J. Syme

I do this every year usually around Christmas time for 2-3 weeks. it resets my soul. highly suggest more try it.

Timothy Norton wrote:I have been steadily transitioning my leftover containers from the classic Tupperware style to glass from brands such as Anchor Hocking and Pyrex. Glassware does have a bit of a monetary cost to it, so it has been a gradual transition for me. I really like the square dishes the most as the organize nicely.

I have learned how to utilize mason jarware to help store leftovers and staples as well. I found several style of screw on lids that make short term storage a breeze.

I've been using ceramic dishes with Tupperware style lid's that keep things fresh longer. My new habit of becoming a big softy and letting the dog do dishes and me using less soap/water has made the dog and my wallet fat.  Dog is happy, I'm happy the well is happy, the septic is happy... Let's call this behavior modification a win.

Look at iegeek.
WiFi camera with solar charger.
They are about $50 per unit. It texts you alerts to motion then you can log in for picture/videos.. No subscription required, but there is an app you have to put on your phone. I am very funny about apps leaking info to the cloud and it's not bad in that regard, but not as good as a DVR with local only storage.
That kind of setup will be twice as expensive.
Hope your issue resolves itself peacefully.

paul wheaton wrote:the ebook is now ready.

Thank you for putting this in motion
May it "protect and provide"
John

Anne Miller wrote:Do you have ants farming aphids?

nope normal aphid population around here, they seem to hang out by the hibiscus without the aid of ants. We do have an abundance of honey bees and bumbles. The Bald face hornets and I are at a standoff, they now build nests further from the house and they get to sleep peacefully without me trying to relocate them in the middle of the night.  My bee keepers outfit must have shrunk in closet, sigh or maybe i need to eat less. The last wasp escapade had me dressed in winter coat & snow pants in middle of 90deg heat.

Sneaky wee bug-er’s

Well the bee’s and butterfly's have all the good press about pollinating flowers to make our countryside beautiful, but it’s the ants that sneak up on you and do the dirty work..  let’s back up a bit. I like peppers green red and yellow banana and the occasional jalapeno. A little spice is very nice.... But it’s when my lips are on fire I become concerned there’s not enough milk & bread to put out the flames.

So my lovely daughter decided to plant some Chinese pepper and ghost peppers near my regular peppers and yellow tomatoes. Me being of a certain age that doesn’t care much for where I’m walking nor what I’m ripping off the vine in the garden grab one of my peppers and much YIKES to my chagrin the normally sweet tangy flavor was laced with a ears turning red, sweat beading on the forehead, lost your voice, thing dangling in back of mouth (uvula) on fire.

What happened was the ants (bless their hearts) decided to share the pollen from one plant to another taking on some of the genetic character from the other…

Any one else experience this phenomenon? Please share stories.

     John (drinker of many gallons of water one particular afternoon and in-attention to details of cross pollen guy)

Samantha Lewis wrote:

$5,800!

Thank you everyone for such a strong showing of support so early in the kickstarter!    

I'm Not sure how kick starter ranks interest, but I started at $1 then edited my bid over a few hours upping it slightly each time. Hope that works better than just one bid per user.
john

Lots of plants inside do help with the air quality, so I enjoy that part. My main issue comes when the ladies go away for a trip, and I'm tasked with allocating the proper amount of water to the plants. Orchids apparently drink less than lilies. My spider plant still like an occasional beer (had it since college days). Anyhow they seem to make my daughter happy so they continue to multiply. She is in the process of getting 20 acres of her own so after she gets her green house built, maybe I'll have less plants to worry about, maybe I'll have more, who knows. Nice to know others share similar plant issues. (grin)  john

Sigh, a reach out to the permies folks for a small reality check...  wife and daughter are kind of into plants and since we live on 20+ acres i thought growing stuff should start small then move outside. Well am i nuts to think 20+ plants per room is a bit much?  

poll, how many full sized plants do you have in the living room, kitchen, dining room... side note cactus don't count right since there is about 50 of those around here. john living in a lush jungle.

1st i would oil it, to slow oxidization. Then do a internet search on places that deal with those sharp cutty things, like https://www.scythesupply.com/    the scythe i have is 100+ years old. The metal has been hand honed and oiled, the wood 50:50 linseed oil/mineral spirits  rubbed dry then parked in the corner.  glad you found a cool blade.