The painting in the banner was made by my MIL – you can read about her exploits in art (and about Amie as well) in her blog: Journey Through Art. The painting was based on the original banner picture: Isn’t it beautiful? I’ll write about my artistic family soon. Amie is of course artist number …
Author Archives: kaat
Independence Days, Week 3
Plant: Still waiting for the “Fall planting” seedlings (lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.) to graduate to planting-out size. “Unplanted” most of the tomato plants (one chilly day and night and they succumbed fully to the blight). Also planted sustainable lawn seed on our erosion-prone slope: curious about the result! Harvest: Finally harvested the first carrots (which …
Cardboard Box Castle
Our latest adventures…
Home Canning versus Bisphenol A
That’s the second person intimating to me that my home canning might not be safe. Usually the question comes quietly: “Are you sure the jars are okay?” Though it riles me, I’ve come to expect the attitude. It’s like with eggs. When I tell people about wanting chickens for their eggs, half the time the …
Peppers, Basil, Peas, Grasshoppers, Ladybugs
Canned Bell Peppers (from Farmers Market) Amie and I just ate our first three peas from the garden: delicious! She also ate seven green beans (from the garden) and four carrots (disks, that is, not the whole thing) (from the Farmers Market). She loves the beans especially. She also promised that when the time comes …
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Riot for Austerity – Month 10
This month there were no shifts in the household: just the three of us, which makes the reckoning much easier. Amie feeds the compost tea some molasses Gasoline: 27% This stayed the same as last month. The school year hasn’t started yet, so DH is spending more time working from home and Amie isn’t daily …
Independence Days, Week 2 {reset}
{Reset} Since I started again last week, I’ll call this week 2. Plant: Transplanted mostly lettuce seedlings in the old potato bed, but I’m afraid they drowned in last week’s downpours; luckily I didn’t put in all of them, and I have many more waiting on the porch. I did drop a tray with mizuna …
The Mudge of Nightmares
Last night, Amie woke up around 2 am, with a scream. She had had a nightmare and, as usual when that happens, she demanded the nightlight be turned on, then proceeded to lie awake, eyes wide open, for two hours. Mama knows because Mama too was awake that entire time – oh the pleasures of …
Flushing Drinking Water, Not – and Toilet Cloth
Okay, I’m warning you. This one’s (perhaps) on the edge for this blog, but it was inevitable. It’s about our toilet flushing habits. So if you’re here to read about Amie’s drawings or how the carrots are doing (badly), proceed at your own risk. This is the one aspect of our homestead that I don’t …
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Independence Days – Week… ahum…
So behind, it’s shameful. Forge ahead, anyway! Plant: Fall garden of spinach, kale, broccoli, purslane, various lettuce, chard, mizuna, mustard greens, all as seedlings, and in the ground peas, more green beans, chard and carrots. Harvest: chard, kale, cucumber, potatoes, various tomatoes, beans both green and dry. Preserve: apple* sauce, peaches* in syrup, tomato-apple* chutney, …