A Last Minute Gift Suggestion . . .

...hat Amazon is suggesting that I buy our own books, The Urban Homestead and Making It, as Christmas gifts. It also recommended Rachel Kaplan and K. Ruby Blume’s excellent book Urban Homesteading. It’s a reminder that this blog is partially supported by your book purchases at both independent booksellers and through the Amazon links on our Publications page. Many thanks to all of you who have bought our books in the past and continued to support us....

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028 Radical Homemaker Shannon Hayes

...l Homemakers Gender roles Her new book Homespun Mom Comes Unraveled Messes Making relationships work Perfectionism Home schooling Higher education Student debt Occupy Wall Street Reclaiming the holiday season Shannon’s sock knitting machine If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gmail.com. You can subscribe to our podcast in the iTunes store and on Stitcher. The theme m...

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An Early Resolution

...all back at my feet–how high would the pile be? As big as my house? So I’m making a resolution. Instead of berating others, I’m declaring a personal moratorium on to-go cups–all disposable cups for both hot and cold drinks, actually, because why not? I banned plastic water bottles from my life long ago. Why it took so long for me to eschew the cups, I don’t know. I guess I was always able to mutter, “Well, at least they’re paper.” Denial is a beau...

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Compostable Holiday Decor

...took about a half hour to make, and I made it more for the pleasure of the making than anything else. It is worth remembering that you can throw together a wreath or swag or centerpiece out of whatever fresh plant matter you can find, and it will look fresh for the rest of the day. It’s really nice to have fresh, fragrant greenery on the walls and tables for parties. Here’s a thoughtstyling for you: maybe holiday decor should be as compost-able as...

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026 Riding a Bike in Los Angeles with Colin Bogart

...bout how to ride a bike in the city, commuting by bike and the politics of making our communities more bike friendly. Colin shares his experience of growing up in the suburbs and how he got back into riding a bike. During the discussion (fueled by a bottle of wine, I’ll note) we discuss: Aids Lifecycle Bike Summer Riding to work Is riding a bike in the city safe? Riding slow Keeping cool when you’re being honked at Lane positioning Avoiding the do...

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