Whole Bunch of Projects

19/04/2023

I'm back from a one month solo trip to Portugal and northwestern Spain. I used a small backpack in place of the wheely-bag that I usually take traveling. Resources Since I was originally going to walk for a long time on the Camino de Santiago, I used the Stingy Nomad site to help me with my packing. While preparing for the journey I discovered this book To Walk Far Carry Less by Jean Christie Ashmore....

I’m back from a one month solo trip to Portugal and northwestern Spain. I used a small backpack in place of the wheely-bag that I usually take traveling. Resources Since I was originally goin…

20/01/2023

Read the latest report on how my fermentation projects are progressing that I started in the fall.

Last Year, 2022, I started a number of fermentation projects that are slowly doing their thing on a shelf in the corner of my hallway. I have a few concerns about them, but one, at least was a reso…

04/01/2023

For the next few weeks I will be planning a trip to Portugal for a month. Here is how I figured out where to go and a picture of me walking 13 miles last year. Hopefully I will be in good enough shape for this.

I am working on increasing the time I spend traveling. I have so many places to go and not enough time. In order to narrow down the options, I created some criteria. Here were my requirements: Off-…

28/11/2022

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you had a good one. Roast some vegetables to have the fridge to help out with holiday party recovery.

It was not my intent to document so many recipes when I started writing this blog, but I get so excited when I finish something that works, that I want to document the process and share it. I& #8217…

14/11/2022

Updated a post where I show my ridiculously optimistic side and then update it with down to earth advice from my 'today' self.

My two main mentors for urban food growing are Novella Carpenter of Ghost Town Farm fame, and Joan Dye Gussow. Their books tell the story of their own urban and suburban farm endeavors. Novella cre…

07/11/2022

Trying to make old blog posts useful to you folks and my future self. This one explains some of my inspirations for changing my lifestyle over the last few years.

Inspired by the book Early Retirement Extreme, by Fisker I ponder about the Renaissance Woman and modern homesteading.

28/10/2022

Just updated an old blog post where I made plum wine and then proceeded to infuse it with all sorts of things. Find out how it turned out!

I made some wine last August, which has aged a little so I just went through the process of putting it in individual bottles. Of course I had to try some even though it is not fully aged. It is ver…

26/10/2022

Just updated this Post to be more useful. I used leftover greens from my fridge and weeds from the garden to make a pesto. It is pretty good, and would use sparingly since it has a lot of green flavor!

I was reading through my fourth, yes fourth, general herbal book, and I ran across a recipe that called itself Wild Greens Pesto, which allows you to add any wild green together with garlic, olive …

10/10/2022

Garden plan with some fun and random things to do for my small garden. Gophers! Argh!

I started this small vegetable and herb garden in the fall. I wanted to keep the critters out, increase soil fertility, get some kind of harvest, and have fun! Gophers! Hand drawn garden plan. The …

01/10/2022

Includes a recipe for Blackberry Apple Butter. Mine is low sugar, but you can always add more to your taste!

It was a great blackberry season this year! I frequented the public path for berries starting in late July (only a few were ripe at this time) until beginning of September. The season is over now, …

30/09/2022

I thought this was a green pumpkin, but it is some other kind of squash. What is it called? I actually do not know, does anyone else?

27/09/2022

Here I share my ongoing project of finding the right balance of foods to keep myself in the best of health!

In an effort to get healthier, over time I’ve tried different things to improve my eating. This project is always ongoing and slow but working!

18/09/2022

Dried grasses happen pretty early in the summer in Northern California, but late in September they begin to smell roasted and baked in the nearby open space. Check out more arching weeds and grasses I've caught on camera : https://www.tdedesign.com/photography/fall-grasses/

18/09/2022

Los Angeles Twilight as seen from the Anaheim Hills. The Downtown City Lights begin at the right. The entire series is available at : https://www.tdedesign.com/photography/los-angeles-sunset-progression/

15/09/2022

I am going on a camping trip next week and my tent badly needed the poles restrung. Who would have thought the tent would feel like new after this relatively quick and easy fix. I'd put it off for a long time, but what a difference. I got a few bits of advice that helped out along the way. You can read about it at

I’m going on a camping trip next week with Wilderness Volunteers. I don’t know about your 30 year old tent, but my old tent’s poles have long since lost their springy-ness. Everyt…

15/09/2022

Took these photos over the summer while visiting a friend of mine. I did not enhance the lighting much, and in some pictures not at all. The rich deep red in the sunset is all natural, or as natural as a Los Angeles Sunset gets. Check out the whole series at https://www.tdedesign.com/photography/los-angeles-sunset-progression/