Matt Hauer

Bachelor member of Tuperware Team checking in -- namely those red, snap-together Easy Find lids.  I've purchased 2-3 "sets" of those plus extra 2c boxes, and right now I have 4 bowls (2c) and 2 mugs (1.25c) of frozen soup in my freezer.

I don't like the idea of disposable plastic either, but so long as the boxes don't get a gravity assist, they're fine.  I've lost two in the last five years, and they get regular workouts from freezer storage to daily lunchbox organization.

I will use ziplocks when freezing meat.  I use plastic grocery veggie bags, but I make a point to stuff them in my grocery pack and reuse them several times.  I'm nowhere near the 173 reuses of a cloth bag for the material breakeven, but I'm nontrivially closer.

I've used Pyrex before.  It's heavy, chip/break prone, and sometimes grows legs from the office fridge.  It's really the weight that concerns me, oddly.

...

As for _heating_ leftovers, if you use a microwave, look into a plastic or ceramic plate cover.  Reduces splatters, reusable, dishwashable.  A former roommate had one, and it was on the short must-have list when I moved out.
A close second is the frying pan.  If I'm not heating something obvious like soup, sometimes I'll chop everything fine and run it through a stir fry, maybe with something new and fresh to keep the dish interesting.

Photographer chiming in!  Good luck with your macro photography, it's a challenge to get a decent plane of focus on the really tiny things.

Pollen, soil, leaves, petals, bugs (though 20-100x may be easier), electrical solder joints, worm bits, seeds, fern spores, mold, roots, rhizomes, insect eggs...

Tunnels would definitely be problematic.  A quick check on Wikipedia, they'll dig burrows, it's less clear about tunnels.  The article also verifies that their main threats are crocs, gators, cats (cougars, bobcats), and all adequately large canines.  They're supposedly happy to clean out the local shellfish and bugs, which may make them useful for pest control in the future?

It just came to mind, the local botanical garden puts a food- and animal-safe black dye in their ponds, and the fish don't seem to mind it too much.  Hard to spot fish more than 2" deep in that stuff.  It might help protect fish from sight-hunting birds, but isn't likely to do much for the otters, and will impact aquatic photosynthesis...

Still working on my coffee this morning.

Probably going to be a tough sell to get a good fence around 3.5 acres of pond.

Contact your state Department of Natural Resources!  They should be able to quickly tell you what the rules are for destructive fauna on private property.  In Colorado, there are options for landowners to remove destructive critters out-of-season.

Depending on other details, might consider getting a couple of outdoor dogs to wander a fenced area (which may just attract coyotes...) and upset the otters.

"Northern Cookbook" by Eleanor A Ellis, ISBN 0-88830-178-2, has recipes for seals, but not for otters.  No luck there.

Any idea what they are?  What sort of bugs are they nibbling on?  Does anything in particular prey on them to be wary of?

"What we do not use up, we use again." -Urza

I've taken to mending everything from my Smartwool pieces to rag-towels at home.  There's no sense in throwing out something that's still very usable with a little bit of TLC.

The big leap was when a coworker pointed me to some wool-rayon blended thread.  I was pretty sure I'd need some fine yarn, but ... there's a thread for that!  I'm not thrilled with the plastic content of the 50-50 blend.  I'll take a little plastic in exchange for a few more years out of my clothes!

(There's probably a PEP badge in all the mending photos I've annoyed my friends with.)

-Matt

I've seen a few poly relationships in my social circles, and they seem to fall into a few categories.  TLDR, relationships are hard & communication is critical to every kind of relationship.

The healthy ones generally involve a LOT of communication.  The day-to-day, the boundaries, the expectations, the stuff that's fun, the stuff that doesn't have to do with the partners.  Discussing metamours is a coin flip.  The healthy types usually have been 'full of love', being able, willing, and wanting to share as much emotional affection as they can.

I've seen less healthy situations where there wasn't enough communication.
I've seen less healthy situations where relationships were opened up 'to keep things interesting' when what was needed was better communication and couples counseling.

Polyamorous homesteading scenarios are very plausible and doable.  It makes a lot of sense from the 'many hands make for light work' perspective as well.  Just keep focusing on the relationships...

Ash, hello!

New to the forum, less new to Denver.  Apartment-dweller near the 25-225 wye.  Up for talking shop, sharing ideas, and learning new things.  Probably up for kibitzing about the state of the gardens, too.

How're the projects progressing?
-Matt

Hey Gaelle,

I _just_ joined the forums, and am based in Denver.  More an engineer than green thumb, looking to learn and support with the various topics.  Worst case, I have a pickup, a strong back, a guitar, and can think through the plans.  I'm just looking for weekend commitments at this point (not a tiny house site) ~ and to meet the neighbors.

-Matt

Might as well post that introduction!  Former PNW resident who followed the job to Denver, discovered the SKIP Kickstarter, and has been fantasizing about finding a responsible way to Nope out of consumer culture.  I'm hamstrung as an apartment dweller, starting with container gardens and the 'indoor' side of things when I'm not out in the hills with a tent.  I'm pretty savvy with tools, about renewable power system theory, and how to have a good time without cell phone coverage.

Got a ways (and a fair bit of savings) between where I am and the dream of a homestead, though there's no time like the present to learn the rest of the skills.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is doing, work in what ideas I can fit into my space, and maybe offer a pair of hands in Colorado or S WY on the weekends.

-Matt