I’ve become increasingly concerned about the state of U.S. public universities, especially as my younger kids approach college age, and my college-age son struggles with increasing tuition and we both struggle with student loans. In Texas, government and university officials used to pretend that all residents whose kids had the mental capability could count on [...]
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For the first time in, like, a year, we’ve enjoyed adequate rain. It’s cool but well above freezing (except maybe tonight), and small effort has been required on the gardening front other than to sprinkle a little supplemental water on the newest rows of beets and spinach, while coaxing yet another salad from the various [...]
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This morning I got the little tractor out before the sun had a chance to start baking everything. I took a cart-load of downed tree branches to the edge of the green strip just above my tiny slice of riverbank, and dumped them on the top of my stick pile. They will either compost down [...]
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Homesteading in 21st Century America, as I’ve postulated before, mostly involves learning and practicing skills that lead to self-reliance. While I am perverse enough to believe that learning to be self-reliant is actually fun, recent events also suggest that for most of us it may be essential for our survival. In the midst of a [...]
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A good washing machine apparently costs upwards of $600 these days so, as is the case with all appliances, it’s good for your budget to keep them well maintained and to do your own repairs whenever possible. I am not handy by nature when it comes to mechanical matters, but had learned to diagnose simple [...]
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It could be my independent nature or maybe a genetic streak of isolationism – or maybe simple fear – but when news of a an epic crisis crosses my computer screen, sometimes my first reaction is to find a way to mentally wall myself off from the event, and convince myself that, while it’s undeniably [...]
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I’ve explored the idea of installing solar panels on this damn old house, as it has a great roof for it, oriented south. All I’d have to do is take down one pecan tree growing up through the middle of the driveway. But it doesn’t make economic sense, not even if electricity from The Man [...]
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| Today | Thursday |
|---|---|
 Chance of a Thunderstorm 95°/73° | Chance of a Thunderstorm 91°/75° |
Bad Food Recalls: