Catie George

Christopher Weeks wrote:I'm curious, do random non-UScians know that our states, by name, are part of the US? If I tell rando international folks that I live in Minnesota is it usually more meaningful than saying I live in MN? (And I now live closer to Canada than I do to any of the other four states where I've previously resided, so it doesn't surprise me that Jay, specifically, knows Minnesota, but I wonder more generally.)

Minnesota is that place across from Thunder Bay which also likes Hockey and has lakes and fishing. I think it has a lot of state forests?  I've generally heard about it in media. I'd say I can probably name a stereotype or impression and a general geographic region and climate for most US states.

MN is... Probably a US State, since someone assumes I know what it is. Erm.  I dunno, Michigan? Montana?

It's pretty common to learn US states either formally in school, or just through cultural osmosis. I recall labelling state maps at one point, and having competitions in the car with my dad, naming as many as I could (we did this for countries and capitals, too).

I am guilty of using provincial abbreviations. I've lived or worked in BC, AB, ON, NL, and NU. Have driven through/stayed in SK, MB, and QC. Would love to visit YT and NT someday, and the Maritimes. But they're really not helpful for communication even with other Canadians!

General rule of thumb is to prune no more than 30% at a time, and to use winter pruning to control shape, summer pruning to control vigour.

The goal is to avoid crossing branches, too many branches emanating from one spot, upright branches, branches facing down, and branches facing into the centre. Think vase shaped with 3-5 main branches, equally spaced.

It took several years for the plum to get to that shape, I would expect it to take several years to fix it. I'd start in late winter with any diseased or damaged branches. Stop, walk away, come back another day with fresh eyes, do a bit more, working on too close branches. Then summer prune to keep the size in check, and go back next winter.

Try to remove branches to the branch collar, rather than leaving a stub that will resprout and leave mess next year, and tip back branches you want to shorten to a bud in the direction you want the branch to continue growing next season.

Do you have room in the house for a systems room of some sort? Like an internal closet?  

We had a super insulated pump room on the exterior of our basement free house, but it needed an electric heater to keep the pump room warm. An internal closet (probably needs about 2 ft×2 ft of floor space) would be better if you keep your house continually warm.

I currently have a shallow, surface well about 200 ft horizontally, and with the intake maybe 30 ft downslope from my house, so I have a jet pump, although mine requires 240V.

If you expect to drink the water, I'd try to make any pump room/house large enough for water treatment equipment to be installed in the future, like filters and UV. My water treatment to get my surface water potable takes far more space and energy than my pump!

Edit : I just have a standard pressure tank, mine is ludicrously small, I believe 5 gal. If I were designing my system new, esp using solar power, I'd chose a large pressure tank.  Part of my water treatment systems is an under sink RO that works on the water pressure, and has another maybe 5 gal pressure tank. It would be nice to have more water available without running the pump. My exterior tap for watering my garden  bypasses the pressure tank and filters.

Challenge update:

My grapevine wreaths are made, and I will decorate the wreaths right before gifting with a bit of boxwood, dried hydrangea flowers, and thyme, all harvested from my yard. My test wreath looks great

I am just finishing up the 3rd round of seasoning on the antique cast iron pan I am giving a friend.

I have bought two gifts  (wool dryer balls, and a stainless steel frying pan), which I know will be appreciated, using reward points.

Grocery shopping tomorrow, then onto baking - first gift food I am making for gifts is frozen, reheatable hubarb crumble, made with my own rhubarb.

Money spent so far ? $0.


In slightly related musings, I heard someone on the radio advertising a local holiday market this weekend, that they claim is 'Perfect for last minute shopping '

To be clear, that's November 29th.

I think part of this personal challenge is proving Christmas can be joyful, include lots of great gifts people qppreciate, and NOT involve stressing that you are running out of time to prepare, in November, or spending buckets or money!

In a situation with neighbours, I had a lot of success with a 36" tall dog exercise pen formed into a circle, and kept covered. You can pick them up inexpensively used. I liked how portable the exercise pen was and it looked tidier than just a heap or my attempts to make circles with wire fencing, and the volume it contains is about right down a pile.  I operate my piles as 1-2 year cold compost piles, with each year getting a new pile, and ideally, the pile sitting another year before use.

If one is inclined to flip their piles, the ex pens open up easily to allow you to do that, but I decided the increase in speed want worth the increase in work to me!

Of course, keeping the pile covered with carbon rich materials to avoid smells is important too.

I hate the standard garden hoes. They're too heavy for me, and too big in the heavy soil I usually work in. I do better to do multiple passes to dig trenches than try to force a heavy hoe through heavy soil. I can see how they would be good if you had more arm strength.

Lately my most used tool is the hand Korean Ho Mi Digger. Bought it this spring and feels like an extension of my hand, perfect for digging holes to plant things, creating a furrow, hilling, weeding, etc. I love it, but it isn't ideal for longer rows. I have used it for everything from planting bulbs in my lawn, to planting tomatoes to moving mulch, to weeding between onions.

For long handled hoes, for planting, I most often use what that image calls a nursery man's hoe, but sometimes also a Warren hoe.  

The nursery man's hoe is my favourite, very versatile and much lighter than my 'normal' garden hoe. I like to make a narrow furrow with the side, and it also is good to scrape up small-ish weeds and is weirdly my favourite tool for dragging wood chip mulch into a wheelbarrow, and for spreading it.

For strictly light weeding, I had an onion hoe I loved, and I also use what they are calling an action scuffle hoe, which is only good if you don't have rocks, and really struggled in the heavy till of my last garden.

I haven't been impressed by the Dutch scuffle hoe (mine is a garage sale find might need sharpening).  All but 2 of mine were garage sale finds (the Ho Mi and the oscillating scuffle hoe).

Jay Angler wrote:A friend of mine really likes to see lots of presents under her Christmas tree - it brings her joy.

Soooo... the household rule is that anything that gets purchased in December for any reason that isn't *needed* until after Christmas, gets wrapped and goes under the tree. Anything from a package of paper clips to extra toilet paper is fair game! It works for her, and her family is happy to indulge her. .

We do this too (albeit not with toilet paper). ! It's super fun to wrap things like a new set of work gloves, and label them as from the dog who ate the last set. Or address a new set of kitchen scissors as 'For she who opens the kibble bags'.  My dad would occasionally address gifts to himself as 'To: the Handsomest Man Alive.  From: (his name)'. If you wrap them early enough, even if it's a gift you wrap for yourself it ends up being a nice surprise. I have moved to a lot of reusable boxes/bags, so other than a label it's a fairly free thing to do.

Occasionally you end up rummaging under the tree on December 19th or something, when you really DO need the thing earlier!

Amy Gardener wrote:Catie writes,

Anyone else targeting a low/no spend Christmas? What are your strategies?

The strategy that works for me and many of my friends/family is to gift myself some kind of much needed tool then develop skills using the tool to make gifts. For example, one year I bought a set of wet stones (1000 and 3000 grit). I gave gift cards to sharpen kitchen knives. This was a big hit because (I knew from visiting) no one had cared for their knives. The next year, I bought a wet stone grinder. I had learned the previous year that many knives were chipped and needed preliminary preparation on the concrete sidewalk! The grinder really helped shape the worst knives. The third year, I bought some honing compound and rubbed it into an oak floor board. This gave the knives a razor sharp edge.
Each year, I expanded my tools for my own uses then practiced on terribly neglected knives. Everyone went away from the holidays happy.
Other examples over the years have been a jigsaw to cut wooden puzzles, a pressure canner to preserve jars of fruit, carving tools to make spoons, a band saw to make charcuterie boards, pottery making tools to make tea bowls and so on.
The holidays can be the time to buy the tool that has been on one's own wish list. By giving gifts to others created using a much needed gift-to-self (and supplies from the land/garden/homestead), the cost for gifts is effectively $0.

I am very lucky that I have really practical friends/family, so I typically get one or two much wanted tools  at Christmas, and generally give tools too. My family/friend group are really frugal, so we tend to enjoy giving gifts that are quality tools we are too cheap to buy ourselves. That, and food.

I anticipate my gifts this year including high quality secateurs and maple syrup making equipment. Previous memorable gifts have included grow lights and a really nice spade and garden fork.

I really like your idea of thinking ahead to buy tools to let you make gifts!

John F Dean wrote:For the past 20+ years I have definitely averaged less than $20 a year extra for Christmas.  

What's your strategy? What do you spend your $20 on? A gift? A holiday meal? A charitable donation?

Apparently, the average Canadian is expected to spend somewhere between $1500- $2300 on Christmas and the holiday season this year. Gifts, decorations, meals, etc.

I never approach $2000, but it's certainly still a more expensive time of year. Gifts are usually my biggest expense, though last year buying Christmas lights and a timer was $$ too!

My personal challenge for this year is to spend $0 extra.

Admittedly, the goal is to help me spend less, while I continue to save up for a big gift to me from me (a dishwasher) in the new year.

My plan is to use food and items I already own plus loyalty rewards money to make Christmas cost $0 to me this year.

My plans:
- No new decor (unless I make it)
- Using existing reusable gift bags, and other leftover wrapping.
- as usual, Christmas dinner will be as many veggies from my garden as possible, lots of butter, a roast, and a dessert - the roast and whipping cream can be easily covered by grocery store rewards.

Gift ideas:
- Gifts to 3 people on my list, bought using reward money
- A watercolour of someone's house using paper and paints I already own.
- Food gifts (homemade candy and homemade freezer desserts ) using ingredients I have on hand like the 10L of maple syrup from the spring, and the fruit I have frozen, plus likely buying some butter, nuts, and chocolate for candy making using grocery store rewards.
- Rehabbing an antique cast iron pan for a friend who wants one
- Homemade grapevine wreaths and/or more candy for a few family/friends I usually exchange little gifts with

Anyone else targetting a low/no spend Christmas? What are your strategies?