I can cross two more items off my “Tools/Toys” list in the sidebar. “Lookit” (*) what arrived yesterday, one after the other: My Presto 23 quart high pressure canner, present from DH for my birthday Our new wood stove, present to ourselves for our 8th wedding anniversary That’s two big pillars of self-sufficient living right …
Monthly Archives: August 2009
Beginning Preparedness
If for some reason you couldn’t leave your house, how long could you and your family survive on the food and water you have at home? If your answer is three days, you can count yourself “normal”. If for some reason the grid blinked out, would you be able to cook that food, heat your …
TO DO (List) Like There’s No Tomorrow
White sheet curtain to block the sun’s heat. Today we’re in the 90s, while yesterday we barely made the 70s. Things we need to do before winter (update TO DO LIST in sidebar): attempt compost tea top dress beds with compost install last rain barrel (for toilet flushing) pull poison ivy all over restart Starbucks …
Hope
Amie’s woodpile / my woodpile Yesterday I signed up for several MeetUp groups related to Permaculture, Organic Living, Peak Oil and Climate Change. One of them is a Mom’s group. Their first question was: What makes you despair the most? I answered: Waste, greed, soulless consuming, willful ignorance Their second question: What gives you the …
A Transition Event! Here!
Enough of this vacillating and lamenting! I’ve placed a notice for a Meeting on the Transition US and Transition Massachusetts websites, and will send it to several sustainability and Permaculture Meetup groups I know of. I’ve got one speaker already and plan to invite many more. Join us to discuss resilience and sustainability for our …
Holiday Homeschool, Eggs and Solar
Amie plants her onion sign Our latest guests have left and Amie and I have settled back into the-two-of-us routine. What with all the commotion of guests and visitors and extended playdates we have seriously slacked off on our “schooling”. August, I’ve decided, will see some school every morning. Amie so far has been enthusiastic. …
Trelisses and Potato Bins and Dinner
Last week “big hail” was predicted, so DH and I ran out and covered most of the beds with row cover. We also managed to drape some over the tomatoes in the pots, but by then it was too dark to take a picture. I don’t know what good it would have done, since no …
Soil Test Results
I know. It was a bit late that I had my soil tested, but – apart from it being too clayish – we’ve always had a good feeling about the soil of our veg garden. The catalyst for sending the soil in anyway was the loam I bought for filling up the terraces we built, …