Melissa Stroud

Thanks for sharing that. Yes, my desires are to be higher up on the scale than I am able to at this time.

Cat Knight wrote:I get it. Sounds like you are at least two levels higher than they are on the  Wheaton Eco Scale. I think one of my first posts was very similar, about how people kept telling me I was crazy for what I planned to do on my property in NV.

I have thought of planting Stevia as well. I think you boil the leaves. I've read that store bought stevia is heavily processed and not as healthy or natural as using the plant. Just like honey. If you buy simply "honey" in the store, it is seriously processed and it changes the product significantly. A local beekeeper did a honey comparison with some youth in the area.

I have not tried the date syrup.

Anne Miller wrote:I really thought I would hear a lot about planting stevia though it is good to hear the other options.

Date syrup sounds lovely.

I have been doing this type of research myself. You can never get rid of mold. It is in the air around us. However it's growth increases in the ideal habitat. Most bathrooms are built with an underpowered exhaust vent. If you can, install a vent rated for a large bathroom. Run it during and after showers. Getting rid of moisture is the number one tool against mold. Also, you could run a dehumidifier in that room.

I had a plumbing leak that lasted a long time without me noticing it. It rotted out a lot of my subfloor. The only reason I noticed it is because I took down the drywall for a remodel and found mold. That led me to a rotten soaked subfloor and eventually to the leak. So I did a ton of research. Basically Hydrogen Peroxide is the best product for mold remediation. Bleach is not effective. Also it is best to physically rub it with a cloth and/or brush to remove the mold. I threw out the mold drywall. I am also in the process of removing the affected floors and subfloors. Any insulation that got soaked will also be thrown out. I will treat and clean the floor joists before seeing if they need any repairs. Then I'll make necessary repairs, lay new subfloor and flooring. I also installed a crawl space dehumidifier and a couple of blowers. This is to control the humidity in my hot humid coastal environment. I upgraded from the standard builder grade exhaust fan to a quiet 110 cfm fan. Most builder grade exhaust fans are 50 cfm which is only ok for a small powder room. You may want to investigate and see if there is another reason you have mold. My mold led me to a pipe leak. Do you have a roof leak? Is the space properly insulated to prevent condensation? HVAC condensation can cause water damage and mold. Also, consider if this is a porous or non porous surface. The surface may need replacing. If it is drywall, replace with mold resistant drywall. They also make mold resistant primer and paint.

Oh, and the EPA website has a lot of information about mold. https://www.epa.gov/mold

I have been switching to batteries for quite a while. I like not dealing with the noise, fumes and mess of gas powered tools. I also like using power cords. However my dad was using my electric powered Sawzall and ended up cutting the power cord insulation. Now the tool feels completely unsafe and I am thinking of replacing it with a battery version. I was first skeptic about buying and using a battery operated jobsite miter saw. But man it really did the job it was designed to do. Same with the circular saw. I was impressed. Then I took a leap and bought a battery operated lawn mower/weed eater/blower kit. I have about 18000 sq ft of grassy area. The lawn mower could mow about 1/3 of the lawn before dying. And this was overgrown grass in the height of the growing season. It cut right through like butter. So, technically I could probably manage with a couple extra batteries. I have not had a battery operated tool fail me yet. My oldest one is an old compact driver that used the small batteries. It still works. They seem to be safer and more portable than electric. Though they are heavier and more expensive. But the rotary hammer I recently bought is electric. I wanted the cheaper price tag and reliable electricity. Also, I did not fear cutting the power cable. And this was immediately to demo the bathroom tile. I have electricity in that room. I can see some other uses for this tool. But I can use an extension cord.

My go-to sweetener is raw unfiltered honey. Raw honey has so many health benefits. Primarily, I sometimes use it in tea or if I want to sweeten plain yogurt. I also use it to macerate strawberries to serve over plain yogurt. If I need a real sugar for baking, which I rarely do, I use Golden sugar which has less processing. I have tried the turbinado sugar in baking, but usually it doesn't achieve the same results. I do not believe in using artificial sweeteners. Maple syrup is another sweetener that I might use on occasion. I did try coconut sugar a long time ago and was not happy with it.

My history with sugar is that over a decade ago, I was 200 lbs and told I was pre-diabetic. I made a series of lifestyle changes, to include significantly reducing my sugar intake. I took up a mostly Mediterranean style diet. I eliminated soft drinks, pre-packaged sweets and Starbucks! lol. So, now I drink a variety of hot and cold teas. Most of them plain, sometimes adding some raw honey. I drink my coffee with only a little organic half and half added to it to give it the creaminess. No sweetener. I adapted to it. I also significantly reduced my simple carbs. I lost 50 lbs over the course of 3 years. Slow and steady wins the race. Now I am so used to not having sweeteners, most sweet foods taste TOO Sweet to me. I was served southern sweet ice tea by accident at a restaurant and it was so disgusting I had to spit it out. I cannot tolerate the sweetness of birthday cakes, etc. Candy bars are too sweet as well. So, I have actually developed a dislike for sweets now. I find that I have to reduce the sugar in recipes. For instance I made a baked strawberry oatmeal once. I always follow a recipe the first time and then see if adjustments need to be made. It was sweeter than a dessert in my opinion. Next time I will eliminate the maple syrup in that recipe and let the sweet strawberries shine. It takes time, but after a while, your taste buds do change. When they are not bombarded with sugar all of the time, they become more sensitive to sweetness.

Minus buildings and concrete, my property is 18000 sq ft. I also live in a HOA so I have to comply with their requirements. I have a 1500 sq ft home, 12x10 shed and 24x24 garage/workshop. My elevation is 5 meters. I have multiple areas of standing water when it rains good and my ditch fills nearly to my yard level. Average monthly rain is 9 inches with most of it in September. I am also in a hurricane and tropical storm prone area. I was thinking that maybe I could use space in my garage or shed as a root cellar. I just don't seem very successful at creating the optimum environment. Humidity is very high in this area. I have trouble keeping the humidity levels down in and under my house. I have installed crawl space dehumidifier and a couple of blowers. I plan to install sump pump next and french drain. Then maybe do a rain garden in the area I pump to at the rear of my property. The garage and shed both sit on concrete slabs.

I was reading this because I live in Coastal NC. I have wanted a root cellar for the longest time. I have trouble keeping produce fresh for very long. This is a hot and humid environment. Living at sea level seems to make building a root cellar impractical. When you dig down, you get water. I have looked for ways to store potatoes and other produce. I have experimented with boxes and bags kept indoors. I have attempted to research online how to create my own indoor root cellar conditions. But have not found that anyone has done this. I have researched ways to store produce as well. I really want my potatoes kept out of light and fresh. Also onions seem to go bad quickly. I realize that these need to be stored separately and do keep them separate. Any ideas? This is what limits me in growing these myself. How do I keep it fresh?

I was searching google for how to meet other people with similar interests and goals. I do not recall my exact search. Or maybe it was when I was searching for how to build my own small hot tub. But I was very frustrated with others around me not relating to my goals and desires.

Here are some examples of my encounters with the people around me.
I planted mint in an area at my old home where I thought the surrounding areas would keep them contained. My dad came by one day and thought he would help by putting weed killer on it.
I had some bushes that I was letting grow tall to provide a screen from the neighbors. My dad thought he would help me by cutting them down to the ground.
There was this guy at work that was flirting with me and showing some interest. He came up to me as I was watching some roofing videos so I could make some repairs. He asked what I was watching. And when I told him, he said "boring" and walked away. I immediately lost interest in him.
I was hiring a neighbor to keep my lawn mowed so that the HOA would be happy. As we are walking around the yard to assess the job, He was like, I'd put round up on that and that . . . Then offered to get me in on the neighborhood preemergent weed deal using Atrazine and MSM. I said no thank you. Atrazine is known to cause significant environmental side effects even in small quantities. And our neighborhood is directly connected to the Sound.
I try to buy organic produce when I can. I participated in a local farm CSA that used organic practices. I try to limit my meat purchases to pasture raised and other similar practices. The majority of people just look at me and say that's too expensive, I'll stick with the cheap food.
So, I am very very disappointed in society and people around me. I didn't know how to find others that have similar interests.

And as a single mom whose children are now grown, I am limited in my resources. But I own my current home. However I discovered a water leak that did some serious damage to the home. So I am forced to repair and renovate it. I could not sell my current property without first getting it into a sellable condition. Even after that, I don't really have the resources to just buy a property somewhere. But we will see at that time. Current goal is to remodel this one so that someone will want to buy it. Also, maybe the housing market will improve in that time. In the meantime, I am trying to figure out how to survive within the HOA restrictions but still find ways to live the kind of life I want.

Cat Knight wrote:Hi Melissa, always nice to meet a new Permie :) Welcome to Permies. How did you find us?

Hi! I'm fairly new to this lifestyle but feel more and more drawn to it. I'm a 50 year old single female and currently live in the coastal NC area. I currently live in a home that's in a HOA and I am very unhappy with my circumstances. I collect rain water, compost, grow herbs, recycle and do my own home renovations. I've started to set up solar power for my shed, assuming the HOA doesn't complain about it. I desperately want to move and become more sustainable and self sufficient. I want chickens, maybe a goat or two. I would love to grow my own food, incorporating food into the landscape or even looking at forest permaculture. I don't want to be in an HOA where people value groomed lawns over sustainability and our impact on the planet. I am very independent and have a career in the medical field. I enjoy home renovations and woodworking though I am simply a novice and self taught. I feel I can fix anything that I want to if I just put my mind to it. I am having trouble finding others that I can truly relate to. People around me are all about the modern conveniences, round up and throwing everything in the trash and let someone else deal with it. And while there are some modern conveniences that I really love, I feel that I can do better to have a more positive impact on the planet. Now that my baby has started college, I am less tied to this area. However I do love my job and I do own my home, which I am currently renovating. So, I am not ready to pack up and leave, but I keep feeling the desire to find a better way of life that is more in tune with nature. I am not a religious person, however I am spiritual. I don't really like the coast, I am here because of family. I prefer the beautiful mountains and fresh air. Anyway I look forward to exploring this forum and seeing what I can learn.