Fall is just about here...Fall is the time when i take stock of what has been accomplished and what is still necessary to be done at our urban homestead and am pleased with what i find for the past years work.

We produced more food that ever this year from our 50'by90' lot. New types of vegetables, and herbs...ate directly from the garden for the most part during these last 3 months... canned, dried and stored a great deal more of our excess produce this year compared to last......We were completely immune from the ground beef, egg and other mass produced food public poisonings of this past year.

We rebuilt our budget towards accomplishing our final two large projects, the greenhouse and the completion of the solar/wind power project. Raising our own Chickens must still wait till i retire...... but till then next month i expand the worm farm, and begin to shell and save our pecans a new products for home use...... We have paid cash for everything and even managed to save a small amount....

We have doubled our stock of stored emergency food since this time last year........We have managed to live free this past year-- of the interference of this surrounding weirdly new society of teabaggers, talking heads and failed politicians who for reasons unknown, seem successful in blinding and organizing the stupid and the lame?

My monthly average miles per gallon in the Prius has been 51.4---costing $13-$16.00 per week in gasoline for my daily commute to work. Growing my hair saved me 60.00 over the summer alone, and we will continue to eliminate those unnecessary expenses imposed on us by society....spending our money where we believe it to be important!

I think we have had an excellent year....but there is always more to be done.

I have been using my Maxpedition Falcon II backpack for my daily nerd gear personal carry. The backpack concept is accepted much easier by the Teabagging Palin supporters i work with rather than a "San Francisco Messenger bag" that winds up being stared at with a quizzical eye......what can i say I am surrounded by idiots who believe the surface of anything is more important that the depth.

I do enjoy using the Falcon tho--it's amazing, tough, well designed, easy to carry...but with October's survival budget i am planning on purchasing an add on molle gear item to help the bag out. The Administration panel shown below. The falcon pockets and compartments are superbly secure. Almost too secure, so that while in motion one cannot access things like cell phones, flashlight etc....the Administration panel which attaches to the outside, lower front compartment on the Falcon solves that problem by keeping, keys, cellphone, knife, cigarettes, flashlight etc. quickly accessible but still secure.

One of the excellent design features of Maxpedition gear is the ability to custom tailor your equipment to your own parameter requirements...........they have just great stuff.

http://www.maxpedition.com/

As the usually staunchest supporter of Hybrid vehicles i am ashamed to say this but I desperately want one of the new Jeep Wrangler pickups due out in mid-2011...I would so enjoy a bare bones model, with a truck RVcamper on the back. What a retirement, go anywhere you would like travel & camp vehicle. I can't help myself. This truck is so cool...and with a full sleep in, truck camper what a way to go fishing...I am going to have to lay down all 2011 so this feeling passes or go into debt for one of these...

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mohandas Gandhi