Friday, July 08, 2005

Living At The Good Life Center




I have just received my new issue of Home Power Magazine. There was a story in there about "The Good Life Center" changing over to solar power. The Good Life Center is Scott and Helen Nearing's homestead in Harborside, Maine. Can you imagine people living in your home, years after you have departed this earth, carrying on your homestead for you? Two resident stewards are chosen to live there for the year, by the board who runs it. I think that would be fantastic! Especially if that meant my animals would just stay there and go on like usual. Maybe they would miss me and wonder where I went, but they would be in their own barn and paddock. I love that idea.

Looking at a magazine like Home Power Magazine makes you see what the future will be like. Maybe our families consider us "old fashion" because we moved into a house that had no electric hooked up to it. Because it had a out house and because we use kerosene lamps and a pitcher pump for water. But by looking at Home Power Magazine you can see that people do buy homes like that and then gradually make changes to them. That way you are not in debt.

One man in the new issue, built his home in New Mexico out of the rammed earth, which was 475 tires (saved from destroying our earth!) that are packed with dirt and weight about 300 pounds each. His home is really nice and I think most anyone would want that house (if you don't mind the climate). The room looked calm and cool. What our backward families don't realize is that this is the way of the future. People are building houses out of straw bales, cordwood, the earth and tons of other new options daily. Our house is just a regular wood framed house. But it's still different because it is off the grid and secluded. Not secluded enough for our taste though.

My husband's family lives on a very busy city street. Cars go by bumper to bumper at the times people are going to work or coming from work. Sometimes you cannot even get out of their driveway without waiting a very long time. Their neighbors are so close on one side that you can see right into their kitchen! And behind their backyard is someone else's yard. The people all bicker all the time about this and that. After a afternoon of visiting there, I need the whole next day to recover!




Copyright © 2005  Kathleen G. Lupole



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