Lost from the cradle of connection: the high price of driving

...mera, February 2015 (National Park Service) On August 10 of this year, sometime in the early morning, a young mountain lion known to us as P32 was killed on the Interstate 5 near Castaic. He had been tracked by researchers for two years–and appeared on the local news now and then– as he traversed the borderlands of our civilization, crossing our roads and slinking through our backyards as he made his way from wild space to wild space, traveling al...

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How to Build Walls with Pallets

...and jetsam. Mattresses, rotting couches and headboards accumulate, forming urban coral reefs under the blistering sun. It’s difficult to figure out a use for these objects other than as art. For utilitarian needs, such as building walls, we must turn to the many pallets that also litter our streets. Sketchup model by Ron S. But pallets can be tough to work with. The wood splinters easily making disassembly a tricky proposition (watch the Garden Fo...

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Saturday Tweets: Eating Ants, Bikes and LA as Heat Island

...oot Simple (@rootsimple) September 23, 2015 LA Gets More Added Warmth from Urban Heat Islands Than Anywhere in the State http://t.co/PU9msfbCRb via @CurbedLA — Root Simple (@rootsimple) September 23, 2015 Dan Price’s underground home, art & philosophy on $5,000year – videos – *faircompanies http://t.co/B9DJHXQj7e via @faircompanies — Root Simple (@rootsimple) September 23, 2015 The Vegetable Detective, Take Two http://t.co/TIStMrDQml — Root Simple...

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

...Ancient Greek ἱμάτιον) could also double as a blanket or bedding. Isn’t it time to revive this idea? Our neighborhood is fashion forward enough to allow folks to strut around in a pallium without much 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 pointe...

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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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