Tanya White

I grow red Chinese noodle beans and save the seeds even in bad years (except moldy ones), at least from best looking plants. Then I mix the seeds up. And give some away. At least that way you can sow more thickly and replant if crop gets destroyed early on (looking at you, bunnies).

I have long wavy hair and so does my partner. I like to keep everything as simple as possible.

For me, I have only a few: hair down, low ponytail, high ponytail, low bun, high bun, simple braid, bun with a claw clip. For hairties, we use silk scrunchies. The smaller scrunchies, super skinny ones, are "manly" looking enough to share and are small enough to secure end of braid. Partner has just 2 hairstyles: low ponytail, ponytail half loop into a bun.

There are tons of silk scrunchies on Etsy, various sizes. They don't pull your hair out. I wash them in the washer on gentle cycle in a bag and hang to dry. They last for many years. That way they don't stretch out too much. I won't use any other hairtie.

Oh, and I can't figure out how to make a bun so I bought one of those slap bracelets that wrap around your ponytail and make a bun.

The key to not needing hairclips is a nonlayered haircut and parting down the middle. We have been cutting each other's hair for years. We use a thing called creaclip which looks gimmicky, but works. Basically, it is a plastic clip that allows you to trim hair straight across/half moon shape. Long hair is much, much easier to maintain for me than short hair ever was.

I know that this is an old discussion, but I've used Knapp Made Chainmail Dishcloth for 7+ years now. The chainmail is so fine it doesn't scratch things. I even use it on crystal. I don't have any nonstick pans, however, so not sure if it would be okay for that. I run it through dishwasher to sanitize when dirty. One of my absolute favorite purchases.

Nancy, I would have never thought of plastic sheeting idea. I don't have a way to implement that now, but I think this won't be the last time for such dilemma.

We are now on day 19 (or 20, I am not actually sure, I just remember Aug 1 it was raining). This morning started off with a downpour. On the bright side, it has been a good mushroom season. The root cellar has not flooded - pleasantly surprised. There is a rain garden above it, seems to work well.

I am learning that short season varieties really do help with unpredictable weather (mentioned by Carol Deppe in her books). Seed hoarding is important too. I haven't been able to collect many seeds. Some are drying indoors now.

Thanks for detailed replies! Josh, that's a very good point. We do have some drainage channels/trenches as the annual garden is gently sloped. At least there are no standing water puddles or anything like that.

As far as weeds, we were a bit behind already on August 1 when the rains started and then it just got worse from there. Vast majority of weeds are grass.

On the bright side, my husband was able to use the one dry day to make 4  patches. And then it poured again. I am going to prioritize those  for seeds that are less likely to wash away and those that can't wait till end of August.

Not a good start as this was going to be "the best fall/winter garden yet" haha.

This is a good gardening lesson to diversify some of our processes (on top of plant diversity). If we were to do it the same way every year, there will be a season without a garden. Good to remember to keep other options open (such as transplanting). I am a kind of person who loves routines but this is another life lesson in flexibility. Also, saving all of your own seeds means having extra to replant.

It had rained for the past 17+ days at our house. We supposedly have one day without rain today (I will be at work...) and then the forecast has 8 more days of rain. On many days, we had at least one period of very heavy rain that leaves the garden absolutely muddy. On days with light rain, it had rained most of the day. We haven't been able to sow any August seeds. Soil is clay. Hope to get at least something in the ground. The soil is well draining and dries relatively quickly, I should add - but as soon as it does, it rains again.

The seeds are fall annuals (i.e. brassicas, cool season herbs). The patches in question are overgrown with giant weeds, from all the rain...

On the bright side, our cucumbers have done remarkably well. I did sow some greens in the coldframe.

Any advice to manage this situation?
Can't cultivate muddy soil. Hard to pull out weeds without removing giant clods. Worried the seeds will wash away.
Should I sow in trays and transplant later? (not something I really want to do). Should I wait and sow a bit later and hope they mature in time?

What an interesting topic.

I love the point brought up about being "pyrophobic".
In my case, it is hands down what Pearl said - too wet or too dry otherwise I have so many other things to do when the weather is "just right". And even then, I might be at work during this good weather.

We have tons of rain, but also lots of dry super windy days. Plenty of recent forest fires not too far. Now, we do have plenty of wood and I would love to be able to do more with it than firewood and hugels.

Given the amount of time required, I might as well just buy some. But it is hard to find quality stuff and seems silly to ship something like this long distance.

It took 5 attempts for me to get it right. And even now I don't deviate from the recipe out of fear it won't turn out. None of the recipes worked for me, you have to tweak it based on your oven, elevation, cookware, etc.. It's all going to make subtle differences. There are numerous websites explaining and diagnosing the issue, i.e. underproofed, overproofed, not sour enough, too sour.

I made croutons and breadcrumbs with the bad loaves.

Also, I never got my own starter started. The one time I did, it died during a hurricane. I tried with dried starter from other people. Finally, I got some fresh starter from a guy at a farmer's market and converted the starter to my flour. My starter is now half rye and half bread flour - don't want to buy additional types of flour. The bread is all bread flour.

Totally agree with experimentation, i.e. doing half. That way you can compare and see what works. Also, if you have tried something similar before and it didn't work, I would skip it altogether. Another time not to try is when some process is already going really well

We have a nice Eureka coffee grinder with adjustable grind (espresso to coarse). The family is in process of getting off coffee. What other tasks can I use this machine for? (if I clean it well).