Preppy Prepping

All of us are interested in projects we can accomplish for free. One of the best things you can do for your family is to begin composting. Instead of throwing out vegetable peels and scraps, add them to your compost pile. Over time, these scraps will break down and provide lovely organic fertilizer for your gardens. It will cost you nothing, as opposed to store-bought fertilizer, and will decrease trash going to the landfill. What can you compost? No meat and no dairy. But any vegetable or fruit scraps and egg shells can all go in your pile. Think potato, squash, and carrot peels, onion skins, the ends of your celery bunches, pineapple cores, crown (spiky parts on top), and rind, apple cores (unless you save them to make vinegar), orange and grapefruit peels, old salad, and nearly anything you’re putting down the disposal or throwing in the trash except . . . meat and dairy. You can also add grass clippings, leaves, and anything that will decay over time. I started composting a long ti...

 We live in an old home. We’ve invested a good deal of money in renovating and adding on.  A number of years ago, we went to brick and mortar, removed the brick off the entire back, and added 1,000 sq. feet of space while redesigning nearly the whole interior.  Because of the age of our home, we were concerned about future plumbing problems. We knew, from experience, that all the pipes were very old deteriorating clay, and the bushes and trees in our yard had not been kind to them. Water pressure throughout our neighborhood was pretty poor.  So we decided, while we were at it, to replace water and sewer lines all the way out to the front street. Anything beyond that was the responsibility of the City. Our Contractor, an old and dear friend, took me out into the front yard. “This is whare you shut off your sewer lines,” he told me. “Don’t fohget that.” I nodded, pretending understanding. It wasn’t until years later, in a conversation with another dear friend, that I f...