So, I'm currently experimenting using potted soil outside. I mix the golden fertilizer directly into peat moss and perlite, about a pint per cubic foot. I take a ph reading. It starts as highly acid (ph around 5) but the nutrient level is high. To bring it down, I water the soil with two gallons of water per teaspoon of baking soda, and add about a half pint of wood ash. I'm fixing to burn old deer bones I find in the woods, in fact, any bones I can find or use after making soup. Once I burn the bones, I'll mix the ash with the soil. This will increase the alkalinity of the soil and provide phosphoros and calcium. Since I live near the ocean, I'll also grind in some seaweed. Once the process is complete, I'll measure the outcome. It will probably be too concentrated (hopefully) but I can then mix this whole mixture into different concentrations of soil and experiment. I also have a commercial testing kit, so once I have my ingredients mixed, I'll test. A question for you all.. I've heard that if urine stands, it will eventually turn more alkali. Anyone know anything about that?

With a subject like this, I had to see what was posted! I am one that can "see" patterns in human behavior, church bibles, priests, and preachers, or should I say religious organizations? Obviously things are going in the wrong direction, but this was predicted a long time ago. I am sure we all know or have noticed the war, weather and natural disasters are getting a tad worse each year, with a few years of breaks between? If not, read your library magazines like Popular Science and such. I am not the only one that notices these things. Of course when so many bad things are going on and reported daily in the media, people tend to seek ways to avoid the danagers and possible disasters many are predicting. It is correct to say "your world" will end soon, but that is a word riddle about life and death of any and all human government (rule) types, and lifestyles. Among us here there has already been a few endings of "world", followed by a number of new beginnings (Genesis). Change is good, normally if it means coming away from dependency on human rulers, meaning generals, and merchants also. Doing so tends to make a person feel less like a victim, and more like a "self-reliant" individual. Call it survivalist if you like, but what we are seeking is a closer move towards our nomadic parent's lifestyle; totally free of human rulers of any kind, but also linked to the natural world in a very personal way, more like the animals that tend to survive disasters. Since humans are at the top of the food chain, and can stay there with knowledge and wisdom, our only real enemy is another person wanting to rule over us in some way instead of living as an equal. Living as equals is where the sharing idea came from, but hording and merchandizing came from the "settler" way of thinking, seeking to "profit" from others. This is why the church bibles are full of stories about nomads (Hebrews) not getting along with settler (Gentile) types, and the basic message was nomadic is the better choice for a number of reasons, including peace, even if some tent dwellers tended to be violent pirates. Not wanting to preach the "Hebrew" viewpoint all that much more, let me say "organic" is wise, and requires knowledge shared among equals since the merchants have another objective; dependancy. The reason the superstores have stuff so cheap is to enslave those without knowledge and the wisdom of self-reliance. "Heirloom" fruits and vegetables don't need seed packet salers either if you know how to keep your own seeds each year, so that is why the merchants only offer hybreds; the seeds tend to not reproduce faithfully by design. Wisdom and experience teaches hybred seeds and plants are self-destructive, and continues the city victim (settler) cycle. Your deep desire for self-reliance is based on wisdom from experience and an unexplainable lust to be less dependant on others, even if this is never fully possible over an entire life cycle. We call it an instinct that tends to show itself in powerful ways during various stages in life. Think "teenager", lol, as one example. So my advice is to continue to walk the new path towards more and more self-reliance and share your failures and successes for the benefit of others just getting on the same path. In my mind this is living as an equal knowing a time will come, as before (many times over), when times are going to be tuff for the survivors among us seeking a more nomadic freedom. Why these times come, and when they come are the messages of the "seers", and predictions, some call prophecy. That is a "time of sharing" for another day and subject title. Obviously many here know by instinct they need to be more self-reliant, but may have trouble explaining why, and what is in the back of their mind. Take encouragement from my words and keep walking away from being in a victimizing lifestyle. Tsavah

My soon-to-be ex-husband said that I had to be out of our inn by the beginning of the tourist season - July 4. For me, this would be not only our nation's day of independence, but a celebration of my own independence, too. I bought 20 acres of my very own. It is not accessible by car since there are no roads. But I have a canoe. With the help of some friends, I built my own cabin. Shut off, alone except for my dog Pitka, I am exactly where I want to be. Some people think my book is like Walden but written by a woman. I say that I simply love these Adirondack Mountains and am simply writing about my life. PAM

Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! I'm really excited to have the house finally getting a facelift. We bought it five years ago and moved there full time just short of two years ago. We love the location which backs up to a tidal marsh two nautical miles from the beach. We also love the floor plan. But boy was it outdated! We also just updated the 25 year old appliances. I have one more bathroom with wallpaper that has to be done and two bedrooms to paint and then I'm done. Not counting the countertops. Powermuffin, Daisy Mae is a "terrier mix" but we've had a lot of people as if she has Wheaten in her. She's a great little dog! Olychick, You spotted the Music Man. He's an art project I did with a friend of mine. Unfortunately, we are better at art than we are at marketing so he's still looking for a permanent home. His face and hands are covered in music notes as he is "consumed by music". Lizzie_grow, The installers moved furniture from room to room. We had all of the closets cleared out and all knickknacks put up. Our bathrooms were pretty full! The good part of all that work was that I finally got all the way unpacked and organized. It only took two years! Torreykm, We used COREtec Plus XL from usfloorsllc. The pattern is Walden Ash. We went to a local floor installer and brought several different samples home (10 of them!). I narrowed it down to three then I brought them around to all the rooms to look at in different light. The last step in choosing was to sweep an area of tile and empty the dustbin onto three samples. This was already my favorite but the deal was sealed when it didn't readily show the bits and pieces. I do keep it clean, but I did not want a floor that showed every speck. LisaD82, Yes, the Music Man has been following me around the house. I had to laugh when I saw a couple of mentions of him. I didn't even realize he was in the pictures. I do have a serenader in the house. My DH plays the guitar and has a wonderful voice. Thanks for the link for the Folex. I'll give it a shot. I'm sure when I put the rugs in front of the doors back they will be throw-up victims. Patriceny, I first heard about the LVT here on this forum and kept it in the back of my mind. Hope you get a chance to use it.