Beautiful Photos of People living Off-Grid in America by Eric Valli

Photos by Eric Valli
Off the Grid - There are a growing number of people who have decided to live light on the earth. Eric Valli has spent the last few years with four of them striving for harmony with nature in the most pristine corners of the United States.

Oh yes... I could live there in Iverness-shire Scotland.

"The Beer Moth is a converted 1956 Fire Service truck whose flatbed has been made into a very unique guest vacation rental room. The room accommodates two, has its own wood-burning hearth and lives on the Inshriach House grounds in Inverness-shire, Scotland. You can book a stay on the Beer Moth through Canopy & Stars." More...

Organic food ? Grow your own !

Pear, Bartlett Dwarf Jumbo A large, yellow pear, very sweet and aromatic. Bartlett Dwarf Pear Trees bear quickly and are highly productive. Shipped 3-4' jumbo trees. Early season producer. Self-fruitful , but will produce heavier yields if pollinated with another variety. Other standard pear varieties available include the Kieffer.

Lily, Sumtra

Lily, Sumatra Attention-grabber extraordinaire! This fabulous Oriental Lily's rich, burgundy blossoms with white ruffled edges have an intensity you must see to believe. Lots of huge, 7-9", upright flowers on stems up to 4' high are a standout in the summer garden. You'll delight in their lovely fragrance, too.

Colorado Blue Spruce Seedlings

Spruce, Blue One of the most popular evergreens in the country because of its uniform, symmetrical shape and beautiful coloring. Makes a superb windbreak, privacy screen, or focal point for your yard. Plant trees 10' apart for a hedge. Will grow to 50' tall. Plant in full sun. 2-3' tall trees sent.

Happy Earth Day !

Magnolia, Hardy One of the best ornamental and cold hardy Southern Magnolias. Glossy, evergreen foliage is dark green on top with cinnamon brown underneath. Cream colored flowers are extremely fragrant and last from late spring well into summer. Grows to 35' tall with a nice pyramidal shape. Shipped potted.

The Illusion of Success in Western Society !

Happy Earth Day. Walk today. Everyday !

Happy Earth Day - Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan

In his book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, the astronomer Carl Sagan related his thoughts on a deeper meaning of the photograph:

We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

—Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, p. 6

Heirloom Seeds: Radicchio, Variegated Chiogga 1 Pkt.

Click on image to order from Burpee Gardening:

My Favorite in a Salad -
"Radicchio, Variegated Chiogga 1 Pkt." (2183)
"Hailing from the Italian fishing village of Chiogga, this heirloom radicchio forms large, firm round heads of lovely variegated leaves in pure white and rosy red. This rarely encountered variety imparts radicchio's signature sparky, bittersweet flavor. 80 days."

Heirloom Seeds: "Broccoli, Romanesco 1 Pkt. (130 Seeds)" from Burpee Gardening

Click on image to order:

"Broccoli, Romanesco 1 Pkt. (130 Seeds)" (2222)
"This preeminent Italian heirloom variety was first documented in Italy in the 16th century. 'Romanesco's crisp, beautiful apple-green whorled heads impart an altogether pleasing, nutty taste. Most often enjoyed raw, the broccoli, if lightly cooked, will retain its flavor and unique texture. 75-100 days."