Trace Oswald

If you aren't looking for edible mushrooms, I have had pretty good luck just walking around my property and picking up any old mushrooms I see growing, grinding them up with water in a blender and dumping them in my wood chips.

Riona Abhainn wrote:Similar to what I'm going to have my MIL help me build for my small yard, 2 bay, we're going to use untreated pallets.

I have used pallets many times.  I still have a couple pallet bins.  They work great for two or three years, and are a quick simple way to make bins.  Pallets can usually be found free too, so that's another win.  

The reason I built these new ones is that my pallet bins are starting to rot, and one broke completely in half.  I just happen to have a dozen or so pallets lying around though, so I'll be making more of those as well.

This is one of my favorites, largely because it was something I did that made a big difference in how I looked at things, and the post got apples, so I like to think it helped some other people change the way they viewed things as well.

The Importance of Doing Something.

Last time I tried it, my other hens killed all the babies.  I have no idea why but I've been afraid to try again.

If I do attempt it again, I'll separate mom and babies, but then reintegrating them may be no easier than if I raised them in a brooder and introduced them to the flock.

I'm torn as well.  On the one hand, I feel kind of like Maieshe said.  I wouldn't buy a subscription to read the article.  Therefore, if I read it, I'm not costing them anything.  On the other hand, I know I may just be justifying the behavior.  There is a valid argument that reading it without paying is either stealing or it isn't, rather than it's not stealing if x, but it's stealing if Y, depending on your personal ethics.  Is it not stealing if I steal a loaf of bread because my family is starving, but it's stealing if I steal a TV because I don't want to pay for it?

Christopher makes an interesting point as well.  Are property rights different, or more or less valid than intellectual property rights?  I'm not sure.  

There was a time when I would download books, music, or software, and "trial" it.  I did it without the seller's permission, but I was meticulous about then paying for it if I felt it was worthwhile.  I don't do it now.  Now if I want access to someone's material, I purchase it and take my chances.  Or, I do what I did with Matt Walker when I was interested in his stoves.  I sent him an email and asked if he would send me one page of his instructions so I could get a feel for what they were like and if I could understand them.  He graciously agreed and sent me a page.  I read it over and purchased his plans.  That seems like a win/win to me, and it works great in a smaller community like this.  It probably wouldn't work as well if I wrote Stephen King and asked him to send me a page of his new book.

Mark Miner wrote:Hi Trace,
I have cut a short piece of PEX pipe to replace crumbled bail handles, though it requires unhooking the bail from the bucket on one end, and if the bucket is very old and crumbly, that can sometimes do it in.
Best,
Mark

That might be the easy answer.  I guess I'll try a couple that way and see if I like it.  I wish stainless buckets weren't SO expensive.  I love the idea of lifetime buckets, but the are crazy expensive and even then, they usually still have that same steel handle that digs into your hand.

Bucket handles, argh!  What do you guys do when the plastic thing around the steel bucket handles crumbles and breaks off, as they always do?  I generally just ignore it and carry it by the steel handle, but for heavier things or longer distances, that can be a real pain.  Anyone have ideas for wrapping these things?  I don't want to use cloth I don't think.  I can imagine that would quickly become a smelly mess.  I considered tape, but it would get your hands sticky and may not hold up well.  Duct tape is kind of slippery as well.  I thought of drilling a hole lengthwise through a wooden dowel and then putting a slit in it to get the metal handle in.  I could fill the gap with wood putty or caulk, but not sure how that would hold up.  If you made one with a dowel an inch or inch and a half thick, I would think it would be very comfortable.  Maybe drill out the center, slice it all the way in half to put it on, and then use wood glue?  I may try that one, it seems like it would work well and hold up.  Anyone have other thoughts?

Question for folks.  It's very easy to bypass paywalls on news sites.  Do people find this an ethical dilemma?  Would you do it?  Is it stealing?  I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.

Joseph Lofthouse used to talk about wearing clothing like that.  Maybe he will have something to add.