Jay Angler

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Thekla McDaniels wrote:Aaaaaah!  The internet ate the second half, in which I described this simple hook system

https://www.tough1.com/qwikee-gate-latch.html

I had three pictures.  I will have to post them one at a time.  The key component is a ring that changes position.  Look for it in the pictures…

The thing I love about this one, is that you can fairly easily adjust which link of the chain you use to make it tighter or looser. For wimpy livestock, like chickens, I betting I could DIY it (do it yourself).

Dennis Barrow wrote:...  I have found that several of the latches need to be readjusted almost every year because of the shifting of the gates with the weather.

This is a problem for me with both 'hook and eye' and 'wood swivel' style of latches - the difference in wood sizes between summer drought and winter constant wet is very noticeable.

The more I try to get away from plywood to gick-free local lumber, the greater this factor appears to be. I'd really like to see a few more "sliding latch" ideas and definitely ideas that cope with expansion/contraction better. Theckla's weighted rope set up could work in some situations. I use a similar idea to raise and lower two of my Roman shades - combination of the right amount of weight and the friction of the cord allows the drape to be stopped at any point in the rise.

"The biggest threat to your government is to plant a garden and relocalize the economy."

Elder Bill Jones in Listening Once Again to our Great Mother.

Anne Miller wrote:Some where I saw a pair of pants made entirely out of jeans back pockets.

Actually it was front and back pockets and it was in our pocket thread here:
https://permies.com/t/40/151350/fashioned-substitute-lack-women-pockets#3989749

Totally cool, but it would have been *really* hard to sew!

It's that time of year again! I just harvested two green peppers for a friend who will be at a gathering this evening. I am busy cooking "Rotkahl" German Red Cabbage to contribute to the meal because it fits the rest of the menu and there are people there who love it.

I hope all my fellow Canadians have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Walter Byrd wrote:... But it often seems that something is missing: what can we do about it? Practically nobody even addresses that. So you watch these documentaries and you just feel angry, and helpless, and frustrated....

That's where that book Joylynn just dropped on this virtual coffee table can help. It is mostly aimed at people just starting the journey, but it has the vibe of, "this is what you can do!"

That's also where Permies dot com comes in. You want to know what to do about "X"? Ask the question here on permies. Odds are there are members who have already thought about it.

Want to know how to repair "Y"? Start a thread here on permies. A lady did that once, thinking she would be lucky to get even one idea. She got at least 7 and suddenly had to actually choose which solution would be her best option. She was flabbergasted! (meaning: feeling shocked, usually because of something you were not expecting. I couldn't resist - I love that word!)

And as always, feeling angry and frustrated, plant some seeds! A small pot on a sunny window ledge for sandwich sprouts if you have no where else. Hmmm... some sunflower sprouts would go nice in my salad - although my sunny window ledge is rather well populated at the moment. Four avocado babies, Sweet Basil and Holy Basil, a bunch of Pitaya which need rehoming, 2 Pitaya I plan on keeping, some snow peas I'm germinating to overwinter in my allotment garden (cover crop if they don't survive the slugs or get killed by atypically cold weather), and some tiny Mustard greens I'm hoping I can get just big enough that my son's MiL can make a dish she loves - seeds are cheap, smiles are priceless!

Eino Kenttä wrote:

I'm also thinking that at the moment, there's a whole lot of tools and resources going to waste because it's cheaper (counted in money) to make a new one of whatever-it-is.  

If someone started a coppicing operation specifically to grow shovel handles, including getting the equipment to shape those handles efficiently, they would be helping to undo a small part of the waste I see. I have 2 handle-less shovel blades, and a third who's handle will break as soon as someone stronger than me decides to use it. Currently, it's more expensive to buy a new handle than to buy a whole shovel???

But there's old knowledge there that the people who simply buy one at the store don't know. Which way one orients the grain of the handle to the flat of the shovel actually matters. The handle is stronger in some directions than others. Also, I know enough that some woods make better handles than others, but my ability to both know what the options are in my ecosystem, *and* to be able to recognize those trees, is marginal. Some information sticks in my brain, but tree identification and strengths of different wood aren't quite sticky enough!