Concrete is probably one of the greatest inventions ever invented by man or was it woman? The Romans used it to expand their empire by building some of the greatest aqueducts ever known to man. If fact, it was the Roman invention of underwater concrete that allowed them to build the first concrete piers ever known. This achievement alone allowed them to create or expand harbors in locations that until that time were useless as such. Yet, even today pouring concrete is considered a difficult, only to be sourced out project that in truth any homeowner can do with a little preparation and skill.
The best concrete project for any homeowner to tackle is that of a patio or short walkway. The advantage of these two choices is that they are both large enough for a concrete truck, but small enough for a crew of two to tackle. .......
We all like onions and if we added up the number of onions we actually use in the United States each year, it would total 20 pounds per person per year. In my family, we like onions a lot and use them in almost everything we eat. As I was writing this article, I calculated the amount of onions that we consume each year and it totaled 50 pounds per person. Sounds like a lot, but when compared to the people of Libya who actually eat over 66 pounds of onions per person each year it doesn’t seem quite so much. As onions have always been cheap, I never developed the skills needed to grow the amounts that my family would need if we ever decided that we were going to give up the grocery store and live off the land. I know, living off the land is a difficult thing to do, but one has to have a goal in life and this one is a lot of fun and it does help with the family budget! So after my repeated failures at growing onions, I looked into the possibility of having an onion in my garden that would give me the ability to harvest without the aggravation of replanting each year and the disappointments that go with it. After a bit of research, two types of onions came to light, the Welsh Onion and the Egyptian Walking Onion, both of which are perennials. .....
As you may have heard, the nation is on a “green” kick and things that we considered good and acceptable before are no longer treated as such. We no longer use lead in our paint as it causes brain damage, we have reduced the phosphates in our detergents so we can reduce the amount of algae in our rivers and streams. Many, if not most of these changes have been for the good, as I can remember living in Southern California in the late 70s and not being able to see the mountains for the smog that permeated the air we breathed. To this day, I swear my endurance and ability to grab a lungful of air has been affected by that smog, but one change that we have created in the name of going “green” has been anything but beneficial. That is the use of ethanol in our gasoline!.....
Are you looking to stretch your food dollars, but not willing or able to cook everything from scratch? It may be time to look at what our parents did in order to balance their food budget. Yes, it may be time to start couponing, that divisive practice that always seems to be slowing down the check out lanes at the grocery store and giving everyone in that lane a headache as coupon after coupon is scanned and verified by the beleaguered cashier before checkout. Yet, if you are willing to be diligent and methodical, couponing can be a viable alternative to the escalating costs an ever-expanding food budget.
Enjoy!
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