How to Keep Skunks Out of the Yard

...Skunk Habitat In the wild skunks dig dens or live in hollowed out logs. In urban areas they like to take up residence in crawl spaces and under decks. (Design tip: avoid creating skunk habitat in the first place by making sure these types of spaces are not accessible.) I suspect that there may be a skunk or two living under our back shed. This shed is as old as the house (almost 100 years) and can’t be skunk proofed on all sides due to its setting...

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Ridin’ On

...to force our cities and police departments to make cycling safer. It’s an urban homesteader’s duty to be involved with our communities and a big part of that duty is making our cities more bikable. What a tragedy it is to see people who drive to a gym so that they can ride a stationary bicycle! Unfortunately, the City of Los Angeles does not take cycling seriously. Senator Barbara Boxer speaking at the Mobility 21 summit in Los Angeles last month...

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Nance Klemn is in Los Angeles and She’s Teaching Classes!

...in the park below to make tinctures using vinegar, alcohol, and glycerin. Making tinctures is easy and preserves the essences of the plants for use as food and medicine. Plants have much to give us and so does Nance — you will go home with vinegar mother to make your own vinegars, and several tinctures. Cost is $45 and space is limited to 15 participants, so put it on your calendar and RSVP now! I will send out directions and address for mailing...

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Will We Keep Keeping Chickens?

...ot of negatives for keeping chickens in our small, urban backyard. We have lead and zinc in the soil, so many predators that the hens have to live in what I call “chicken Guantanamo,” and a small irregular piece of property that makes using a chicken tractor impossible. While I built a generous run for our four hens, I really wish that they could wander more freely, but that’s just not possible where we live. Another big change that’s happened sin...

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Saturday Tweets: Mobile Markets, Big Oil and Public Transit Seat Covers

...ps://t.co/sLRc08vnOk — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 23, 2019 Seeing the Urban Forest for the Trees – Blogs | Planetizen https://t.co/f2FZWJv7BO — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 23, 2019 Thread. https://t.co/lv4UhsW3tJ — The War on Cars (@TheWarOnCars) March 22, 2019 Virginia transit officials tried out Elon Musk’s tunnel in Los Angeles County, and here’s what they took away from it: “It’s a car in a very small tunnel.”https://t.co/mVhMKzMYJ5 —...

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