Josephine Howland

I'm in the process of reupholstering an antique chair. I had to learn the clove hitch knot to do the 8-way tie for the springs. 72 knots in all! I can't get the photo to post.

I have repeatedly tried to compost up here in the frigid White Mountains of NH, but have had no success. I don't have any way to "chop" the ingredients as mentioned above. I even have the gadget to turn the compost pile. part of the problem is not having enough browns as we live in a mostly evergreen forest. I've gone as far as gathering leaves from family members' lawns. Someone from this area said that the only way to get it to compost is to add rid-x septic activator. Keep in mind that it is winter 7 months of the year. the first snow is usually in November and the snow usually doesn't fully go away until mid-May Last frost is Memorial day, there is no outdoor planting until May 15. any other advice from people in colder zones?

Lovely! It looks like a kitchen you can really cook in rather than so many modern white-on-white kitchens that you'd be scared to spill anything in. I hope you enjoy many a wonderful meal with your family and friends there.

I bought one of the hand chainsaws you mentioned. It is an actual chain just like a chainsaw has but with rope and handles. I couldn't get it to work.  

Zoe, I agree when such flooring can be found it's excellent. A friend of mine used the old flooring from a school gym in both her living room and dining room. Unfortunately, such flooring is hard to come by. If you know someone who works in the demolition field (her brother did at the time) you may be in luck.

Do you notice gas with other food? You might want to try a low FodMap diet. (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols). It avoids any food that ferments in your body. You first do an elimination diet of avoiding all high fodmap foods, then gradually add food back into your diet, one food at a time to see what causes you distress. If your gas is very smelly...avoid onions at all costs. I try to avoid all high fodmap foods but can't always. Even apples, pears, and stone fruit are high fodmap. We all know things like broccoli and cabbage cause gas, but seriously who doesn't love broccoli? I take a generic beano, a dairy aid (generic Lactaid), and a gluten aid, as well as maximum strength gas x (again, generic) Because I cheat and eat some high fodmap food including beans, I still get gas, but, by avoiding onions they aren't smelly for the most part. Yes, I could clear a room before this!

We also have to be aware that we have some endangered New England Cottontail Rabbits on our property. I haven't seen anything but hares, but a neighbor said that there is a particular stand of something in my back forest that is home to many of them. He wants to make sure the area is protected. We have 13 acres, mostly forest, and don't plan on doing anything out there. It was nice of him to let me know. He owns and lives just over the border to our town, but just bought the 17 acres that go from his land into my town and up to my property line.

I wonder if the blinking red lights I used to keep bears out of the chicken coop would work against rabbits? The brand I bought was from Nite Guard, but I see that there are other companies selling them now as well. They are solar-powered and blink red lights to look like there is already a predator there. They were $20 for two when bought them, but that was years ago. You'd have to mount them to a stake. Perhaps place a few around your gardens. They won't blink during the day so they're not intrusive.

I agree that it would be most helpful if you knew what kind of pine it is. If it's a classic White Pine let me know. I live in a white pine and balsam fir forest and have thousands of pines and firs. I could probably find a way to send you a sapling (although it's probably illegal to mail plants out of state). I live in the White Mountains of NH. I also have a lot of Tamarack trees. I think they are also called American larch. They are unusual because they lose their needles in the winter. They make ideal trees to plant on your south side as they will provide shade in the Summer, but as they drop their needles in the winter they allow the Winter sun to warm your home. All of these trees self sow at an amazing rate. Grey Birch is also a fast grower.

I've also read that the various designs in Irish knit sweaters were used to identify families. This was so if a fisherman's body was found at sea or washed up on shore they could identify the family the person belonged to.