Putting Your Civic House in Order: How the Young Members of the Family Help

July 10, 2017

...ardens, clean vacant lots, and flowers, wild and cultivated, everywhere in greatest profusion. But of even greater value than these physical things are the effects upon the individuals who wrought the change–the teachers, children and parents–and the community at large. To the teachers the contest gave an opportunity for carrying gardening instruction into the homes in districts where school gardens have not as yet been organized, as well as for p...

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Epic Rants and Raves

Mr. Homegrown

August 4, 2017

Thoughtstylings

2 Comments

...an elemental virtue. In nature nothing is slighted, but the least and the greatest of tasks are performed with equal care, and diligence, and patience, and love, and intelligence. We are ineffectual because we are slovenly and lazy and content to have things half done; we are willing to sit down and give up before the thing is finished. Whereas we should never stop short of an utmost effort toward perfection, so long as there is a breath in our b...

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Spider Bite!

Mr. Homegrown

December 4, 2017

Pests

10 Comments

...long to UCSD alumni pal Professor Nic, who is visiting us from Canada, the greatest of nations. The bites sent him to the very same Kaiser emergency room that saved Kelly’s life last year. Unfortunately, modern medicine lacks any kind of test that would reveal the scientific name of the perpetrator. Kelly and I immediately pinned the blame on the infamous Brown Recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa). But, according to the LA County Natural History Mu...

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Bike Lane Blocking, An Angry Rant and Something You Can Do

Mr. Homegrown

November 13, 2018

Bikes, Transportation

6 Comments

...arked in a bike lane. Via @LABikeLaneBlock. Los Angeles could be America’s greatest bike city. The weather is mild, the city mostly flat and a network of rail connections make the combo of bike and transit an appealing option. See Peter Flax’s article “Los Angeles is the Worst Bike City in America” for the gruesome details about why it’s so bad. Let me just add that our climate crisis, so dramatically and tragically manifested in the wildfires tha...

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What Kind of Wall Anchor Should I Use?

Mr. Homegrown

July 30, 2021

Design

3 Comments

...e by Mario Rodriguez that, next to the meaning of life, unlocks the second greatest philosophical conundrum of all time, “what kind of wall anchor should I use?” If, like us, you live in an old house with lath and plaster walls you’ve likely made a mess at one point or had something just plain fall of the wall. By all means, if you can, get thee some picture rail. But, if that’s not an option, take a look at Rodriguez’s article for all your wall a...

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