Tabla de contenidos para January/February 2022 en Grit

I began my tour in Huntley, Illinois, just off Interstate 90. The residents of Sun City Huntley, an active-adult community, decided that their barn, with its big plank wall, was a perfect place for a barn quilt. They were right. Then, I drove back onto nearby Marengo Road for two other sightings about five minutes apart. A few minutes after photographing the Marengo Road barns, I saw another quilt on Coral Road. Coming home, I spotted a barn quilt on a backyard shed. The movement is growing! If you’re planning your own quilt trail tour, here are a few tips to make the most of your experience. • Plan for good weather, as much as possible. Many quilts are located along rural roads, which can become difficult to drive on…

BOOKS AND POSTCARDS I’m looking for any books about dogs and cats. Also, old or new pretty postcards would be appreciated. Virginia Hund 342 Earl Road Richfield Springs, NY 13439 PEN PAL AND FISH RECIPES I’m a fitness enthusiast, foodie, and animal lover looking for a pen pal. Also, I’m looking for trout and catfish recipes. Kevin Harmon 4014 S. Francisco Ave., 1st floor Chicago, Illinois 60632 KNITTING PATTERN I’m looking for knitting instructions for an infant-toddler sweater coat with a hood. The pattern was published in a large craft magazine in the late 1950s or ’60s. I lost it during a move. I appreciate any help locating this pattern. Mrs. Sandra E. Krase 1470 N Maple St. McPherson, KS 67460 PEN PAL I’m looking for a pen pal. I…

Let’s face it. When visualizing the installation of a new vegetable or flower bed, our mind’s eye usually focuses on the essence of gardening: tasty veggies or fancy flowers. Everything in between is a lot of work — and sweat too! The lovely outcome of that labor, however, hinges on a not-so-glamorous element: soil. That’s right; the bounty relies on the substrate — dare I say “dirt” — that supports and nourishes green plants. Depending on the specific location and geography, there are many types of soil. In the eastern United States, for instance, soils tend to be loamy, nutrient-rich, neutral or slightly acidic, and moderately moist. By contrast, soils in the West tend toward sandy, rocky, dry, nutrient-poor, and alkaline. In the Midwest, moderately moist, dark, loamy, and fertile…

Caringfor laying hens can be a challenge. The number of health problems that can befall your flock is mind-boggling, and a handful of particularly common issues can keep small-time poultry raisers up at night. Fortunately, the most common problems are also the most treatable — with the right knowledge and skills. From egg binding to crop impaction, these problems will eventually come up if you keep hens for eggs. Here’s what you need to know to solve them. Crop Impaction If one of your hens suddenly seems listless, feeble, and apathetic, start by checking her crop, the part of the digestive tract that sits under a hen’s breast. If it looks distended or you can feel a hard mass, your chicken probably has an impacted crop. A healthy hen’s crop…

You may have seen the terms “jackknife” and “pocketknife” used interchangeably, and while most of the time this is appropriate, there are some slight differences between the two. Typically, a jackknife is defined as a large pocketknife, with one or more folding blades, that should be able to comfortably fit in a pocket or similar storage. However, some pocketknives might not be classified as jackknives, such as the penknife, because of its smaller size and lack of broad utility. In general, you can use “jackknife” and “pocketknife” to refer to any folding, compact knife, but in certain contexts, one of these words may be more suitable than the other. Carrying steel can be a touchy thing outside your property lines, and some jurisdictions are quite particular on what’s considered a…

Flea Beetles Be Gone I love eating eggplant, and I’ve been trying to grow the plants for years. I’ve tried all the suggested ways to prevent flea beetles, from growing catnip alongside the plants, to spraying the plants with soapy water, to watering them with hot pepper water. I’ve also tried neem oil, diatomaceous earth, and reflective foil. Nothing worked! This year, someone suggested I try wood ashes. I heat with wood and have a lot of wood ash, so I sprinkled it around my baby eggplants and dusted it on the leaves. I did this each time I saw new leaf growth or after a rain. I continued a regular application of wood ash until I saw fruit starting to form. After that, I just kept my eye on…

From excessive sweat to fungal infections, lots of problems can plague your “piggies” and keep you from feeling good on your feet. Thankfully, natural remedies made with easy-to-find ingredients can restore your feet and help them feel fresh, healthy, and odor-free in no time. Odoriferous and Sweaty Feet One of our skin’s important functions is to keep our body temperature within certain boundaries. The body loses the most heat via the head, armpits, hands, and feet. In fact, there are more sweat glands per square inch in the soles of the feet than in any other part of the body. (A pair of feet contain approximately 250,000 sweat glands, which can release about 8 ounces of moisture each day!) Shoes that enclose the entire foot, no matter what material they’re…

Most new brewers are constantly looking for ways to improve their craft. Luckily, a lot of brewing information is available to the hobbyist. The internet is filled with websites and forums devoted to homebrewing, and a wealth of books have been published on the topic. On the other hand, inexperienced brewers looking for advice are bombarded with information, some of it sound, and some not — and it can be hard to tell the difference. In any fairly complex process, quality is determined by the weakest link in the chain of production, and the weakest link is frequently the aspect that’s the least interesting. If you’re a brewer who wants to improve your craft, look for your weak spot, and expect it to be a part of the process that…

On a road trip to Macon County, North Carolina, I began noticing painted quilt squares on rural buildings. They were almost always a single square painted on a board mounted on the outside of a barn or other structure. I was intrigued. My first thought was that it was a wonderful idea, combining tradition and beauty with the durability of American barns. Then, I learned that the first official barn quilt trail was started in 2001 by Donna Sue Groves, who wanted to honor her mother, Maxine. She did so with a painted quilt square on her family’s barn in Adams County, Ohio. She then began working with other community members to display barn quilts in a localized grouping, or “quilt trail,” hoping to encourage tourism and economic growth. Now,…

We enjoy GRIT very much. The magazine is down-to-earth and has many good ideas. In “Brick by Brick” (Our View, September/October 2021), Caitlin talked about her brick patio project, and I could relate. We built our ranch-style house into a hill with a walk-out basement in the front. We needed to install a retaining wall or otherwise come up with a way to maintain all the dirt piled around the front our house. I like waterfalls, and I thought that hillside would be the perfect place for one. So my husband, Verlin, started in with our skid-steer and reshaped the dirt piles for me. Then, it was my turn to dig a hole for the waterfall. Next, we lined the waterway with rubber roofing material so water wouldn’t leak away,…

If you want to grow buckwheat, choose a cultivar that’s compatible with your Zone, climate, and growing purposes. Here are a few popular cultivars to try. • Common buckwheat seeds are marketed simply as “common buckwheat,” without a maintained cultivar. Most of these are ‘Manor,’ ‘Mancan,’ or a mixture of the two. Common buckwheat is often grown as a cover crop.• ‘Horizon’ is a large-seeded cultivar that had high yields in North Dakota and Canada trials. It has better test weight compared with other cultivars. • ‘Keukett’ is a new cultivar whose seed is being bulked up for commercial trials in the Northeast.• ‘Koma’ is large-seeded and high-yielding.• ‘Koto’ became available to growers in 2002. It was commercially tested annually in New York from 1999 to 2001, outperforming ‘Manisoba’ in…

A jackknife’s working edge sees plenty of action — sometimes a little too much — leading to a dull edge. I recall many an old-timer simply picking up a handy fieldstone and “brushing ‘er up,” with no real thought for the quality of the job. Yikes! Good steel needs care and constant sharpening. Get yourself one of those palm-sized, rectangular sharpening stones you’d find in a store’s display case or online. Some folks prefer a coarse stone grit, while others like a medium grit, but both grits have something to offer. A rough surface will work out the nicks or other damage a rural edge gets; a finer grit will finish the job with a smooth, sharp, ready-for-work edge. A fine grit file, not the deep rasp you use in…

SWEDISH DISHCLOTH IVORY OR GRAY, 10-PACK Swedish dishcloths are an eco-friendly, all-purpose cleaning cloth that replaces your traditional sponges, rags, and paper towels. Use them to wipe down counters and appliances, clean up after children, detail vehicles, and so much more. Cloths are 70% cellulose, 30% cotton, 100% eco-friendly, and imported directly from Sweden. #11218/20 $20.00 Member: $18.00 GREAT BOOK OF SHOP DRAWINGS FOR CRAFTSMAN FURNITURE This big book provides complete working shop drawings for 61 classic furniture pieces. The author, a master cabinetmaker, measured original Craftsman antiques to create these detailed plans. With full perspective views, elevations, sections, details, and cutting lists for each project, this revised collection gives today’s woodworkers the heart of the Craftsman aesthetic, along with all the information needed for workshop success. #10906 $24.99 Member:…