Keyspoet

Here in Largo, Florida, it is finally beginning to feel like fall.

Tonight is a nearly perfect night, with temperatures well below our recent furnace-like heat, with low humidity and a lovely breeze, enough to set off the large wind chimes in the back yard. I just took Sprinkles out for a walk, chatted briefly with some neighbors (I’m not the only night owl on the block!), and came back in to write.

This past Sunday my sister Carol died following a long and exhausting illness. Although I was sorry to see her go, and I know I will miss her always, I was at the same time glad to know that she is at peace. We had a lovely conversation on August 20th, three days before she wound up back in ICU, and so I know that she was not only okay with what was happening, but very much at peace with the entire process. At the time, she told me that she was choosing to live, and for the first time asked me to send her energy; but I got the feeling the Monday before she died that she had changed her mind, which became more pronounced as the week wore on. I continued sending her energy as requested, and praying for her highest and best good, but when she died I was not surprised.

Still, it is surreal, and I keep wanting to pick up the phone to get her take on things.

One of the things we discussed in that final conversation was my determination to set up a recurring online income of multiple streams from multiple sources. She was very much in favor of what I am doing, and said that she not only supported it, but that she had seen me in that role for some time.

So in honor of my sister, Carol, whose favorite number was four, I am including links to four things I believe in:

The first is a book on how to set up a simple aquaponics raft-type system, including complete instructions, which will enable the average person to grow fish and vegetables in a completely organic system with a minimum of expense and space devoted to the task. I am a strong believer in aquaponics as a way to provide healthy food that you know is not chemically contaminated or genetically modified because you are in complete control of what goes into the system. Aquaponics has an additional benefit in that it uses approximately 10% of the water used in traditional soil-based growing systems, and is therefore a boon to arid areas, such as the desert southwest.

You have a choice whether to grow food fish, such as tilapia or bass, or ornamental fish such as goldfish or carp. Regardless of the type of fish you choose to raise, it doesn’t take a lot of fish to raise a LOT of vegetables, and particularly with tilapia, which are largely vegetarian, a high percentage of their feed can be vegetable scraps and/or duckweed, which will cut down substantially on the amount of fish food needed to raise them. One caution on growing duckweed: make certain that you have screening on your intake tubes, as I have heard of horror stories of duckweed multiplying unchecked inside filter systems, and rendering them useless in short order in hot weather. I would grow the duckweed in a separate system, such as a kiddie pool, which could also provide wonderful habitat for tadpoles, though you will want to include a mosquito dunk to prevent mosquitoes breeding in your duckweed pond. Speaking for myself, I would also include a worm bed in the system, both to take care of kitchen scraps and to provide an additional protein source for the fish. Many people growing food in aquaponics systems successfully grow all the food needed for their fish.

Here is the link:

Ultimate Aquaponics Book

The second reference I would like to offer is on electricity, specifically on how to make electricity for your home economically, and how to maximize your power usage and storage to the point where you can successfully get off the grid, or sell power back to the power company if that is your choice. This is a great book with a lot of useful information, much of which is as useful for city dwellers as it is for those living in more rural settings, which are more often associated with “off the grid” living.

Electricity – Make It, Don’t Buy It

The third reference goes along with the second, and although I have not yet purchased this one, I intend to in the near future. This book is on how to easily cut back your electric usage using some basic and inexpensive parts from any good hardware store. Since the author claims that you can drastically cut your energy usage, perhaps even by enough to sell power back to the grid, it again promises to be useful no matter where you live.

How To Reduce Your Electric Bill (For Almost No Money)

Finally, I am including a link to Christopher Westra’s program Royalties University, which is a program specifically written on setting up a recurring online income, and which is a large part of the information I am using to set up my blogs and my online businesses. This is a monthly subscription, but it is very reasonable at $19.00 per month, and he not only includes a lot of excellent information each month, but specific steps to take, and a lot of bonuses and extras on top of the monthly lessons. If you would like to make your living online, and are tired of the hype of get rich schemes that make money for no one but their creators, then I believe you will agree the program to be money well spent.

Plus he promises a bonus at the end of the course which will be worth all the money spent up to that point.

Royalties University

Thanks for your time and best of luck in reaching and exceeding your goals.

Peace,
Cori

This post was originally published on my online business blog, www.brokenkazoo.com.