Anne Miller

Very nice.  I like doing projects like that when I had someplace to put them.

My little house has all it can hold so I enjoy looking at what others have accomplished.

I also like to do upholstery. I have in the past reupholstered two couches.

I am looking forward to seeing  what others have done.

Have you seen this book?  It might be helpful:

Mudgirls Manifesto: Handbuilt Homes, Handcrafted Lives by The Mudgirls

https://permies.com/wiki/87449/Mudgirls-Manifesto-Handbuilt-Homes-Handcrafted

Where I live it is very windy so when I need to cover plants due to freezing temps I use old sheets and tall bottles filled with water, like a gallon of vinegar comes in.  I set the bottles of water around plants and drape the old sheets over the bed.  Then I use more bottles of water to hold the sheets down.

When I remove the sheets, I leave the bottles to use as cloches.

Here is how to shuck an oyster:




Here is how to eat them:


Squirt some sauce onto the fresh oyster. Use hot sauce, vinegar sauce, or lemon juice. Hold the oyster to your lips and slurp. Suck in the entire piece of oyster meat in one gulp.




Drink the oyster's juice. The fresh salty water makes the perfect chaser.




https://www.wikihow.com/Shuck-Oysters

Maybe you could offer the mother some clove oil.

Last time I went to the Dr. to get a prescription refilled there was a young mother with a crying baby.  I wished I had some to offer her.

With the holiday season coming up soon I wanted to to make some colorful Christmas cookies to send as gifts.  How do I do that without using food coloring?  So I did a search to find out.

Natural food coloring can be made using vegetables and fruits to make food dyes like beets, red cabbage, carrots, blueberries, and spinach. 

This article from Food and Wine tells how to do it: https://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/food/diy-food-coloring

A surefire way to avoid artificial food dyes is to make your own natural versions. There are tons of different ingredients you can use to make food dyes and plenty of recipes online to suit your specific project’s needs. Here are a few great ideas to get started.

Yellow and Orange Food Coloring

Golden beets and/or turmeric serve nicely as the basis for yellow food coloring. To make, follow these instructions from Studio DIY: Peel and dice the beet, then mix with ¼ cup of water and a teaspoon or two of turmeric. Soften the beets by microwaving the mixture for approximately 30 seconds; blend, strain, and use the resulting liquid as your dye. The juice from pulverized mangoes and saffron are also good options. If you choose saffron, be careful not to overpower other flavors in the dish. If you’re going for a slightly more orange hue, you can’t go wrong with carrot juice.

Here are some videos that explain how:







Make a Red Velvet Cake without Food Coloring:

One very important strategy when doing food storage is to keep an inventory.  I have a loose leaf notebook to keep records and information sheets.  There are forms that can be printed out to make this inventory easier or you could just use a spiral notebook.  I find that the spiral notebook for me is easiest.  I have a page for each location where I have things stored.  Like: laundry room, then I name what I have there such as green beans, carrots, corn, pumpkin, etc.  each on a separate line.  Out beside each Item is the number of cans or jars that I have. 

I use a marksalot to put the expiration date/best buy date where I can easily see it.  One of the nice things about the wall system like I showed in the picture is there is not a need for rotation as the oldest cans are at the bottom and the newest are at the top.

Having a system where you can easily rotate your items is very important.  I don't have a problem with eating outdated foods but some people do.  I have a problem with food going bad before it can be eaten.  I have thrown many cans away that are bulging because they got shoved to the back of the shelf or someone reaches for the newest can rather than the oldest.
Since we are shut off from the world due to the flooding I have been rotating my food supplies.  I am also find some things I have been looking for that I knew I had bought.  I am also rearranging items like putting all the chili on one shelf, all the stews on another.

This might help:




I like to make my own forms because that is something I like to do.  Here are some forms that might help give you some ideas:

Oddo Da wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:For me, the downsides of rural living was having money to pay someone to build your house and no one will come.

This is basic research though. Rural areas often do not have as many professionals and contractors as cities and suburbs. Before moving somewhere, basic due diligence requires you to look at all these aspects. I always used to laugh at the number of New Yawkaws in south Florida who complained about the heat, humidity and bugs. Well, it is South Florida...

That was not the problem.  I did the research and since there were plenty of contractors in the area I had no idea I would have a problem.  I would have thought they would want work.

They were too lazy to drive 30 miles.  In a big city 30 miles is nothing.  You go from one side of town to another ... 30 miles. 

For me, the downsides of rural living was having money to pay someone to build your house and no one will come.

There is probably no explanation as to why they sent you those signs.

I am assuming that the workers speak Spanish and if that is the case, make so of your own signs: And make a lot to put every 50 ft and at entrances.

Zona de no Rociado is No Spray Zone according to Google.


Here are some examples you can make or buy:


This would be:  Dar a Las Abejas una Oportunidad; No Pestacida; No Herbacida