Tag: sustainable living
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🌱 Living Sustainably: Choosing All-Natural, Homemade Products Over Commercial
Happy autumn, friends! I hope this beautiful season finds you enjoying the spoils of harvest and soaking in the colors and scents of nature’s grand finale. The trees are performing their yearly ritual of dazzling transformation—from green to glowing golds, rustic browns, and deep oranges—and I can never get enough. Autumn always sparks my creativity.…
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Q&A: Life as a Craft Show Vendor with Dandelion + Burdock
Recently, Dandelion+Burdock founder Suzanne Lynch sat down for a very official, not-at-all-serious interview with Marigold McQuestions (that’s me). Over a cup of coffee and a pile of half-finished labels, we talked about the highs, lows, and hair-snagging realities of life as a craft show vendor. Q1. What drew you to selling at craft shows and…
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Midsummer Dreams and Nightmares: Growing Food in a Changing Climate
Realizing dreams and accepting failures while building a food forest Summertime, and the living is indeed easy—especially this year, after our horrendous winter. Beginning in March, the sun’s position realigns with my solar panels, and my generator use plummets. By May, I can turn off the propane heater and use the wood stove for those…
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Benefits of Sweet Almond Oil for Your Skin
Essential oils need to be diluted before applying to your skin. I use Sweet Almond Oil as my main carrier oil in many of my products. Why? Sweet Almond Oil has so many amazing and natural benefits. Skin Hydration Sweet Almond Oil contains many nutrients that are good for the skin, including vitamins, minerals, fatty…
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Grit, Grace, and Renovations: Women Over 50 Are Homesteading Solo
This month’s blog post is coming in under the wire. Spring is always hectic, but this year it has been even more so due to a leaking toilet and a renovation I hadn’t planned on. From the end of April until this very weekend, I have been slowly getting my bathroom back. Although I am…
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Action Absorbs Anxiety
Preparation is the foundation of peace of mind—and every step you take today builds a more resilient tomorrow. Spring as a Fresh Start Thankfully, spring has arrived, bringing a welcome shift after a long, challenging winter. This season always feels like a fresh start to me—not just for the garden, but for all the projects…
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Winter 2025 Just Never Stopped
Surviving an Extreme Winter as a Solo Lady Living Off-Grid (Part 2) I hadn’t planned for this to be a follow-up to my January post, but here we are. Thankfully, I made it to spring! I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see temperatures above freezing and life getting back to normal. I’m…
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The Benefits of Using Natural Ingredients in Body Care: Good for You and the Planet
In a world where we are becoming more conscious of what we put in our bodies, it only makes sense to also be mindful of what we put on them. Many conventional body care products contain synthetic chemicals, artificial fragrances, and preservatives that can be harsh on our skin and harmful to the environment. Natural…
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Supporting Local Businesses: A Small Choice with a Big Impact
Hello from upstate New York, where we are currently being absolutely pummeled with snow. What better time to sit down and write this blog post—especially when I’m weary from both shoveling and worrying! If we want to build more resilient communities, we need to take action now. Not just worrying about the weather, but also…
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Surviving Winter 2025 Off-Grid
No running water. Low on Firewood. Living without fossil fuels is hard. Oh, and how to reset a well pump It’s only January, and it’s already been a tough winter here in upstate New York. Since mid-December, we’ve had relentless snowstorms and frigid temperatures unlike anything I’ve seen in years. I was completely unprepared—and it’s…