Our mornings are becoming cooler, and the season is offering us some great sleeping weather. Already, some of our trees are dropping leaves, while still more are beginning their color transformation. Our shagbark hickory trees surprise you with the random sound of nuts falling in the background. You get to the point where you miss the sound.
The tomatoes we planted were slow to provide mature fruits, but now they are coming into their own.
Our flock of laying hens continue to provide us, and a few lucky folks, with great eggs. We are anticipating an increase in eggs, as all have finished molting their old feathers, and the three juveniles we brought home are getting big!
Yesterday I was lucky to find a small, one horse plow for $20. We don’t have a horse yet, but the plow was a good deal. We are looking into creating a small, not for profit teaching and history farm, that will also use significant solar panel technology. Unfortunately, we will miss out on the recent announcement from the Indiana Office of Energy Development. They just raised the maximum award amount to $100,000, with can be used by businesses, not-for-profit organizations, municipalities and schools. From the IOED website:
“Technologies included in the program are Solar Water Heating for domestic hot water or radiant heating, Solar Electricity, Wind Power, Micro-hydro electricity and Biomass electricity and heating. Alternative energy systems make use of non-fossil fuel resources to produce clean, home-grown electricity and thermal energy.
The program is administered by the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED). The grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and the State Energy Program, but are not part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funding.
Each grant now has a maximum of $100,000 and will be awarded through a competitive system. Applicants are required to match the grant amount with private funding. Applications must be received by September 25, 2009. Grant awards will be announced October 2, 2009.”
Here is the site that contains application information. This is a step in the right direction for Indiana, and we would like to see this program expanded to include Indiana residential installation, and have it linked to a parallel initiative that funds solar panel R&D and production in Indiana.
Wishing all of you a peaceful, mindful Autumn.
Hoosier Contrarian 
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