the Trash vitae

Trash is the editor-in-chief of an independent Colorado micro-publisher/ design studio. I dabble in digital photography, the lost art of film image making, and guerilla digital video. DrMAC Studios specializes in books and videos on self-reliance, gardening, dumpster diving, urban foraging and living off the excesses of others.
This blog documents my daily experiences with the rest of the world

Saturday, December 1, 2012

leftovers

Here at the stead Mrs T does alot of cookin and the kids aint in favor of too many leftovers. Typical yuppie kids. However ol dad has no problem. For most of this past week I have been eatin turkey day side dish leftovers. The stuffed roasted pumpkin has been my fav along with the pumpernickle stuffing. yumyum . Granted I did sneak away to Taco bell once this week for a fix but I have thoroughly enjoyed that roasted pumpkin concoction. I wonder what has happened to the leftover turkey legs and the dark meat. Prob in the freezer by now for later winter delicacies. Leftovers come in all shapes and sizes. And they are not only food. Dumpster diving and trashdigging yields lots of good leftover clothes and homestead materials. All on the free. As for what to do with the unneeded leftovers. Give em away, feed the compost beast or feed the animals. NOthing should go to waste. Old coffee grinds, veggie scraps, leftover chili beans,fish guts and bones can all go into the compost. Heck even my old pipe tobacco and cigarette butts can decompose in there. Overripe banana and peels, leftover fruit, crumbled bread and stale tortillas can all be left for the birds, squirrels and the coons. Heck I put the old turkey carcass on a plate out in the yard and withing 2 nights one of the coons carried it away for food. As I said nuthin goes to waste. As for unused items around the house pay it forward by puttin them on your driveway and place a free ad on CL and somebody will come and gettem. One mans trash is anothers treasure. This way we can keep the landfills from over crowding and keep the cycle of life going on.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

new video blogpost

Old Trash is back with a new video. Hopefully I will be able to get back to doing these regularly again. Comments always welcome.

turkey day rehab


AS you can see Mrs T and the kids really outdid themselves this year. And everything was made from scratch. Lots of fresh veggie dishes, carrots turnips and kale side dishes. mashed taters, sweet potato pie and a roasted stuffed pumpkin with veggies, bread crumbs and cream soup. And of course  dads buttermilk biscuits. For dessert it was homemade pumpkin cheescake, bourbon pecan pie and a pumpkin tart. yum yum. So much homemade food and now lots of leftovers.
For Black Friday Mrs T and I began the removal of Turkey day stuff and began to make the Xmas transition.. The only thing I went to the store for was smokes and some scouring pads and of course the cheetos.
As for the scraps and such I took them all out to the compost bin and placed them in there along with stirring in a few shovels of dirt and stirred.  I also scavenged  the seeds from the 2 pumpkins we used and begun the process of drying them forn next springs planting. Waste not want now.
We also took care of our animal friends by making plates for the coons, the birds ant the squirrels.   Happy Happy Happy..



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

almost turkey day

One more day until the gluttony begins.
The assemblage of culinary delights are in place for manana. Yet my little scavenger in training was so proud of himself yesterday as he came home from a school gathering with an almost complete spiral cut ham and veggie tray that was left over from his schools holiday gathering. Waste not want not.
I made a bowl of ham and veggies and some leftover homemade green chili  for supper, the chili a gift from a coworker who knows how ol Trash loves chili and brought me a 1 quart sampler. yumyum.
Now the kids are off for a few days and after today I will be also.
On a serious side how many of y'all keep working on your soil and preps during the winter months. Compost making and soil amending are an important prep and should not be ignored. Potato peels, coffee grinds, veggie cuttings, stale bread all can add to the compost bin. And in the next day or so i bet at least a coffee can ful will appear at your home and can be added quite easily.
ON the garden front I still have collard green plants, chives and green onions growing outside that I am still able to use. Begun as an experiment last MAy/ June with the green onion bulbs being transplanted from scrap I have not had to buy green onions all summer and am still enjoying them .

Friday, November 9, 2012

living off excess

It really helps to have friends in low places. One of my compadres down at the lab had recently stocked their freezer with lots of hunt meat and etc and asked me if I would like the meat and stuff that they werent going to use . Of course old Trash  said ok. Yesterday she brought me a cooler filled with steaks, chicken, a pork loin,  pork chops and some elk steaks.. yumyum. Along with that are a bout a half a dozen frozen dinners, some prepped chicken wings, prepped chicken cordon blu and some apple desserts. more yum yum. Brought them home on the public transport and stocked up my freezer some more.  Adding to the 50 pounds of turkeys, meats and assorted frozen veggies already in the deep freeze.  yumyum.
This on top of last week where me and the Mrs went and stocked up on winter stuff from the thriftymart and the grocery store. All in all a good fall thus far.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

SUnday morning rant

Had a relaxed SAturday evening. While the Mrs sewed I watched some TLC shows online. Extreme Cheapskates and Extreme Couponing. DO we do anything in moderation anymore. cmon.. buying 100 bottles of aspirin, 54 bottles of Laundry soap, 60 bags of croutons etc  while the daughter has 300 bottles of her favorite soda in the closet. My god. ON the other end this woman hasnt done laundry in 3 years. Washes clothes and stuff in the shower. Another guy reuses paper towels and buys double ply tp so he can make 2 rolls out of one.. Oy yeah and 200 boxes of cereal is real yumyum food. WHat has become of moderation?
I understand the art of and logicality of frugality and dumpster diving but excess is excess. Growing your own and buying in bulk has always been a mainstay at the 'stead but these people are carrying it a bit too far. Even Trash has limits.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

a long time coming

It has been over a month since my last post and for that I apologize. It has been hectic in Babylon and I have  been extremely busy. The garden did not produce as expected and I have to supplement. The heat and then the extreme cold did it in. Maybe next year.



Monday, September 3, 2012

Labor Day Projects

During this summer I have experienced both successes and failures in the garden. SOme of them are due to the excessive heat we experienced. Others are just fails in the experimentation that I do here.
After 3 years of useage in the zuchini beds it is time to give them a rest this year. I should have done this earlier as the zuchs did not due anything out there. NO matter what I tried.
However I did have some successes. The tomatos and beans are doing very well.  And I have found a new use for an old 30 gallon black plastic garbage can. It has become my new compost bin. With holes for aeration and the lid it cooks compost real nice. Just this summer alone I have cooked about 1/2 a barrel worth. I will bag it up for next years useage or some late fall stuff I want to try.  

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sunday meander

This last week has been hell. With classes starting we have been prepping the faculty machines and dealing with the issues the semester beginning  brings. So I have had barely enough time to maintain the garden. Its been a helluva  summer.

I started cleaning out the unproductive beds this weekend and turned  some fresh manure and compost into the soil in order to maybe have some fall crops of broccoli, peas and greens. We can only hope. Depends how this week goes.




Thursday, August 9, 2012

Thursday morning


The world around you is a giant laboratory just waiting for you to experiment with it. Develop hypotheses. Develop the experiments. Sample the specimens. Manipulate their surroundings. Move things around for research. FAIL. Try again. Success is 99 percent failure. Keep failing. For only then will you succeed.
I am beginning to wonder whether that was the original intent of the Creator. Giving each of his creations the power to tend his own garden, till his piece of soil, and create the immediate surroundings that satisfies his needs and gives him the ability to experiment. I am believing this to be worthy of further pondering. Both as a scientist and a curious explorer.
Anyhow Max is enjoying accompanying me more and more as we travail around the area on what are becoming almost daily jaunts. Need to oil his chain and lube the gears again. I have abuse Max and its time to handle the err. Max is a good companion.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

the outdoor office

After reading an article in Treehugger this morning about the office being in your pants I realized that he is so yesterday. I have been working from wherever i want for years now.
In the old days we were tied to our desktop and ethernet cable. Laptops were a luxury item and wireless was not even a thought. Now laptops are becoming the desktop and tablets and smartphones are the portable devices of choice. As their reliability and capabilities improve more and more of us will be joining their ranks.
One of the issues I see is power. If and when the grid goes down as it recently did in India a new source of power generation will be be needed as will a new communication standard need to be developed. Inbred solar chargers will need to be developed for these devices as a standard option and not just a third part aftersell.
3g 4g and wireless hotpsots etc are wonderful when the comm grid is reliable but what happens when that goes down. How will communication exist. What can be done? Satellites too are unreliable in the face of meltdown. Have you given any thoughts to it ?

Sunday meandering

Walked over to the Wallie world yesterday and saw this again. Out here in the boonies art is rare, except on the ditch wall. There is plenty of beginner art there. Some might say its vandalism. But to me the real vandalism exists where the PTB contaminates nature with fake aesthetics, This just makes the fake more tolerable. thanx.
This is real aesthetic. Isnt she pretty. Or is it a he.. Who cares. Nature is wonderful.


Friday, August 3, 2012

Friday post


For the past several mornings I have seen a mural across the railroad tracks from my train stop, so this afternoon I walked over there with my camera and took some photos. The faces in the mural is a combo of Diego Rivera and Basquiat. Rather exciting.

So glad to see some color down here

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

walkin' in the rain

Its only Wednesday but I was able to walk barefoot in the rain several times today. Once earlier this afternoon on the way to the tobacconist and then again from the bus stop to the house. Steppin in puddles along the way. Such a simplistic pleasure it is. Smokin the pipe and steppin in the puddles.. Life is good. I came home this evening and the garden was soaking in the moisture of the heavenly water. Irradiated as it may be. But alas its better than the purified crap that emanates from the treatment plant down the road. Water is a precious resource that many of us take for granted but shouldn't. It is the most vital element of our ecosytem. And yet the majority wastes it, abuses it and think nothing of it. Anyhow ol Trash is working on several projects right now so the weekly videos got put on the back burner again for a short time. But some of thes other projects are taking precedent. More later.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

barefootin thru life

We came into this life with bare feet and that is the way God intended. Simplistic. While it takes some time to toughen the tootsies it is well worth the effort. For when you feel the ground you walk upon you relize things. Concrete and asphaly are hot. Dirt is warm and mostly tolerable and grass or wild pasture remains cool. When winter comes shoes become a necessity when you have snow and ice but an occasional romp in the snow is good for the tootsies. Enjoy. People look at me funny when I walk to work barefoot downtown or when I walk around the campus or my lab barefoot. But ya know for me its comfy. People wear sandals and I keep a pair with me but I remove them when possible. I prefer the feel of the ground on my feet. Walking thru puddles is fun during and after a rain. Its wonderful You ought to try it. Our ancestors walked this planet barefoot. Why should not we. It give you a new appreciation. Anyhow life on the homestead has been pretty mellow. The beds are handling the heat as well as can be expected. Its taking a lot more water than I had planned for to keep things alive and thriving. Putting the copper water line on the swamper and cleaning out and defrosting the air conditioner has made a world of difference. Its actually quite cool in the house. The plum tree is in ripeness and I have been picking a pound or two every few days to keep the fruit supply up. And the price is right. FREE.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

weekend update

Another long week in Babylon. Plus a few challenges around the homestead. Last week I replaced the water line to the swamp cooler with a brand new line. And all was well. Thursday I came home ad found a leak in the hose with what appeared to be either bird or squirrel bites. An easy fix. This morning I went out to take the trash and a crap load of water was gushing thru. I went outside and notices quite a few gushers coming thru. While I could have repaired them with extra line I went over to my local Lowes and realized from conferring with the clerk there that even with a new line the issues would persist given the birds or squirrels. SO I broke down and refitted the line with solid copper tubing. Was only a cuppla bucks more than the plastic but its harder to bite thru. WE shall see. I guess that along with food I ought to leave more water dishes out and about for our animal friends.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Weekend update ( a tad late)

After the trip to the market on Saturday, the son and I went to the Farmers Market on Sunday in search of the black seeded watermelon. Inevitably the results were the same. None to be had. Apparently the GMO has taken over the watermelon biz and no one has noticed as of yet, except me. Everyone I mention this too seems rather surprised by this news. Anyhow we picked up some organic cherries, apricots and purple plums. ON the way back we also picked up some fresh off the tree plums from an empty lot. yumyum. Mrs T and daughter went off to Wallie in the early eve for some orthopedic sandals and other goodies. And then we sat down to a nice chicken spinach alfredo pasta dinner. My oh my the long weekend comes to an end.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

off to market

Rained last night. I put the extra basket on the bike for a trip to market for staple goods and produce. So economical. And good for me.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Saturday morning

Well fathers day went real well. Mrs T made a fried bfast (fried eggs, bacon, biscuits and hash browns) and we had a relaxing day. BBQ pork for supper. potted up a cuppl tomato plants ans an herb plat that the kids picked out. ALso got a 50 ft soaker hose that I am going to experiment with. Planted up the russian sage and the 2 Castor bean plants. I have not seen any comments about the new video i posted last week so I dont know how well it was recd. More to come. The week in Babylon was hell .No AC at the guvt lab for most of the week. SO not much got done progress wise. Alas. Did a cuppla repairs and some software testing with a fan going most of the week. Anyhow its good to be home for the weekend. GOnna try and get some things done but its so hot outside. Radiation and global warming and oh yes drought conditions. NO rain in weeks here at the stead. The garden is looking it.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sunday in the yard

The week has been hectic in Babylon. Not much time to get anything done on the stead. Projects keep getting pushed further and further back on the lists. Had to call the beeman out the other day as we found a nice size hive that had taken up residence in the yard. Not good but good. Cost us almost a hundred to have them removed to safer accommodations. Now that the tomatoes are hardened up and growing we moved them out into the yard for the summer grow season. I will prob pick up a cuppla more JIC. The sweet peas are seeing there last legs as it is getting too hot for them to survive . Will replace them with other legumes for the summer. work work and more work..

Monday, June 4, 2012

weeekend overview

Woke up on saturday morning and worked in the garden. Turned the last bed and planted some 3 sisters in it. COrn, Beans and Squash. We shall see how it permeates. I also added fresh compost to the last whiskey barrel and began a 3 sisters setup in there. Green beans and squash are doing nicely. Corn not yet. Lettuces are having a hard time what with the heat so have had to move into shadier spot to avoid greens death. So far so good. Anyhow picked up a few cheap color plants this weekend and Russian sage for Mrs T. I believe her last one got to wet to return from the winter. Alas I got her another one to replace it and we can expand her color beds. The weather has been cool in the morning, turning hot and then rain to cool it off for the evening. Hope it continues. We need the moisture.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Saturday meanderings

I spent the morning working in the garden. Potted up the last of the 1st round of tomatoes. Groomed the beds and watered the plants. All before 10am. Came inside and found a newer 9cd set of Janis Joplin treasures. Blow all my blues Away. Some seriously good listening. Adding that to the Bob Dylan Biograph 3 cd set that Lloyd suggested in a post a cuppla weeks ago. Good stuff. If only people would listen to the old stuff they would see how this new stuff originated. I love it. Music soothes the savage Trash

Friday, May 25, 2012

Sunday, May 20, 2012

radish heaven

I was out working in the garden yesterday and came across some pretty purple heads sticking thru the ground.. What a lovely site indeed. NIce big ol fat radishes ready to enjoy.. 1st radish harvest of the season.. yumyum.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

midweek ho-hum

What with mothers day last weekend and working in the garden I did not have a chance to post. I added a cuppla bags of manure and compost to the raised beds in prep for putting the veggies in. I still have a few more bags to get. I will also be experimenting with a new organic potting soil that is supposed to be good for the plants. Includes natural food in the soil. We shall see on a couple of tomato plants and such. I have been going over several projects I hope to accomplish this summer. We will see as time progresses which ones come to fruition.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

close call....

Last evening I was sitting on my couch havin some pork rinds and water when a speck of pawk went down the wrong tube and caused ol Trash to lose the air passage for a bit.. Scary stuff. Mrs T came to my rescue and Heimmliched me and we were able to get my passage open again.. amen. Thanx Mrs T. Ya never know how important breathing is until you cant..

Monday, May 7, 2012

Monday morning again

Spent the weekend with MrsT cleaning out the garage and getting the rest of the stead in Spring shape. Supermoon was a bust as we got treated instead to a lightning and thunder show, small hail and a nice rain on Saturday night. Sunday was spent in the garden and on the garage retrofit again. Watched a few old episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies on youtube. Worked on old Dumpie bike (needed a new brake pad) and then went over to the Wallie world for refried beans, torts, taco sauces and goodies for a Sunday easy dinner. My oh my. Now its back to Babylon for another week. BTW I also picked up some Bush bean seeds while I was at the Wallie. Seems I cant find my stash of them last year.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

garden pics

Even though its only the 1st week in April the garden flowers are coming in nicely. Here are just a sampling.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Thursday meandering

I have been thinking a lot lately about affordable housing and small house living. I see alot of videos and posts about single people and even small families crammed together in miniscule abodes that over time will prove unsustainable. Why not use another alternative. During the post ww2 era mobile homes became the fad for youngins and the retired set. They are somewhat energy inefficient but for useability they are a wonderful affordable alternative. The Trash homestead is centered on an old 1970something double-wide (roughly 1400 sq feet). Granted it has its flaws but for the price of a newer car I have 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an exterior garage area. While its not a mini house and its def not a mcmansion it is an obvious alternative for the green-minded.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

happy earth day and belated 420

ol Trash has been busy this week in the labs. On Friday I did some work in the lab and then went over and did some freelance work for one of my clients. When done I went over to the 420 celebration where this pic was taken . I met up with an online buddy and we enjoyed the ritual together. I came home to a dinner of pizza and a fresh fruits and veggie salad that the mrs and our daughter made. Delicious.. Saturday was spent working in the garden and today we are going to celeb earth day with a BBQ and some relaxation. I planted a bed of collards, red cabbage, bok choy and kohlrabi. yumyum. We also picked up some cheap petunias and geraniums to add color. oh boy. I DO LOVE SPRING.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sunday pics





We finally are getting some rain at the stead which is allowing things to grow.. without the use of city water. Natures water is always better.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

easter sunday


the lilacs are almost in bloom .. a sure sign of spring. Work is continuing around the homestead on bed prepping and garden cleanup. The collards have sprouted as have the sweet peas and lettuces. Time to start some other stuff in the garden. Joy Joy.
Son called yesterday that he had scored 4 boxes of real hardwood flooring from the dumpsters and wanted to know if I wanted. Of course I do. Gave him some gas money and enjoyed an evening with son, my wife and I . Good people, good smokes and conversation. Evening enjoyed.
Happy Easter

Friday, April 6, 2012

good friday video



been a busy week in the labs. Not much time for my projects. But alas. My projects only further knowledge and expand visions. Plenty of time for that

Sunday, April 1, 2012

sunday morning the april fool

Spent the week real busy in the lab. Working hardly on many different projects and listening to some great podcasts. Comic Book Men, Rudy Rucker and Survival Podcast. 2 of which you can find links to the sites on the left. They make for some entertaining and motivational listening.
The weather has been warm to hot this last week so extra watering has had to take place. I hooked up the hose last weekend in order to nourish the soil and i am also experimenting with using the dead leaf detritus as mulch. So far so good. We planted a cuppla rows of beets, radishes and collard greens and turnip greens in some of the beds. I do not want to go hog wild yet as snow and cold weather is still possible. But planning goes forward.
After the dry spell of video podcasting that I have been experiencing over the past few months I am almost ready to start up again. Should be be coming with the advent of the spring season. Hopefully soon after Easter I should have the studio reformulated and ready to go.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

barefootin'

After spending an hour or two this morning on FB catching up on my friends I decided to endure the knee pain and work a tad in the yard. Raked up some leaves and crap and began the tedious jobs of gettin the beds ready. After about a half hour the knee hurt too bad so I am taking a break. Dam old age. The Hollyhocks are also now showing thru the ground as are some of the other seed plants from last year . Spring is coming early at the stead. Kind of scary thinkin its not even the end of March yet.
I will have to take some pics later today or tomorrow as a starting point so y'all can see the progress.
I need to begin the process of nutrifying the soil with some organic manure and compost to prepp the beds and get some organic potting soils for the pots. Maybe a bag or tow this weekend and then more each weekend from now on. The only way to grow prosperous its to fill the beds with nourishment. Soil is your friend.
Happy Saturday.
BTW here is the progress on the green onion experiment.. Guess it works

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Big Brother is watching

It came to my attention the other day when it was publicly announced that the DHS and Big Brother was trolling and keeping an eye on prepper blogs. I have known this tidbit for years. BUt alas. Anytime you put anything on the www the chances of some guvt entity gettin his rocks off reading about DD or prepping is superflous. If they get a stiffie reading about my onions so be it. Welcome Big Brother. from Little Brother

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday in the garden




Cleaned up some of the beds and turned some soil yesterday. Planted a cuppla pots of snap peas and lettuce. Picked up some radish seed and spinach and some beet seeds for planting later this week. This time of year is a risk. Being that it is March ans we could have more snow and cold weather. But the upside is if we dont than i get an early start on fresh garden eats to which i love.
BTW the above was made with green onion and mustard green picked fresh this morning. On wheat bread with a store bought roma mater.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St PAddys day

smoking a celtic blend in my pipe in honour of the occasion.
I spent the morning doing some cleaning out in the beds and in the pots seeing more and more of whats coming back.
The green onion experiment i started a cuppla weeks ago are following the video as new shoots are popping out on several of the bulbs we stuck in the dirt. The mustard greens, planted last year is reestablishing itself and growing. The chives have lived thru another winter and are shooting up. The cuppla onions we use for tuna greens are doing real well already. The bulbs are showing signs of growth as is the blue phlox experiment from several years ago.
I am even seeing the lilac buds starting to show some green.. Lets hope we dont get a disaster snow in early spring .
Trash always loves this time of year when the hibernating plants come out to play.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

tiny homes simple shelter


I finally got the ad book for Lloyd Kahn's new book today in the mail. Great stuff. Thanx Lew.
I suggest that anyone interested in small houses and sustainable living should visit the shelter publications site where you can learn more and buy some wonderful books for your book shelves. Lloyd has been an inspiration to me since the 70s when I first discovered his book "shelter". Last year Lloyd and Lew sent me an autographed copy of the reprint for OUR library.

Mrs T called me and asked about the my in library.. GUess its OURS.. Love ya Mrs T

Sunday, March 4, 2012

times gettin close



this old aloe i got last year for a buck at the wallie world. It was real small and sickly. re-potted it and left it outside all summer. Brogught it in the house for the winter and plopped it near that window and I just water it and give it some leftover coffee now and then. It appears to like it.
the green onions i planted this morning are from some old organic green onions that were gonna get tossed in the compost bin. This is an experiment from something I saw in a you tube video. waist not want not. If I can supplement by recycling/ replanting i will. we shall see.

Monday, February 20, 2012

cheap transportation


As most who have been following my blog for a while know ol Trash doesnt use a car. Whenever I need to get anywhere its either by hoof, bike or public transportation. I do have a large converted trailer for the bike for heavier loads but this rig works well for a jaunt to the hardware of grocery store.
Cheap on leg power and oh so good for the health.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sunday morning educational

Apparently the National Geographic channel is getting in on the action now. There's a new show out there called Doomsday Preppers. Quite informative and in some cases humorous. ONe of the episodes included the dreaded Dervaes family.. Quite interesting. You ought to catch it if you can or download it and watch the episodes. Alot of good information and also alot of mistakes to avoid. Definitely worthwhile.

On the home front we are still looking at about 10-12 inches of snow on the ground and we are working on the design of the blog and its additional features in the background. I am also working on the gathering of seeds and additional replacement supplies for spring..
Happy Sunday

Saturday, February 18, 2012

saturday motivational



While I was wandering around on FB this morning I began chatting with FB friend who is Lloyds assistant . Very inspiring to step back once in a while. SO I thought I would share this recent video.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

ooops

I just noticed that I had not updated my blog in almost a month. I have been very busy in the lab and working on other projects which I will tell y'all about shortly and as they progress. DOnt give up on ol' Trash. The guys in the black cars ahave not taken me off to KS yet.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

its almost time



Since the kids gave me seeds for the birthday and yesterday was almost 60 degrees outside I began to add some fresh compost to the beds. I also added some fresh brown matter (dead leaves} that have been decomposing in the yard. I also grabbed the starter cell trays out from under the porch and am beginning to dream.. yumyum fresh produce..

Time to start planning for planting...

Thursday, January 19, 2012

happy b day to me




Turned 52 the other day.. 3 years til able to retire hahahahaha. ROFL. WIll never be able to retire.
The wife and kids made a terrific dinner of pasta and meat sauce, green beans and ranch dressin and 2 homemade cakes. Wonderful.
Got 2 new hats, seeds for the garden (cukes,zuchs, onions and sunflowers) and a pair of beavis and butthead boxers.. my oh my..
All in all a wonderful way to start a new year.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

mid-week blahs and ahs

First full week back in Babylon. Hectic.
Garden stuff starting to make its way to the shelves in the Wallie and the Lowies.. Catalog drooling is becoming a habit.. HAve been catching up on watching the new shows I found over the recess. Portlandia and Big Bang Theory.. good stuff.
Along with CES in Vegas we also have the Detroit auto show and its propensity to show "green cars".. What a f'n oxymoron.. Cars are NOT GREEN.
Bicycles and walking are the mode of transport for the REAL GREENs.
Not a 40k green car that will become useless for most when the grid goes down.. Now cars and trucks may be a necessity for most but alternatives can be found. Beater cars are fairly inexpensive to buy and are also a good training ground for the driveway mechanic. Cars with a carburetor are even easier to maintain. The less technology in the vehicle the easier it is to work on.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

dumpster diving for food-- do your guests need to know

The Perennial Plate Episode 84: Dumpster Diver from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.



I dont think they do.. Living off the excesses of others.
Took a walk over to Walmart this morning for bread and notices that the starter pots and garden seeds are beginning to make their way to the shelves. I al recd the 1st catalog of the season yesterday and its wonderful reading.. Its almost time to start again. I have been woring on getting the compost out to the plots so it can start doing its thing. Sometimes ya forget its January

Sunday, January 1, 2012

happy new year

With prepping for xmas and new years there wasn't alot of time for me to do anything but relax these last few days. Xmas was a success and we have been busy doing nuthin the last cuppla days.
Yesterday afternoon I hitched the old trailer to the bicycle and headed off to do some grocery shopping. Picked up a lot of staples that we were running low on. Rice, taters, oatmeal, pasta etc. It never astonishes me as to how much I can put into the bike trailer and ride home with.. I always get alot of looks but WTFCares. Its green living at its best.
This morning I put our king size blanket out on the line to sun dry as it has been warm outside for the last few days and a sun dried blanket smells so good..
WHile on the way back I was thinkin again that in just about a month we will be starting to get the cool weather veggies going for the garden. I can almost taste the french breakfast radishes and lettuces etc now. This store bought stuff just does not taste the same as homegrown. Def time to start gatherin the compost material and begin grabbin bags of manure and compost from the nursery as supplementals.
While searchin the library for readin material I cam across an underground book on homemade moonshine that I may have to meander thru and see if we can truly set up a small in kitchen still for home use. yum yum. Homemade hooch.
Anyhow hopefully 2012 wil be a better year at the Trash stead.. One can only ponder the possibilities....