Looking for the Union Label

September 12, 2007

...d a highly catchy ad jingle from the roller disco era, “Look for the Union Label” (youngsters can watch it on youtube here). We looked for the union label and we were surprised to find it via a company called Union House which carries a functional, if unexciting line of apparel. Unless hipsters take to golf shirts in an ironic fashion judo move, these offerings will never be cool like the domestically made clothes made by the union busting folks o...

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114 Will of The Weekend Homestead on Fire Safety

Mr. Homegrown

December 13, 2017

Podcasts

3 Comments

On the podcast this week I talk to Will of the The Weekend Homestead about fire safety and life on his rural Wisconsin getaway. Will is a former firefighter and avid YouTuber and reached out to me to respond to a post I did on open floor plans and fires. During the podcast we talk about: Christmas fire safety–keep that tree watered! Smoke detectors Fire extinguishers and how to use them Common causes of residential fires What it’s like to be a fi...

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Steal this Book!

Mr. Homegrown

May 28, 2008

Thoughtstylings

7 Comments

...family! Blog, twitter, friend, digg and yell! From the press release: The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for a burgeoning new movement: urbanites are becoming farmers. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, city dwellers are reconnecting with their land while planting seeds for the future for our cities. Whether you’d like to harvest your own vegetables, keep heirloom chickens, or become more energy independent, this...

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Getting Those Bees Back to the Garden

Mr. Homegrown

March 13, 2015

Animals, Bees, Thoughtstylings

10 Comments

...rial beekeepers and the role these practices play in the overall health of bees. This is not even to mention the profligate use of water to grow almonds. Johnny said that these beehives reminded him of Stalinist apartment blocks he photographed on a recent trip to the Ukraine. I don’t intend this to be an editorial against the Langstroth hive (I think you can use a Langstroth responsibly but certainly not in the concentrations seen in these pictur...

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The Smell of Bees

Mr. Homegrown

October 16, 2013

Animals, Bees

15 Comments

...wall next door to my friend’s house. If you know what this smell is, please leave a comment as I’ve been unable to find a good answer. I’m guessing that it’s a mixture of many smells: fermenting honey, pollen, wax, propolis, pheromones, etc. And I’m sure that the bees can parse out these smells as easily as we skip around the internet. Micheal Thiele describes beehives as, “a giant nose.” To us this hive smell is a complex mixture of smell notes,...

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