I love your balance! 10 parts butterflies, .5 parts chicken poop. If I had to choose one blog to learn from online, it would be yours. Educational with a splash of humor in "pen-pal" language. Thanks, Ashley! So glad your family is okay.
Thanks Greta! Yours is my very favorite blog on the whole internet, and every time you post, I compose a long comment in my head...that never gets posted. I'm always out in my garden when I think it through, and then it never makes it to my keyboard. Maybe sometime I'll get it all out in type, but in the meantime, I'm so happy you're writing and your blog is the only one that I make time to read every single one of your posts. Everything you write speaks to me so beautifully. Thank you!
Thank you for the amazing compliment! It means so much and, man, I needed that after the week we've had. Maybe I'll get to write about it all in the next few days... suffice it to say I've been browsing Zillow again!! (BTW, what's up with Vermont property taxes? They're crazy high, I've just learned!).
Dear Ashley, I have subscribed to your newsletter for a few years now, and I think of you as one of the quiet hero’s of our age. Your little one’s hands holding the baby turtle and the baby crawfish are so deeply touching. Thank you for the glimpses you give us of your life! I don’t post here much, and I apologize if the Dear Ashley is too personal.
YOU are the BEST! This post is priceless. You made me smile on a day when pain is high and hope low. So true - life is often messy, but thankfully mixed in with lots of lovely too. Thanks for the reminder and such sweet pics!
You’re so awesome Ashley! Thank you sooo much for passing along your unending knowledge! Who knew you could make yeast from flowers?! Well..,.obviously you did!😆 I’m really happy to hear you guys were ok w all that rain! Donna
I can't tell you how much I hope these floods have awakened people to the solar radiation management (aka geoEngineering) that's going on. The air is being poisoned with nanoparticles of aluminum, strontium, sulpher, and other materials that pass the blood-brain barrier. Please check out www.GeoEngineeringWatch.com
I'm so glad to see someone else mentioning this! While everyone swallows the lie of "climate change" (ushering in a new era of control over us and bigger corporate profits), the planes spreading this vile poison fly directly over our heads. Climate change is not happening because you drive your car to work! Sorry for the rant... I just really wish people would watch this and learn.
I was so happy to find you on the internet Ashley (still don't know how this came to be, lol) I am mostly computer illiterate. I am also a Vermonter and trying to be as self-sustaining as possible. Love all your information! So happy your property was spared, as was ours.
Hi Ashley! Thank you for all you have posted....you inspire! And I love the humour intertwined as well....many hugs, blessings to you and your family, Barbara from Sydney in Oz xoxoxo
For whatever reason we never have many slugs here, but my grandmother always did. She'd put out pie pans full of beer and empty them each morning. She'd also put out upside down terra cotta pots and the snails sleep in them overnight, and then she'd go out early in the morning to empty them.
we too have the down pours our drive washes out , its time to rent a skid steer to repair our road and driveway , weather wise it was 64 yesterday morning , then 90 today , brief thunderstorm no rain just noise . a few years ago we had 9 inches of snow it reminded me of alaska snow stuck to the sides of trees , pines limbs were drooping , then it warmed up and gone in two days ? it had covered my solar panels . we have to have a generator 120/240 for well pump and heating system i also have 2 military 28 volt generators (rope start ) and a smaller gasoline powered 28 volt generator (it will run on gas lantern fuel ) , to old to split wood all summer lol. i started building all of our safe guards 25 years ago , updated along the way as needed , PS: WE ALSO HAVE MICRO BURST WIND THAT MAY ONLY TAKE OUT ONE OR TWO TREES ? THE WORLD GETS MORE STRANGE `. KEEP UP THE GOOD STORIES AND TIPS ! GREAT JOB !
Even though our seasons are back to front down here in the anitpodes, I always enjoy your posts. We are not totally off the grid but practice many self sufficiency practices so your articles are always interesting. Some of the common plants for you are not so easy to find here but I work on what I can. it has been a fairly mild but VERY wet winter which followed on from a wet Summer La Nina weather patterns. We feel very blessed because apart from inconvenience we have not been greatly effected by the floods and pine forest trash that has decimated the East Coast and west Auckland. I look forward to finer weather to get out and do some of the things I love to do outside including eco dying, sun dying as well as culinary stuff
Ha. My "handy dandy poop shoveler" is actually my snow shovel. We use the deep litter method and have a really large coop...so it's a big job for a big shovel.
Don't feel alone. We here in the Berkshires...12 miles, or so, Southwest of Bennington, got a schlacking. The Governor even stopped by to check out the washed out roads and other damage caused by that little drizzle. Gotta love New England. Like you said, and we do too, "If you don't like the weather just stick around for a minute." :-)
I love your balance! 10 parts butterflies, .5 parts chicken poop. If I had to choose one blog to learn from online, it would be yours. Educational with a splash of humor in "pen-pal" language. Thanks, Ashley! So glad your family is okay.
Thanks Greta! Yours is my very favorite blog on the whole internet, and every time you post, I compose a long comment in my head...that never gets posted. I'm always out in my garden when I think it through, and then it never makes it to my keyboard. Maybe sometime I'll get it all out in type, but in the meantime, I'm so happy you're writing and your blog is the only one that I make time to read every single one of your posts. Everything you write speaks to me so beautifully. Thank you!
Thank you for the amazing compliment! It means so much and, man, I needed that after the week we've had. Maybe I'll get to write about it all in the next few days... suffice it to say I've been browsing Zillow again!! (BTW, what's up with Vermont property taxes? They're crazy high, I've just learned!).
Dear Ashley, I have subscribed to your newsletter for a few years now, and I think of you as one of the quiet hero’s of our age. Your little one’s hands holding the baby turtle and the baby crawfish are so deeply touching. Thank you for the glimpses you give us of your life! I don’t post here much, and I apologize if the Dear Ashley is too personal.
Oh no worries Dear Meredith, thank you so much for being here, I'm so happy to have you along =)
I definitely want the leaches gone! I look longingly at the pond while i sweat my tail off but just can't deal with those suckers!
That is a tricky one that we're still working on. We're well into the process, and they're minimized...but not completely gone...yet.
YOU are the BEST! This post is priceless. You made me smile on a day when pain is high and hope low. So true - life is often messy, but thankfully mixed in with lots of lovely too. Thanks for the reminder and such sweet pics!
You're quite welcome Laurie!
You’re so awesome Ashley! Thank you sooo much for passing along your unending knowledge! Who knew you could make yeast from flowers?! Well..,.obviously you did!😆 I’m really happy to hear you guys were ok w all that rain! Donna
Thanks Donna!
I can't tell you how much I hope these floods have awakened people to the solar radiation management (aka geoEngineering) that's going on. The air is being poisoned with nanoparticles of aluminum, strontium, sulpher, and other materials that pass the blood-brain barrier. Please check out www.GeoEngineeringWatch.com
I'm so glad to see someone else mentioning this! While everyone swallows the lie of "climate change" (ushering in a new era of control over us and bigger corporate profits), the planes spreading this vile poison fly directly over our heads. Climate change is not happening because you drive your car to work! Sorry for the rant... I just really wish people would watch this and learn.
It's so refreshing to know there are others out there who know the TRUTH! Keep spreading!
I love reading your emails and each one brings so much joy and knowledge to my day. Thank you!
Thank you Wendy!
I was so happy to find you on the internet Ashley (still don't know how this came to be, lol) I am mostly computer illiterate. I am also a Vermonter and trying to be as self-sustaining as possible. Love all your information! So happy your property was spared, as was ours.
So glad you made it through!
Hi Ashley! Thank you for all you have posted....you inspire! And I love the humour intertwined as well....many hugs, blessings to you and your family, Barbara from Sydney in Oz xoxoxo
Thank you Barbara!
Thank you Ashley. I so enjoy & admire your knowledge as well as your humor.
You’ve got a lot going on over there!
Thanks Debbie!
Hoping to hear how to deal with slugs in the garden. We are bombarded each year!
For whatever reason we never have many slugs here, but my grandmother always did. She'd put out pie pans full of beer and empty them each morning. She'd also put out upside down terra cotta pots and the snails sleep in them overnight, and then she'd go out early in the morning to empty them.
we too have the down pours our drive washes out , its time to rent a skid steer to repair our road and driveway , weather wise it was 64 yesterday morning , then 90 today , brief thunderstorm no rain just noise . a few years ago we had 9 inches of snow it reminded me of alaska snow stuck to the sides of trees , pines limbs were drooping , then it warmed up and gone in two days ? it had covered my solar panels . we have to have a generator 120/240 for well pump and heating system i also have 2 military 28 volt generators (rope start ) and a smaller gasoline powered 28 volt generator (it will run on gas lantern fuel ) , to old to split wood all summer lol. i started building all of our safe guards 25 years ago , updated along the way as needed , PS: WE ALSO HAVE MICRO BURST WIND THAT MAY ONLY TAKE OUT ONE OR TWO TREES ? THE WORLD GETS MORE STRANGE `. KEEP UP THE GOOD STORIES AND TIPS ! GREAT JOB !
Hi Laurie, just wanted to let you know I too am in lots of pain today but reading the post made me happy also. Enjoy the rest of the day.
Even though our seasons are back to front down here in the anitpodes, I always enjoy your posts. We are not totally off the grid but practice many self sufficiency practices so your articles are always interesting. Some of the common plants for you are not so easy to find here but I work on what I can. it has been a fairly mild but VERY wet winter which followed on from a wet Summer La Nina weather patterns. We feel very blessed because apart from inconvenience we have not been greatly effected by the floods and pine forest trash that has decimated the East Coast and west Auckland. I look forward to finer weather to get out and do some of the things I love to do outside including eco dying, sun dying as well as culinary stuff
If there are pics of shoveling out the coop, we might need to know where you got that handy dandy poop shoveler since we have never seen the like.
Duh moment, I didn't realize that you could get rid of leaches...
Thank for all the great articles!
Ha. My "handy dandy poop shoveler" is actually my snow shovel. We use the deep litter method and have a really large coop...so it's a big job for a big shovel.
Don't feel alone. We here in the Berkshires...12 miles, or so, Southwest of Bennington, got a schlacking. The Governor even stopped by to check out the washed out roads and other damage caused by that little drizzle. Gotta love New England. Like you said, and we do too, "If you don't like the weather just stick around for a minute." :-)
Yup, truer words never spoken. The sky around here just never can make up its mind =)