Consolidated Kansas

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Oh, and my friend has a composting toilet. One of the commercial ones. The first time I used it it freaked me out, it was just a black bowl with a hole. She had a sheet hanging up on the walk that explained how to use it, so that was nice though. I would love to get one, but we don't have ANY money, and I don't really like the idea of hauling poop buckets to the compost pile.

 

[Trish44]

I hope you find her! I do agree that they are very flighty though. Very fun to look at with their bright red combs against the black and white.

Mine are Gold Lakenvelders not the Silver ones, so they are gold with the black trim.

 

[HEChicken]

I would love to get one, but we don't have ANY money, and I don't really like the idea of hauling poop buckets to the compost pile.

That's why you just use a 5-gallon bucket. The toilet seat on top will make it more comfortable but even that isn't really necessary. The commercial ones want thousands of dollars but in the end, that's really all they are.

DH always says he doesn't understand why people get so squeamish about what comes out of them. After all, just minutes ago that awful stuff was inside you. LOL. Still, he does make a point.

A couple of years ago I gave up buying all paper products. I thought it would be hard but it really wasn't. A few dedicated micro fiber cloths replaced the rolls of paper we used to buy and they can be washed and reused over and over. We also learned about the high nutritive value of "#1" and what a waste it is to flush it away - it is one of the more superior fertilizers out there. (On YouTube we watched this great video of a guy who took a straw bale, poured a gallon of reserved liquid waste into it, put a handful of dirt on top, and watched it turn into wonderful compost. He then planted some tomato plants into the compost, still framed out like a straw bale, and grew some wonderful tomatoes that year).

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Mine are Gold Lakenvelders not the Silver ones, so they are gold with the black trim.

Yeah, I thought about that right after I posted.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

That's why you just use a 5-gallon bucket.  The toilet seat on top will make it more comfortable but even that isn't really necessary.  The commercial ones want thousands of dollars but in the end, that's really all they are.

DH always says he doesn't understand why people get so squeamish about what comes out of them.  After all, just minutes ago that awful stuff was inside you.  LOL.  Still, he does make a point.

A couple of years ago I gave up buying all paper products.  I thought it would be hard but it really wasn't.  A few dedicated micro fiber cloths replaced the rolls of paper we used to buy and they can be washed and reused over and over.  We also learned about the high nutritive value of "#1" and what a waste it is to flush it away - it is one of the more superior fertilizers out there.  (On YouTube we watched this great video of a guy who took a straw bale, poured a gallon of reserved liquid waste into it, put a handful of dirt on top, and watched it turn into wonderful compost.  He then planted some tomato plants into the compost, still framed out like a straw bale, and grew some wonderful tomatoes that year).

Yeah, that same friend of mine fave my dad a five gallon bucket with kitty litter in it and a lid when he was renovating a house for her and couldn't use the toilet. Even though the five gallon is easier, since this is her only toilet, it is nice for it to be "pretty" and money isn't really a problem for her. I will try and find a five gallon bucket that isn't being used tomorrow so I can have it next time we run out of water.p (probably sooner rather than later)

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Mmmm coffee, we're a little spoiled at our house, my DH roasts his own green coffee beans so we have fresh roasted coffee all the time. He orders the coffee beans from a place called Sweet Marias & the guy travels all over the world to get the best beans. I hate going to his brother's place & drinking their weak Folger's coffee, it's just sad after drinking what we have at home. I've been drinking iced coffee this summer a lot since it's been so hot & that is so good too.

------ Mmmmm... sounds wonderful You would not like my coffee at all! I buy whatever is on sale When I buy Folgers, it's a treat lol

Well the little Lakenvelder hen wasn't back in the coop tonight, so who knows if she'll show back up or not. I just kind of count her as gone & then if she shows up then it's kind of a surprise. Oh & I went to feed the little guineas tonight & looked down & they had knocked the mason jar off the feeder base & one of the little guineas had crawled in there to eat the remaining feed & got stuck. I almost didn't get it out either. I have never seen a little chick of any kind do that before, that was a new one on me. I

------ Ok, that made me laugh. You should have gotten a photo of the little piggy I can't wait till I can let mine out too. I am going to need some education and guidance when that time comes. My original 4 are growing so nicely. Once the main coop is finished, I plan on moving them to the little growout coop, but will need to do some serious escaping proof of the fenced area first.

 

[sharol]

On the coffee issue, I don't roast my own beans, but I do order beans from a little place in Ellensburg, WA. D and M Coffee's Organic Hi-Octane is wonderful, and I've become really spoiled. The downside is that the shipping is a killer. I don't drink or smoke, though, so I figure a couple of little bad habits won't be too bad (coffee and chickens).

 

[sunflowerparrot]

On the coffee issue, I don't roast my own beans, but I do order beans from a little place in Ellensburg, WA. D and M Coffee's Organic Hi-Octane is wonderful, and I've become really spoiled. The downside is that the shipping is a killer. I don't drink or smoke, though, so I figure a couple of little bad habits won't be too bad (coffee and chickens).

Speaking of expensive bad habits... Mine are yarn and books! I'm so thankful for the Kindle; now I don't have to worry about what to do with books once I'm finished reading them Most of my bad habits are practiced during the colder months...

 

[HEChicken]

LOL. Gourmet coffee is wasted on me. I mentioned a few days ago how little interest I have in food, and I think the reason is that I have diminished taste buds or something. Probably related to almost no sense of smell (house could be burning down and I'd be the last to know). Its not that I can't taste anything - but I don't think I have the ability of most people to detect flavor/taste and therefore can't tell the difference between a gourmet coffee and the store brand. I love my morning coffee and the day doesn't feel right unless I start with a couple of cups of it, but honestly, the Walmart or Dillons brand tastes as good to me as anything. The one thing I don't like is weak coffee (perhaps again related to my need for flavors to be strong to be able to taste them at all) and that is why I actually avoid the beans that have to be ground first. A friend of mine went into business roasting his own coffee beans and they were meant to be super duper special. I wanted to support him so bought a bag and it was honestly the worst coffee I've ever had as it was so weak. I had to use a ton to get any color or flavor in the coffee at all and it was pricey to begin with, so I went back to using the Dillons brand....

I love my Kindle! I found a place on Amazon that has a list of the top 100 free books, updated hourly. I check it out once a week or so and never fail to find a book I think I'd like. I have over 100 books, all of them free, so it has been a great deal for me. Even if I never found another free book, I've got months of reading material available to me right now. I find it so comfortable to read and love how lightweight it is. My parents each brought several books with them to read while they travel and I kept urging them to get a Kindle instead - they could have saved the weight of the books and the space in their suitcases. I keep mine handy for when I am waiting for kids at music lessons or sports practices and never have to worry about "what if I finish the book I'm reading in the first few minutes I'm there?" because all I have to do is open the next book and keep on reading.

 

[Hawkeye95]

We just got a Keurig. One of the fancy ones that makes a cup at a time. Big step up from the ol' stove top thinger. (Why can I never remember what it's called?). It's so much fun, but my Nana's commercial style espresso machine is the best...

I have tried the hot chocolate on the Keurig-- one of our friends had one and I wasn't sure the coffee would be that great. Still, too expensive and takes up a lot of counter space for us, though. Especially since my DH doesn't drink coffee.

I bet we know some of the same people then, because we have a very good friend who is super involved with Meads Corner. He was there at its inception and is a regular there for coffee several mornings every week. When we lived in Wichita we used to sometimes join him for a cuppa first thing in the morning. It was walking distance from DH's office and we also used to go there for lunch sometimes. It is a really cool place!

Oh WOW!! I bet we do! I bet we have even been in there at the same time! During the school year, I hang out in there ALL the time. I'm such a regular, they already know what I want before I even get up there! LOL

I walked out to the truck to get in & go to get feed today & just in the time it took to walk beside the truck & get in I had to pick 10 deer ticks off of my feet & legs, yuck it just had my skin crawling. They're just thick here this year worse than any year I can remember. You can't walk anywhere around here hardly without getting some on you. I have to check myself every night before I go to bed & I still sometimes miss them.

WOW-- that is a lot of ticks! We just don't have that problem here!

I don't know who it was said they were only flushing once a day due to low water but....have you considered a composting toilet? The commercial ones are horribly expensive but you can make your own with a 5-gallon bucket and a toilet seat. Just keep on hand some kind of organic absorbent material - shavings, shredded leaves etc. Sit on the "toilet" as you normally would, but instead of flushing afterward, cover with a layer of the organic material. Repeat until the bucket is full and then dump in a compost pile used only by those buckets. After a year, it will be rich, loamy compost ready for use. If you don't want to use it on vegie gardens, (although it would be perfectly safe to), you can use it around trees, flower gardens, or anywhere the soil would benefit from an amendment.

I think those composting toilets are really neat! My DH was looking into it, but yeah, they are pricey. The commercial ones have a drawer that pulls out and you dump when it's filled. I'm sure there are many varieties of the same method.

Speaking of expensive bad habits... Mine are yarn and books! I'm so thankful for the Kindle; now I don't have to worry about what to do with books once I'm finished reading them Most of my bad habits are practiced during the colder months...

OMG--- are we twins?!?! I am always looking at cute yarn markers, yarn, patterns, and of course, read constantly on my Kindle! In the winter, I will watch tv and knit at the same time. I have bought a couple of really neat pattern books at the yarn stores around town. There are two yarn stores on Douglas-- one in Delano called Twist and the other one is Heritage Hut, I think. They have the best book selection. But I love Twist for the socialization.

I love my Kindle! I found a place on Amazon that has a list of the top 100 free books, updated hourly. I check it out once a week or so and never fail to find a book I think I'd like. I have over 100 books, all of them free, so it has been a great deal for me. Even if I never found another free book, I've got months of reading material available to me right now. I find it so comfortable to read and love how lightweight it is. My parents each brought several books with them to read while they travel and I kept urging them to get a Kindle instead - they could have saved the weight of the books and the space in their suitcases. I keep mine handy for when I am waiting for kids at music lessons or sports practices and never have to worry about "what if I finish the book I'm reading in the first few minutes I'm there?" because all I have to do is open the next book and keep on reading.

Where is this top 100 free books? I have been reading a lot of free books myself, but they are mostly super short stories and that just annoys me. I got ahold of one a couple days ago, and I had it read in like 30 minutes, I think. I came to the end, excepting another chapter and it said that the next book was 99 cents-- which is cheap, but WTH!?! I want more than a book that is little more than just a chapter a book... if that makes sense. I was pretty miffed. But yeah, I do the same, I take my Kindle with me everywhere, that way I can read during piano, etc... and I love that if I finish the book, I can just order the next one instantly or go to the next book I've downloaded previously. I'm big into series books-- so I often get into a series that contains more than 3 books-- the longer the series, the better, I love long drawn out series that keep you going. When I really like a book, I hate to see it end.