Free Egg Testing for California Backyard Chicken Keepers

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Animals, Chickens
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If you keep a backyard chicken flock and are concerned about contaminants in your eggs, UC Davis is offering free egg testing for California residents. Specifically they are testing for fire contaminants and heavy metals.

Fire Contaminant Testing
Due to the recent fires, there is concern about backyard chickens ingesting contaminants from the ground and transmitting these to their eggs. UCD SVM is interested in testing eggs from these backyard flocks for various contaminants such as heavy metals, building materials, chemicals, etc.

Heavy Metal Contaminant Testing
Due to observation of high environmental lead levels in parts of California, there is concern that backyard chickens are being exposed to a level that could pose a public health risk. UCD SVM is interested in testing eggs from these birds for various contaminants such as Pb, PCBs, and PBDEs.

I know that our soil has lead in it and have always been curious to see if our chickens are passing any of this lead into their eggs. I sent off eggs for testing last Friday and will report back on the test results.

The New York Times reported on the issue of contaminants in eggs from backyard flocks back in 2012. If you’re a California resident and would like to send in some eggs for testing, check the UC Davis egg study website for a form to fill out as well as shipping directions. They will even assist with shipping costs if needed. Not only is this a great opportunity for backyard flock owners, but it’s also a way to advance the cause of environmental science.

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Green Toys Tractor Vehicle. The Green Toys Tractor puts a whole new spin on farm-to-table. With chunky, go-anywhere tires and a detachable rear trailer, little farmers can harvest and haul the freshest organic produce their imaginations can grow.

Saturday Tweets: Beet Raisins, Seed Libraries and a Pepperoni Disaster

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Saturday Linkages

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Decorative Fusion Knots: A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide to New and Unusual Ornamental Knots. Respected internationally for his knotting skills and clear, concise video and book presentations, J. D. Lenzen shows how to tie knots like no others. Just as origami figurines are created through the merging of different folding techniques, he creates new knots by combining historical knot elements and new knotting techniques.

Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop in Silver Lake this Weekend

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Events

Our neighbor Lora is putting on a fruit tree pruning workshop on Sunday. Here’s the 411:

I’m an arborist and I’m doing a charity bike ride to raise money for tree research and education. Rather than bother my friends and family for donations I thought I would use my actual skills and knowledge to raise money for this great cause. I need to prune my own fruit trees this weekend, so why not make it a workshop?!

This Sunday, April 8th from 1pm-3:00 pm in HaFo SaFo (Echo Park/Silver Lake) I have taught fruit tree pruning classes at botanical gardens including The Huntington and I will adapt the same handouts I’ve used for this workshop. We will prune 1 peach, 1 apple and 1 lemon tree so that we can discuss the three most common types of fruit tree pruning for Southern Californians. I’m asking for a $40 donation per person to attend (though you are welcome to donate more!) Once you donate I will reply with the exact address. Here is the link for more info. Thanks! https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/lora-hall—the-britton-fund-ride-2018/lorahall1

Soap as a Furniture and Floor Finish

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Cleaning, Domesticus

An old idea still practiced in some northern European countries, dissolved soap flakes can be used as a furniture and floor finish. Soap is non-toxic and, as Christopher Schwarz points out in this video, your clothes get cleaner when you take on this annual chore. And that’s the only catch: like wax, you have to re-apply at least once a year as part of a household wide soapy cleaning ritual.

More detailed info on soap finishes here.

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How to Fix the Future. Powerful, urgent, and deeply engaging, How to Fix the Future vividly depicts what we must do if we are to try to preserve human values in an increasingly digital world and what steps we might take as societies and individuals to make the future something we can again look forward to.

News From Around the Root Simple Compound

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Design
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This week a crew will descend on our backyard to begin phase one of a backyard landscaping reboot. First they will break out the word’s ugliest concrete patio and remove the infamous grape arbor, a.k.a. rat canopy. Then they will dig down to adjust the grading at the back of the house so that water flows away not towards the house.

I struggle for words to fully describe the ugliness of this concrete patio. It’s a cracked abomination made of red tinted concrete with a layer of flaking gray paint. It’s the first thing you see when you exit the back door and it’s driven me nuts for years. Our contractor likes to reuse concrete but but I doubt this stuff is savable. He plans to replace it with a new patio made of broken concrete. Then he’ll replace the arbor with a more carefully constructed one minus the grapes.

Meanwhile, in the workshop, I’ve had a kind of awakening to the use of hand planes. They’ve been in use for thousands of years and don’t send you push notifications or collect your most private thoughts or “likes.” In addition to using those hand planes to finish a new kitchen table, I’ve been experimenting with the oddball practice of fuming oak. Full report when the projects are finished.

And, yes, we’re really late with the next episode of the podcast. I’m on it.

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Paracord Fusion Ties – Volume 1: Straps, Slip Knots, Falls, Bars, and Bundles. J.D. Lenzen is the creator of the highly acclaimed YouTube channel ”Tying It All Together”, and the producer of over 200 instructional videos. He’s been formally recognized by the International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT) for his contributions to knotting, and is the originator of fusion knotting–the creation of innovative knots through the merging of different knot elements or knotting techniques.