This App Identifies Plants From Pictures

I don’t know how many times someone has sent me a picture and asked me to identify their “mystery plant”. Countless times! There’s now a solution… at least for anyone who owns a smartphone.

(It was brought to my attention that this app was really made to identify plants from Western Europe. I didn’t realize that at the time of writing this. Here is another app that should work better for US folks.)

It’s called PlantNet and it’s an app available that’s available in the Google Play Store as well as in the Apple App Store (it works on the iPad too!).

PlantNet allows you to upload a picture you’ve taken with your phone and it will find the closest match from its database of over 100,000 images from more than 4,000 species!

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How To Create An Emergency Ammo Can First Aid Kit

When it comes to having a well-stocked first aid kit, I want to be prepared.  I truly do.

Having spent weeks at a time on a boat in the remote waters of British Columbia, I have always understood that a drugstore and medical doctor may not be accessible.  If sick or wounded, I would be on my own.

So why then, were my first aid supplies in such a disorderly mess?

In hindsight, I believe that in spite of having good intentions, it was a lot easier to keep purchasing supplies then to organize them.

It was easy to get something on Amazon then toss it in a drawer or into the  large “first aid” bin I keep in the garage.

The problem with this method is that I never really had a good handle on what I had and what I really would need in an emergency.

I simply kept buying and tossing, buying and tossing.  Sound familiar?

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Getting Started With Essential Oils

Essential oils are a great way to improve your health in a natural way.

Don’t run to the doctor every time you feel bad. Getting a Essential Oil Basic Starters Kit to get started. Once you get the hang of it , you can pick and choose certain oils that you use the most often.

The first thing that you need to do is to choose the oils that you want to use. Ask yourself what benefits that you are wanting from the essential oils.

There are so many oils to choose from. Find out what each one is good for and decide what you want to use for your needs and choose what scents that you like.

With essential oils you can discover which oils work best when blended together and you can experiment with different ones. Put little drops here and a few there until you get the one that you enjoy and works best for you.

Aromas work differently for everyone. Find the one for you.

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The Cheapskate’s Guide To Surviving Without Air Conditioning

It’s that time of year again. The mercury is climbing…and staying there, way up at the top of the thermometer.

But running an air conditioner at full blast to combat the heat can be very expensive, and for those of us on a budget, the resulting bill can be crippling.

So what can you do when the heat is on, while still maintaining a reasonable electric bill? These simple tips can help you keep your cool on even the hottest day.

Avoid heating up your house.

Many of the things that we do without thinking are unconsciously adding 5-10 degrees of heat to an already uncomfortably warm house.

In the hottest part of the year, I avoid running certain appliances. Some folks say to run those heat-creating appliances at night, but I depend on the cool nighttime temperatures to bring my home down to a comfortable level for the next day.

In the summer, avoid or limit your use of the following:

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Off Grid Living – You Can Do it Too 

Solar Powered Generator converted using the principles of off grid living, no matter where in the world they are. There is a steadily rising interest in the use of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro electric power generation as a means to reduce dependence on fossil fuel burning power plants. Technology has advanced and costs have been reduced at the same time.

With the many kits, resources and guides available today, living off the grid can even be accomplished by do-it-yourselfers. Those that have moved to off grid living are today resting easy in the knowledge that their bill are getting less even as global energy costs are rising.

 Some people are still convinced that they would need to give up their electrical appliances and gadgets to live off the grid. This couldn’t be further from the truth. All that living off the grid entails is learning how to control your energy usage. There are a few very simple things that can be done to save electricity such as turning off lights in rooms that are not in use.

Use appliance that don’t use power when turned off, like microwave oven and stove clocks. Computers, printers and some chargers continue to leech power and add to your bills when they are off or in standby mode – see those little indicator lights?. Your luxuries don’t need to be sacrificed when your are trying off grid living, you just need to learn how to be smarter when using them.

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Rainwater Harvesting And Use: Understanding The Basics Of Rainwater Harvesting 

New Updated and Expanded version with new content, diagrams, pictures and charts to help you get started now on designing your own rainwater Harvesting System.

There is a global water crisis that is growing worse each day and we all need to take action to secure water for our own use. Water security is something we all can learn to do via rainwater harvesting. Water conservation isn’t enough so learning the basics of rainwater harvesting is a must. This isn’t a difficult task as long as you understand the basics steps and take action now.

According to World Resources Institutes October 2000 publication, “By 2025 at least 3.5 billion people – about half the world’s population – will live in areas without enough water for agriculture, industry, and human needs…

Worldwide, water quality conditions appear to have degraded in almost all regions with intensive agriculture and in large urban and industrial areas.”

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Make An Awesome Cayenne Salve For Pain Relief 

A few months back I made a batch of Cayenne Salve.  It was simple to do.  After infusing the ground cayenne pepper in olive oil, I added some beeswax and was good to go.  My feeling was this: if a catastrophic disruptive event occurred, after a year or two I would exhaust my supply of pain relieving essential oils and then what?

The answer, I hoped, was to infuse spices and herbs in a carrier oil and use the resulting concoction instead.  If I could turn the results into a salve, all the better.

Fortunately, infusing spices and dried herbs is very easy to do.  It does take a couple of weeks but other than that, all you need is a carrier oil, your spice and herb mixture, and a covered jar.  It really does not get much simpler than that.

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How To Homestead When You Rent Part Five 

Homesteaders wear coats of many colors these days.  Beyond the traditional land owner working their spread, there are homesteaders that live in cities, suburbia, condos, and apartments.  Many rent their homes and do not own them.

In their own way, each homesteader does what he or she can.  They “homestead in place” and make the best of it.  Their universal goal is to be self-sufficient and to live a simpler life, as difficult as that might be.  A simpler life, although not necessarily an easier life.  Be aware of that.

Regardless. a simpler, most self-sufficient life is the goal of most homesteaders. This is a goal that is within reach of all of us.

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Homestead Farms, An Oasis In The Midst Of Urban Development In City Of Fort Worth, Texas 

With housing developments and strip malls popping up all around them, and a Fort Worth road project poised to take a painful bite out of their land, the Farrises are working hard to preserve their little corner of country living — and share it with their urban community.

Tuesdays through Saturdays, they open up Homestead’s slice of simpler times to visitors. A small, rustic billboard on Keller Hicks Road invites passers-by to turn into the property’s pebbled drive for a visit to the tiny farm store. There, raw goat milk is available for purchase in glass bottles along with pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken products and seasonal produce from their own field and those of other local growers.

While there, visitors are welcome to wander and visit the goats and pigs, look in on the laying hens, check out the fruit and veggie patch and greet Boo — a laid-back giant mix of Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd who is usually found sprawled out in the yard or on a wooden porch.

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Planting Brassicas 

Yesterday I wrote about the Parsley, and mentioned that I had been intending to remove it to make space for planting brassicas. If you read my post you will know that the Parsley got a reprieve, but the brassicas were planted anyway. I have put in four Brussels Sprouts and eight “de Ciccio” Broccoli plants. Here’s a general view of the bed, with the Brussels Sprouts in a single row down the middle, the Broccoli at the edges and the Parsley still in place at the far end…

You will notice that the brassicas are protected by pieces of black plastic, so let me explain what this is about.

Young brassicas are often attacked by Cabbage Root Fly, which lay their eggs in the soil right next to the plants. When the eggs develop into larvae, they begin to feed on the roots and stems of the brassica plants, which often wither and die as a result. It is thus traditional to protect the brassicas with “collars”, which make it hard for the flies to deposit their eggs near the plants.

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Rabbit Hunting Made Simple: 21 Steps To Rabbit Hunting Success 

LEARN:: How to Successfully Hunt Rabbits Even If You Have No Rabbit Hunting Experience

Do you want to hunt Rabbits but are frustrated with your lack of success?  We have all been there.  We have spent hundreds of dollars on hunting supplies and hours driving, walking through the woods but then not finding any rabbits or missing the shot at the Rabbit.  That is the experience of many beginning rabbit hunters. Whether you are new to rabbit hunting or you have been rabbit hunting without much success, “Rabbit Hunting Made Simple” can get you bagging more rabbits.

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