Driving into town today, I spotted pussy willows out on a bush that is always the very first in the area. I always watch that bush as when they finally pop out, it gives me a real lift that spring is really going to come this year. Hooray!
As gas prices are now $3.99 a gallon at the pump, we’ve made the decision to only drive into town to deliver seeds to the post office and do routine business on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Although the prices are not as high as they are in other areas of the country, by far, they still pinch us pretty good as it’s a 30-mile, round trip, into town. We’re doing everything we can to save in these times of ever-increasing prices on everything. You think they’re high now? Just wait till companies factor in the price of shipping their products to the stores! We’re sure glad we are stocked up.
Good news! My book, Homesteading Simplified — Living the Good Life Without Losing Your Mind, is back in print. Backwoods Home Magazine, who originally published it, ran out and made the decision to not reprint it. We hated to see this good book die so we asked if we might get the rights, so we could get it printed ourselves. Graciously, Dave and Ilene Duffy, agreed and today, the book is back in the saddle. It can be ordered through Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TZM6S6J or from us at Seed Treasures, where I’m glad to autograph copies if you so desire. We were sure happy that it all worked out so nicely. Our friend, Jessie Denning, of Denning Print Company, helped get it all together for us and we’re so very grateful.
Today I’m going through my big bin of old seeds. A reader asked if I had any Mayo Blusher squash seeds, as I had mentioned them in an old article. I quickly asked around to my seed-saving go-to folks and nobody had any of these seeds! I was shocked as it was my second favorite squash, after our beloved Hopi Pale Grey. I did remember that I had or probably had, some old seeds in that bin so I asked Will to bring it up from the unheated basement for me. Well, after digging through jars, containers, and boxes of seeds, I did find some Mayo Blusher seeds. They’re old — back to 2000, but I’m hoping when I plant them in containers, in the house, some will still be able to germinate. If not, I’m afraid another wonderful crop has gone extinct. I’m praying that isn’t so.
— Jackie
Gas in California is between $6.50 and $7.00 plus depending on where you buy it.
Went back to the top of this article, saw where I missed the part about the name of the book (duh!!) But the picture as well!! Will be ordering right away.
Two questions – when you talk about Jackie’s book being reprinted, are you talking about ” homesteading simplified”? I keep watching for that because it was being redone, and we would like a copy.
Do any of you plant by moon phases? Does it make it difference? Thanks Bev.
We had Homesteading Simplified reprinted through Amazon and am supposed to get 100 copies today. As the mail’s so goofy, we’ll see. But it should be fairly soon.
No, I don’t plant by the moon phases. My friend used to do that but my crops were just as good as hers so…..
I’ve rooted many cuttings but have never tried squash. I may have to give that a try. Here’s hoping the Mayo Blusher hasn’t gone extinct!!!
When it melts off and dries up, I’m going to get a few cuttings from that early pussy willow so we can have a weather forecaster, right here, at home.
I never thought of Pussy Willows as harbingers of spring! Now I will be on the lookout for those swampy residents. We usually get large flocks of Robins to bring spring in their wake. Our rivers are swelling from “spring runoff”of snow melting in the mountains surrounding us here in eastern Washington. Soon the baby ducks and geese and moose and fawns and quail will be everywhere. Bring it on!!!
I’m with you there!! We are so desperate for spring signs what we watch for the first pussy willows, when the swamp willows “red up” (their stems getting red when sap starts to run) and the tamarack trees getting a reddish look to their tips. We’re headed for 40’s ABOVE this coming week so things will finally start melting.
Jackie and Will so glad to read Spring is comming your way!
Where I live in Central Florida our last predicted frost date is March 12th. Today. After weeks of beautiful weather it is going down to 30 here tonight! Yikes! I have spent the day moving my tropicals into the garage. Will cover the rest. There are so many folks going to be affected by this winter storm i will be sre to say prayers for them up north. As I do for all if you with such cold to deal with. If you need to limit your trips to the P. O. To once a week im sure we can all understand!
Wow, down to 30! I’ll bet you had to hustle to get everything protected!
Delighted your book is back
In print. I have so much
Enjoyed my copy, others
Would sure miss out on a
Real Winner. All of your
Books have so much Down
To Earth information and
Some giggles too. Appreciate
Them in my home
Thank you so much, Joann!
IMHO, Mother Nature pays no attention to human years. I suspect some, if not all, of the Mayo Blusher will germinate. And readers of this blog can also put out the word – someone else may still be growing them. Wasn’t there a variety of squash folks thought extinct and wasn’t – seem to remember reading out it in BHM.
We removed an invasive “shrub” from our property (I’m talking hundreds of shrubs and we’re still battling ones that have since germinated). All kinds of native AND domestic plants reappeared as well as more fungi (edible and not-sure-cuz-we’re-not-mycologists). Of course I’ll be removing garlic mustard till the day I am no longer mobile and/or dead but at least it doesn’t get to the size where a skid steer is needed to pull it out.
Yeah, fuel has been increasing since 2020. Big oil would rather parcel out its profits to shareholders (including execs at said companies) instead of drilling. I’ve never bought in that domestic drilling means cheaper fuel for we average Americans. No offense to any Canadians but you know what – build your own refineries and run a pipeline across your own country. I’m not willing to risk water contamination in the US.
We are fortunate that we don’t have to leave the house every day. But if I have to drive daily, the cost of fuel is minor compared to making sure my aging parents/relatives are kept safe and secure.
Wind chills below zero in the morning but will be in the 50s/60s starting Sunday (tis March in the Midwest). What I do NOT want is plants flowering too early but not in my hands. Visual of the perennial/fall planting doesn’t look too bad weed wise. Itching to get out but I know it is just too early, even to weed as the ground is not thawed enough yet.
And I’m with you – theme parks aren’t my thing (nor our crowds truth be told). Most of the (few) families I’ve known that went to the Dells liked the fact one/both parents didn’t have to be with/watch their kids. Kinda sad if you ask me.
Will Buffy be going outside? I’m hoping to keep the newbie in the house this year despite the fact he has EXCELLENT hunting instincts. When the established cat was the newbie, I spent too many nights worrying. Took a while for established cat to understand it did not have to hunt to eat any more.
Just a gentle reminder that without oil we are back in the 1850s – except without the whale oil for light. 19 out of the 42 gallons of oil in a 42 gal barrel is gasoline. The rest heats us (propane & natural gas) and makes nearly all of the other products we use and enjoy. About 50% of a Tesla is made of oil-derived products. Without oil products, Will and Jackie wouldn’t have their greenhouse, solar panels, or electrical system. Plastics insulate the wires, make connectors and components, and cases for their batteries. Wind turbines need epoxies and coatings – from oil – to hold the fiberglass together and anything that moves needs lubrication. (Peanut & seed oils won’t do it and synthetics are based on mineral oil….from oil.) There would have been no medical machines and plastics to save Will’s life at the hospital and how long would it have taken Jackie to get him there….by dogsled? We won’t even mention the seals on the Ball and Tattler lids. I hope I wouldn’t need to go on.
While no one (oil companies & the millions employed by them and the thousands who have been laid off from them in the last couple of years) ever wants to see water polluted by a pipeline leak – there would be far more people dying from dysentery and starvation willing to risk a possible incident than to have no choice but to drink out of the local river or puddle and eat questionable food. Without these products and our amazing systems, I would not be able to enjoy Jackie and Will’s material, read your comments, nor you mine. In life, we all know there are trade-offs and each has to make a choice about our lifestyle.
So true. OPen up that keystone pipeline!!!
Amen Holly! Well said. I’m all about protecting the environment, but we have no existing technology capable of replacing oil for transportation or any of its million other uses. Where is the common sense in our leadership (both sides)? We can’t hope it into existence.
What we don’t have is strict enough regulations, staffing and funding for regular inspections, AND the balls to make the pipeline “owners” do the maintenance. Sorry, not a fan of pipelines. Bad enough watching public water/sewer and gas lines deteriorate with untold numbers sickened, injured/killed.
Dad remembers diesel being dirt cheap as just a by-product. Then greed reared its ugly head.
Pipelines are inspected regularly and companies even use technology (“smart pigs” – computer sensing devices that clean and measure pipe-wall thicknesses) to send the information to company techs and engineers – and sometimes to inspectors. Just as doctors can use ultrasounds, cameras, and radiographs to travel through parts of the human body, technology allows the same for pipeline inspection. They also carefully measure pipeline input and compare it with the flow down the line. Statistically, pipelines have a much better safety track record than both rail and trucking. I live in Morton County, ND. My county was left with a 30 million dollar cleanup bill from DAPL. We are still paying court costs today. Two hundred and thirty dump truck loads from the “Water Protectors” camp were cleaned up afterward (if you want to talk about a mess). A little high water and much of that refuse (and human waste) would have gone directly in the river – just north of Standing Rock. What most people do not realize is that SR had just moved their water intake for their system into South Dakota – well south of the pipeline – the same pipeline that already crosses the same river upstream, south of Williston, ND. Furthermore, their new water intake is just downriver of a large railroad trestle that would carry a lot more oil on it without the pipeline. I agree with your statement about water, sewer, and gas lines deteriorating over time (what doesn’t) and agree that upkeep is essential. Where would those communities be if they didn’t have pipelines carrying wastewater/sewage to a treatment facility and water being treated for safety before it is piped to individual homes? Your father remembers ‘dirt cheap’ diesel from before the days of desulfurization and many other strict regulations (safety, environmental, DOT, NIOSH, OSHA, MSHA along with state and local regulations). Taxes on industry were lower back then, too. I am not saying that safety and environmental regs are all bad, however, you need to keep ‘dirt cheap’ in perspective. I do not work in that industry, but know many who do. The majority are serious outdoor enthusiasts and many come from farming & ranching communities in this state. Their way of life revolves around a clean environment.
Thanks, thanks, thanks, Holly! I’m glad someone truly knows the truth.
We will let Buffy go outside during the days. But, like Mittens, we’ll train her to come in before dark as that’s when our predators come out. We’ve had two different friends who had bobcats come right into their barn and kill some of their barn cats!
“Pipelines are inspected regularly and companies even use technology (“smart pigs” – computer sensing devices that clean and measure pipe-wall thicknesses)” – I suspect you/family work for the oil industry. Pipes of all flavors leak/deteriorate on a regular basis. Not to mention refinery fires. We’ll all survive without plastic and its ensuing litter. Crude is a finite resource.
Established cat rarely is outside past noon and she’s shown zippo interest in going outside for the last 3 months (and not all days have been nasty cold). Once she comes in mid-morning (most days these past few years), she’s in for the day.
I’m staying out of the pipline debate but do you have a workable alternative? I can’t think of one although I’m very much for protecting the environment.
Jackie, I want to apologize to all of your readers for going down this rabbit hole. While I work closely with all energy industries (including renewable energy sources) and I once worked in conventional power generation (30+ years ago), I have been an educator since then. I got my initial teaching experience at a place that used to be at an old CCC camp near Isabella, MN. I have even been to Ron Brodigan’s once – almost 40 years ago! (Amazing place, amazing man, and amazing memories!) Your area of the country is fantastic and you are so blessed to call it home! As your locals may now understand I do have some environmental training in my background. I have had many non-motorized adventures in your area and they are among my most cherished memories. What better way to spend a life – understanding the importance of environmental stewardship while also appreciating the ease and quality of life modern conveniences (and medicine) add to one’s life, thanks to petroleum products. I try to balance both when teaching.
At 60+ years old and newly widowed, with 20 head of livestock, (not counting my chickens), I appreciate the hard work you and Will do, and your willingness to share your knowledge and experience. I own 3 of your books and learned to can because of you! I started right off with pressure canning meat and have had very few jars fail to seal over the years. I have recommended your books to ‘newbies’ also.
I (perhaps wrongly) try to educate people when I can. When someone drives on asphalt roads (petroleum), to take care of elderly relatives who apparently have heat, lights and refrigeration, good water to drink, and sewage removed from their homes and yet fails to see a correlation between their quality of life and the ease with which we can do things because of petroleum, I think they perhaps do not understand all the ways it touches them. I do (perhaps falsely) assume they have never visited an outhouse at -25F (- or colder), hauled water by the bucket full when their rubber hoses have frozen – to their livestock. I guess they must wear underwear held up by a drawstring….because without oil there is no elastic!
Again – thank you for all you do Jackie, Will, family, and friends, the encouragement and information you share, keep up the great work, and please accept my apology.
I bought your book, years ago, and it was wonderful. I am so glad it is being reprinted. All of your books have valuable information in them. I have most of them.
Thank you, Glenda. I’m hoping it will help folks who are, or will be experiencing “homesteader burnout” that causes many people to throw in the towel.
PussyWillow are my favorite.
I am excited for your book. I’ll have to get a copy this spring. Can’t beat another good book to learn from!
I am sure you have seen where once the plant comes up, you can make cuttings, and root them, so rather than just one plant you have several. Maybe if you only get one or two of the squash to come up, this would be a good way to get a few more plants to have better chances to get a crop to save seed from. Just another thought,as I’ve been doing lots of extensive research to learn hot to graft and make successful cuttings. We actually kept a begonia all winter from last year, and it’s starting to grow big, so I am attempting to propitiate some cuttings. Just to get some experience.
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