Pool to Garden, chicken coop & fish farm!

This is a wonderful pool conversion! It looks like it takes a bit more work than my pool to pond, but the food production is amazing! This is in Arizona and the pool statistics he sites are sad indeed. Think of the one billion people that cannot find potable water and are dying, then think of the 7000 gallons of evaporation per year PER POOL!! This pond conversion is a spark of sanity amidst the lunacy called "normal".



Check out their website: http://gardenpool.org/

Fiskars Ergonomic Reel Mower

About six months ago I was thrilled to be chosen to evaluate the new Fiskars Ergonomic Reel Mower. That meant I got one delivered to my door to use, evaluate through a series of surveys and then KEEP! Yea! First, I love Fiskars products. They seem to last forever. I have a pair of scissors that must be 30 years old, no joke! They even made it though a house fire! So the thought of this was very exciting.

The mower was delivered in a box and I had to assemble. A mild wave of dread washed over me as I dragged the box into the foyer. But what a pleasant surprise! It had simple directions and almost IKEA-like snap together construction. I had it up and ready in 10 minutes!

Side by side, old mower on the left & Fiskars on right.

Then I carried it outside for its first trial run. It was light enough for me to carry easily. I can only carry up to 40 lbs. comfortably so this was nice. My old reel mower is like lead in comparison! The Fiskars is really ergonomic and it glides with ease over the landscape. And my landscape is pretty non-conventional. If you've ever read my blog you know I hate conventional grass lawns. So my "lawn" is mostly weeds with small groups of native plants!

One of the worst aspects of my old reel mower was mowing tall or flowering weeds. It would never get the stalk, just press it down. Fiskars reel mower handles this much better, but still not 100%. Where Fiskars reel mower really beats all others is in the frequency of the blades jamming. I gave up on my old reel mower since I use mulched oak branches and they blow all over the yard making any attempt at reel mowing a nightmare of jamming blades!  I'd have to stop, bend down, turn the mower over and fight to pull out the stick. With Fiskars reel mower all you need to do when it jams is back it up a bit and voila, it's free! And it jams much less to begin with!

There are still a couple more surveys to complete for the Fiskars engineers, but I have to admit I'm won over! I still use the small gas powered mower in the highest heat since it is faster. But now, I use it half as much as before! Every little bit counts and I thank Fiskars for creating a responsible and well-built solution!

I am adding this link for info only! I do not endorse any specific way to purchase. There are good photos and information on this site: http://www.ecomowers.com/Fiskars_Momentum_Reel_Mower_p/6201.htm?gclid=CInJioOdoKMCFYlY2god6EZbqw