We live in an early 20th century house with a brick hearth and built in bookcases. I have always wanted such a set up and loved it for two years. But last winter, I couldn’t ignore what was missing: a fireplace. These houses were built to hold gas burning units, as evidenced by the...
Read more →There are several opportunities for gardeners to improve their landscape this week at little to no cost: On November 1, visit supermarkets for free straw. Our closest grocery uses straw bales to display pumpkins and then gives them away after Halloween. We use straw to protect our strawberries from frost/thaw heaving, to mix in...
Read more →The act of cooking food from scratch necessitates using water. We use water when we boil pasta, scrub potatoes, wash dishes, steam vegetables, and thaw frozen items. Here are five ‘wise water ways’ to reduce pressure on the water treatment facilities, reduce your water bill, and keep our access to water plentiful: 1) Turn...
Read more →This crate of jars was given to me by my mother who received it from my paternal grandmother. What does this look like to you? Trash? To me, it was a box full of potential. I know Grandma Joyce is a collector of stuff. Out of the box of miscellaneous jars, I decided not...
Read more →“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” Masanobu Fukuoka So began the talk ‘Home-Scale Ecological Food Production’ by David Jacke on Friday July 30, 2010. Organized by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, the Clintonville presentation was attended by approximately 70...
Read more →Just after the second set of pea leaves appeared, birds started eating them. I blame sparrows, the possibly invasive species that seem to swarm our neighborhood in the spring. So, bird netting is on the peas. Last year we lost strawberries to the squirrels. Even with Alex’s not exactly legit squirrel hunting, they still...
Read more →In this second week of the Bike to Work challenge, Alex and I pooled our wisdom to share advice about equipment. Last week we shared our Road Rules. We absolutely believe in the power of the pedal and are happy to give personalized advice by email should you want to write us! Equipment: Get...
Read more →Today is the first day of the Bike to Work Challenge! If you aren’t on a team yet and want a little cycling motivation, join my team, the Columbus Catch-Alls. Alex and I have shared a car for four years now. Whichever one of us does not have the car typically rides a bike...
Read more →May 10 begins the Bike to Work Challenge for 2010. The premise is simple – log your rides to and from work for 10 days. The team with the best percentage of rides wins pride and prizes. You don’t work traditionally? Neither do I! I created the Columbus Catch-Alls for those of us who...
Read more →I have mixed feelings about Earth Day, the 40th anniversary of which is celebrated today. People celebrating and being educated once a year is great, no doubt. In some ways (littering comes to mind), Earth Day education has inspired big changes. But the idea that people spend one day ‘going green’ to ‘save the...
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