SueJean Heinz

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since Nov 10, 2013
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We've been blessed with 15 acres about 50 miles from the nearest anything in one direction and 60+ miles away in the other on the Alaskan Highway.
Summertime means lots of wood processing as winter comes hard and harsh up here.
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Recent posts by SueJean Heinz

Goofball Alert:  I see I made a terrible mistake in putting the price in the first posting.  Silly Me!!

The property is valued at $100,000 to $120,000.  

Sorry about any confusion I've caused.  ;>)
Hey there ya'll!

I don't know much about horses and cattle, but I do know a lot about flies in dealing with our "art-house" (or outhouse for those so inclined).  We've got so many kinds of flies, beetles and mosquitoes here in AK, that it would take days to sort them all out.  We keep a fly swatter close at hand for the amusement of "squatters" and the bugs pile up at the door.  

Then, one year we started adding diatomaceous earth to our morning drink.  A heaping teaspoon stirred into a hot drink (food grade DE, of course) and the foremost, most obvious effect was that within a few days, all the flies in the arthouse were basically dead.  The floor was literally covered with shriveled up bugs.  We eventually stopped eating it, (mainly boredom), but I still sprinkle it around the arthouse and down the hole, around our wood pile, deck, and porches.  I've even dusted my dog and cat with it to keep flies off them.  Might be of help to your bigger animals too.  At least, it won't hurt them!

Happy 4th!
SueJean
6 years ago
Hey John!  
I had the same question about the paper bag floor.  This is the link I found when I googled it:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Paper-Bag-Floors/

This site has good pictures to go along with the instructions.

Enjoy!
SueJean
6 years ago
Hi Gabriel,

We don't really have an "outfit".  We have 15 acres here that is now beyond our abilities.  I have a post on it here:  Homesteading in Alaska opportunity

It's in the Permaculture Real Estate forum.  

We've lived here 5 years and have tried gardening and a few other "permaculture" ideas during that time.  It's a hard life and when my husband lost his leg this last fall, the winter was almost more than I could handle on my own.  (We're not spring chickens.)  We're looking for alternatives.

Blessings,

SueJean
6 years ago
We've got mountains here in Alaska.  Would you be interested in learning how to survive an Alaskan winter in the Bush?  It's definitely challenging.  
6 years ago
Vital Statistics:

Location: 50 miles north of Tok, 60 miles south of Delta Junction outside a small native village - Dot Lake.  165 miles south of Fairbanks.  (I'll try to find the GPS coordinates in the meantime.)

We have a well with wonderful water that works most of the time.  (We've had some freeze-up issues during the worst of the winter, but we are addressing that issue this summer.)  

Our property is designated "Federal Land" as opposed to being "State Land" which (as it was explained to me) means that we own everything above AND below ground including our water and any gold/oil or other minerals hiding down there.  (I'm not "in-the-know" on such things, but this is what we were told when we bought the place so I'm passing that on as a "plus".)

There is a small school in the village with approximately 10 students at any given time.  (Minimum number required to keep the school in operation.)

The nearest services of any kind (groceries, gas, propane, post office, etc.) are in either Tok or Delta Junction.  

There is an abandoned gravel pit on the north edge of the property.  We have one neighbor on the south edge of the property and a few others nearby that pretty much keep to themselves.  

We have excellent internet service through AT&T's mifi solution that also gives us access to TV through Roku.  (We've been told the service won't begin to degrade until the tower here is being used by approximately 1K people.  The village has a random population numbering around 30-35.)  

We have electricity from Tok and we're at the end of the line, but our outages are rare.  There are no landlines available for phone service, but there is a cell tower right across the highway.  

If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

(edited to add:) I forgot the MOST important thing that drew me to post my property here on this forum!!  

There are no property taxes, borough, zoning board, building codes, HOA's, or nosy neighbors to infringe on your dream of building anything you can imagine.  Think cob, rammed earth, tires, straw bale....whatever you love and want to try, you've got 15 acres to experiment to your heart's content.  The house also has a perfect set-up already in place to build a killer rocket stove.  I spent every winter dreaming of the perfect build and every summer trying to cut enough firewood for my woodstove.  ;>)

Contact info:  suejean.heinz@gmail.com
Does the thought of living in Alaska make you shiver with excitement?  Are you looking for a place to make your own permaculture dream come alive?  Do you have the courage to face the demands of a wilderness lifestyle?  

If these questions have caught your attention, then let me tell you about our special place in the Interior of Alaska.  We have 15 densely wooded acres located just off the Alaskan Highway in a rural area for sale.  The house is typical "cobbled-together" Alaskan style with 3 bedrooms, a small bathroom (interior plumbing), living room, kitchen, etc.  There is a garage/workshop, a woodshed and an outhouse on the property
It has "issues" and we'll be happy to tell you all about them if you're really interested.  We've lived here for 5 years, but our age and other problems are forcing us to give up on the "Bush-lifestyle".  Owner financing is available to the right person/persons.  

I'll be adding more pictures as I find them, but here's a start:


Additional pictures are available on our blogsite: www.tsiyonbound.blogspot.com.

The price ranges from $120 to $100 depending on what's negotiated and all of the furniture, appliances, bric-a-brac, tools, and other household goods will be included.  You just need to head north with a will to succeed.

I would like to share my experience as I was diagnosed with a similar disease in the mid 1980's.  My predicament was ulcerative colititis.  The doctor actually laughed when he told me there was no cure and laid out a grim time line of what was going to happen to me as the disease progressed.  He prescribed three drugs for my immediate care.  Fortunately, I was horribly allergic to one of them and had a bad histemic reaction.  I threw all the drugs away and started looking for better solutions.  

I used a lot of aloe vera gel/juice in the early stages.  I also use oregano oil in gel caps daily.  I never used a special diet of any kind like the doctor recommended as food didn't seem to affect me as much as stress (NOTE: I don't include "fast food" in the category of food as eating at "Mickey D's" can throw me for a loop on a good day.)  I also use bone broth and collagen powder to strengthen my gut.  I make sure to get enough vit. D, C, and magnesium as these are areas where I noticed when my body is crying out for something.  I eat according to the instructions given to us in Scripture (OT).

{My mom has a similar problem with a diagnosis of diverticulitis.  The oregano helps her to stay healed also.}

The problem I've found with these diseases is that the solution is individual-based.  Not everyone reacts to everything in the same way.  You've got to be willing to try some things and adjust yourself to what works and what doesn't.  I've been completely symptom free of this disease since 1997.  During that time, I lived in Thailand for 11 years in remote areas with compromised food and water sources without a problem and traveled around the world and throughout the U.S.  I've shared my story more as a message of encouragement that healing is possible.  I don't know what will work for anyone else, but I do know that our bodies are designed to heal and be healthy.  Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

I've included my pic here just so you can see I'm a real person.  <Enjoy!>
6 years ago
Wonderful story!  I feel so encouraged as I've struggled to learn how to use natural medicine in a very isolated situation.  The internet opens up the subject for anyone willing to learn, but it can be really hard to know what to use and when.  We love our furballs and hate to see them suffering.  

Two years ago, we went on a trip and had to board our dog and cat in Fairbanks.  The kennel required several shots for each of them.  The vet was 60 miles away and unavailable after hours.  It was -20 and our dog stayed outside for a little while when we got home.  

When I brought her inside, her face immediately started to swell up dramatically.  As her eyes and airway closed, she started to panic and banged her head against the floor.  I held her in my arms and said a quick prayer.  Two attempts to call the vet's emergency number yielded no help.  I turned to the internet and searched for essential oils for pets as my darling struggled to breathe.  Fortunately, I found a site with a recommendation including oregano, tea tree oil, lavender, and lemon oil.  These are all oils I use regularly and if I didn't do something, I feared she would die right there.  

I put one drop of each oil in the palm of my hand and mixed them with my finger.  Then I rubbed the mixture all over her gums.  The allergic reaction stopped immediately and she was able to breathe normally within a couple of minutes.  The swelling was completely gone in less than 10 minutes.  She had no further problems that night.  

Our dog is a Harzer Fochs breed which is a sheepherding dog out of Germany.  I'd read that these breeds sometimes have a reaction to vaccinations, but I knew as a rescue dog, she'd been given all these kinds of shots before.  I didn't know to be worried.  It was a horrible lesson that I hope to never have to repeat.  

6 years ago
I love quilting and since we have far more doors and windows than beds here in our Alaskan hideaway, I decided to apply my love of quilting to my equal love of being warm.  

These "Draftbuster" quilts are lined with a quilt batting that incorporates a layer of aluminum foil to reflect heat back into the room.  The window quilts are held to the frame with velcro and during the day, we peel them loose at the top and sides.  They hang down below the window out of the way.  

The door quilts hang from a curtain rod mounted on a gate hinge so they swing back against the wall when we want to use the door.  The bottom is weighted with a roll of "sock stuffing" that keeps them firmly against the bottom of the door.  I made the mistake of lining one of the quilts with an old army blanket.  The weight is not the best trade-off for any possible extra warmth.  I also didn't "quilt" any of these to avoid poking holes through the foil layer.  

After four Alaskan winters, I wouldn't trade my "Draftbuster" quilts for anything.  You can feel the difference dramatically.  In the summer, they also help darken the room during our long, bright summer days for sleeping.  

I've loaded some pictures below (hopefully).  Enjoy!
6 years ago