Last year my daughter decided we must have dairy goats by the end of the year. This was in December. It wasn’t feasible for us, but amazingly she made it happen! On December 31st we got goats – two females (a female goat is called a doe). Here come the goats! We arranged for a
Finally: A Ranch Kitchen After over three years of unprotected outdoor cooking, my wife finally got a roof over her head. That’s a long time to be dodging rain and other challenging scenarios. We bought a metal building kit that’s rated for over 120 mph winds. Gusts up to 50 mph are not uncommon here,
2025 Highlights in Pictures Read More »
This is our fourth summer on the high desert of southeast Arizona. It’s not uncommon for it to be a good 10° cooler here than it is in the Tucson-Phoenix low desert valley, but we’ve seen temperatures climb over 100° every year – as it probably will over the coming month. Experiencing the heat without
Low-Tech Desert Heat Survival Read More »
Mankind has had it very difficult throughout most of history and still does in much of the world. There’s definitely something to be said for working smarter, not harder. But is there such a thing as going too far, making life too easy, and getting too soft? Think of robot vacuums and mowers, elevators, electronic
It’s one thing to construct a building and it’s another thing to finish it! We’ve shared multiple posts with different aspects of building domes, so it’s high time to share how we finished them over the last year. Finish work often involves detail work such as trim, windows, and doors, and may include some details
Mold Toxin Illness and Lyme Disease go hand in hand, but this 3-step healing protocol is helpful for preventing and overcoming myriads of ailments whose root cause is associated with toxins or pathogens (ie. harmful microbes). The reason for this has to do with your microbiome (ie. all the microbes in your body). Experts say
My 3-Step Healing Protocol for Mold and Lyme Read More »
One year ago this month I started working remotely full time for an off-site employer. Having poured all of our savings into the ranch I needed an income to provide for my family and keep developing the ranch. That dramatically slowed us down, but we still made some significant progress this year! We’re developing as
2024 Sabbatical Ranch Progress Read More »
Sabbatical Ranch is helping people whose lives have been devastated by toxic mold (eg. health, finances, emotions, lifestyle). Based on statistics, millions of people are being harmed by mold toxins to various degrees, but most don’t realize it. As symptoms accumulate, many victims start looking for answers. We’re really just getting started and somehow people
Crown of Thorns Online Silent Auction Read More »
Have you ever considered the human body – designed by God – compared to machines built by men? Secularists don’t acknowledge the spirit that God put in charge of the body, but for today’s comparison we’re just looking at the physical “machine” of the body. Of course God’s design is far superior to anything ever
We’ve lived in multiple states around the country: from coastal states on the Atlantic and Pacific to the great lakes and the great plains, and from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachian Mountains to tornado alley! And we have visited or at least traveled through almost every state. Most places have four seasons even though
Erratic Seasons of Sabbatical Ranch Read More »
Arizona’s infamous flash flooding finally struck us. For the last couple of weeks the monsoon thunderstorms have been hitting all around us but mostly either entirely missing us or just sprinkling a little bit – until Saturday. We’ve had our fair share of severe rain events, but nothing like this one. No neighbors we know
Flash Flooding Hits Sabbatical Ranch Read More »
Those who have experienced natural earthen walls and floors often fall in love with them! They create a certain set of feelings involving multiple senses. First is the way they look with an interesting and attractive artisan aspect – the inherent “flaws” of hand made vs machine made, the soft curves vs sharp corners, the
Natural Earthen Plaster & Flooring Read More »
Surely everyone has heard how good exercise is for them, so shouldn’t we all love it? We’ll talk about that as well as better alternatives than exercise. And I’ll have a simple movement challenge for you: can you perform a few basic moves that most people should be able to do without any problem, but
Do You Not Enjoy Exercise? Read More »
The food and agriculture industry (ie. Food Inc.) has a dirty secret. But at least they’re aware of it and are generally proactive about trying to prevent mold and mycotoxin contamination. The building industry has the same dirty secret, but unfortunately they are largely in denial. It’s hard to sell moldy food so there’s incentive
Mold and Mycotoxins in the Food Supply Read More »
My daughter is very modest so she wouldn’t brag about her accomplishments. But I will! Over the winter she made a comprehensive plan for a year-round harvest of more than 75 different plants for food and medicine for people, pets, plants, beneficial birds & bugs (micro & macro). I asked her to write about it
Growing vegetation on the desert has many challenges. One challenge is that hard, dry ground makes it difficult for anything to take root. We’ve been working on developing good soil, but regular watering is required. Rainwater-harvesting earthworks are designed to help, but that by itself would take quite a few seasons to transform desert into
Irrigation Changes Everything! Read More »
You’ve probably heard about the standard American diet (SAD) because there’s so much research now showing how detrimental it is to people’s health. But the standard American lifestyle (SAL), which includes SAD, is a more holistic look at the factors contributing to skyrocketing rates of chronic disease – in spite of the popular perception that
Eight Tips, Tweaks, and Hacks for a Healthier, Happier Life Read More »
We don’t like rattlesnakes, rodents, and javelina, but there’s more critters we do like than those we don’t. And then there’s a number of critters that we have mixed feelings about. Some of these critters are quite entertaining!
Favorite Critters at Sabbatical Ranch Read More »
Gravel and urbanite, stormwater and topsoil: all inadvertent gifts from neighbors near and far. Some people may look at these things as problems rather than gifts, but we turn problems into solutions and put them all to good use! Years before we bought this property I’m guessing one or more contractors delivered quite a bit
Generous Neighbors Read More »
Have you ever noticed that people who really know their stuff are able to make complex subjects simple and easy to understand? That’s exactly what you’ll see in these short videos. Everybody should learn the basics here, and really it should be taught in high school. But the sad reality is that many doctors aren’t
Top Expert Explains Toxin Buildup in the Body Read More »
My family has enjoyed recreational camping throughout our lives. So when we were considering camping on our mold-avoidance sabbatical, we had some idea of what to expect and how to prepare. Nonetheless, we also gained valuable insights related to Mold Toxin Illness from a few resources. Many people who are considering camping on a mold-avoidance
Sabbatical Camping Read More »
Last year our big infrastructure project was running a waterline from the well – located three properties away – down to the ranch (four properties share one well). That project was a lot of work and full of surprises. Over the last year we’ve been doing rainwater-harvesting earthworks and building soil for Gardens, Gardens, and
Are there doctors that work for their patients rather than Big Pharma, Big Government, and insurance companies? Are there doctors who are mold competent? Let’s talk about how to find good healthcare providers. This information can be really valuable because you don’t know what you don’t know (ie. you wouldn’t know to search for something
Do Any Doctors Get It? Read More »
We have a lot to be thankful for this year! Hacking an existence out of the desert is no easy task, so it makes us appreciate all the more the little wins along the way that add up to something significant. I want to highlight some of the simple things that are paying dividends.
We’re happy to have completed our second dome this summer! With this third and final report I hope to have provided a good overview of the process for anyone considering it. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) With a team of seven you can build one of these small domes in about a week, but
Finished Dome Build Report Read More »
In this post:
– I recently posted a personal ad on behalf of our rooster, Big Red. No responses yet, but we’re still looking.
– Summer is finally winding down and so are many of our projects. High temperatures this week are in the 70°s, which are the lowest we’ve had since probably April or May.
– Today is our 25th wedding anniversary!
Over the last month we’ve had an influx of new subscribers as word is getting out about what we’re doing. Unfortunately, after publishing weekly, educational blog posts for almost a year, this is the first update we’ve provided in a few months. We’ve just become too busy this summer to stay up on it. But
What’s Your Story? Read More »
One of our goals is to become self-supporting. The plan is for revenue to be generated through food sales. But we have to grow it first! In order to do that, we have to build a fence that will keep out rabbit, javelina, coyote, and deer. That will cost a pretty penny. I poured all
Income for Sabbatical Ranch Read More »
Now that I raise chickens I hear this all the time: “Chickens are little dinosaurs!” Really? It never ceases to amaze me how many tall tales evolutionists invent and propagate. But because they captured government schools and other influential institutions so long ago, they are able to get away with it. Most Americans were taught
Was T.Rex Just a Big Chicken? Read More »
With this dome build I’m trying to take pictures of all the key steps involved and include basic explanations in a series of articles. If you’re just interested in the process or are considering this option, these articles give a good overview of everything involved. But if you were going to build a Superadobe or
3-Week Dome Building Progress Read More »
