Now on that hoeing. I’d thought I had no more to learn.
Now just how did ‘ol Da’ father-in-law, and previous Grandma’ ever keep up doing 3x to 4x the area we have evoked down to now?
I and the wife were always commuting away to earn the CeasarTaxes moneys and never saw how they did this. Early evening getting home it was always done and then evening sitting back, watering time.
Grandma’ aged out and moved on to final rest decades ago. Mother-in-law’s advancing Alzheimer’s made her weed/good plants dangerous to let out in the gardens after ~1995. Pa’ died suddenly in 2005 and I was too solo busy firewood making for two houses; 60 acres of perimeter fences mending; and fields weeds mowing to have asked.
Since then wife and I have evolved pretty good at getting a usable harvest out of a garden with too many got-ahead-of-us weeds.
Fully retired now on SocialSecurty retirement income, and pretty much done with my traveling out&about woodgasing I no longer have an excuses anymore except sheer laziness.
Took a serious look this year at Pa’s set aside favorite tools.
His made up Dutch pattern shuffle hoe. Works Great! Net versions that I was able to find:
Ames 66136 7inch wide Scuffle Hoe $25.94 fro Sears online. Mine (his) is 12 inches wide making it fast, fast.
Better:
DeWitt Tierra-Derco 31-10 Dutch Diamond Push-Pull hoe $146.- $56. USD from different Net offer’ers.
These are all center post rod supported designs. Lets you get plants up-close, and in-around fencing and support cages. The outer two edges supported stirrup and bow hoes I tried were slower; pushed up rocks into the plant stems and dirt rows off of the edges. And then required more go-back by hand fine detail weeding.
The GardenWeasel patent wizz-bang rotary tine weeder/cultivator did not like our 20% soil pea-marble rocks. Would jam up. Have to stop and clear. Forced to work the die-cast outer arms then broke off.
For a no-stoop hand cultivator he again used something that he farm-shop had made up.
I could find NO net pictures of anything the same.
Look at a high wheel push cultivator. One with the five-six curved spring arm flatted spear/palm tine tips.
I think he took one of these cultivator head assemblies and heat forged/flattened, then roll socketed the mounting shaft to accept a long hoe handle.
His (mine now) looking down the handle shaft the tip ends are actually behind/above that line of handle force. Carrying it around wants to weight rotate head assembly down with the tips up. Feels heavy, and clumsy.
But handle held two handed near vertical with these flattened cutting in tips down it weight/mass sweeping motion digs and stirs sideways deep and easy. Able to cover a lot of ground with the least expended effort.
Long step walking forward it easy tills and cultivates arms shoulders easy up and down the rows.
A standard round rod four and five rod tine long handled cultivate is easy to carry around. But low mass works you hard swings down and in for much less stirring up. And I am forever stopping to clear un-sharpened-edge cut weeds, and between the tines stuck rocks.
A standard garden how works alright. But slow, slow for the ground area covered and effort expend to weeds chop and cultivate/stir.
My new dirt-moving Italian Grape hoe will now do the hilling-up’s and side dressings as needed.
I apologize. I no longer support picturing using now using this public computer.
Yeah, I plowed the front yard a few years ago for gardens instead of mowing. But then there are the years when we mow between the plants…what’s that all about. As to making things from leaves, we teach a class called “Leaf for Life”. It’s a small non-profit run by David Kennedy in FL (formerly KY) that teaches using green leaves and home made extracts to fight micro nutrient deficiencies in the developing world…So you may not be far off.
Yeah, they know how to work-------but we play a lot too…Actually I’m not sure where they are at the moment. I got home from another all-night rescue/recovery mission just a while ago. 23 year old woman and 6 year old girl drowned last night. Couldn’t swim, in the lake, no life vests…again…
Wife is gone to an estate sale. Jesse is out in the shop. Not sure where the rest are…
We installed 22 solar lights using large wine bottles from our recycling station. Some of our neighbors drop off their metal and glass and plastic bottles for us to use for research and building projects.
The children and I built a barn Friday morning…
…then we all went to town…
…Outing got cut short by Rescue Squad call out…
…wear your life jackets!!! And if you can’t swim, stay out of the water!!
Amen to that. I grew up in Florida without air conditioning. I thought anyone could live that way…Then I went to visit my would-be wife in Houston, Texas and realized there are places that need it. But I agree, roll down the window, turn the radio up, let the wind blow through your hair…Hey, Sounds like a country song.
Hello BillyAlabama,
Great backbone of America community services, thank you for caring and your leadership. I love the gallon jug sky lights. I’ll find a spot here somewhere to try it, maybe even in a wall.
Pepe
Walls work, we did some years ago in a cement /cord wood wall and also in a straw bale house wall. Had some problems refilling them with the antifreeze solution if they are horizontal and fixed, but it can be done. Sometimes you might want to empty and clean the jars or refill any evaporated liquid space. Also they tend to leak more if horizontal. Use plenty of chlorine to avoid algae growth. Ended up making a big funnel that would seal to the outside of the jar pretty well that was tall enough to get the liquid level above the top of the jar. Then had to put a “straw” (hose) in the jug and suck out the air so the liquid would seek it’s own level, then cap it under the surface of the liquid, then waste some liquid or catch it when removing funnel. A little cumbersome, but it worked out…made a mess as I recall. Thanks for the encouragement. Not sure what you mean about leadership. I hope I’m not in charge of anything…With authority comes responsibility…lol. I guess I’ll take what the Lord sends me…For now He has given me this family to train----so we plod along…
as for the lights…we put bubble wrap on the sides last night after we came home from the lake—had some brethren over for breakfast and fellowship this morning and had a small chance of rain----figured the bubble wrap would shed water enough to keep things dry. No rain today, but as a result we did notice the lights are working very well.
Here’s a couple of pics.
The light on the “ceiling joists” is coming through the absent ridge cap. But notice the light on the right side of the trusses. I figure if these are not enough, we can put some kind of reflective material on the “wall” side of the truss to disperse the light more. I have a big stack of trapezoidal mirrors from those old big screen tv’s. I stop and strip them out every time I pass one in a ditch or a trash pile. Some of the screens are Fresnel lenses and can make good solar heaters/cookers. Even melt thin steel. But in the back they have a few mirrors. I might use them if we need to. I don’t think we will. Or maybe add another row of bottles up higher. The lights will get brighter with the liquid solution. The water in the solution will serve as a prism to “break” the light. Sometimes they even make little rainbows.
Great contribution ALL.
That is the spirit of it.
Many little things; here and there and everywhere in your lives outweighs one big mondo-bla-bla project.
Ha! Ha! Hey fellows . . . how little water, and how few of razor expenses can you get it done annually??
Beard growing is cheating! Ditch the pressurized cans for a cake of shaving soap and a good beard brush. Self-indulgent, luxurious.
And my friend DutchJohn now straight razor shaving is beating me; with me still chickening out with a double edged use-for-life, safety razor.
On the vehicle’s AC energy usage . . . the new post 2000’s systems are much more energy use efficient.
But AC use still detaches you from the real daily cycles of the RealWorld.
And the even newer vehicle systems have fine particulate cabin air filters. Some available with activated charcoal.
There is no NO change that does not have unintended consequences. In use you’d best now $$'s change out these Tech-cabin-filters annually or they will grow molds and flow clog.
And bubble-boy, isolated living has been implicated to increases in those become allergies over-reactive disabled.
Wanna be the most durable, resistant person as possible?
DO. Out in the real world of dusts, dirt’s, pollen’s, heat/sweat and all. And then you will actually learn to dress, move, hydrate properly for real conditions too.
Ha! Ha! For me that is wools wearing and rubber boots wearing for 9 months of the year. Hubberds Boot Grease’d up leather (with morning dew wet feet) and cotton canvas wearing for 3 months.
Yes I can swim well. I still insist canoeing/boating using my Mustang brand chicken-vest. I’d tell my fishing buds that I AM the one who WILL make it back to my darling wife. Always having to protect my yellow vest “Jerk” handle from some of those fearless luck-depending jerks.
Speaking of sky lights…We built a “small project” shop a few months ago and made some homemade skylights with old sliding glass door panes. They cost a little bit to trim out, but they work great. They could be done cheaper if not for the aesthetics issues. We put them all the way up at the ridge so the ridge cap trim would actually lay directly on the glass. This keeps them from having the normal leakage problems for which skylights are notorious----at least so far we have had no problems at all. And they survived a pretty bad hail storm. The windows came out of a remodel dumpster. We bought the galvalume roofing new, but the body metal on this building was used. I brought it home from a job where we did a tear off. We milled the lumber too, so that saved a lot of money too. Having a sawmill around is a huge DMWL (“Do-More-With-Less”) item for us.
Wayne, are you letting the cows mow the grass or are you living in a big beautiful cow pasture? Wayne’s got a great place.
Steve, sorry, I quit shaving the day I came home from Ft Benning, GA. Haven’t shaved a single time since. I figure I shaved enough while I was in the Army to last two whole lifetimes. I had a first sgt that made me shave twice a day since I had to be up early and then worked night shift in the company CP.
But I hear you…Less is more…to a point. I still love my modern technology. I’ve lived in third world jungles and first world cities. We produced 97% of our own food one year and lived on less than $3,000 that year. My poor wife grew up in suburban Houston and followed me all the way to horse-n-buggy only, outhouses, James washer, oil lanterns and cold showers and back a few steps…
My conclusion = we could survive if the world collapses, but that’s all we’ll get done. Significantly complete “self sufficiency” is do-able, but at a great cost. It takes a lot of time to do things that way…most of us have appetites for doing more. I found out that I could do it myself, but then I didn’t have much time to help other people.
That said, for those stuck in a rat race lifestyle I say get out. Bill’s got a pretty good take on that these days…Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate this thread…Lot’s of people could live better if they would live simpler. I guess my real point is that lower-tech is not always simpler-tech. Sometimes the simple lifestyle is flipping the switch-----but then it sure is fun seeing if you can find a different way to do it. Lol.
Since you mention shaving costs, I’ve been using a safety razor for the last couple years. Found a couple at an estate sale, and discovered I can buy a pack of 100 double edge blades for $10 on flea bay. Seem like good blades too. Compare that to $20 for a 10 pack of plastic encrusted whoopty doo blades.
I still use the canned shaving gel since one can lasts me for at least a year, don’t seem worth the trouble to whip it from a cake.
Speeking of shaveing i use a pair of barbers sheers electric that cost about 10 bucks a year, cheeper than the 10 pack 99 cent strait razors that dont work in the first place.A pair of small sizors would be better than the.10 pack rought.
We have a saying here “if one knows how, he can shave with a shovel”.
And while on shaveing, those double edged razor leafs can be easyaly resharpened.
Take a glass with straight edges. You want it cilyndrical. Push in a razor blade, and with one finger holding it to the side ofvthe glas, rotate it over the glas wall. Turn around and you have a repolished razor blade
I never use canned foam gel. Just a bit of soap, and a hot water bath before and cold after.
Did shave with a knife for a few times thugh its a interasting feeling holding something so sharp a hair away from your neck artery…
Ha! Ha! I was only using the shaving as an example. Wifie would kill me if I went all-beard, expressionless hidden. And I’d hate the work sweaty overheating. I short head hair as it is to stay cool and keep my hats on.
I never started this topic to promote no-tech, low-tech living.
My WHOLE woodgasing work has been about keeping the home/farm electric lights lighting, electric refrigerators refrigerating, electric freezers freezing, home/farm electric water pumps pumping, etc.
The hardware for all of these does need a basic manufacturing society/culture.
But why remain Top-Down beholding for the minimal consumable energy to operate these things, eh?
We as a family grow our own trees for our north climate 9 months annual needed heating already. Why not use the same for domestic home/farm electricity too? (our solar sucks hind tit here - the confer trees here do still grow and conveniently solid form store this cloud solar and drizzle rains)
I actually do live by Maslov’s hierarchy of needs recognition and appreciation. And I do severely judge others by their connection and willingness to fill in at least some the lower base needs levels Before moving up to the fun express-yourself levels.
My wife and I grew up in rural living families at a time when all pretty much did produce and supply 85% of their foods. With surpluses in milk, cream and eggs to sell for the other 15%.
As a married coulple we have done as high as 50-60% of our own food needs. Social/Ceasar taxes such that no way to do higher than that without outside working incomes. Outside gone working, then time spins by.
We’ve joints aged now to where we probably only do at best 15% of our foods. Still better than the ZERO dome by the family youngers now.
Too easily seems cheaply distracted by the current Top-Down cultural supplied entertainments and directed new-better “needs”. Too much unable to find the “off” switch on all techs and trends. The use just what you do need, as you do need - then off/idle it. Set it aside and get out growing real. As Humans. Versus Consumer Units.
So in the meantime I collect old books, handheld gardening and light farming tools. Still waiting for the day when all of the hot-air/bubbles-foam goes out of the TopDown systems. The go-go faster and faster cultural party beer kegs run dry. And the family younger’s will then remember all of out wonderful full flavored gifted out free range chicken eggs from Uncle Steve and Aunt Melinda. Come asking for some seeds to grow.
I really see all of us here worldwide spread out as just D-I-Y capabilities heritage skill-set seed-banks awaiting opportunity’s.
My, “Are You One-In-A-Million?” topic here on the DOW was an expression of this.
Thanks for the razor blade honing tip K.L.
J-I-C Steve Unruh
This is an important distinction. Doing with less sometimes involves technology, even advanced tech. A good example is the internet… I’ve repaired old things, learned obscure skills, avoided mistakes etc. that I would otherwise (offline) have to devote my life to seeking out. Another example, paying down Caesar obligations by writing computer code for yuppies… but from your country farmstead, after the cow is milked and garden weeded. I can do MORE to oblige the taxman with LESS time and effort using a computer, than with a shovel. Technology can be made the servant, not the master.
“Do more with less” contradicts what I think of as the paycheck mentality. “So long as my bills are less than my paycheck, I’m doing fine! Sure, I have student loans, car payments, rent, cable, cell phone bills - but the payments add up to less than my paycheck. I’m OK!” Most of the folks I work with are just treading water, not drowning but not swimming either. And they all seem puzzled when I sit in the car eating a sandwich, while they eat at nice restaurants…
The saying “live on less (money) than you make” is the wrong approach to life. I can live on more than just money. Make a little money, a little garden, a little livestock, a little shelter, a little fuel. All balanced, enough for my family’s needs, but nothing to excess. It adds up to a rich life, and very little money is involved!
its a interasting feeling holding something so sharp a hair away from your neck artery…