I alas cannot run away from, but I’d say I do a good enough job. I mean come on, we live in an RV, ha-ha.

ALSO! To add to the ‘news’: Mike started his job on Monday! Woot woot! And not the one with the company that was teetering him around, instead he’s in a less stress area working with computer components; so he’s basically in his happy place. I'm so proud and happy for him! I'm behind you 100% hunny! Along with the new job we also found a new living space closer to his work. It took a little longer than we wanted to be approved, but after two work days of Monster and I waiting for him to be done with work in a truck stop McDonalds parking lot, we are much happier to wait for him in our little spot beside the small forest where we now call home on the third day. Stores are much closer if we need anything; so instead of riding a bike close to 15 miles every time we needed our whatnots, it’s a short 5-minute walk from here. Did I mention rent’s cheaper and they have a pool? Yes mam…

I also hate to say it, but we kind of took off in a hurry from where we were living to get moved on to our new place before anyone was home from work or wherever they were at the other park. I was able to say goodbye to one neighbor, that took one of my painted shells to remember me ha-ha, but she was it.  I personally feel really bad it was rushed, but I think I'll send a card to each person thanking him or her for all the help and friendship they gave us. And if any of you are reading this now: I sincerely thank you with all my heart, and apologize for the abrupt leave!

Now for me to find a source of income somewhere near by. I'm thinking I'll walk down to the shops around the corner and see if any of them are hiring.

And here is an early morning poem to kind of describe our home in which was the main starting point of this blog:

Throw pillows, lace, fake wallflowers and candles,

And over here in the little white box painted with shells is where I put my sandals.

Over the door is where I leave my bad thoughts and dreams,

And throughout the living space is filled with lace covered tropical schemes.

The oranges, grapefruit, and potatoes hang over the drivers seat,

And with monster running around in here, the floor never keeps neat.

There’s dog hair in the corners, there’s hair where we lay,

And there’s still hair in my food, no matter how many hours that vacuum is alive in a day.

The sun rises at about half past six, the Monster and I watch it bloom over the land,

And we say goodbye to my love as he rides away to work for the man.

The bathroom counter is too small to make a common me mess,

And so the counters stay clean, but the cupboards I cannot promise no less.

The shower is smaller, and from time to time usually cold,

And as we wake up in the morning, we down a cup of hot coffee to increase our ness of bold.

The kitchen is at times cramped, but quaint, yet again trivial,

And everything is within a small reach, except for the poor dishes unseen and yet to be done laying in burial.

Which in truth, the messes take a short time to be cleaned,

And as well as it takes less the time for a mess to be deemed.

The carpets of outside lay in black, blue, white, brown and Welcome,

And we have to hide them all when the rain comes, which is thankfully seldom.

The back room now holds the title of the den of the man,

And here the video games are played whenever they can.

Over the head of the gamer are cupboards of linen and books,

And when it gets too late for bang, click, and yip, the gamer gets some trifling looks.

The bed where we lay when night has come, is surrounded with colorful curtains,

And the height even is too short for our Monster, but we still love it for certain.

This ‘pad’ where we stay is petite for sure, but it’s easy to make it say us, we, he and she,

And now that I have found this way to express, there’s really no other place I'd want to be.

The Workamping Scam

So in our vast search for another place to live to find work elsewhere, we have started looking into the world of workamping because everyone across the internet talked it up so much, and in just a short hop and skip into our journey we have found it's a world full of scammers. It's more of a dire need I-need-a-place-to-live-other-than-the-Walmart-parking-lot situation type of thing for us.

Workamping (yes, I spelled it right) involves single persons, usually couples, who are employed by RV parks for office work, housekeeping, and other odd jobs in return for a campsite to park their RV in which usually includes full hook ups (FHU), wifi (most, but not all), laundry coins, propane, and sometimes a discount at their store if they have one on site.

One issue on top of the several others that we ran into while starting our RV living journey in FL was that we are not a 55+ retired couple of snowbirds. It's not stated as a requirement in any posts online searching for workamping couples, but every job I reply to seems either to have a quick "nicely" written decline for our help our help, or they stop writing me back and all after they ask our age.
Discrimination of age much? I'd like to think we fit in quite nicely with the older generation for one, whether they all like us younglings or not. We're not rowdy, or crazy party seekers, and we even bring a great dish to the potluck and don't pig out on everyone else's stuff. But, the next following 'issue' kind of provides why they only seek old couples with nothing else to do and a chunk of change already in their bank.

The next issue was that every work post I seem to cross was either asking for a single workamper (couples can always live there regardless with the one working) to work 80 hours a month, or a couple to work an average of 15-20 hours per week per person. Now to do some math and include everything I mentioned being included in the Workamping description above:

• Highest cost of a FHU FL RV lot per month I found browsing the Workamping help wanted's: $500 (and there was only one at this price, the rest ranged from $250 - $400, but let's see what happens when the highest price is involved in the math)
• Average cost of 16 trips to a laundromat per month: $28
• Average cost of standard 20gal propane RV fill up: $25 (**noted that is an every other month expense but I'll add it to the monthly expense to make the scammers look a wee bit better)
• Average cost of high speed 15mbps which includes wifi router and home phone, not sharing: $62 (This is just what we're paying now for ours, more than likely the RV sites only offer wifi off their router shared among many other residents, but I'll include it regardless)

All the above = $615 a month

The minimum wage for FL is $8.05 

I'll do the math for a couple that's working;

So 2 people @ 15 hours per week = 120 hours of work for a 30 day period

@ Minimum wage = $966

$615/120 = $5.12 per hour 

So with all this said and done for a couple to start workamping at the average RV park, they will be completely underpaid with no time for another job unless they go work 3rd shift at some fast food restaurant around the corner in order to pay for the rest of the bills like insurance, cell phone, travel gas and your normal etc., like food and such. 

So my conclusion:

Unless you're a retired snowbird with a hardy large pocket of change looking more for something to do rather than stare at a wall and don't care that you're missing out on a couple hundred dollars a month, than workamping for a place to live is the thing for you. I guess also like I stated in my first paragraph, if you don't feel like living in a Walmart parking lot for a time and at the moment that's your only option, this is also for you, unless you're under 55, then they may not take you in... But that's just my experience. 

So this is just my opinion, but I think Mike and I can do a lot better. I doubt we'll ever be back in the Walmart phase, here's knocking on wood, so here's to a great future not having RV parks pay us scrap to work for an overpriced patch of dirt to park our RV on. 

Here's also to hoping I'll find my on the road work niche and will be able to share it with you guys. 

TTFN! <3

Trailer Town Gold

I've lived in Michigan the majority of my life. My small hometown in the middle of a cornfield held only a small amount of personalities. There were the 'no-see-um' townies, the druggies, the 'try to get out of town, but always come crawling back to mom'-ers, the successful at getting out of town-ers, the 'this is my kingdom and my child owns the area'-ers, and the small amount of people with warm hearts that weren't out to hurt anyone, get anything, and just gave happily in their small little life that they loved.

For a brief period of time I was Indiana for college, and I must say the mass of the place was filled with egotistical rich kids that had a little knack for God. 

After Indiana, I got my own place in a large college town with a friend about an hour from the small town I grew up in. Tell you what, it was a bit rough. The neighbors never knew you existed until the days they decided to call the cops for noise complaints because your phone music was 'too loud'. The bars we're filled with hot to trot college kids that only want to talk to you if you were going to be their scratch and burn. The 55+ community hated everyone that looked under 30. Then the new friends that you finally managed to make, whether it was from a bar or thrice removed acquaintances of other friends, they always seemed to drink all your beer and be gone until you were ready to buy a new pack. Not everyone of course fit these, but the majority. I was out and about quite a bit and those that were ready to 'mingle' never were there for your best interests. I can say the only friends that I got out of living there for that bit were the ones through work and through Mike, since that was about the time I met him. 

After that hole in the wall in the college town, I moved about 15 minutes away in with Mike. Made a lot more friends through him, and vice versa. The neighbors still didn't talk to us and once in a while we would have a saint come by and pull us out of our ditch of a driveway in the middle of the winter even though I know most would have rather to keep driving past. 

Now Florida. This is the best place I have ever spent a time. It's a small quant trailer/RV park. There's about 200 lots, but you'd never know it, that are adorably kept trailers in the 55+ area and in the front there is about 20 or so RV lots for some that are permanent and some for the just stopper-bys. To the left of us is our manager and her husband. Too Cute Tina and Dashing Dave have been a complete help from the pipes busting and through our entire process of getting used to living in a tiny box. Behind them is Mr Big Hearted Bubba. This is the guy most people should strive for in a personality. He works hard everyday and then comes home just to help the neighbors out with projects and payment being only sharing a laugh or two. Oh! And his baby girl Gypsi is Monsters new bff/crush. She's an older Rottweiler with as much enthusiasm and personality as Monster, hence why I'm sure they make the best of friends.  
On the other side of Bubba lives the middle aged Cheery Brenda. Always a smile on her face even when some sort of aliment is in effect for the day.
There's a bit of randoms spread out through the park who are always outgoing enough to throw a 'hello' and such with a smile as we pass by as well. When we first arrived we were told that everyone is pretty decent, but there's the few that have a bit of a humbug with their step, happily we haven't run into any of those.
Whenever a hand is needed or someone just wants someone to converse with, you bet your bottom dollar someone will be there.
Last night we started the summer cookouts with a bang. The ones I above mentioned and a few others came over with their dishes and I tell you the truth when I say that we FEASTED! On top of being Mr Big Heart, Bubba is an absolute god when it comes to grilling. The Boston Butt melted off the bone and the chicken never lost an ounce of juice. To top my cooking off, I finally managed not to burn something in my oven. With a little inspiration from Chili's new jalapeno cheddar corn biscuits, I tried to copy the recipe. Turned out awesome if you ask me and the other 10 folks that could handle the fire.
Anyways, I'm loving the all around environment here. So far, it has been the best placed I have basically lived. If I had more of my close friends and family around, I'd be in RV girl heaven.

Work on the other hand has still been trifling. The main company Mike has had his hopes up for has been so unprofessional and has proved time and time again that they may not be the company that he should work for just with how awful they treat potential employees and customers.  He's technically employed, they just keep pushing his start date back.
And me? After the now 14 applications I've put in from part-time Subway to  full-time Home Health care positions to building modular homes, I'm losing hope just a tiny bit. Thankfully a friend that lives down here recently brought that hope back up telling me I haven't heard back mostly because I don't have a FL license as of yet. Makes sense, who wants to hire someone that looks like they won't be in state long. Fixing that next time I have a chance to get into town.

Stagnate Time

I must give my apologies for the lack of posts lately. In truth, it's simply because we have not done anything yet in progression towards our goals. Of coarse we knew that there was going to be a point in time when this was going to happen because part of the plan was to sit somewhere for a bit and raise money for the academy and etc,.

We have repaired the hole in our roof, and I must say for a couple of hippy wannabes, we did a darn pretty job up there. We have yet to put in the vent, but that should be easy enough.

The RV continues to be re-organized and re-decorated. I think we have finally gotten close to what we want it to look like, at least until we get some more steady income in to do so.

Mike's employment was pushed back due to a numerical issue in his background check. So for the fault of the company, he won't start for two weeks (as far as we know) past his original start date.
As for mwah, I've applied to a total of 12 different places around here. Full time, part time, fast food, a grocery store, home health aide, housekeeping, 3 miles away and 9 miles away. That last part doesn't seem so bad until you know all we have for transportation, minus our RV (which we're not going to move every time I have a shift somewhere), is our bike. So with the awesome neighbors that we have, their bringing home some apps for me to apply for either a mobile home construction company, or a road construction job. Yay for either one. I honestly didn't understand why I'm not hearing back from any of these low score places I applied to. Then my friend brought up that it's more than likely because I'm not a FL resident yet. Oober awesome.

Keep your fingers crossed for my loves :)
PEACE!

Honeymoon Island Surprise

It’s just past 7:30pm and I'm sitting on the steps of Gus-Gus on a beach down in Clearwater FL somewhere near Honeymoon Island State Park. There’s someone a ways down the beach playing on their single bongo drum. I’m not sure how far they are down the beach since the fog rolled in, but now every nose seems to float twice as far on the mist. I can see a faint light in the distance past where the waves end their breaking point; it’s Mike. He’s got his hands in the water with a little red bowl trying to pick up some sea life to put into his future tank. We have a 5-gallon bucket sitting next to the steps with his now live rock and a few cleaners snails and shells that he mistakenly, but never the less happily, caught while doing a water change. The bucket next to me is now only half full, it would be completely full and we would be on our way from here, but his hopes of seeing some more sea life has driven him to take longer, look harder, and stay more patiently still waiting for something to swim into his bowl.

I have a slight burn on my shoulders from earlier, even though the majority of the day has been complete overcast, it did indeed not stop Mr. Sun from beating down on the massive amount of people that decided to come to this beach on a Monday afternoon. The few extra people that decided to stop in were a few that more than made my day. My father and brothers decided to come down for a somewhat surprise visit. I was on the phone with my dad a few nights before and he obviously knew I was completely home sick. He texted me, “It’s about to get warmer”. I only thought that Michigan was finally going to get out of it’s horrible cold spell, but that wasn't the case. My brothers and him just packed a bag and drove all the way down here. Now that’s family, I tell you what. I also told Mike that if we ever have kids he has an absolute obligation to be a father like mine, ha-ha. The complete overcast day aided in a matching burn for each of us to cherish and for them to get through the rest of the winter months. Since living in Gus-Gus only for a day with five people turned it into a hurricane disaster; the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner for five people in it. The best idea we could come up with was fresh sea food. We were on the Gulf right?! So we found a awesome place called Crabby Bills just outside of Dunedin. We ordered half of everything on the menu and then ate off each others plates, couldn't of asked for a better short Fike reunion.

With a few hugs that completely cured my homesickness and a day in a half in the sun, they were off again; goodbyes that once again brought tears to my face. I'm really not good with goodbyes thus far I have found out in my life, but it’s more like ‘until next time’ I find.

After they left, Mike and I grabbed our blades, Monster, and began exploring the coast around us. We didn't make it too far before Monsters tongue was dragging on the pavement, our fault as parents for not exercising him as much as I suppose we should. At one point along the journey we spotted some moved ment among the brush. Since the first thing on my mind is sometimes the worst thing, I just imagined a rattle snake coming out since they were common on this island. Thankfully a little armadillo head popped out. We scared him at first, but not even a minute later he popped back out and continued his digging for grubs or whatever he/she was looking for. I brought my camera as well, A+ for me, so I snuck up on him a little bit and got a few okay pictures as it was paying little to no attention to us. Mike decided to take out his camera phone and get close; really close. With its head down not watching where it was going, the armadillo ended up running into Mikes rollerblade, looked up with confusion and then just turned around back on to it's business. Such a cute little moment. Mike came back grabbed monsters leash, and as I took a small skate forward to get a better angle with my camera, Monster thought that was a invitation to take off and go say hi to the little fella; leaving Mike on his bum. Afterwards we decided to head back to our home spot in central FL just in case the next day was going to be just as groggy, which turns out we were right. 

Now here we are; drenched from getting a tarp on the roof because a storm snuck up on us. We have all but one part to start repairing the hole in the roof, the most important one it seems as well. So until the rain stops and we get that delivered, here we will sit sticking out like a sore thumb with a giant blue tarp on top of us.

**Pictures soon to come when I find my camera cable!

Off Grid Choice

I was talking with an old friend of mine the other night and he asked me where I was going next and what my plan was after this step. Simply enough I replied, "...The next point I suppose is saving enough money for Earth-Ship academy. No rush. Just living life, living small, and doing what's needed until the finds are sufficient". To which he replied something along the lines of 'cool, and I've never met anyone doing what you're doing'. And that sparked this:

Why is it so rare to find someone that has or is in the process of taking the reigns over from a pre-apocalyptic government? 'Oh no, here she goes again, ranting and being a crazy conspirator'. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below, but here's my little rant that should be already well known in a sense. 

1. We are being poisoned by almost everything we put into our mouth. For just a small example,"it's estimated that Monsanto seeds now account for 90% of the U.S. production of soybeans, which are used in food products beyond counting (1)." Just a small part of the huge list extends from the multiple flours, oils, and sweets we cook with to the lotions and sprays we put on our bodies (2). They're also trying to get their dirty little petri dish hands into the milk industry. And those who allow such atrocities are not only we the people who chose to not fight against it, but those officiaries that manipulate and hide the documents, preventing we the people - those that can and will stand against it, in dark corners. Making big money is the only thing these corps are interested in, but we all knew that. The issue is, those who know it, why do you accept it? Our resolution: Everything we can buy when possible is heirloomed, GMO free, organic, and local.
   Also, when we finally get to the point when we own our little plot of land and build our Earthship, the only produce we eat will be our own. Thank you to those in my family for teaching me how to be heirlooming-ly sustainable when it comes to what I put in my mouth. Your food should be your medicine! Modern science in the healthcare industry is indeed incredible, but also collapsible to your health when dealing with the pharmaceuticals that are being stuffed down your throat resulting in more aching symptoms requiring MORE drugs. Start at home, eat your organics, go for a walk, and when you feel a cold coming on, I don't not give a damn about your picky eating habits; stuff a clove of garlic, some honey, a touch of ginger, and pinch of cayenne pepper in a blender and make a shot of 'make you sweat it out' elixir.
   And to save my own bum, I'm not giving out medical advice; I'm giving out my opinion and personal positive history with the mix of it all. I have been to a doctor once in the past 10 years and it wasn't for any sort of flu or common cold sickness, shingles was a massive virus pain in my arse though, and they just said deal with it and sent me home. Good bye $160 to some great advice I should have googled...  In the end somehow for the majority it's easier to take someone else's advice that has a degree yet hardly cares (not all professionals of course, but I've been around a few heartless Dr's), than to do your own research and find what's best for you the natural way. 
   
2. Another reason getting off grid is appealing is not having to depend on the local water, electric, natural gas and sewage departments, and also not having to pay their sometimes hefty bills with hidden fees. Although becoming independent enough to be able to not rely on these 'forced' companies comes with alot of research and required skills, the end result is a heart filled with pride that you don't need a bunch of money bags telling you that you have to 'have' this and that particular hook up. Of course there are some places that prevent you from doing what you must to get to this point, sometimes the best thing to do is just move. Money shouldn't be too much of an issue once you get to that point since you wont need that 9 - 5 job deep in the nearest city to pay for things you could be doing for your self on your own.
   But aside from the fight of knowing what you have to do to get there, there's the fight of getting there before the government somehow makes it completely impossible. It's already illegal to catch rain water (rain water harvesting) in 11 states unless you have a license or permit, depending on each state. It's now more difficult to live off grid and be self sustainable in many areas of the country.
   
   I have actually heard stories of people that didn't have cable or an electric bill and were threatened to have their auto insurance canceled because so. I said 'forced' earlier for a reason. Watch Eustance and his fight with living off the grid: 
   
3. Your finances. Did I just see a shudder down your spine? So many Americans have been hooked and reeled in to the promises of a white picket fence and a steady job with livable wages if they just follow the standard societal promoted way of life. Credit card after credit card, loan after student loan, and then on top of it you qualify for it after keeping up with your cards, a mortgage comes. So much fun debt. I wrote a bit about this subject a few post ago, so I won't get into it too much, but how does this make sense? 'They' have transformed a once noble country into a greedy one that wants what it wants when it wants it even tho its either not good for them or to they have just been sucked into the vanity black hole and just must have that pair of $800 dollar shoes for show off. It's so bland, this way of living. Almost everyone is doing it, and if you're not in a hole of debt then you're not supposedly 'living'.
   

                 
4. Living basically all around is up to you! No more crap built homes that depend on other companies coming in and crappily repairing them year after year; if you did it with your own two hands with what nature gave you, you know it was done right. No more worrying while off grid about being in the middle of city catastrophes such as soon to come martial law and have no time to plan for a progressive future during and after. 

The conclusion with just this little bit of information why people don't tread on this trail more often is because it's just plain too hard. You've grown up being given everything you need to survive and some have even more. You have to work for a living to pay for things to survive, so why not just work to survive? It was and still is happily done by people around the world. I don't mind not following society. I have what I need and a little bit more at the moment. I'm still relying on the system for some of my food, gas, water, and electricity. The difference between some of you and I though, is that if you were to throw me in the middle of the woods with a leatherman, a rope, and a bucket, I could survive for quite a time. Also, we are on the road to becoming a non-cooperation supporting free couple. You're not free if you're being harassed for money, or to be dependant on things you don't need by people that have everything but the best interest for the American society.

ALSO: I believe the below article pretty much sums up part that we "think" we are free in this society:

http://in5d.com/16-signs-that-youre-a-slave-to-the-matrix/

(1) Barlett, Donald L., and James B. Steele. "Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear." Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair, May 2008. Web. Feb. 2015. <http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/monsanto200805>.

(2) "Soy Products." Soy Products. N.p., 21 Mar. 07. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soybean/uses_soyproducts.html>.

Upkeeps and Updates

Everything in life degrades with age; this is an obvious fact to the majority with a brain. We knew there were going to be some issues with Gus-Gus, but we didn’t know we were going to fall into a semi half-dug pit of them.

When we went to go check the big guy out, we were already in love with him. It helped that the previous owners did some inside renovations to make it look more modern. We also knew in the end the main reason we were even going to take it home was because it was going to be mechanically sound. The other stuff wasn’t an issue for the time being.

Before we even called the previous owner we knew it was an old babe of 24 years old (now 25!), there would be degradation through out with a bit of rust on top. All in all, looked great for the age though.

But even with that knowledge that it was an old Bessie, the last owner lied and lied again about certain conditions:

• “I don’t know why the gas gauge is all of a sudden not working, it was last time. Maybe just drive it around a bit, that should bounce it back”.
•  “Oh, those water marks that look like previous leaks on the ceiling? All patched up, nothing to worry about”. By the way when we came to check it out the top was covered in snow and ice so there wasn’t much to get a good look at.
• “We winterized all the pipes, so everything should be A-Okay”.

Okay, so you’re reading this and you’re like, ‘these people really need to stop buying vehicles without proper babysitting’.  I’d also like to defend the fact that even though it was indeed a Craigslist-er and they can never be fully trusted, this was still a decently awesome buy.

My one point I suppose is not to just ramble on about the misfortunates of Gus-Gus, but to be truthful. Especially since the buyers (i.e., we) knew there were going to be obvious issues with such an oldie. We were probably going to buy it any ways you (i.e., the seller) doe-doe brain.

Fix ups to date:

• Screwed down and siliconed in the leaks over the cab
• Got the water to finally work after replacing a pipe, or two… or three, and a few other nozzles and such.
• Got the hot water working after a few weeks. My first hot shower in about a few weeks as well… Heaven.

Yet to do:

• Gas Gauge – May or may not ever get fixed. We made it 1300+ miles without it, so I guess why waste $500+ if we don’t technically need it?
• Big nice hole on the roof over the back room. It’s pouring out and thankfully we have some god sent neighbors that let us borrow their giant tarp to prevent more leaks. Supplies needed to correct this issue have been ordered last night and should be here within the next two weeks. Yay.

On other happy notes; Mike has gotten word that he will be passing on to the real interview for the company he applied to. Giggles. Me, alas, from the nine places I applied to haven’t heard anything yet, but there I one I have absolute confidence in that I will be hearing from soon that I actually applied to about 3 hours ago. I’d like to also say that I’m thinking they all have the vibe that I only have a bike for the time being which is the reason I haven’t heard back. Dang transportationists. I really have no issue with riding a dozen or so miles to and from work.

It’s been slow other than that. Where we are staying is quiet, but on the weekends the people around get a little rambunctious and play the country oldies just above medium on their radios. Their all wonderful people, and Monster has a lot of other dogs to sniff out occasionally. There’s a laundry area that costs $3 a load to wash and dry, but absolutely no way to get quarters unless you want to trek the 5 or 6 miles into town. Aside from that, this is Mike’s favorite part; they have a fishing dock. It’s about 120 ft. long and at the end it spreads out into a nice patio area with a few benches, chairs, and about a dozen reel holders. Mike can fish and I can try to get rid of my Michigan white legs once in a while when the sun is out.