Archive for the ‘Home & Ranch’ Category

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Notes on Raising Rabbits

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

"Nudge," a Black Otter Rex Doe

by Brenda Lee S., April 2012

(photos from Nick & Brenda Lee S.)

[Cat’s Note: Nick and Brenda Lee presented on Raising Rabbits for our march 2010 gathering. See Gathering Summary: Raising Chickens & Rabbits. See also their video in 4 parts, on How to Dress (Home Butcher) a Rabbit]

My father raised rabbits starting in ‘29; he survived the depression delivering and butchering rabbits on site. He continued to raise rabbits until his death at age 81. We have been around rabbits all of our lives, having grown up with my fathers’ vast experience, and continued with our love of rabbits, breeding Rex Rabbits. Rabbits are very amazing, There are however some points to raising rabbits. (more…)

Posted in Livestock | Comments Closed

Updated video: How to Dress (Butcher) a Rabbit

Monday, April 9th, 2012

by Catherine Haug, April 9, 2012

Back in March of 2010, we had a gathering on Raising Chickens & Rabbits. Nick and BrendaLee S. presented on raising rabbits, and provided a Flip video of How to Dress (Home-Butcher) a Rabbit, that was included in the gathering summary. Subsequent to that, the Flip video-share site closed, so that the video was no longer available. Now they have converted it to a YouTube video in 4 parts.

I’ve updated that gathering summary with the new YouTube links, and also provide them below.  Read on for those links. (more…)

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Home & Ranch, Livestock | Comments Closed

Garment Creation: Supplies

Sunday, April 1st, 2012

Sewing Needle Assortment

by Catherine Haug, March 31, 2012

(photo, right, from beaconFabric.com)

This is a supplemental article to my series on garment creation. See also:

Throughout my articles I make reference to various supplies needed for pattern drafting, fitting and sewing. The intent of this article is to gather them all in one place for your reference. I discuss:

  • Pins and needles
  • Scissors
  • Thread
  • Fabric for fitting
  • Rulers and curves
  • Drafting Paper
  • Designing and cutting surface
  • Manniquin or dress form

(more…)

Posted in Sewing & Fiber Arts | Comments Closed

The Downside of Building ‘Green’

Friday, March 30th, 2012

by Catherine Haug, March 30, 2012

“The Greenest Building is Almost Always the One Already Built,” is the conclusion of Preservation Green Lab: a National Trust report, It offers statistical evidence that  preserving or restoring existing buildings typically results in less negative climate impact  than building a new green building.”  Here are some highlights from that report (based on data from 4 US cities representing 4 different climate zones): (more…)

Posted in Energy, Home & Ranch, Landscaping | Comments Closed

Film: Symphony of the Soil

Thursday, March 29th, 2012
No-Till Farming

No-Till Farming

by Catherine Haug, March 29, 2012

(photo, right, of no-till farming, from Fairfax Co. Virginia)

From the OCA’s March 29, 2012 newsletter:

“Symphony of the Soil is director/producer Deborah Koons Garcia’s follow-up to the Future of Food, the best documentary on genetic engineering. This new film makes the case that returning to soil-enriching organic agriculture is the only way for humanity to reverse and survive the triple crisis that faces us: peak oil, global climate change, and the toxification of our environment.”

To view a clip, purchase a DVD, or join their Soil Community, go to SymphonyOfTheSoil.com.

More than a film

This is more than a film, it is a Project to improve the quality of the earth’s soil, so that it can continue to sustain us through future generations. On their Issues webpage, they direct you to learn more about the following: (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Gardening | Comments Closed

Planning your eco-friendly yard & garden

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Honeybee

by Catherine Haug, March 24, 2012

(photo, right from BugGuide.net)

The Bigfork Eagle included a great article in their Living Green supplement this week: “Tips for an eco-friendly garden space.” I’m sorry I cannot give credit to whomever wrote it, because the article doesn’t include the author’s name. Read on for my take on the three ideas, one of my own, and links to other articles on this subject. (more…)

Posted in Compost, Ecology, Gardening, Home & Ranch, Landscaping | Comments Closed

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