Swedish Shack Attack

March 22, 2009

...ly Swedish shack we spotted in the arctic town of Kiruna. A family of five used to live in it in the early 20th century and it can’t be much more than a hundred square feet. No doubt, “shacking up” meant fewer trips to the woodpile during those cold winters (“winter” being nine months out of the year in this place). Its current location is in the parking lot of an old folks home. Looks like it’s now used for storage. A special thanks to the folks...

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The Return of Knickers?

Mr. Homegrown

April 26, 2016

Thoughtstylings

13 Comments

...worn by both men and women. Before my annoying plantar fasciitis injury, I used to don knickers twice a week to go fencing. They are comfortable, allowing for easy movement, and more dignified and modest than shorts. Modern fencing knickers are white. The Victorian, black version of the fencing uniform was more stylish: A tangent here: please, dear fencing officials, do not attempt to “modernize” the uniform: Remember, the classic uniform is still...

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Anne Hars’ Top Ramen Keyhole Vegetable Garden

Mr. Homegrown

February 15, 2013

Gardening, Permaculture, Vegetable Gardening

12 Comments

...I did when I was using wood,” says Hars referring to the straw wattle she used to edge the keyhole. Straw wattle is a (mostly) biodegradable material made out of rice straw and plastic netting. You can find it at irrigation supply stores and on order at Home Depot. It comes in 25 foot lengths. Soil for the bed came from the ground, from bagged soil that used to be in the wooden raised beds and from compost that Anne makes herself. “I’m going to p...

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Arduino Homesteading Projects

Mr. Homegrown

March 6, 2013

How-to

7 Comments

...ms for Arduinos–useful for non-programmers such as myself. In the class we used the $24 Leonardo model of the Arduino, which is commonly used for prototyping. Once you figure out what inputs and outputs you need for your project you can get a cheaper Arduino with fewer features for use in, let’s say, your automatic chicken coop door opener. I thought I’d compile a list of Arduino based project related to the “low-tech, home-tech” subjects covered...

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Picture Sundays: Doberman Chariots

Mr. Homegrown

March 31, 2013

Picture Sundays

6 Comments

...of transportation. Our late dog was a Doberman and I remembered a book we used to have about the breed that showed some unusual events that used to be held in South Africa in the 1970s: harness racing with Dobermans and kid jockeys! Remembering just how powerful and fast our Doberman was, I imagine these races were quite a thrill for the kids in those carts. Try this in the US and, no doubt, child protective services would shut down the fun in no...

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