I have more veggies out of the garden every day! 4 quarts of sweet pickles are now fermenting on the counter, and everything else was roasted in the oven to go over tacos for dinner.
While the weather is remaining warm for now, you are starting to be able to feel fall in the air around here. Hopefully I'll have a few more weeks of being able to eat loads of fresh things before hard frosts kill all but the very hardy greens like kale, chard, and brussel sprouts.
While the weather is remaining warm for now, you are starting to be able to feel fall in the air around here. Hopefully I'll have a few more weeks of being able to eat loads of fresh things before hard frosts kill all but the very hardy greens like kale, chard, and brussel sprouts.
Since how I manage hygiene in my off grid situation is a question I get a lot, here's an idea for a quick and water saving wash if you have long hair that tends to get greasy right at your scalp line but you don't want to be too hard on the rest of your hair. I'm not a hair professional, but this has been working for me for a long time.
After a brief but heavy rainfall that knocked some of my taller flowers over, I just cut them and made a pretty bouquet that I've been enjoying inside for a few days.
While I love flowers, the food is my main goal when gardening. Take a look at all the pretty kinds of summer squashes I'm getting right now!
And as always, I enjoy watching the birds and bees around my place. Above is one of the hummingbirds that grew up near my house this summer. When this baby was leaving the nest, it sat on the branch protesting it's new independence for a while. Seeming to prefer the idea of it's parents feeding it to venturing out on it's own. :) They swung by every now and then, but it seemed only to tell it to grow up. It must have finally accepted it's new role in life because it did fly off, and I would imagine is now one the the indistinguishable speedy flashes of color I see feeding from my flowers. It was pretty special to get to witness this much more stationary than normal little part of it's life!
Have you ever tried Bronner's castile soap? Completely natural, non-toxic, biodegradable soap.
ReplyDeleteI use it as shampoo, body wash, hand cleaner, spray cleaner, shower cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, and sometimes even as toothpaste. I'm sure there are other uses too.
You can get it in different fragrances scented with essential oils. I like tge peppermint.
Comes in bar and liquid form. I use just the liquid and buy it by the gallon. I dilute it to different degrees depending on the use.
When shampooing with it, I follow it with a vinegar rinse. The vinegar removes soap residue and eliminates tangles.
Since one product serves so many uses, it simplifies my life considerably.
I have, and use it for some other things, but in my hair it always seems to feel too harsh and leave it very rough. Again, that might be just because my hair is so fine.
DeleteI love reading your blog and watching the videos plus Facebook posts. Question: Do you capture the rain water for use? And where does your black water go?
ReplyDeleteThanks! No, we get very little rain here as almost all the precipitation normally comes down as snow. Plus whatever rain I do get sheds off the roof onto my herbs and flowers and waters them so I've never collected it any other way.
DeleteThere is no black water here. I've got a composting toilet! :)
Thank you for the soap bar tip. New alternative products are always appreciated. It is difficult to find natural, earth friendly products in our local stores; having personal reviews is very helpful for online ordering. Your mid-wash hair cleansing is a technique we used in our home since I was a teenager and you are spot on that washing all your hair often is actually counter productive. Your garden and flowers are glorious, glad you had a bountiful season. As always, thank you for sharing a piece of your life.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteYour flowers are absolutely gorgeous!
ReplyDelete