Posted on 11/01/2024 6:46:36 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Many thanks to all of you. Harvesting the shed pine needles will also do me a world of good come spring. More needles used elsewhere means less needles to rake up and stick me like a pincushion. Win-win. :-)
Best States for Homesteading ~ Know Your Options:
I was actually planning on moving to TN before Beau showed up in my life. ;)
https://rurallivingtoday.com/homesteading-today/best-states-for-homesteading/
Free Land ~ How to Find Free Land for Homesteading :
https://rurallivingtoday.com/homesteading-today/free-land/
A neighbor when I lived in N Calif in Grass Valley used to ask me for ASHES from my wood stove.
She said they did wonders for her ROSES.
Never saw her roses-—Is she right???
That's a week or two for me so I started keeping a garden journal.
Exemption - from what?
Sounds good!
Holy Moly November already! Not much gardening here at the homestead. Been out running the snowblower. I decided enough of this being cold. I hung an eight foot Farm King on the back of the Challenger 45. Yep. Blowing snow in the easy chair with the heater going and the stereo on!
The icecile radishes, the snow peas, and the iceberg lettuce look Good. (ha ha)
Yesterday (while back in the flatlands), I noticed that the public schools were evidently out. No cars in the parking lots. Why? I know the schools close on voting day since they are used as voting precincts, but what is going on Nov. 1 Friday that would have everyone out? I checked the school calendar & the answer is:
Diwali, the Festival of Lights. ‘Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious lines. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists, although for each faith it marks different historical events and stories, but nonetheless the festival represents the same symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.’
While leaving town, I noticed the fireworks stand that appears for the 4th of July was open and busy. Again, it’s Diwali as ‘setting off firecrackers is a cherished tradition’.
I’m just wondering when Diwali became a holiday in the county’s public schools - first time I have realized it. If you get caught behind a school bus at the numerous apartment buildings & condos in the area, virtually all of the kids look Indian ... it’s a large population in the county so I’m sure pressure was brought to bear on the school board to be out of school on Diwali. The kids are “lucky” this year .... it’s a long weekend:
Nov. 1: Student and teacher holiday – Diwali (observed)
Nov. 4: Schools closed – Wellness Day
Nov. 5: Student holiday / Teacher virtual clerical day - Election Day
Now I also know why my neighbor at the old house rented a cabin in the mountains for the weekend - he has two school age kids & they’re off through Tuesday.
On the drive home, my cell phone rang ... it was the guy who took down the massive pine tree this spring that was threatening the slate roof on the house. The driveway only goes around to the back of the house & mom wants a driveway to the front door. I have been cutting across at least 40 yards of grass to get to the front door - easier to unload groceries there. Tree Guy also does driveways & parking lots so he’s showing up around 9 to talk ‘options’ and give us a quote. I originally thought mom was being super picky about wanting company to use the front door, but mom was right. I’m excited about being able to use the front door regularly and have people arrive there instead of in the back.
Stair lift is being installed Wednesday.
Fireplace insert arrived Thursday, about 15 minutes before we left for the flatlands, so I was able to get it in the house instead of it sitting on the patio overnight. We decided to forego the thousand$ it would take for gas fireplaces and put in electric inserts just for the ‘ambiance’ of a fire. They are also electric heaters that can knock the chill off the air. The one we chose is supposedly “more realistic than a real fire!” according to one review LOL. I should get it installed over the weekend (plug & ‘burn’, supposedly). If we like it, we’ll order a 2nd for the other fireplace.
This is Apple Weekend for me ... the last of the orchard apples bought 3 weeks ago HAVE to be used/preserved. Cinnamon apples are the easiest & will freeze. I am contemplating just how much work I want to do (peel, slow cooker, freeze or peel, stove cook, can) ... it’s going to be a great weekend weather wise & I would like to spend most of my time outdoors.
Yes, ashes are good for roses. So are coffee grounds. They like things a little bit acidic, but I wouldn’t go overboard on wood ash on anything.
“However, it’s important to note that using too much wood ash can be harmful to your roses. Wood ash is highly alkaline and can quickly raise the pH of your soil if applied in large quantities. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies and other problems for your roses. It’s essential to use wood ash in moderation and to test your soil regularly to ensure that it remains within the proper pH range.”
https://greenpacks.org/is-wood-ash-good-for-roses/
“Exemption - from what?”
Having to deal with City Folk? Probably taxes. While this info was updated in October 24, who knows if this is for real? I would check with your local Tax Person to see if you can apply for any homesteading benefits! Mother Government DID do away with the ‘Homestead Credit’ back in the 70’s, I think? Can’t have people being self-sufficient on their OWN LAND now, can we? Jerks.
We take advantage of tax breaks with some set-aside land (land that is not used for crops) we are developing for Deer Management. That’s where we planted those 400 seedling trees in what ended up being a drought year (2012) but we managed to still get 200 out of the 400 growing! The seedlings were free through some program our friend Randy found for us.
I’m so excited to hear about all of the things you do to get around the weather with your gardening up in Alaska!
I need to put my unheated greenhouse to better use. This was an off-year as I was raising puppies and they dismantled the greenhouse contents more than ONCE this season.
Can’t blame them! It was the warmest place to be this Spring and it’s still the warmest this Fall. (We are keeping 2 that are still running loose; the other 4 have been sold to their Fur-ever Homes.)
Haven’t heard of that holiday. Whatever the schools can get away with to still get paid tax dollars and not have to actually WORK is my first thought, of course. *Rolleyes*
Lots of progress going on! Get as much accomplished as you can while Dear Old Mom is willing to pay. ;)
We used to have a REAL fireplace in the family room, but it’s such a messy process that Beau installed a Propane ‘fake’ fireplace that is still very nice (he hand-crafted the Cherry wood Mantle and has also made one for one of my BFFs) and it’s the only source of heat in that room and it really warms the place up.
Ceiling fans help, too. Do you have those in that room? Our Beagle used to park his butt in front of the fireplace during any cold snaps and his fur would be so HOT I thought for sure he was going to burst into flames! But he never did, of course. ;)
Yes, we have a ceiling fan in the living room & in all the bedrooms. I wish we had one in the eating area which will be the 2nd fireplace insert location.
There was a country feed store I would go to when I needed some ‘senior’ horse feed for my elderly horse (she made it to 29). The source of heat in the winter was a large wood stove - pipe went up to a high ceiling & across the building before it vented out - lots of heat radiated off the pipe as well as the stove. Floors were old wood & uneven, really a true country place. The stove was off the floor on cinderblocks & that is where the store cats would be, basking/snoozing in the warmth. There had to be some sort of insulation on the bottom of that stove (probably a piece of asbestos which was the insulation under the fire box on my granny’s stove) or I think it would have been too hot for them.
PS: Tree Guy came, right on time this morning. He’s a very polite, very ‘country’ sort of guy & he’s on Team Garbage, too. I hate to admit it, but he charmed me last spring doing the tree removal & I don’t ‘charm’ easily. He’s not trying to be charming, it’s just his demeanor & he’s now got mom charmed, too LOL.
He’s coming back next week to lay out the driveway with paint so mom can have a ‘visual’ & he will measure to see how much stone we will need. I will be doing a very short paver sidewalk & he’ll level that spot out & put down stone dust for me where the pavers will go (yes, yet ANOTHER project!).
Found it.
If you file for bankruptcy in Missouri, the homestead exemption will protect some of the equity in your home. ($15,000)
So if you owe $15k or less on your home, you won’t get your home taken away by the bankruptcy trustees.
Wow. That’s amazingly HELPFUL.
I haven’t run a mortgage calculator lately but I’m probably around the $15k owed mark. BUT, it’s owner finance so it probably wouldn’t apply.
They’ve got another law with the word homestead in it that helps with property tax if there’s a single increase of 2.5% or more. Some members of congress are also trying to push a law that exempts seniors from property tax altogether. Now that would be helpful.
Mine’s only $22/yr because they call my house a cabin since it’s not on a concrete slab or concrete perimeter foundation. It’s up on six poles and the framing was done like a pole barn. My neighbor’s prop tax for a small house on a slab is $220/yr.
Now if they could get rid of sales tax on food and also get rid of personal property tax. I think they took chickens off it at least. They used to want you to pay pp tax on any chickens you owned. I never claimed mine. Frickin chickin tax, gimme a break.
It’s already $100+ a year for my two old vehicles. If I keep them long enough, I will have paid more in tax than the purchase price of them. Can’t get out of paying on those because the tax collector is tied into the DMV system and go by vehicles titled to me. Can’t renew your tags until you show proof of having paid the pp taxes either.
They used to call MA, taxachusetts so I guess MO is taxouri.
I live in one of the highest taxed states in the nation, so I feel your pain. However, moving OUT of Dane County was truly the key for me in retirement.
Property taxes for 1.2 acres (my ‘Farmette’) were $3,800.00/year and rising. Out here at least we have 160 acres for about $3,500.00.
Chicken tax? I’d be pluckin’ chickens right up until the Tax Man pulled into the drive, LOL!
In these parts they will exempt the first $150,000.00 of the assessed value in figuring the property taxes if you are over 65 and live on the property. We also have a voter initiative that limits how much the dreaded borough can raise taxes. Of course initiatives have to be re-enacted by the voters every two years. Anything the borough assembly does is cast in stone forever. Messing with the tax cap is political suicide.
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