Anna Merkwelt

As much as I enjoy the "save the planet, kill yourself" thing... it's my default to those w/ less flexible minds.

Personally, I chose to not have babies.  I prefer not to interact w/ other people's spawn.  I also believe the decision to have babies is meritorious.  And not nearly enough effort is put into supporting the creatures that will replace us.
Seems to me that (everyone loves babies) & (everyone hates dying).  Maybe that's why these kinds of conversations get heated & derailed.

If humans cared for their children as much as they claim, the issue would solve itself.  Preparing the next batch of humans is basically the whole point.  To fuck up their future is... shortsighted.

So... yeah... the world could use more Gerts.  I don't think it needs to be an either/or thing when it can be both.

oh weird, how i wish i wasn't such a ways away.
If ever the freak show feels the urge to invade kentucky, Merkwelt is a lot of space for just 2 weirdos.
Normal is stupid and confusing.

That fantasy confuses me a bit too.  If the dream keeps them happy...neat.  Yet I often hear it from people who, in their next breath, would disparage laborers.  
In my little slice of nowhere, it's normal to see children driving/operating the farm equipment.  Having to teach a hand to drive a tractor!?!  Incomprehensible.  Like most low wage, "unskilled" labor, ag work is misunderstood by the general public. And way more complicated than they could believe.

Haven't had a chance to play with pine resin yet.   BUT!... as I was trimming back some silverberry* branches, I found a big gummy blob under an injury.  Decided to play with that first.  
Put a piece of it in a small jar with water to see if it would dissolve.  It absorbed all the water though was too thick to use.  Added more water, it's now soft and gelatinous.  I'll need a bigger jar if I want to add more water, it's expanded quite a lot.

***
What is the consistency to aim for when making the watercolour binder with gum arabic?  Are you thinning it as far as possible (watery) or should it still have some body?
***edit... I'm withdrawing this Q.  The answer I'm learning is "it depends", obviously.  :)  


--> r. ranson - sounds true enough to me.  I realized I didn't clarify very well.  My reading about paint was focused on non-watercolor types.  Perhaps the term I should have used instead of glue was binder.  I was going for simplified in my head, I only dabble with painting and have to stop reading often to look up words.

*common names vary, the tree/shrub is an Elaeagnus.  Either E. multiflora or E. umbellata, both are here.

R Webber wrote:Absolute cheapest driveway: corduroy road.
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Neato!
Hadn't heard this term, though I've seen examples.  After a quick read into the basics/uses, I am captivated.
This old swamp witch thanks you from the bottom of her bog.

Madison Woods wrote:

I think experiment and see what works for you! Pine resin might work as a stiffener for oil paints, but I have never tried it to see how it might work. I'd be interested to hear about your experiences, whatever you do. Sometimes having the grit in the paint works well in some applications for art, too, so it doesn't have to be a smooth paint. I do wash mine in water to settle out the heavier bits when I am making paint, though, because I do like the smoother paint for the most part. And I add clay and limestone to the indigo I recently tried, and found that it helps give it body that I like.

One day I'd like to tint wall paint for painting my own walls with the earthy colors of the land around me.

Absolutely, *always* experiment!  Even if given a tried and true recipe.  And especially if told not to...
I've no experience making paint from scratch.  Which might be beneficial, who knows.  From what I'm reading, it seems paint is essentially:  a base (for ease of application) and a glue (for adhesion,) with pigment &/or other additives for color &/or desired effects.  Picking compatible elements in appropriate amounts *should* produce paint.  Sounds easy said that way.  I'm not expecting it to be simple, though human have been making paint for an awfully long time.   Learning from their mistakes, hopefully I can avoid using poisonous or caustic ingredients.

Whilst I experiment, if anyone happens to have insight on the use of pine resin, I'm sure it'd still be timely and appreciated.

As for the wall paint... That turned out better than I'd hoped.  Now I'd like to make more colors to use in other rooms.  I'm not in a position to build/rebuild the house with more natural materials.  Though this at least helps make the visual/sensory transition from out to in a little easier on me.

Oooh, this sounds like fun!
Making paint entirely from the land I live on appeals to me.  Very much so.  I'm eager to try some of the methods discussed here.  I've been using a rock and an old tile to grind stones for pigment, and sometimes using water to settle out the bits.  This has been adequate for my needs; adding to clay for color and temper, and to store-bought wall paint.  Any bits that make it through aren't big enough to bother me.  In an art paint, I know it would annoy the crap out of me.

Has anyone played with using pine resin in their paints?  I'm assuming not a great choice for watercolor, since it's not water soluble... though perhaps there could be some magical intermediary.  Either way, I'm not very good with watercolors, and would prefer making a paint I'd want to use.  Also, I have a lot of pine resin and love working with it.

Once upon a time I lived across from a park.  Their parking area was made from sections of metal grids, laid in and back filled with the same soil.  The grids had rounded top bits, so even if they weren't put in level or ended up shifting, they posed no risk to tires.  I'd imagine they could be done in other materials as well.
That's it.  This thread just reminded me of that neat, permeable alternative to asphalt.

Howdy,
Whether you love or hate kudzu, it is an amazing plant.  One I've personally used for food and medicine.  Unfortunately, like so many other things, the quality has dropped while the price has risen.  A few (several?) years ago, my income became less stable and I had to stop buying it.  I fully intended on growing it, though I couldn't find plants for sale at the time, and then other things distracted me for a while.  I really *really* really want this plant back in my life.  It seems absurd that it should cost so much to purchase considering the cost so many spend to try and eradicate it.
So...  before I once again consider growing my own, I thought I'd try this:
Perhaps someone would like a hand manually removing some from their property?  Is there anyone that 1) has kudzu, 2) doesn't want it/has more than they want, 3) doesn't poison it, 4) would like/be okay with me harvesting the roots, 5) lives near-ish to me?  That last one is probably the trickiest, but ya never know.
Feel free to ask stuff, make comments, etc either here or via the purple moose.

Within these (or any other) parameters, my reputation doesn't have much sway.  Regardless, I agree with the above plotskateers spiel.  And here's some (more or less) relevant words on why:
Mostly, social media makes me uncomfortable.  The flavor you have here does not.  Perhaps you're just *that* good at being sneakily horrible.
Differences (edit:  between platforms) aside, when I spend time here I feel like I'm leaving better off.  When I read advice from a "seasoned" permie, I feel pretty confident in the content.  The conversations don't all degrade into name-calling... and it doesn't seem like that's strictly b/c of staff.
And since I'm slow... I'll echo some of the other comments: the type of person attracted, and kept, by this site isn't the typical sort.  Likely not easily captured by the standard sparkly bits found elsewhere.
Assuming you're happy with the decency-flavor of permies' denizens:  whatever you did to populate your weird world is working.  Fabulous job.