A lot has happened in the last year or so since I've posted.
I won't go into all the details but... yeah, a lot has happened. Vague, I know, but I will save all that for another post. We are finally at the finish line, preparing for a last round of downsizing and packing for the road ahead. I will be spending the next week organizing and sorting through shit to donate/sell, etc. in anticipation of our mid-Septemeber departure. Basically the first leg of our journey will be driving up to North Dakota to work the sugar beet harvest for a month, with a few stops en route (most likely Chicago will be a highlight). If anyone has insight into cool shit to see/do otw from Florida to North Dakota, experiences with beet harvesting or anything else, please share your wisdom in the comments. In the meantime, peep our sick ass adventure whip: a mini-hearse named Count Vlad Van Nostromo (Vlad for short). I will be posting some updates and pics once I get to converting it for van living.
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Life has been a bit hectic lately, so things like blog posts have fallen... well, wayward. >___> I have been busily growing lots of things, inside and outside, and wanted to share some pics and updates about everything. With the elements being what they are, I tend to prefer starting seeds indoors and then moving the seedlings out once they're a bit bigger, but recently I have attempted some direct sowing outdoors. Lets just say I've had... mixed results. Florida soil is really more like sand, so everything has to be amended with proper soil and nutrients. Obviously that can get pricey. I initially attempted a small edible garden in an abandoned (gee, I wonder why?) 3' diameter planter out front, but 2 months later, I've met with scorching heat/sun, mini droughts, mini monsoons, rogue drivers (I have the tire tread pics to prove it), and overzealous lawncare people spraying weed killer on my scallions and radishes. What. The. Fuck. 😐 Lets just say that planter has been abandoned, yet again (at least for now; I am planning on growing rosemary and lavender for that later). So I started investigating some other options for gardening; the usual suspects included building a raised bed, and various container setups. Most were quite expensive and/or labor intensive, so I was feeling a bit frustrated. Then I happened to come across these City Pickers containers. They were on sale ($20 as opposed to $30 each), had very impressive customer reviews, and the pictures people posted of their results were INCREDIBLE. These boxes are only 24"x20", but I was consistently seeing people loading them up with two or three giant tomato plants, with various other veggies, herbs, and flowers peeking out all over. It seemed like a great investment. Got 4, some nice potting soil, some coconut coir, some garden lime and organic fertilizer, and went about planning my placements of everything. I can be a bit obsessive about certain things, and with wanting to really optimize my little container garden's output, I decided to research companion planting, and also map out the spacing of each box so everything would have optimal growing conditions. I even made a little placement diagrams for reference! Yes, I am a nerd. Anyway, I am now a little over 3 weeks into using these containers, and so far they get 4.5/5. This is based on a few things: ease of use, overall cost, plant health, design/quality. Ease: 5/5- very easy to set up; takes a little time, maybe 20 or 30 min to prepare for planting. Cost: 5/5- this is relative to similar planters on the market (EarthBox, etc) with features like self-watering, etc. Can't beat $20, AND they are actually made in the US! Plants: 5/5- Great growth and all around health, so far. I think the pics speak for themselves! Design/quality: 4/5- mostly due to the fact that the water intake tube is only held in place by surrounding soil, which frequently gets shifted around due to various factors. Every few days or so, I have to toss in a couple handfuls of soil to top it off and resecure the tube. No biggie. I have previously grown things like tomatoes in some 20 Gallon totes, and the biggest advantage of these over using something like that is definitely the self-watering aspect. So, on average, I would say you are paying about $10 more per container for the convenience (and plant happiness) of the self-watering feature. Happier and more productive people, happier and more productive plants. Seems like a win-win. Enough talking, enjoy some pics of my happy little garden!
If you're out on the road, you might not always have a lot of space for your fur-kids to run around. This makes something like leash training invaluable! Plus, its just fun to be able to go for a walk or camping with your cats! Our 3 have all taken to it pretty easily, just spending a few hours every other day or so wearing their harnesses and sometimes going outside for a bit of an adventure. It is so cute! :)
_T O D A Y_ I S_T H E_D A Y_
Episode 1 is coming in mere hours! :D #today #episode1 #webcomic#webcomicseries #comic #waywardjournals #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanliving #vanlife #cats #reallife #sliceoflife #weird #space #monsters #surreal #comedy #funny #horror #art #travel #camping #roadtrip #Tanuki #Oni #Hannya #Burrito #Áine #Crow |
ÁINE & CROW
We're Here. We're Queer. We Drink A Lot of Beer. Webcomic & Travel Blog filled with cats, comedy, art, surreality, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, travel, music, food, and general slice-of-life weirdness. Follow the daily lives and antics of 2 (humans?), Áine & Crow, and 4 cats, Oni, Hannya, Kitsune & Tanuki, as they prepare to travel across the country in a converted van. Archives
August 2018
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