S Greyzoll

Hi Leigh, welcome! Do you feel this book stands well on its own, or should the first book be read beforehand?

My mother In Law had to put down her cat just a few weeks ago. She paid a bit more to have a vet come to her home. Kitty got a tranquilizer first, and went under in her loving owners arms being petted and loved. Then she was given the shot to stop her heart. There was no indication of pain or distress and my MIL got to keep her until she was ready for the vet to take her. I can’t imagine anything much more humane than that for a pet, and if the situation allowed for it I’d do the same for my own pet.


I would also consider the outlook for treatments and therapies. Is this a very old pet, or one that could be gaining 5+ years of life from treatment? There’s of course a lot of personal preference and situational consideration we all have to think through when the time comes to make these choices. As long as no one is killing healthy happy pets for their own convenience I don’t have a hard time letting everyone make their own choices for their pets.

A timely topic for our family. Another thing is finances. I had cats in a time in my life where if their medical bills exceeded a few hundred dollars I would not be able to treat them.

My morals guide my feelings on these matters. Cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation? I wouldn’t. Those are very painful and we have no way to gauge how bad our animals are hurting. There is also no guarantee of success. Bladder issues? Yeah, I would deal with that. They can be made comfortable as an outside dog or diapering isn’t too difficult. Putting down an animal that has perfect quality of life but is just inconvenient doesn’t jive with my morals.

Most importantly, I try not to judge the choices of others. If they have the money to pay for a really expensive procedure that’s their choice. If people donated their hard earned money to pay for a doggy wheelchair that’s what they wanted to do with their money. It’s not my money or my choice. I believe life has value and I don’t like the idea of people killing animals when they become a little more work. I don’t see why its bad if someone out there wants to take on animals that are a lot more work when their previous owners can’t or won’t care for them.

I‘ve always questioned why we have the double standard of putting sick animals down to ease their pain but don’t allow humans to make the same choice for themselves.

I loosely keep track of some things.

When I identify new plants in my woods/property I enter them in a spreadsheet program. I write in the name, and have columns to identify uses (medicinal, edible, etc) and growth habit. It’s nice to be able to easily keep track, and when I’m looking to add plants to other areas of the property I shop there first.

I do like to label stuff. It’s not necessary, but I really like it so I’m going to label the perennials in my yards. This winter, when I can’t go outside, I’m planning to paint rocks for labeling plants. I am particularly wanting to label the different t varieties of some plants, like my blueberries, currants, honeyberries etc. that way I’ll know which I like and get more of those, and if I ever sell them I can name the variety. I haven’t had a lot of luck finding round rocks of the desired size yet, and I’d better get started soon!

THANK YOU! I was so distraught when it closed. I may have never re-discovered it.

I have a few ideas. I don’t know any other Permie types in real life, but I do give gifts that are in keeping with my own values, usually handmade or local, something useful or tasty.

sewn items
   - cloth napkins (I often use scrap fabric or secondhand fabric)
   - gift bags: I sew up reusable drawstring gift bags to to wrap gifts
   - fabric itself: for friends who sew, I wrap gifts in fabric furoshki style so they can make something with it.
   - sewing kits: I find a pattern and fabric I think a friend will enjoy and do all the crummy laborious bits: measuring and cutting. I give them a copy of the pattern, the pre-cut pieces, hardware (is it’s a purse or such), a spool of matching thread, and extra fabric in case it’s needed. These have been a big hit.
   - placemats
   - re-usable shopping bags
   - potholders
   - dish towels
   -pillowcases

Knit/crochet: I’m still learning!
   - knit scarves
   - crocheted washcloths

Embroidery
   - tea towels

Food stuffs
   - jam! I love giving homemade jam, apple, Pumpkin, or pear butters In small 4oz jelly jars. They fit nicely in the toe of a stocking and I like to make unusual jams.
   - dehydrated berries/ baked good mix: I like to dehydrate our wild raspberries and give them in Pint mason jars or mix them into a dry pancake mix or scone mix in a Quart jar with instructions attached.
   - herbal tea mixes: first time will be this year, but I made herbal tea mixes foraging what was available on our property (raspberry leaf, chamomile, pineapple weed, nettles, mint, etc). They’re loose leaf, and I haven’t decided if I ought to give them with a diffuser or not. Also I think I might gift them in pouches made from brown craft paper instead of mason jars, to reduce costs (shipping especially).
   - spice/seasoning blends: not from our own garden (yet) but we have made seasoning mixes, flavored rock salt, etc. from bulk herbs and spices. It’s was very economical and useful
   -baking mixes: bread, pancake, cookie, scone etc. mixes. Layer the ingredients in a quart jar and add a pretty label with a list of wet ingredients to add and instructions. I usually give these with a useful utensil- my favorite are big wooden mixing spoons made by a local artisan.
    - coffee: not the best Permie-wise, but I have some friends who really enjoy it and I buy from local roasters. I try for single origin and fair trade beans.
    -local maple syrup and honey

Other
    - seeds! I usually nag every gardener on my Christmas lists to look at my online spreadsheet of seeds and let me know what they’d like. I always send some in Christmas packages.
    - wax sandwich wraps: can be pretty/fun pattered and much more earth friendly than ziplock bags for preserving sandwiches and such. There is a local company to me that makes them but they are widely available.
    - rocks and shells. Seriously. My dad likes weird stuff and decorated his whole yard in neat unique rocks and such. Several years I shipped him some shells I’d found at the beach or a cool rock I found. I also have a friend who paints rocks for fun,
So if I find a really unique one that’s smooth enough to paint I send it to her.
    - experiences: some folks I know just don’t get much quality family time. Each year I give one friend an annual family zoo pass. They go maybe 20 times a year and love it. Movie or theatre tickets are another gift I’ve given many times. Another idea for families with young kids are science/children’s museums.
  - soaps, candles, etc. just nice smelling things that get used up and enjoyed. Often purchased from local makers.


Typically I do little crafts year round and put aside gift items as I make them. By November I have my gift drawer mostly filled up, and I fill in the rest from the winter markets. My goal is to give things that are useful or consumable. I do not gift trinkets or baubles that take up space or personal taste items like clothing or jewelry. If an item is purchased rather than made I focus on ethical products from local folk.

That’s a great idea. I’d never considered keeping hybrid seeds- I‘d assumed they were sterile.

I am experimenting with tomatoes myself. I grew three varieties this year. One made rather small crunchy tomatoes and I won’t save seed but will plant the rest of the packet next year. One made the most delicious paste tomato I have ever eaten (same as last year) but did fall prey to mildew. I’ll give it a shot in a different spot next year to see if more airflow will help. I’ve saved seed from the best tomatoes on the least mildew affected plants. My third variety are not quite as tasty, but texture, size, and yield are fantastic. Also they had no mildew issues. I’ve saved seed and will plant them alongside my mildewy friends next year to see if I can get a desirable cross down the line.

Edited to add photos!

Ellendra Nauriel wrote:

S Greyzoll wrote:My biggest one was this year. I over-ordered plants. By a ton. Over 500 trees and nearly 300 shrubs. I dang near killed myself getting them in (many never met dirt) and many had a very rough beginning waiting to be planted longer than they should. I had help lined up before the pandemic, but even so looking back I know this was grade A dumb. I just got a notification my giant garlic order is shipping, with no beds prepped yet. I’m crying tears of tired, and I did it all to myself. Lesson learned to know my limitations and be more patient.

I've made that same mistake many times. Not quite to that scale, but I definitely ordered more than I could possibly plant.

I've started limiting myself to a maximum of 12 live plants per year. If life happens and I'm not able to plant them, it's not too hard to scrounge up 12 large containers to use as planting pots.

Seeds don't have that limit, so I still tend to over-order seeds. But losing live plants because of my own lack of foresight was just too heartbreaking.

Yes. I feel so wasteful. Next year I promised my partner no new plants. I can divide and transfer what I have, plant seeds/seed balls, but no things coming in live that depend on my immediate availability to plant them. I have a beautiful abundance of seeds.

Hmmmm. I just don’t know that her differing view is in need of fixing. Certainly it’s not fitting with the average Permie outlook, but she is welcome to approach life- and chaos- her own way.

I have said time and time again that I would never be willing to protect my food and shelter with weapons. If someone is hungry I share. If someone needs shelter and I have room to provide them some, what is my reason to say no? I did spend some time on “survivalist” forums while
Preparing us a couple of emergency kits. I found three common traits: (1) planned selfishness in the scenario of widespread pain and suffering (2) dramatization and a lack of statistical thinking, planning for the absolute worst possible scenario but overlooking the most likely scenarios completely (3) fear and a need to feel in control.

I did not enjoy my time in these places, but did put together fairly comprehensive emergency kits. While those forums made me fearful and worried, this one brings me peace and comfort. There is a focus on building skills that would be useful in the case of societal collapse, but also a focus on building community and sharing. I can’t think of a better way to “prep” than setting up property that can provide food with minimal inputs.

Prep websites are full of folks with emergency seeds who’ve never gardened (or learned to save seed to regenerate their stash), people who have survival tools they’ve never used, and who find pride in being prepared to out-survive everyone else at all costs. A lot of you-tube and not enough practice. It’s not in line with my moral compass or my sense of practicality.

All that said, everyone gets to chose their own morals and their own beliefs. I think at 24 I’d be miffed if a parent was trying to send me books and articles to change my perspective. Time And experience will do that  on its own.