The Other in My Back Yard

I am reading Jerry Mander’s In the Absence of the Sacred. The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations. Many points are too loosely argued for my taste – as in, I doubt it would convince my DH, who is a total techno-optimist. As a confirmation for what I believe, it reads …

Canner and Stove

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 …

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 …

Riot for Austerity – Months 7, 8, and 9

Months 7 – 9, that is, May to and including July. So I’ve been slacking a bit, not on the practice – I hope – but on the monitoring and recording. Then again, if your practice isn’t wholly a routine yet, monitoring and recording may well be essential (not sufficient, of course, but necessary)… Let’s …

Independence Days – Week I

Baby spinach microgreens This is my first installment of the Independence Days Challenge. Plant something. We double-dug three raised beds and constructed the bases of four 4×4 potato bins. I chitted the early potatoes, and those and many seeds and seedlings are ready to go in this week (will update when that happens; it’s raining …

Riot for Austerity: Month 6 – and Ode to Freecycle

Gasoline Whenever there’s a birthday party or a school outing, I volunteer to drive ourselves plus several more kids there and back and even around to their houses. This month has been laden with those, and DH has had to drive in to work a couple of times. Result: 9.65 gallons/person, or 23% of the …

My Child Will Not Eat Vegetables

Gasp! See that gap? A lettuce was taken from under the shade cloth! Ah, there it is: And here: This last picture, my dear readers, shows a true miracle. For Amie will not eat vegetables. No peas, or corn, no cucumber, no cherry tomatoes, no broccoli. Mashed potato, yes, and rice, but that is it. …