Rathbone: Eggs for Hatching, Eggs for Eating, Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

[Britesea]

I am so sorry Rath! I know how it feels to sometimes be in that position (like most of last winter for me). If you knit or crochet, you could get yarn cheap at thrift stores and yard sales sometimes or even old afghans that can be unraveled and repurposed. What I do sometimes if I don't have enough to make an entire garment is I knit 12" squares that can be sewn together- not just for blankets either. You can make cute patchwork sweaters by sewing together enough squares to make the front and back, and folding some squares in half to make tubes for the sleeves.

Braided rag rugs?- might even be able to sell a few of those. People love the look, but don't make them anymore.

I ran across another interesting idea recently: seed mats. Especially good for the tiny seeds like carrots and lettuce. You take a paper napkin and mark out a grid in the spacing needed for the plants - ie 3" apart in every direction for radishes and carrots, 6" apart for spinach and lettuce. Then take white glue and glue your seeds at the appropriate spots. Let dry and you are done. To plant, you just lay the entire napkin out on your seed bed and cover with the appropriate amount of soil. Your seedlings will come up perfectly spaced, which will make it much easier to recognize the weeds, and if there are any 'holes' in the grid because of poor germination, it's easy to fill in the spot with a replacement seed. This winter I think I will make several of these for my garden, and I think they will sell well at the Saturday market as well.

Do you have any friends with a pressure canner? You might be able to put together a canning session with them. I look for canning jars every time I go into a yard sale or thrift store and I usually find some- sometimes it's an entire case, but more often it's just a few of them. I found 5 wide mouth quart jars for 50cents each last week.

I hope you feel better about things soon

 

[rathbone]

These are all good ideas. I am going to try each and every one. (I am already in the unraveling yarn and making new things mode - but hadn't thought of sewing squares together. That would be especially useful since I mostly have small amounts of yarn).
I have decided I will put all these ideas on index cards and put them in a card holder. Then as time permits (and resources) I will have something to take out and try.
re: composting toilet - I am not sure if I am allowed a "dedicated spot" since I live in town...but who would know I had one right?

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. I have been feeling similarly lately. I am short on cash and very short on time and I think the latter is driving me the most crazy.

Are there any wild foods that grow in your area that you could learn to harvest and/or process?

Another thing to consider is that learning can be done for close to free. If there is something you want to know more about, maybe start researching the topic. Then you can maybe make a budget for the items you would need to purchase in order to pursue what it is you want to do . . . . Also you can plan a cheap way to do it using thrift store items or what not. I think we are at our most creative when we have the most restrictions on what we can cobble together. JMO.

Cute photos of your halloween costumes and you and your son, by the way.

 

[TanksHill]

That's pretty much what I do. When trying not to spend or buy anything. I research, read and make list of things I would like to do. For canning, I make a list of the most important things I needed etc..

For busy work I look around me. Which is what I am supposed to be doing now... I find things at home that are unfinished. Projects that are not done, weeds to pull seeds to organize. Anything that is already here and waiting.

Could you put an add on Craigslist with a list. "Things needed for my Self Sufficient Lifestyle" Perhaps post the things you need, offer to pick up in a timely manner. Let them know Free is Best. I see adds like this all the time.

gina

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Oh, I just noticed your comment about a "dedicated spot" for composting humanure. I have heard that the best thing to do is to seal it in an old wine barrel and let it sit for however long it has to sit to compost. Where I live that is supposed to be 5-7 years I think. Might be shorter time frame for you. Anyway, no one would know what was in the barrel.

 

[rathbone]

Mojave Indian Spirit Run

This week is Mojave Days. And today was the Spirit Run. I would like to tell you about it. However, I am not a Mojave Indian. And out of respect to them, I will not post any pictures, nor will I tell you any of the significance behind the run. But it is a glorious thing to witness.

The runners start at Spirit Mountain, a sacred place to the Mojaves. Only males participate in the Spirit Run. Runners run a distance of 26 miles (others have told me 31 miles). Men run, young men run, boys run, grandfathers run. And the unity between them is amazing. Certain men carry spirit sticks. To my outsider's eyes, the spirit sticks look like a four foot long limb, very straight, wrapped intricately with red yarn and various eagle feathers attached the length of the stick.

The runners run and obviously some are stronger and faster than others. After a few miles, a few men are out in front and most of the boys are lagging. A man stays and runs with the boys. As the littlest boys give out, they are lifted into vans and drive along behind the runners. Teenagers begin to tire and they are spurred on by their fathers and uncles. Middle aged men run alongside their own fathers and the aging fathers set their teeth and continue running long after you would think possible. And when their strength fails, sons pat them on the back and continue running. Fatigued runners limp to the side of the road breathing hard and laugh as they climb into the van.

The run is performed in the morning so as to avoid the heat that persists into October.

In the end, the runners (and vans behind them) run into the first part of the Village. They stop there and rest for a moment. Then the singers form a line facing the runners and lifting painted gourds into the air they begin to sing. The men's voices are deep and timbrous and as the main singer continues, his song is punctuated by sharp "Ha, ha, ha" of others.
The runners stand facing the singers. The men carrying spirit sticks are in front and all others stay behind the spirit sticks. After the song, they complete the run. The men run into the village as a group and the people of the Village await them, cheering uproariously.

It is a beautiful thing.

 

[sufficientforme]

I sometimes go to the thrift stores and look for 100% wool sweaters to make felted flowers and purses. They usually run less than a dollar and sometimes less if they have holes. They make beautiful gifts. You can make hair clip and embellishments on other projects, mittens. There are so many other felting projects on the internet if those don't interest you. I will try to think of some more ideas for you

 

[framing fowl]

So what other sorts of things do you have on hand Rath? Face paint/makeup and small bits of yarn I've gathered from your other posts. Maybe if you tell us what is lurking in your junk drawer or closet, we could help be more specific.

Are you close to a local library? They have a ton of craft books in their non-fiction section that might help give you ideas. I just picked up a book on the art of bartering. Do you have an active local craigslist or a store in town where you can post ads on a bulletin board? I've gotten free apples for the picking by posting on CL. Then you could dry them in the sun for a cheap winter treat. Maybe you could trade farm sitting for a weekend for someone in exchange for milk.

I forgot, do you have chickens? Do you use all of the eggs or do you have extra? Many people are in the same boat where they might not be able to pay $2 or $3 a dozen to buy them from you but maybe you could trade eggs for fabric.

I liked the idea too of learning about your native edibles. Many native edibles also have healing properties that you could study up on.

 

[rathbone]

Oooh felting. I have recently seen something about that. I will definitely try it. Used holey sweaters ARE in my budget
framing fowl: I will do an inventory of what I have lurking about (I am a bit of a hoarder so chances are I have lots to work with - just need to see it with new eyes).


regarding the chickens...I will apologize for being so negative in today's post but mostly I am feeling down because of my chickens. I am dealing with Mareks.
I have scrimped and saved in order to buy hatching eggs. I have hatched and cared for my babies. I justified the expense of chickens and chicken feed because it is supposed to save us money in the long run and put a healthier egg on our breakfast plates.
And now, one by one, on a daily basis, they are dying. I went home this afternoon for lunch and my husband took me by the hand out to the chicken run to show me yet another. I have a pullet, a speckled sussex that hatched from eggs a friend was kind enough to gift me. She was collapsed on the ground - paralyzed legs. At this point after caring for so many of them that started making a recovery - only to later die, we are now culling them when they first present with Marek's symptoms.
So I have adult hens that no longer lay (I get only two eggs a day from 10 hens), I have pullets that are suddenly paralyzed or acting odd, that eventually die, I have babies getting sick right and left and frankly, it feels like a daily kick in the stomach. So, I promise I won't always be so Negative Nelly, but today...ugh, today feels really long and ugly.

 

[framing fowl]

That's not being negative nelly. That's dealing with a bad hand you've been dealt. Yikes! You have quite a bit invested in those birds and it's natural to feel discouraged with losses. Sometimes you have to grieve before you can be expected to move on.