Do it Yourself (DIY)

Gourds are a staple when it comes to decorating for autumn. Along with pumpkins, chrysanthemums, and bejeweled ears of Indian corn, gourds are a sure sign of fall. But did you know you can easily dry them so they last for years rather than a single season? It’s quite easy to do, whether you buy them or grow them. In a world where we throw things away, you’re probably wondering what’s the point? After all, you can pitch your gourds in the compost at the end of the season and buy more next year. Well, it’s fun. You may stumble upon a new family tradition. Drying gourds makes them much lighter, so you can attach them to hanging decorations, such as wreaths. These gourds were turned into beautiful natural lanterns. You can also make functional vessels out of them, such as bowls, containers with lids, drinking bottles, birdhouses and more.…
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Here in Michigan City, Ind., the city recently supplied residents with 96-gallon trash bins for use with the new power lifts the city installed on its trash trucks. This left many of us with a surplus of standard 32-gallon, round, plastic trash cans. I had four of these and didn’t know what to do with them.But hey, I’m a MOTHER EARTH NEWS reader?–?how about creating a rain barrel? Having recently re-plumbed our little house, I had a number of fittings and leftover pipe. With these, I made an overflow standpipe and a bottom drain valve, which go in holes drilled into the side of the trash can. I fashioned a debris screen for the trash can lid out of cedar boards (leftover from various garden projects) cut at a 45-degree angle and covered with some scrap screening. I then routed the downspout to the debris deflector and cut the end of the…
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