Michelle Heath

I keep track of my harvests in order to keep my land zoned as agricultural for tax purposes, but do it manually.

I do have spreadsheets for seed inventory but found that any I try to keep for harvesting gets neglected when the garden season is in full force and I'm too tired to move at the end of the day.  It would be so much easier than sorting through notes on my phone and various slips of paper when the time comes, but I guess I just lack the discipline.

I was just raised that way.  Money was tight and you fixed things until they eventually fell apart.  

I remember my grandma asking my dad to put a door in between her house and newly-built attached garage for over a year.  Eventually she got tired of asking and she and my mom took a window out of one wall and installed it in another, and put a door where the window previously was.  Not a small feat for a woman in her early thirties and one near retirement age.

When we moved back into our house in 2014 after a stay to care for relatives, the washing machine quit working and I just couldn't figure it out.  Replaced it with one someone had given my hubby for junk and it worked for five years with minimal repairs until it finally bit the dust.  Did the washing outside for a few months and got a call from a neighbor asking if we'd like their old washing machine as they had upgraded to a front loader.  Have had to fix a few things over the years but it's still working.  The dryer was a hand-me-down from MIL as she's one of those people who has to buy a matching set when one or the other breaks.  Have replaced the start button and timer over the years but a few weeks ago it just quit.  No breakers tripped, cord in good shape, but no power.  Went outside and replaced two of the aging clotheslines and haven't looked back.  I may eventually tear into it and see if there's an internal fuse, but honestly I feel the end of its life has arrived.  The $2 I invested in additional clothespins and the salvaged wire used to replace all of the clotheslines beats buying a new washer.  Plus there's the sense of accomplishment knowing that our laundry is drying naturally and I can fold it all at once and bring it inside at my convenience instead of when a timer tells me to do so.  

And while we're on the subject of laundry, I had to ditch laundry baskets due to knee and ankle issues and a step down to get to my utility room.  The basket was just too bulky and affected my balance.  Someone gave hubby a large Ikea bag full of something or the other and I grabbed it.  It is the most perfect laundry bag ever!  I can sling it over my shoulder and navigate down steps and it holds two loads of folded laundry easily.  I love the design so much I'm in the process of making two more our of salvaged denim.  

Our neighbor is slowly downsizing her chicken flock and we gained five hens this week.  Our small house isn't large enough for all of them and the build of a bigger house has been thwarted by health issues for both my husband and I.  Looked at some bright, shiny and small coops and almost took the plunge.  Then I decided it would be easier and cheaper to add onto the smaller house as we have enough scrap 2x4s and plywood to make it work.  Bigger house will eventually happen, but this will give the girls safe and roomy housing for the winter without a $400 price tag.

Thank you!  Ironically I got the notification that our copy of "Classical Kids" had been shipped while reading this.

Thanks Nicole!  We're going to be tackling Ancient Egypt this year and these will definitely be an asset!

No tips or advice whatsoever but I'd love to see the results.

If socks and underclothes don't count, then hubby and I can easily get by with only five new items, but usually it's less.  However I did hit a great summer clearance sale and spent about $50 on clothes for my daughter, but all of them were the next two sizes up from what she's wearing now.  Most of her clothes are thrifted but occasionally I buy her a dress or a T-shirt with one of her favorite characters on it.  She's only ten but I probably have enough bigger stuff packed up to last a year or two.

So I feel I need to update this thread as so much changed in the last school year.  For starters the Special education teacher I thought was top-notch turned out to be lacking which became apparent when I enlisted the help of an advocate.  Lots of IEP revisits and little change, so my husband and I made the decision to start homeschooling a year earlier than planned.

Because of things that happened during the school year, I've decided on an unschooling approach-not radical unschooling which I interpret as throwing a kid into a lake and saying sink or swim, but schooling based on what interests her.  

In a conversation with another homeschool mom with a special needs child, she warned me to explore curriculum before making any big purchases as she'd spent hundreds of dollars before she found one that worked for her son. I know putting a worksheet in front of her isn't going to work as she will acquaint that with some bad experiences from last school year.  So I've been collecting textbooks on her level and preparing my own curriculum.  My thoughts are if I can combine math and writing (her weakest subjects) with a fun science or history lesson, then maybe those subjects will be less of a chore for her.  In fact we've been learning all summer except that it's more like an adventure for her.  For example we have observed tadpoles from spawn to adolescent stages. The highlight of the visits to our small pond are counting the tadpoles and observing how some are larger than others.  We're beginning to do the same with butterflies and documenting the various ones with photos.  A trip to town resulted in my husband stopping to move a box turtle from the center of the road and he brought it to the window of the car for my daughter to observe before safely putting in our of harm's way.  That was the highlight of her trip and prompted me to find some turtle activities.  She also helps me cook and we're exploring fractions through measurements.

We've had playdates with school friends and another special needs child that went well and we've continued for the past few months.  I've looked into a homeschool co-op but they have a wait-list and from what some former members have told me, I'm not sure it would be a good fit for either of us.  I'm in the process of getting her therapies established again, so we'll be on "road trips" (as my daughter calls them) at least twice a week.  

I also have my daughter's teacher from last year as a mentor as she went above and beyond for my daughter and has agreed to review her portfolio at the end of the year.  I have an unfinished education degree, so I have minimal experience but the one thing I do have is confidence that we can make this work and turn learning into a fun experience.

My Jerusalem artichokes are planted along the fence in one of my gardens.  Those closest to the fence ultimately never get higher than the fence due to deer.  Those out of their reach attain full height.

I would question the age of the seed, followed by where you acquired it.  If the seed is older, where was it stored?  I seldom have germination issues with beans and am finding that my saved seed often germinates at 100%.  

I constantly had issues with bush Lima beans germinating poorly and blamed it on grower error.  Bought a second package of seeds from a different supplier and had excellent germination.  

I regularly grow one variety of purple pole beans and find them incredibly prolific but some of the green varieties produce equally well.  As for bush beans, Provider has produced well for me a long with Cherokee Yellow Wax.  One thing I often do with new varieties that I have limited seed of is to let the seed soak in warm water for a few hours before planting.  I've only had one variety to germinate poorly after soaking and I believe they soaked a bit too long as direct-seeding the same variety without soaking was successful.  I'm not suggesting soaking several pounds of seed, but maybe give a handful a try to see if it makes a difference.

I'm assuming the garden location is separate from the property you live on.  While I currently have a stash of cardboard I picked up over the winter and stored, when I was working on my garden expansion last year I covered the area with a heavy MIL black plastic to kill the weeds.  When I acquired cardboard, I just rolled the plastic back and immediately put it on the ground and covered with wood chips.  Of course I wasn't dealing with an area near the size you are either.  

I do have a stash of brown packing paper I use for other projects and it was all obtained as packing material for stuff we ordered for our business. Even had other people saving for me and I roll it up and keep it in a large tote until I need it.  

What about burlap?  I know there's different weaves and it may not completely exclude light, but would be porous and biodegradable.  The only concerning factor with that is the new burlap I've encountered comes with a "smell" that may be some sort of chemical?