Non-Steading Holiday Sampler! #FreebieFriday

Do you dislike mason jars?

Do you dread being dragged from bed at dawn on weekends to help garden?

Do you love your friends but hate hearing about their hobbies?

Do you prefer distractions that are streaming?

You may be a Non-Steader...

To help you find out, here's an excerpt from my book, Non-Steading! It's free right now, today only! #FreebieFriday

Sample of Chapter 8 - Non-Steading at the Holidays

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Halloween/All Souls' Day

Beyond even Christmas and Easter, this is probably the largest homesteader holiday, if only because it allows them to showcase all of their tips and tricks in a practical setting where it is hard to criticize. If the old November holiday was created for homesteaders, then this was one is almost certainly created by them every year.

Do you want to bob for apples? There is a homesteader in your community that has been restoring old oak barrels for the last eleven months for just that purpose and he cannot wait to tell you about it. Did you want to dress up as something? There is a contingent of PinThings people who have done nothing for the last 90 days but look up costume ideas and how-to infographics.

If you were hoping for a quick jaunt out to trick or treat with your kids, abandon all hope ye who exit your houses. This is the one holiday that isn’t tied to meeting up with some part of your family, so I would suggest Non-Steaders dress up, make one trip to the grocery store, together, in costume, purchase candy you actually want now that it’s on clearance and then go home and watch horror movies. These scary images will help distract you from the homesteaders as they celebrate their favorite holiday. On All Souls' Day, and even into Day of the Dead, depending on where you live, they may persist. If possible, just hibernate until it’s all over.

http://ow.ly/TAO7U

In Bloom-ers

Summer is ending. I won't say finally because I don't want to jinx myself, like a cop with only one week to go til retirement.

This means things will be way less colorful, pretty, bright and hot. But most of all, it means gardening is at an end!

For the next few months, short of a greenhouse* solution no one will plant anything! Maybe some pumpkin harvesting left, or a little corn or something useful, but pretty plants are done for.

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe is a lover of orchids, and at one point he discusses why the orchids are effectively his mistress. To paraphrase, they are capricious, expensive and they serve only to give him pleasure (if I find the quote, I'll add it here). Flowers that do nothing but look pretty are great if they give you pleasure, but for those of us who are non-steaders, we prefer less work. Summer ending means a few months where no one will ask us if we want to "help with the weeding".

*By greenhouse I mean they actually own a greenhouse.