So we recently had a new well drilled on the homestead we are building from scratch and despite going down 680', we are only yielding about 1/2 gallon per minute. Ideally a well should get 5 gallons per minute or more so we are not anywhere close to what we really want, or need for that matter.  So now what?

This leaves us with a couple of options.

1. Over the course of the weekend the water in the well filled up to 15' below the surface. At a depth of 680', thats about 900 or so gallons of water (1.5 gallons per foot  in a 6" diameter hole).  That is a lot of water! We could just leave it as is and use what is there. This would require buying a very large expensive pump because it would have to go so far down and it would also need a larger, more expensive wire. But it would be doable. However, with a lot of animals and a small homestead farm we would run the risk of running the well temporarily dry, especially if there were to be a leak anywhere causing the water to run.  
2. We could have the well hydro-fracked (also called hydro-fracturing). This sounds ominous...after all we all know how bad fracking for oil and gas is! However it is not the same and this difference is very important to understand (I will explain the difference later). Basically a 'bladder' is placed in the well 50' below the well head. This seals the well up. Ours would go 70' down. Then water is pumped into the well to build up pressure until the existing cracks enlarge or, basically fracture, allowing more water to flow. The pressure can go as high as 3,500 psi (pounds per square inch), however on average it only reaches about 1,000 psi. This method works 98% of the time.

We have a difficult decision to make here because drilling the well was a very expensive endeavor and whether we choose to hydro-frack or work with what we have we are looking at several thousand dollars more.  

Here is a video we made about the process so far:

And our decision....

Thanks for visiting!
Please remember to follow us on social media!
Sincerely,

Well, it's official. Our land is cleared for building! The road has been completed and now we have about a 1.25 acre clearing to begin building our future homestead.  

There is still a lot to do though. We are meeting with the well drilling company this weekend and we are still waiting to meet with an engineer to design our septic system. Yes, this is a new thing as per the New York State Board of Health. Everyone needs a system designed by a specially licensed (NYS) engineer. Of course that means that you can't hire any ole' engineer. Only an engineer that has taken a special septic design certification in New York State. Ugh...very annoying. Anyhoo....the engineer we want is so backed up they can't even come until mid August or later!  So we will just have to wait.

We have also made our application to National Grid to have underground electric, but of course this is on hold because of the septic. We didn't know it originally, but if we have three out of four things (foundation, road, well, and/or septic), National Grid will cover a nice chunk of the cost of underground installation including the transformer, and a cost equal to 100 feet of above ground wire connection. That totals a few thousand dollars (And an additional savings of the $800 fee we would have had to pay for temporary service.).  So, bottom line, the electric is on hold! No brainer there.

But either way, we are off to a great start. We have a road. We have a clearing. And we put our little trailer on the land so we can now enjoy it even more!

Check out our latest YouTube video showing the land clearing and please, subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all future videos! 

Sincerely,

So, we joined a collaboration on YouTube for the first time. This is very exciting for us because it is the first time that we have connected with other homesteads around the world. It is really fascinating to see all the different ways of homesteading there are today. From small homesteads like ours here on Long Island, to really large homesteads with hundreds of acres, everyone is different, but the common theme is the same: they all want to be self sustainable. This is a really big deal today because there is so much dependence upon the world for basic survival that to do it like the pioneers did has become really important to individuals, couples, and families, that only want to depend upon themselves. 

In our video below we talk about the homestead we currently live on that is located on Long Island in New York, USA and we talk about the homestead we are currently building in the Adirondack Park of New York for our retirement in a few years! 

If you enjoy it and are interested in upcoming videos please subscribe to our YouTube channel "Creating A Simpler Life." 

 About The Collaboration:
The collaboration was started by two homesteads as a way to connect with other homesteads so that everyone can share what it is like to homestead where they are located because who knows, maybe someone else might want to try homesteading there too!  Check out there YouTube channels and their videos below and subscribe if you like what you see!

The collaboration is open to any homestead around the world that wants to make a video and join the playlist. They really want participation from different countries and different states. The more the better! No matter how big or small your homestead is, you can join. You simply need to answer a series of 15 questions (see below) and upload a video to your YouTube account. There are particular ways of titling the video and you will need to reach out to Danny and Wanda and/or Liz to have them share your video on their playlist. You will also need to create your own playlist and add all the other videos that have already been contributed. 

Questions To Answer:

1. Where in the world are you? (Country)
2. Where approximately is your homestead located? You do not have to give specifics but and east of a major city or west of would help.
3. What is the size of your homestead?
4. Is your homestead rural or urban?
5. What is the climate and weather like?
6. What is the growing season? ( first and last frost)
7. Do you have any animals?
8. What fruits, veggies, grains do you grow?
9. How do you grow your crops? organic, intensive, commercial, raised bed, container, row gardening, BTE, Greenhouse, etc
10. Do you sell any produce, animals or things you create for income?
11. Do you grow solely for your own needs?
12. Do you have health issues that impact or guide your homesteading? Do they affect how you live and work your land?
13. How long have you been homesteading?
14. Do you like homesteading?
15. What homestead activity do you like the most?
    

No experience making videos? Nobody cares! You can use a cell phone, a camera, or even set up your computer to record. It doesn't matter and it's never too late to try!

Thanks for visiting!
We hope you click the like button and join us on our journey to creating a simpler life now, and for our future retirement in the Adirondacks!
​Sincerely,

Now that we own 30 acres in a somewhat remote location in the Adirondack Park we started to think about the "what if's." What if someone is on it and gets hurt. What if a snowmobiler goes off the trail. What if someone hunts on it. What if someone goes on it without us knowing.....ugh. There were just too many things to think about so I started to do some research about the laws regarding vacant land, ownership, and trespassing in New York. Of course we wanted to be friendly with our future neighbors, and we certainly wanted the snowmobile club to continue using the trail running through our land but we just didn't know where to start or how to go about posting signs on our land properly. What I found in my research was quite interesting and not what I expected at all.

Here in New York the trespassing laws are controlled by the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) and this is what I discovered:

• Posting is not required to protect landowners against liability.
• Posting is not required to make trespassing illegal.
• Should someone trespass on the land they can be prosecuted under the law and if you see them and ask them to leave, they must leave immediately. You are responsible for reporting them to the local environmental conservation officer (click the link to find your region in New York State).
• Should a person known to you continue to trespass you are responsible for sending a certified letter with respect to the boundaries and warning against tresspass.
• Land owners are also responsible to report poachers and polluters. Remember there are seasons for hunting and, well, dumping any type of garbage is just wrong! Land owners should call the DEC to report this at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267).
• Should you choose to post your land it will generally only work if you use signage that is conspicuous every 100 feet or so along all boundaries, however you are not required to do this.
• But, If you do choose to post your land you need to know that there are regulations and requirements with respect to sign size, what is prohibited, and it must contain your name and address (contact information). Do your research for your area so you know exactly what you need to do.
• You also have the right to give people permission to use your land.  You can choose to add a sticker to your posted signs that say "Ask Permission." The NYSDEC provides these stickers for FREE. They come with cards to fill out for each person that is granted permission. You keep a portion, and the permitted party keeps a portion. This is a way to share your land with others in a controlled fashion. Download a printable version of the cards here. Check out this pdf brochure about the DEC's Ask Permission program and how to call to get FREE stickers.  If you don't want to download the pdf's you can go directly to the DEC's website here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8371.html​​

We Chose To Post...
In New York State, if you choose to post your land, the signs must meet the following requirements:

• Signs must be a minimum of 11" x 11"
• They must have the name and address of the owner.
• They must state the word "POSTED" or warn against entry for specific purposes
• All wordage on the sign must cover a minimum space of 80 square inches or 9" x 9" of the sign
• One sign must be set on each side of the protected area and on each side of all corners.
• Signs shall be a maximum of 660' feet apart and along the boundaries of the protected area
• Signs should be conspicuous and high enough and spaced closely enough to be seen without turning the land into an 'eyesore.'
• Illegible or missing signs should be replaced once a  year

Since the land was already posted with appropriate signs along the road, we just left them as is and added our name, address, and phone number to the ones we could reach without a ladder. 

We also purchased enough signs to post a minimum of every 100' all the way around the entire property. With a border measurement (including both sides the back and the front) of approximately 4,780 feet we purchased 48 signs (they come in 12 packs). We glued the signs to a thick plastic backing as support. It was scrap that we had laying around so that didn't cost us anything.

Since there is a snowmobile trail on our land and we have an agreement with the local club, we also purchased three special signs you see to add to the locations where there are entrances onto our land and at the junction where the trail splits in three directions. We did however add that this was for the 'snowmobile trail' to the signs. Hopefully this works and people respect our property when we are not there.

Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

How We Posted...
We hiked the entire border of the land and posted it! The first half we did with the company of family and then Rich and I finished the rest on our own.  This was a great way to get to know and become familiar with the border of our land. We chose rather large trees that looked like they would be around for a while and galvanized nails to post the signs. The signs were posted facing out, away from our property, to prevent trespassers. 

Check out our update on our posted signs in the YouTube video below! Please subscribe to our channel too :-)

Products purchased through Amazon (affiliate links):

• Thin Plastic Posted Signs
• ​Heavy Duty Posted Signs
• Respect Property Owner Signs

Check out our other posts about our future homestead!
​Thanks for visiting and have a great day :-)
Sincerely,

Link to the DEC in New York for more information:
​ https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8371.html

We have bats. I know for a fact because they have literally flown past my head. This mostly happens ad dusk when we are swimming in the pool. The bugs just love to hover right above the surface of the pool so the bats just love to swoop in and "chomp" on them!  I don’t mind though.  In fact, I am actually thrilled because with all the mosquito born illnesses being discussed on a daily basis in the news we certainly want to get rid of them. So we welcome the bats because, well, they eat this nasty mosquitoes right up!!! 

Think about it.  Have you ever heard anything good about mosquitos?  I certainly haven't. I just 'googled' the question and the only good thing that came up is that they are part of the food web.  Yup, they are good food for birds, fish,frogs and, of course, bats!  Their purposes on Earth is to be food for other animals.  Sort of the bottom of the food web.  

So I guess it makes sense that we (humans I mean) do everything we can to either get rid of or to minimize their presence. On a community level they spray neighborhoods regularly where we live.  I don't really like this, but even with the spray the mosquitoes are horrible. On a personal level people use all kinds of sprays and lotions, burn citronella candles, buy mosquito zappers, and more. In our yard we make sure there is no standing water, we make natural DIY mosquito repellant (essential oil recipe here), and of course use citronella in lots of places.

And now, we finally have a bat house that holds up to 100 bats!  But we are not hanging it at our current house, we are hanging it on our future homestead! Yes, that's right, we have decided to hang the bat house on our land in the Adirondacks. We chose to do this because the summer is when the mosquitoes are the worst and last summer when we were working on the land we were literally eaten alive. So this summer we are hoping to decrease the mosquito population by luring bats in the area where we plan to build our house.

Check out our video on You Tube of How NOT to Hang a Bat House:

Click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

What are the benefits of a bat house?

1. One single bat can eat up to 600 to 800 mosquitoes an hour.  Thats an average of 6,000 - 8,000 mosquitoes per night! 
2. They also eat moths, gnats, and other annoying little buggies that bother us at night.
3. Their poop, called guano, is nitrogen rich and that makes it perfect for the compost pile or to be used as fertilizer in the garden! The guano will be easily found at the base of the house.
4. The bats will live in the bat house rather than in your house which could lead to destruction and other problems like bats getting loose inside.

What are the negatives?

1. Like raccoons and many other animals, they can get rabies.  For this reason bats should never be handled in any way, especially if the bat appears sick or can't fly.  If a person or pet is ever bitten, or just comes in contact with a sick bat in any way it is very more important to safely save the bat somehow in a container (so it can't bite anyone)  and bring the person and the bat in for rabies testing immediately.  The most common method for people getting rabies from bats was when he bats were sick inside the home. This fact makes a good argument for having a bat house in the yard away from the house!
2. Bat guano can grow a fungus and cause histoplasmosis.  Note that bird droppings can also grow this fungus and cause this as well! The fungus grows on the feces and if the spores become airborne and are breathed in they can be dangerous to anyone with a compromised immune system.  The Mayo Clinic stated not their site that most people feel no ill effects.  If this is a concern, just wear a mask when cleaning up the guano. We already wear a mask when we clean out the chicken coop so this is no big deal for us!​

Check out our YouTube video about why you NEED a bat house! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for future videos!

What next?
Buy or build a bat house – some links for plans and some links to buy it
   1.   Build a Bat house with one of these plans:     
     - Single Chambered Bat House by Bat Conservation International
            - Plans, Tips and More from from the Organization for Bat Conservation   ​
   2.  Buy a Bat house at this link (same one I have):
      - Single Chamber Bat House by Organization for Bat Conservation $49.99
​
Paint the Bat House:
Depending upon where you live and the average temperatures, the color you paint it will vary. We painted ours black because of our location.

Hanging the Bat House

• Install facing South or Southeast
• Must get at least 7 hours of full sun a day
• Should be high up on a pole or on the side of a building (preferably not your house) – minimum is 10 feet, but up to 20 is better

If You Build it They Will Come....Maybe
"What?" After all that work there is a chance that no bats will move in?
​This is true, thats a possibility.  So here's how to increase your chances of having bats move in:

• There should already be bats in the area. If you have NEVER seen a bat at dusk then your chances are slimmer.
• Make sure that there are trees around and available fresh water within .25 of a mile (a pool, river, stream, pond, etc.).
• The best time to put up a bat house is during the winter since bats will move in during the spring.  It gives the house a chance to acclimate to the weather and for any odor from painting to wear away.  
• Note that it can take up to a year for bats to move in depending upon when you put it up, so be patient!

Update! We have purchased a new ladder (Gorilla Ladder 22') and relocated the bat house! Check out our new video of us using the ladder to relocate the bat house :-)

Thanks for visiting!
I would love to hear if you have a bat house and how it has worked out for you :-)
Check out our Bats and Bat Houses Pinterest page for more information and tons of other plans and ideas.
​Sincerely,

Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/education/
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/histoplasmosis/basics/definition/con-20026585​