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Archive for March, 2010

As a burned out hippie from the 60's I sought refuge from the tribulations of a Long island suburban lifestyle and headed North in the 70's after dropping out of SUNY, Stony Brook and eventually settled down on a 12 acre lowland area bordered by the Little Ausable River on the Northern edge of the Adirondack State Park. Without a permanent shelter I found civilized bathing difficult, but old hippies have there own methods of hygiene. In summer a spring fed creek is sufficient, but when the leaves turn red and a blanket of snow covers the trail to the river more drastic measure are needed. Camp fire bathing looks good after a hard day of wilderness construction.CampFire BathingFill a basin with a bucket of hot water from the camp fire. Place it near, but not too near the blaze. Now throw off your clothes and stand right inside the basin of hot water with a bath towel saturated with the hot water. Rotate yourself like a chicken on a spigot and slobber yourself with plenty of hot water. Continue to rotate. If you stop one side of your body will cook and the other side will freeze. Water that .. more »

In much of the United States, the only way to take advantage of a full growing season is to start your plants from seeds indoors. In areas where the last frost can be as late as the end of May, and the first as early as the beginning of October, the abbreviated growing season can mean a short garden season and a severe limitation on plants and flowers that would otherwise flourish. One solution is to choose only native plants for your garden. A more workable solution is to cover your kitchen table with newspaper one day in March, pull out the potting soil, seeds and pots, and give your garden an early jump on the season.What You Need to Start Plants IndoorsLocationYour best option is a room with south-facing windows that get direct sun at least 6-8 hours a day, but if adequate sunlit space is not available, grow lights are fairly inexpensive and very easy to set up. Set up your plants with enough space for you to move around and water the plants.Equipment and SuppliesYou can buy commercial flats at any department or home supply store for under $5. They're flat trays with individual compartments each meant .. more »