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  1. Calista

    Is Your Homestead in an HOA or Governed by Restrictive Covenants?

    Well, this was interesting to me. A business friend of my husband's has decided to relocate from California to a "redoubt" state for retirement and wishes to live a sustainable lifestyle on acreage. He and his wife have a good grounding in the skills and mindset required to make a go of it and...
  2. Calista

    Has Anyone Tried the Mittleider Method?

    Apologies if my search didn't show any threads that are already devoted to this topic. If I understand this concept correctly, his gardening method focuses on vertical growth, low but focused watering, and high nutrient infusions. His raised beds are soilless! (One-third sand-and two-thirds...
  3. Calista

    Gopher-Go Tonic Worked For My Friend!

    I've had to use hardware cloth on the bottoms of all my raised beds and around my fruit tree root balls when planting because of horrible gopher problems. Turns out I now know at least ONE person who claims total success with a gopher repellent she used on both her lawn and garden: GOPHER-GO...
  4. Calista

    Unbelievable Prices For Cat Furniture

    I made the mistake recently of checking some price tags on cat condos and trees both online and through pet stores and GET REAL! The cheapest one I liked was $110 and they ranged up to $250! :ep Being owned by two rescue kitties who are the light of my life, I am of course a sucker for...
  5. Calista

    This Year It's Dutch Bantams

    We had barnyard mix bantams growing up on the farm and, as kids, my brothers and I loved how gentle and tameable they were as pets. The hens would go broody regularly and were good mothers, even to the ducklings we sometimes let them hatch, too. They laid smaller eggs but consistently and were...
  6. Calista

    Who Has Started Cycling Again as a *Cough* MATURE Person?

    If you've taken up bicycling as an older person, did you go back to a regular bicycle? Or did you try something else? I'm toying with the idea of an electric bike, even though they're horribly expensive. (I would check out the bike shops in Seattle for a used one.) I don't have any problems...
  7. Calista

    Hubby Won't Touch Apple Cider Vinegar, Says It Makes Him Gag

    With all the health benefits of ACV, it is beyond frustrating for me to find, no matter how I try to disguise the taste in hot and cold drinks, my husband says the smell and taste make him gag. Actually, he DOES start coughing and sneezing if he drinks even a little bit, so is he allergic, or...
  8. Calista

    Fruit Walls In the Home Garden

    After reading about this some time ago, I've wanted to try it to see if I could grow peaches, kiwis, and other warm-weather fruit out of my zone but never got around to seriously thinking what I'd have to do to make it work for me. First, build a wall... "From the sixteenth to the twentieth...
  9. Calista

    Ever Tried a Treadle Feeder?

    For those of you with full-sized poultry (since bantams would be too light), have you ever tried a treadle feeder? The contraption protects that expensive feed from rats, sparrows, and the weather: I recently talked to a lady at the library about ordering spring chicks, and she's going with...
  10. Calista

    Henrietta Egg Cooker

    I found all the parts of this hen-shaped egg cooker in the bottom of the free box at the thrift store today, and I'm going to give it a try for hard-boiled eggs after I get it cleaned up: The oval with four compartments for poaching eggs would be just right for us, too. If you use an egg...
  11. Calista

    So Much Storage In So Little Space

    My husband's carpenter friend just finished one of these for his wife, and I get one next! http://www.classyclutter.net/2012/05/build-your-own-extra-storage-diy-canned-food-organizer/ Such a clever idea to use those inches between the wall and the fridge where I usually keep a broom and mop.
  12. Calista

    How Do You Organize the Inside of a Cargo Container For Storage?

    Well, we've cleared the area next to the barn, taken measurements for the truck that will bring it to us, and have started negotiating with a local cargo container supplier to rent one -- with luck, we can talk them into applying rental payments to the purchase price, if we decide we love it...
  13. Calista

    Anybody Crochet?

    I didn't find a thread on crochet and wondered if there are any other crochet fanatics out there. As a child many moons ago, I was bugging my poor grandma who was babysitting me, so she sat me down with some yarn and a crochet hook and said, here's how you make a chain. Fast forward a bunch of...
  14. Calista

    Memes That Make You Giggle

  15. Calista

    Nifty Little Outdoor Wash Station To Save Water

    Pretty clever idea, especially for gardeners to use to wash up: http://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/index.php/2017/04/09/the-tippy-tap-keeping-it-clean-when-waters-tight/
  16. Calista

    Recycling For Exercise

    That does sound strange but let me explain: rather than pay for gym time, I take advantage of several rural loops of five to eight miles each in my area, speed walking to keep fit. I can't believe what I find discarded on the sides of the roads --perfectly useable items that just need washing...
  17. Calista

    Happy To Find You From Western Washington

    I was impressed reading through the wealth of knowledge on your site, which I stumbled on by reading a post on Permies about recycling, so I'd like to join you all! I feel I can add some wisdom from growing up a farm girl on a big spread near Eugene, Oregon, back when dinosaurs roamed the...
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