Backyard Chickens
How to Tell If a Chicken Is Sick: The Signs I Watch
How to tell if a chicken is sick before it's an emergency — the early signs I watch for in my flock, the OTC support I…
Foraging
How to Forage and Use Chickweed, a Common Spring Weed
Forage chickweed the careful way — how I tell it from its one dangerous lookalike, when to gather it, and how I use it fresh and…
Fishing
How to Rig a Bobber for Bluegill and Crappie
How to rig a bobber for bluegill and crappie — the simple fixed rig, the slip-bobber for deeper fish, and how to set the depth right,…
Gardening
How to Grow Peas in Containers (Even on a Balcony)
How to grow peas in containers on a balcony — the dwarf varieties that don't need a yard, the pot depth that matters, and the support…
Backyard Chickens
Chicken Boredom Busters for a Long Winter in the Coop
Chicken boredom busters for winter — how a Tennessee keeper keeps a cooped-up flock busy, foraging, and out of trouble on the short, cold days.
Foraging
How to Forage and Use Wild Violet, Leaf and Flower
Forage wild violet the honest way — how I tell a true Viola from its lookalikes, when to gather leaf and flower, and how I turn…
Fishing
The Best Time of Day to Fish in the Spring
The best time of day to fish in the spring changes as the water warms — from the warm afternoon of early spring to first and…
Gardening
How to Harden Off Seedlings on a Balcony
How to harden off seedlings on a balcony — the wind-aware, container-scaled way to move indoor-started seedlings outside without shocking them to death.
Backyard Chickens
How to Keep a Chicken Run from Turning to Mud
A muddy chicken run is a water problem, not a weather problem. Here's how I keep my run dry through a wet Tennessee spring — the…
Foraging
What to Forage in the Pacific Northwest in Spring
What to forage in the Pacific Northwest in spring — the medicinal plants I gather from March into May on the Olympic Peninsula, how to know…