094 The American Woman’s Home

On the podcast this week Kelly and I discuss a 19th century urban homesteading book written by Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, The American Woman’s Home. The book was written mostly by Catherine, with some contributions from Harriet (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). It’s likely that Catherine realized that attaching her famous sister’s name would sell more copies. Published in 1869, The American Woman’s Home covers a great deal of terri...

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What is a Swarm of Bees and What Should I Do About It?

...y’ll take any dark enclosure with a small, easily defensible, entrance. In urban areas, in addition to tree cavities, they might choose the walls of buildings, utility boxes, compost bins and even the inner workings of hot tubs. But before a swarm can find permanent digs, they need a place for the swarm to hang out while the swarm’s scouts go off in search of the perfect home. Where a swarm lands When shopping for permanent real estate most swarms...

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Julian the Apostate’s Sleeping Advice: Sleep on the Ground and Your Mattress is Freeeeeeeeeee

...h blowback particularly if you’re a young hipster. I predict that soon after I spot the first pallium wearer at our local Trader Joes, REI will come out with “tech” palliums suitable for hiking, urban philosophizing and sleeping. Addendum: Kelly pointed out to me that fantasy literature is full of examples of cloaks doubling as bedding. Save Save Save Save...

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The Root Simple 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

...thought I’d offer some suggested gifts, mostly obtainable online, for the urban homesteady types in your life. Most of the links are to Amazon, and we get a small cut of the proceeds, which helps keep our webmaster in kibble. But First . . . Charity Of course, rather than buying unneeded crap that will only clutter our already messy houses, we could agree to give to a charity instead. This season, due to our national “orange swan” event, Kelly is...

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Saturday Tweets: Waffles, Shipwrecks and Soil Erosion

...t Simple (@rootsimple) January 16, 2017 From India: Bengaluru's oldest urban farmer leads the way in sustainable living https://t.co/Omj9eVCAJK — Green Guerillas (@greenguerillas) January 15, 2017 The False Prophet [BnF, Latin 8878, 11th c.] pic.twitter.com/fR8D0OOVJG — Damien Kempf (@DamienKempf) January 15, 2017 Looking for a way to be on time to work? How about being more energized in the morning? #Biking to work can help! https://t.co/Wu3g...

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