dogmom4

Hey everyone. I feel like I’ve been doing some form of “urban homesteading” since I was in my 20’s. I’m fortunate to live in an area where we can grow year round...so there’s always opportunities to try something. Anywhere I’ve lived I always had a small garden..even when I lived in an apartment I had small containers that had herbs or patio tomatoes. Eventually we moved into a house with a small backyard and I was able to expand my garden experiences...I still put myself on a list for a community garden plot and was able to maintain one for several years.
 

Another move and we had a house with an oversized lot...that was fun...because not only could I garden I could have chickens. We can have up to a half dozen hens in my area...I could hear that quite a few of the neighbors had them. You could hear them bright and early every morning. I loved having my girls...they were a great learning experience. I am a teacher so I got an incubator for my classroom...my students and their families got to learn about the process and I got new babies for my home.

I also learned that just because you live in a small city that predators are still there...we have hawks who saw my girls as a favorite meal...visualize me running out the back door yelling and waving my arms to scare off a Swensons hawk that had swooped down and was trying to fly off with a hen almost as big as him. My hen survived but I almost had a heart attack. Raccoons also live here in abundance..they actually live in the sewer system and come out at night. I had to learn how to fortify my hen house because regular chicken wire means nothing to those bad boys...I lost a couple of hens to them unfortunately. I also had to learn how to care for egg bound hens and a hen who was attacked by a raccoon...she eventually lost an eye but survived the attack. Google and YouTube are wonderful resources. 

Fast forward five years and we had to downsize to a smaller space because of some big health issues with dh and we are now in a duplex with a smallish backyard. I farmed the chickens out to friends and do mostly container gardening because this yard is hard clay...actually all the ground in my area is hard clay...raised beds are what most people do to combat that issue. I do wish for more gardening space...but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize this might be all I can handle. And you can grow a lot in a small space. I’ll try to post some pictures later.

Today we’re going to visit dmil. She lives about a 30 minute drive away...she’s going to be 90 next month so we’re trying to visit as often as we can while we can. I’m getting some laundry started before we go and getting the dishwasher ready to run.

Have a great day!

2 hours ago, Ambergris said:

Sitting here frustrated.  I used to be able to buy cans of apples, onions and so on by the case from the LDS central supply, which was open to the public.  But now, I can't put anything in the cart without being prompted to input my Church Account User Name and Password, which I don't have.  Do they no longer sell to people without church accounts?
 

I think so. I bought from them years ago but just tried last week and ended up making an account because Honeyville is out of stock on every single thing. 

StillNana is there a particular brand of oils you purchase from Amazon?

Happy first day of Spring! Right now it’s 48 degrees in California but supposed to be 72 later this afternoon. Sunday is my morning to go in to my local animal shelter and walk dogs. I used to walk all sizes of dogs but as my back has gotten older I mostly work with the little dogs. Volunteers walk and do other forms of enrichment with them. A lot of times with the littles I spend time with them wrapped in a blanket and we sit in a quiet spot to help them calm down. We also help  evaluate them and take photos/videos to help get them adopted out. This is one of my favorite things to do...

I also plan to get out in my garden to get some weeding done and maybe some seeds started. Depends on my energy level when I get home.

I happen to live by an agricultural university that has a large arboretum with a ton of plants and trees growing...and all labeled for teaching purposes. It’s a fantastic resource. It might be something to check for in your area.

Great tip! I rarely use the drying cycle. I crack the door after the cycle is done and let the hot air to warm the kitchen add moisture to the air.

Good morning! It’s the first day of spring break for me so I’m feeling pretty good.   we’ve had 70 and 80° weather for the past two weeks and I woke up to rain this morning… But that’s OK because we are already back to drought conditions and rain is good. I’m getting ready to go take the dog for a nice walk while it’s cool and when I get back dear hubby has agreed to help me pull everything out of the pantry so we can check for anything that’s close to being expired and then try and re-organize it in a better fashion… I think that might take up the rest of the day.

Six years later.......

My number one concern was water back then and it still is because where I live we often don’t see a drop of rain from May until September. Every year we have water restrictions. I have lived here since 1978 and we’ve never had issues with the water being shut off… But that doesn’t mean it will never happen. So… I have a variety of water back ups… Some of the blue 20 gallon storage containers which live underneath beds and get changed out every six months… Lots of gallon water container that you buy from the grocery store… Water purification system for the kitchen sink… A Berkey...And individual water purification filters for bug out bags.
In my garden I go heavy on the mulch both for anything in the ground or in containers. Containers also have something underneath to keep water from draining away.

What are you doing for water storage in your area?

On 3/17/2022 at 2:29 PM, Rundgrenfan said:

I know this topic has lain dormant a while, but it’s so interesting to me. A few years ago I started picking flowers and seed heads wherever I found them nearby, and planting them or saving the seeds for my yard. I have loved using this to ID things:

https://www.wildflowersearch.org

Some favorite freebies are asiatic day lily, chicory(both edible!) and yellow tick seed (just plain pretty)! I also enjoy the “salad weeds” (lambs quarter, plantain, etc). 
 

Nice resource Rundgrenfan! California poppy, milk thistle, miner’s lettuce and mallow grow like weeds in my area. We also have lots of fruit trees that the city planted...fig, citrus and mulberry. 

Have a blessed weekend!

Hugs to you martianchick. My mom stayed in a facility near my home for the past six years until she passed away last October. She got wonderful care of her but I still was the one who was taking her to appointments or visiting daily as Her dementia progressed. It does take so much out of you physically and mentally. We also had my husband’s father stay with us for four months until he passed away. One thing I do know is that staying out in my garden was some thing that helped keep me mentally balanced…

We had something similar that happened two years ago in California. Some type of illness killed all the finch type birds in my county and people were asked not to feed them so they wouldn’t congregate together. We had none at all last year and my backyard is usually loaded with them. This month I’m starting to see handfuls of them come back but I don’t think we still have restrictions.

Glad to see you back Ambergris.

Welcome back Eliana! I’m also urban so I do a lot of container gardening...be sure to check out the urban homesteading forum.

1 hour ago, still Nana said:

I've learned a lot in almost 16 years... I almost exclusively use herbs and essential oils now. Supplements can also be your best friends. Very few adults in this country  have sufficient vitamin D levels, and vitamin D is crucial to your immune system. Vitamin E for a lot of other things, vitamin C and green tea for the antioxidants. It's a good start.

 

Love,

still Nana

 

In a world where you can be anything you like, please, be kind.

I would love to hear your thoughts on using herbs and essential oils...especially sourcing essential oils.

This is one of my favorite threads on cooking with little money. Bumping it up!

Hey still Nana! So glad you’re back!

Safe travels Ann.

Welcome back AmyLin!

Hi Wiccadstargazer! I remember you! Welcome back!

Welcome back edensong and Keikocat!

Welcome back Rundgrenfan! I understand how you feel... I’ve gotten a lot of pushback whenever I’ve tried to talk about preparedness over the years. So I really appreciate Mrs. Survival.

Hi RHJill!