I’m here for an oil and air filter change, and could you check to see why the car’s overheating so fast? 24 hours later, we’re $1,031.30 poorer with a new water pump and timing belt. Maybe I’ll revisit those sinking funds to adjust what we’re putting into our Maintenance and Repairs budget. Ugh. It was only May 2!! Did we not just buy brand new tires two weeks ago?! No, Daddy, put the blue water back in it. ~ Augustus The pool has taken on an extra-bright green lagoon…
Category: Homestead
Net Worth & Debt Update: March 31, 2018 – Wait, What?
Hoowee, boy! Where have we been? I’ve had a lot of guilt over not writing for nearly four months, so here are my excuses: Our oldest started Pre-K, so now the boys go to two different schools, which has required a little extra coordination. Also, it costs just as much with tuition, after school care, and all that fundraising to have him in pre-K as it did in daycare–no cost savings this year. Then I had emergency surgery in September to yank out my gall bladder, appendix, and an ovary with…
10 Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Gardeners
Who else is watching children dream about Christmas morning, circling their gift wishes in the big catalogs of toys? I get that same feeling every year when Baker Creek sends me my very own copy of their massive seed catalog. I’m wishing and dreaming, circling, and starring every beautiful, colorful, tasty possibility that catches my eye. Do you need some help coming up with useful gift ideas for friends and family who garden? I’ve got you covered. Call it being lazy or being efficient, but I like to make things…
How to Manage the Overwhelm of the Glut: Tomatoes
How are your tomatoes growing? Are you just getting in the swing of the season? Catching your second wind? Winding down to the end? When I left for vacation a couple of weeks ago, all my tomatoes were still green. Even though we live in 7a, my plants didn’t get in the ground until after the first of June, so we’re just now coming into my tomato harvest. Clint’s garden has been bringing in some volunteer Roma tomatoes on the regular for the past month or so, but he still…
How to Manage the Overwhelm of the Glut: Zucchini
HOLY COW! Who planted all these zucchini plants? Why on EARTH would anyone put more than five seeds in a seed packet to sell you? Nobody needs this many zucchini!!! What am I supposed to do with all this? Lemme tell you what you’re going to do with all that zucchini: You’re going to EAT IT and you’re going to LOVE IT! Now, I know our tendency is to simply chop them up and saute ’em in a little olive oil, but here are some fantastically delicious ways to put…
2017 Super Ambitious Goals and Net Worth Update
So, we’re just past the middle of 2017 and it’s time to report on our progress. In keeping with our Super-Ambitious 2017 Goals Post, which was a few months late, this mid-year check-in isn’t perfectly on time either. However, it has given us a few extra weeks to settle into our summer garden, as you saw last month. 2017 Super-Ambitious Goals Update: Earlier this year, I showed you my goals for achieving a “Level 10” year on Burton Farm. In each of ten areas in the bullet journal I keep,…
How to Manage the Overwhelm of the Glut: Cucumbers
Oh, man. I love me some cucumbers. They’re prolific, refreshing, and versatile. I can eat one like an apple. What I look forward to most in the summer is a plain cucumber and tomato salad. Seriously–chopped cukes and tomatoes, salt and pepper, and swirl the juices in a bowl with a little ranch. I could eat this every day! You could also forego the ranch and just add a little lemon juice. SUMMER IN A BOWL. What else can you do with your cucumbers? Update Your Classic Caprese Salad 1-2…
2017 Mid-Year Check-In: Garden Progress
2017 Garden Updates: Getting Cranked Up! Ohhh boy! The volunteer plants are showing out in 2017! Clint’s volunteer Roma tomatoes and butternut squashes have graced a dinner or two. Did you see those brilliant blackberries ripening at the pond? My volunteer pumpkins have already turned that vibrant Halloween orange. Last year’s Moon ‘n’ Stars Watermelons will be ripe soon. I love how the melons and the leaves are dotted! We’ve already pulled off a couple of delicious cantaloupes that sprouted from the remains of some compost! You saw the cantaloupe plant earlier this…
How to Re-Purpose Your Junk into a Custom Trellis
ERMAGERD! These vines are out of control! Don’t worry! I am ready to hook you up with some spectacular ideas on getting those vines up off the ground. Now, of course, you can always go out and buy traditional tomato cages for a modest charge, or you can pay premium prices for the trellis hand-forged in steel by some blacksmith in a remote country. Or, maybe we could get creative and make our own from stuff we already own (or can pick from someone’s trash on the curb). If you’re…
How to Make Plant Labels for FREE (or Really Cheap)!
How to Label the Seeds You Plant for FREE (or Really Cheap)!! Have you ever looked around and couldn’t remember what you planted where? I have. Have you ever had to wait weeks to determine if those were pepper or tomato seedlings in that flat? Yeah, I’ve done that, too. I’ve also been standing in my garden, looking at a tiny plant, and wondering if it was something I planted or if it was just a weed. If I’d had all the plants labeled with any consistency, I’d have known…