Thinking Things Would Slow Down, After Retirement

Discussion in 'Retirement & Leisure' started by Jake Smith, Aug 22, 2022.

  1. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    Yvonne, do you remember when you could buy livestock from Sears Robuck catalog? Mama ordered 3 donkeys thinking they would be safer than horses for us kids all under 8 y.o.
    We went downtown Atlanta to the railroad stockyards and picked them up.
    They were called Mexican Burros. 2 jennys and 1 jack.
     
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  2. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Morning, everyone, I hope all things are good, for y'all. Sitting here eating breakfast, and deciding the things that should be done here first; getting close to Marie's birthday, 11-1- 2024, need to do something special for her this year, "especially", after her letting me buy the tractor. I have six days left, "Does anyone have an idea"? :confused:

    "Also", has anyone else, been having trouble loading photos? It says the file is too big, or error, when I try for the last two days?


    So far "nothing", has broken down; so far lately, "knock on wood". I don't want to "jinx", myself; so I'll hush my mouth on that one. Time to get busy around here, have a good day; "later".:)
     
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  3. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    We did not have that as far as I know, although the Sears store did sell horse tack, along with other farm stuff. My mom took me there to pick out my saddle and bridle after they got me my first pony.
    I remember her going to the catalog store in the little town where we lived, and she could order from Sears, and Montgomery Wards, and it would be shopped to the store, and then she went back to pick it up when it arrived a week or so later.
    We had a JC Penny store, and they also had a catalog where you could order from the store and then pick it up when it was shipped in.
     
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Yeh, we've been discussing it here. External video & picture links work fine. Ken's working on it. In the meantime, if you can't wait, you can upload to a file hosting service then link the image to your comment. I use imgur.com on other forums that archive threads so fast you don't have to worry about linked images being cleaned up by the host site. We encourage uploading directly so that there are no random [​IMG]
     
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  5. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Thanks, John. It's loading photos, now. :)
     
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    Last edited: Oct 26, 2024
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  6. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Busy day today, used the loppers on vines until I was "tired"; of doing it. Put a new 17" hand rail in the bathroom, for Marie today, have two now, one for lowering yourself in the tub, and one on the outside for getting in and out. Can't be too safe, as you age; always think safety first, "my moto". :)
     
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  7. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Up at 4am; so may as well start planning my day, much to do. Guess I will continue working on the trail by fence; for Marie. Can't believe how many vines and briars there are in one area here, almost like they were planted by some one. That stuff grows unlike anything I've ever seen grow, unlike; how hard it is to care for a garden. :confused:

    The secret to a great garden, would be to find out how weeds and briars and stuff, grow so good and use that method on garden plants. Watched some of David the good, videos Marie put on, and he just chops and drops all the wild weeds and plants around his trees and plants for fertilizers; so maybe something to that; think I'm gonna try something like that. They also put weeds in water in a barrow and cover let sit, and later on pour that water over their plants for fertilizers. :)

    Video.

     
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    Last edited: Oct 27, 2024
  8. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I wonder how they stop the seeds of weeds from spreading when they use the weeds for fertilizer.
     
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  9. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    I'm not sure; seems it would be sort of a problem. :confused: Got about another ten feet into the trail, by the fence line, at 7 am. Getting there maybe ten or fifteen feet to go, it's thick vines, briars, and trees. :rolleyes:
     
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    Last edited: Oct 27, 2024
  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    If you are cutting them down right along, the weeds never get to the point of going to seed, because you are either pulling them up or chopping them off.
    I have my garden cart that I use and when I am weeding the little flower gardens out front, I put the weeds in the cart, and then I dump it behind the Azaleas or somewhere that i want it to become compost.

    I also grow extra comfrey plants and from time to time, I pull off a lot of the outside leaves , and those work great for fertilizer for the plants I have growing in containers.
    I also have a 5 gallon bucket that i can put the comfrey leaves in and let them sit and ferment into what they call comfrey tea, and then use that to water the container plants with.

    So, if you are chopping the weeds before they go to seed, they should make good green compost, @Jake Smith . The kudzu has large leaves which should work a lot like the comfrey does.
    I have read that people eat the kudzu flowers (maybe made tea ?), and the leaves are edible , but tough once they grow very large. Otherwise they can be cooked and eaten for greens. When we lived where we had kudzu, I tried cooking it, but I used too old of leaves, and they were very tough. Chopping them in the food processor would have probably helped. We don’t have any here, so I can’t do any more experiments.

    An interesting thing that i read is that Kudzu came originally from Japan, where they have grown it for centuries, but Japan is not overrun with it like we are here in the southern US.
    They eat the tender leaves as greens in stirfry, and the roots are ground and used as starch, like we use corn or potato starch, and also use it to make noodles with.
    Kudzu is also used as a medicine, and helps with several issues, including controlling blood sugar, and muscle pain. The root starch is called Kuzuko.
    Here is what I read this morning:

    1. Digestive Health: Kuzuko is gentle on the stomach and can help soothe digestive issues. It’s often used in traditional remedies for gastrointestinal discomfort.
    2. Anti-inflammatory Properties: Kudzu root contains compounds that have anti-inflammatory effects, which can help reduce inflammation in the body.
    3. Blood Sugar Regulation: Some studies suggest that kudzu root may help regulate blood sugar levels, making it potentially beneficial for people with diabetes.
    4. Antioxidant Effects: Kuzuko is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body from oxidative stress and free radical damage.
    5. Muscle Relaxation: Traditional uses of kudzu include relieving muscle pain and tension, thanks to its muscle relaxant properties.
     
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  11. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    Very informative, Yvonne, Never knew you could do all that with Kudzu; I'd heard they eat the roots and leaves, but never imagined it does all that. Learning something new everyday. Thanks.

    Also sounds like you're on top of gardening around your home, use stuff before it seeds. Making teas and such, great ideas. We are always working on compost too. Everything loves compost.

    Be back later heading back out to finish the trail, beside the fence.:)
     
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    Last edited: Oct 27, 2024
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  12. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    Yvonne I found a pic of the leaf, and thanks so much for info. I will try it for sure. I'm almost sure we have it growing here. Will find out today.
    ,

    [​IMG]


    @Yvonne Smith , I checked out what vines near house and so far only ones I see are the Greenbriar and Muscadine. I'll keep looking for them now that you mentioned it, especially for the medicinal benefits.
     
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    Last edited: Oct 27, 2024
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  13. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    The picture of the leaves is kudzu, and my plant identifier app says that it is part of the legume family, like beans and alfalfa are. Those leaves are probably going to be tough, so if you want to try using them for greens to cook, you would need to chop them really good (food processor), or purée them in the blender first and add to a soup like split pea soup or even bean soup. I have done that with my comfrey leaves, and they add a lot of nutrition to soup.
    Small leaves would be tender, but since this is fall, most of the leaves are probably going to be older ones maybe.

    The vines are tough, like a rope, and I remember thinking that a person should be able to use them to make baskets with, but I have no idea how to weave baskets with vines.
     
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  14. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
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    I got the picture online, so far no leaves here ,but I'm still looking when I'm in the woods.
     
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  15. Jake Smith

    Jake Smith Very Well-Known Member
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    I finally got another trail cut now, going all the way by fence in front, for Marie, and can now get into that area, to use loppers on large bamboo vines, briar vines and save some trees. What a "job" that was. Being up since 4am; didn't help either. :rolleyes: Time to "rest" now.
     
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