A special 5 today.
My calling on the lurkers resulted in 5 new, interesting blogs.
Maggie over on Banter, Bones and Breath has the cutest twins! If you ever wanted to know what goes on in a day in the life of an indoor air quality controller, this blog is for you.
The Greenwoman is even more sarcastic then I am. This is a witty blog about her life on the homestead.
Just me is a poetic blog about life and God, but currently she needs a horse intervention.
Pots, Dishes and Plants is a relatively new blog from Cori. The name says it all at this point. And if you are in New York and needing a Enviro friendly maid service, this is the blog for you.
Simple Life of the Neo-Hippy, was Progressive Turnip. Turnip is in the process of simplifying her life. She shares with us her questions about her life and things she sees around her.
Go, read, enjoy! And I will see you all back here on Monday. I plan on continuing talking about gardening, if you have any questions, or tips, or just feel the overwhelming need to say hi, then please, by all means, do so.
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Saturday, January 27, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
A Quick Hello
Just wanted to let you know that I am ok. My absence yesterday was because of a migraine. For some reason they have increased in frequency. Unfortunately for me, I was born with them, diagnosed at 2 years old, and have tried everything man-made and natural to find some relief. Nothing except heavy duty narcotics works.
My doctor prescribed me a new medication. I took it for the first time yesterday, turns out it does nothing for my pain, but it did knock me out. Now I am a day behind on chores. Not a good thing to be around here.
I still have a migraine, not as bad as yesterday. My thought process is a little slow thanks to the residual effects of the medication, so you will hear nothing profound from me today.
Tomorrow I will post my blogroll, as I have added several more, but for today, I will bid you a good day.
And if you need something to read;
Beware of the USDA and
your State Dept.
My doctor prescribed me a new medication. I took it for the first time yesterday, turns out it does nothing for my pain, but it did knock me out. Now I am a day behind on chores. Not a good thing to be around here.
I still have a migraine, not as bad as yesterday. My thought process is a little slow thanks to the residual effects of the medication, so you will hear nothing profound from me today.
Tomorrow I will post my blogroll, as I have added several more, but for today, I will bid you a good day.
And if you need something to read;
Beware of the USDA and
your State Dept.
of Agriculture By Henry Lamb
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Organic
Chip over on cookthink asked me a question after my reply to the post about Wal-mart and organic labeling.
As a homesteader, what do you consider “organic?” We all have impressions about what “organic” implies, but I’m struck by how often articles about “organic” food make no attempt to define what it means exactly. Most often organic food is defined what it’s lacking: synthetic chemicals, growth hormones, etc. I’d be interested to hear how you define organic.
of course I answered in my typical holier than food corp way, but what about you? How do you define organic?
You can answer here or at cookthink, I am sure Chip would be interested in your opinion.
As a homesteader, what do you consider “organic?” We all have impressions about what “organic” implies, but I’m struck by how often articles about “organic” food make no attempt to define what it means exactly. Most often organic food is defined what it’s lacking: synthetic chemicals, growth hormones, etc. I’d be interested to hear how you define organic.
of course I answered in my typical holier than food corp way, but what about you? How do you define organic?
You can answer here or at cookthink, I am sure Chip would be interested in your opinion.
The Compacting Garden Part IV
Admittedly I have not yet read Food not Lawns by Heather C. Flores, so I will not be going into that subject. I will keep my front yard as is, manly because I have children and they need a place to play. Plus I like grass. What I will talk about is border gardening. This is something that I have done for years.
I do keep flowers in my beds, butterfly and hummingbird bushes and roses, I also naturalize my yard with tulips and daisies. We also decorate with more edible pretties as well. I have a whole flower bed dedicated to strawberries, mine is a flat bed, but there are products to make a tiered planter, or you can even hang them. Mixed in with my butterfly bushes are blueberry bushes. Melon grows along side my morning glory, and onions create a living border around my roses.
Herbs not only make a flower garden visually appealing, got to have curb appeal, but benefit you and your garden. I have aloe vera and yucca growing in a rock garden, basil planted around my deck to help repel mosquitoes and flies, borage borders my strawberries to attract honeybees, camomile is spread throughout my acreage as it tends to help improve the flavor of many different plants. I plant garlic around my fruit trees to protect them from borers. Hyssop has very pretty flowers and is used as a border around my grapes. And I have lavender growing outside [where they can't get to it] of the chicken coop to keep mice at bay.
Boarder gardening is a good way to have a productive yard that will not get you in trouble with your neighbors, or city codes.
The Compacting Garden Part I
The Compacting Garden Part II
The Compacting Garden Part III
Do you wish for me to continue to talk about gardening, or would you like to move on to something else?
I do keep flowers in my beds, butterfly and hummingbird bushes and roses, I also naturalize my yard with tulips and daisies. We also decorate with more edible pretties as well. I have a whole flower bed dedicated to strawberries, mine is a flat bed, but there are products to make a tiered planter, or you can even hang them. Mixed in with my butterfly bushes are blueberry bushes. Melon grows along side my morning glory, and onions create a living border around my roses.
Herbs not only make a flower garden visually appealing, got to have curb appeal, but benefit you and your garden. I have aloe vera and yucca growing in a rock garden, basil planted around my deck to help repel mosquitoes and flies, borage borders my strawberries to attract honeybees, camomile is spread throughout my acreage as it tends to help improve the flavor of many different plants. I plant garlic around my fruit trees to protect them from borers. Hyssop has very pretty flowers and is used as a border around my grapes. And I have lavender growing outside [where they can't get to it] of the chicken coop to keep mice at bay.
Boarder gardening is a good way to have a productive yard that will not get you in trouble with your neighbors, or city codes.
The Compacting Garden Part I
The Compacting Garden Part II
The Compacting Garden Part III
Do you wish for me to continue to talk about gardening, or would you like to move on to something else?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Compacting Garden Part III
I found that trellising most of my vine plants, saves not just room, but my back as well.
You don't need to put up a new fence to do this, any chainlink fence will do. Trellising vegetables on a shared fence gives you an opportunity to meet the neighbors and start shared planting.
There are biodegradable strings {you'll need to scroll down if you click the link} to help you attach the vines to the fence. Tomatoes do well, and you will deal with less insects and rot by doing this. But what of the heavier fruits/melons? Here is where saving your torn pantyhose comes into play, {or ask friends and family not to throw their nylons out, just cut the legs off and save them for you.} Place your melon inside of the stocking and tie it to the fence, careful not to break any vines. The nylon will stretch as your melons grow. This keeps them from falling, keeps them clean, and less likely to be attacked by insects.
The Compacting Garden Part I
The Compacting Garden Part II
I just saw this on cookthink, Wal-Mart has now been accused of misleading consumers by placing nonorganic products in areas that are labeled “organic.”
You don't need to put up a new fence to do this, any chainlink fence will do. Trellising vegetables on a shared fence gives you an opportunity to meet the neighbors and start shared planting.
There are biodegradable strings {you'll need to scroll down if you click the link} to help you attach the vines to the fence. Tomatoes do well, and you will deal with less insects and rot by doing this. But what of the heavier fruits/melons? Here is where saving your torn pantyhose comes into play, {or ask friends and family not to throw their nylons out, just cut the legs off and save them for you.} Place your melon inside of the stocking and tie it to the fence, careful not to break any vines. The nylon will stretch as your melons grow. This keeps them from falling, keeps them clean, and less likely to be attacked by insects.
The Compacting Garden Part I
The Compacting Garden Part II
I just saw this on cookthink, Wal-Mart has now been accused of misleading consumers by placing nonorganic products in areas that are labeled “organic.”
Monday, January 22, 2007
Snowbound
After all that sleet, it took a week to get above freezing. One day at those temps did little to melt things before the snow came.
We received 10 inches of snow.
On a sad note, our chick is missing. I am assuming that something {like a skunk} grabbed it.
We received 10 inches of snow.
On a sad note, our chick is missing. I am assuming that something {like a skunk} grabbed it.
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