Help! I’ve got Paper Wasps

Around this time of year we field a lot of questions about paper wasps, likely because the nests get larger in the summer. The most popular nesting site for paper wasps around here is in the eaves of a house. When the nest is by a door people tend to get uneasy. Take a chill pill Don’t panic! Paper wasps are extremely docile and rarely sting. Most importantly, paper wasps are a beneficial insect. They eat beetle larvae, caterpillars, flies and ne...

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Restoring the Original Black Box: Our Western Electric 534A Subset

...out record despite being the most highly paid player in the country at the time. When we bought our house in 1998 it contained one genuine Thomasson in a dark corner of the hallway: a phone ringer box. Somehow, over the years, the previous residents never bothered to remove the box but did feel the need to touch up the metal with a not so good black paint job. The box in question is a Western Electric 534A ringer box. Candlestick phones in the 192...

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Saturday Tweets: It’s 2017!

...itter.com/KE9NWqLqWN — Thomas Rainer (@ThomasRainerDC) January 5, 2017 Tea making tips movie from (1941) https://t.co/MqZaPLK9Lv — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 5, 2017 What's your hoarding/clutter level? https://t.co/VhNWzNQBLa — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 4, 2017 A Month Without Sugar, via @nytimes https://t.co/fmtuObKbyu — Michael Pollan (@michaelpollan) January 2, 2017 Someone changed famed Hollywood Sign to read 'Hollyweed&...

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086 The Connection Between Cats and Grain

...tory, famous cats and take a detour into the world of distillery cats and ship’s cats. Special thanks to Paul Koudounaris, whose lecture inspired this podcast, and the website Purr-n-Fur for information on ship’s and distillery cats. Many thanks to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast and blog possible. If you’d like to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gmail.com. You...

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085 Rishi Kumar: Abundance in Suburbia

...mini) Sheet mulching Growing fruit trees close togther Raccoons! Quail and chickens Water harvesting vs. rain barrels How the Growing Home became the Growing Club, Sarvodaya Farms and the Growing Commons. May 28th greywater workshop. Many thanks to our Patreon subscribers for making this podcast and blog possible. If you’d like to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gmail.com. You...

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