This is from CBS news today:

Oil prices rose further above the $60 a barrel mark Thursday after a U.S. government report showed larger-than-expected drops in gasoline and heating oil inventories last week.

Traders also kept an eye on developments in the Middle East, where tensions are escalating between Western powers and Iran over the nation’s nuclear program.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery rose 30 cents to $60.37 a barrel in morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Crude inventories rose by 3.7 million barrels to 327.6 million barrels in the week ending Feb. 16, the Energy Information Administration said Thursday. But gasoline inventories fell by 3.1 million barrels to 222.1 million barrels, and distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, fell by 5.0 million barrels to 128.3 million barrels. Most of the drop in distillates was due to diminishing heating oil supplies.

Analysts were expecting, on average, a modest rise in crude oil and gasoline inventories and a smaller drop in distillates.

And this from AOL Money & Finance:

All in all we are looking at the perfect storm for rising oil prices. Should oil settle above $60 today we may have seen the last of $50 oil for the foreseeable future.

And this from the Detroit News:

The steady climb to higher spring gasoline prices is under way and a repeat of last year’s $3 a gallon is a strong possibility.

The average price for a gallon of regular in Metro Detroit reached $2.28 Monday, according to AAA Michigan. That’s up 38 cents from a month ago and the highest price at the pump since Dec. 4.

With gas prices promising to hit $3 per gallon, I think I’ve missed my window to sell my SUV. More important, none of the sources I’ve read has given me any hope for lower oil prices in the near future.

I’ve started keeping tabs on oil prices because I’m concerned that rising prices will change my standard of living but to be honest, I was thinking it wouldn’t happen for a few years. Today’s rise is cause for concern even though I know it’s the overall picture that is most alarming.

Just a little food for thought.

After thinking of the ramaifications of Peak Oil prices, I’ve decided it’s time to do something about it but where do I begin? I followed links from Peak Oil Design to Simple Reduce where she writes this:

“I have decided to build a set of skills. I am looking at everything I own and determining if it is necessary and how I can either do without or make it myself. Can many of us spin, weave, knit, sew, make soap (from ashes), use medicinal herbs, make paper, candles, save seeds, garden, preserve food, cook? Can you share skills with a neighbor?”

She’s a mother of five from Minnesota and has given me food for thought. I’ve wanted to do most of those things although weaving has never interested me. I may change my mind in a few years!

When I first married my husband we decided to plant a garden. My childhood was filled with strawberry picking (read eating!), gardening, raising roses - all the pursuits and interests of my father. I followed him around every evening as he would work with the soil. I thought it wouldn’t be too difficult since I had a background in it.

Do you have any idea how many greenbeans result from a row 80′ long? LOL

I didn’t either but I soon learned how to preserve green beans. Most of my summer that year was spent in the hot kitchen with my Mom around to teach me her canning skills (after daily picking of that 80′ row). I wish her and my Father were around now to teach me what they knew about gardening. I can grow philodendrons, does that count?

Speaking of other abilities that might come in handy during the coming years are sewing, knitting, an interest in natural or alternative healing and building a sustainable home. I live on a very small piece of land right now and containter gardening is the only option I have. I figure if Path to Freedom can turn a city lot into Eden, I might be able to enrich this little space a little.

Pardon me while I do a little research on container gardening. I’ll be back to edit this post!

Root - Soil - Water Interaction in Container Gardens - information from a forum post.

Square Foot Gardening - from Journey to Forever.

This is beginning to sound like work! If the ground weren’t frozen, I could start now. Hmmm, I wonder. Could I start composting now? Would it break down in the winter temperatures?

How to Build a Wormbin - I guess my childhood fear of worms will have to fly out the window.

Vegetables in the Sustainable Garden - a collection of articles about growing a sustainable garden.

I had an opportunity today to write an article on Peak Oil and research of course was part of it. I have no doubts any longer of whether it will happen…..or as some think, has happened…but where to go from here is undecided.

I’m cognizant of how dependent I am on our energy reserves, that’s not the issue. When I blow dry my hair, put a load of clothes in the dryer or make coffee, I think of Peak Oil. I drive my car, buy groceries, even turn up the thermostat on these cold winter nights and I think about it. Those examples are easy to fix but the important issues still remain unanswered.

I read an opinion today that our attempts at conservation might hurt the situation rather than help. Did I miss something here? What are we suppose to do, sit back and accept the consequences without attempting to make changes?

I feel I should have been doing more years ago instead of waiting until this crisis. I took everything for granted as I’m sure most American’s have.

If I reduce my consumption by 3% per year as advocated by the Oil Depletion Protocol, just what does that entail? I guess I’ll have to take stock of my energy usage to begin that quest.

Small house living has it’s advantages such as reduced utility bills, simplified living, smaller eco footprint and a renewed sense of what’s important in life. Getting to this point can be difficult however! Are you downsizing too?

There are a few experiences that led to this point and I’m probably not much different than you in that respect. We all have our “ah ha” moments that have the capacity to change our lives.

A few years ago I was regularly flying across the country in my position as a travel nurse. I would take three month assignments in locale’s from New Hampshire to California. One of the most frustrating aspects during my first few trips was the limit put on luggage. How in the heck would I be able to get everything I needed into two pieces of luggage and a carry-on? My idea of what was essential to life included 6 pair of shoes with purses to match, an outfit for virtually any social situation that might arise, my scrubs of course and numerous books. And I couldn’t forget my laptop, could I? Did I mention the family pictures and memento’s?

Add this to the issue that sometimes you needed linens, kitchen items, an iron…well, you get the picture.

Over the course of a year or so, my idea of what was essential to living was transformed. Each assignment I had required trips to the local Walmart to get those necessities I couldn’t live without. Each time I started a new contract I would repeat the process.

I had three 4 cup coffee makers, two irons, four sets of comforters for my bed and other things to furnish an apartment with by the time I quit traveling. You may think it would have been cheaper to mail them but that wasn’t an option at times. (I wouldn’t have an address until I found my apartment.) Sure, it was corporate housing but let me assure you it’s not all created equal.

After lugging this stuff through airports and mailing heavy packages home repeatedly, I decided there was a lot less I could live with. It was the beginning of my simple living mentality.

The small apartments I had while on the road had the bare necessities for life and do you know what I found? I enjoyed living without all that stuff that weighs you down. I lived for three years like that and missed very few things I had at home.

Here’s to simple living!

Now I’m wondering how much of my own food I can grow in containers on the patio. I research ways to reduce the energy I consume daily and most of my stuff? It went to freecycle, the Goodwill or Salvation Army. I wish I would have thought about Ebay…

I’m also trying to organize what I have left which can be a difficult task as you downsize. Here are a few sites that may help you:

Organized Home - A site with forms, tips and tricks to get you started.

How to Organize Small Spaces - Just what the name describes.

Small Space - Big Style - HGTV’s latest shows.

I check out WordPress themes every now and then and today one caught my eye. I don’t necessarily care for the colors as well as I like the widget’s that are available. What do you think?

There are more RSS feeds giving you an option to keep up with posts. Speaking of which, the direction of this blog may take another route.

Building my house was a priority and time sensitive last summer and into the fall. I still feel it is a priority but what can I say? Life happens when you least expect it! Circumstances change and for now, that dream isn’t going to be realized as soon as I had hoped.

You’ll still find an interest in building here but it will be expanded to reflect the changes I’ve experienced. When I first started this blog I was examining why I wasn’t satisfied. I needed a lifestyle that didn’t include stress as a daily occurance.

Evidently the name for this blog is right on.

I didn’t realize Michigan would be appropriate for wind power but after reading about the turbine in the thumb area I learned that our well known breezes are useful not only to cool us but to power our farms also. I remember traveling out West and seeing the gigantic turbines near the California and Arizona border and thinking how unusual and beautiful they were. Not everyone agrees with me but I felt I was in another country - I had never seen anything like that!

If Not Wind is an interesting site with facts and figures and our very own Michigan government publishes Wind Energy Siting Guidelines and Small Wind Electric Systems Guide just in case you’ve considered wind energy for your farm.

There are also turbines in Traverse City, two in the upper peninsula and hundreds of smaller wind generators throughout the state. I didn’t know that, did you?

Solar Energy Businesses in Michigan is a guide to manufacturers, distributors, organizations and others in Michigan who are proponents of using solar energy in Michigan. You can request a price quote from all the businesses listed. Sounds like a time-saver to me!

I visited this website a few months ago after reading about the Peak Oil dilemma. He has some concrete ideas to think about while designing your house. We all want to decrease our use of fuel and his discussion about energy consumption is both thought provoking and useful.

Peak Oil Design

On another note: My contribution to Snippets & Bits has been sporadic this last month. I had a few logical, necessary things to take care of….such as a job! I start a new one on Monday and I’m excited. This will be a new challenge for me and you may see posting slowing down. Rest assured that it’s temporary. Building this house is a dream for me, but it’s also a necessity. With winter coming, it also gives me time to think about other areas I need to research. I’ve mentioned before that my idea of a perfect homestead is changing. Any ideas would be appreciated. I’ve received emails that leads me to believe others are using my research also. Feel free to suggest an alternative I haven’t considered.

Nice link to an affordable design guide. It’s written in the 90’s but the information is still good today.

Design Guide

Hard to believe it’s been almost two weeks since I’ve posted anything. Many of you know that I’m a travel nurse. Shortly after accepting my last assignment, I started feeling extreme fatigue. It progressed to weakness - to the point that I had difficulty walking and driving. I just couldn’t tolerate activity. My chest hurt, I was having a difficulty breathing and I was so pale that the ER nurses took bets on what my HGB was and whether I would need a blood transfusion. The physicians in the ER asked if I had been exposed to any industrial toxins. I hadn’t to my knowledge.

My son made a few trips there and finally, I went home with him when it was apparent that I couldn’t even take care of my dog. It’s about ten days later and I can now walk and drive without difficulty but sometimes still feel fatigue.

One of my sons who works in the building industry suggested black mold. At this point, I’m not sure but I am checking it out. I’ve started doing research on healthy homes, indoor air quality and the strategies to get there. I’ll post what I find.

It’s good to be back among the living!

Added: Here is a web site written by a physician who experienced problems with mold also. I’m not sure that was my problem but I know that I am now feeling better and can function normally again.

Toxic Mold

What New York Inspectors have to say about avoiding mold in new construction:

NY Inspectors Avoid Mold