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Sprouts
Each day I’ve been checking tiny little spouts, spritzing them with water and waiting for the last empty soil pods to show signs of life. Winter returned to Raleigh, North Carolina this week, thanks to Sir Walter Wally the Groundhog, so I’ve not been able to bask in the sun on the small brick patio in the garden. I’m hoping that winter remains kind to the small lettuce seedlings that are sprouting outside. I’ve planted quite a variety already: English…
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Garden Paths and an Evolution of Space
I’m in the middle of prepping a distance course titled “Water and Nutrient Management for Sustainable Home-Scale Agriculture.” As I’ve been researching material for the course, I started reading Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway. He shows how using keyhole paths and interplanting in the garden rather than rows and paths can increase the amount of area for planting while reducing areas reserved for foot traffic. Last year my family carved out an entirely new garden space. Opting not to build…
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DIY Plant Stand with Grow Light
Being a frugal gardener, I don’t have the money to shell out on upwards of $200 plant stands with grow lights. I have a window with a decent amount of afternoon light, but the seedlings do tend to get leggy as they strain for the sun. Today, I put together a system using a shelf I already had and a light that cost me only $17. The shelf was from Target, and originally cost me another $17. So the total…
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Photographing Backyard Birds with a Point and Shoot, Behind a Window
I am not a photographer. I have no miracle tips for you. Disclaimers aside, last winter I developed an obsession with taking pictures of the birds on our feeders. It became my urban semi-artistic redneck version of hunting. I didn’t want to kill anything, I just wanted to capture their little, beaky souls. My Nikon P90 has a 24x optical zoom, so I could get a decent shot of the woodpeckers up on the trees about 30 ft from our…
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Attainable Goals for 2012
For 2012, I’m avoiding mapping out identity shaping goals, goals that I have no way of measuring, and goals that imply my previous person has been inadequate. I just wanted a short list of things I’d like to get done. If I added something like “be more intentional with the boys,” that would just put me on a path of endless self-critique and comparisons to other moms and ultimately feelings of inadequacy. So I’m keeping it sweet and simple. The…
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Bird Shooting Season is Open!
I’m shooting with a camera – of course! Last week the feeders were filled to the brim and it only took about a day and a half for the birds to find us again. The brave little Chickadees were the first to appear and as always will fly up to the feeder even if we are standing within a few feet of it. Because they don’t seem to be as aggressive as the others, they have to be willing to…
