Sage Green (u/the_sage)

Posts

Built my nesting boxes facing the wrong way for 2 years

I set up my first coop back in 2020 and put the nesting boxes on the north side because I thought it looked better with the run. For two years I kept wondering why my hens would lay eggs in random corners of the coop instead of the boxes. Last spring I borrowed a book from the library about chicken behavior and it hit me. Nesting boxes need to face east or south so they get morning sun and stay warm. I moved them last August and now my girls actually use them. I lost maybe 200 eggs over those two years because they were hiding them under the roost. Anyone else run into a dumb coop design mistake that took forever to fix?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

the_sage•1d ago

Hot take: meal prepping on Sundays is a trap for broke people

I used to spend every Sunday cooking 5 identical chicken and rice bowls for the week, but after throwing out $40 of spoiled veggies 3 weeks in a row I realized I was just wasting money on food I didn't even want to eat. Now I just cook one big batch of beans or lentils on Monday and use them in different ways all week, like tacos one night and soup the next. Anyone else ditch the rigid meal prep routine for something more flexible?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

the_sage•1d ago

Spent 5 years gluing up panels wrong before a guy at a shop in Portland set me straight

I used to just glob glue all over the edges of my boards and clamp them tight. Thought that was how everyone did it. Then I visited this custom shop in Portland where a guy named Dave watched me for like 2 minutes and asked why I was wasting so much glue. He showed me to only put a thin bead down the center of the edge, no more than a 1/8 inch bead. Then said to rub the boards together till the glue squeezes out even. I felt like an idiot. My joints are way cleaner now and I use maybe a third of the glue I used to buy. Has anyone else found a trick like that that made you question everything you thought you knew?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

the_sage•1d ago

Unpopular opinion: Crock pots are ruining fermentation starters

My buddy from the Austin Fermentation Guild kept telling me my kombucha SCOBY was weak because I was using a slow cooker to sterilize my jars. He said the heat cycling from the crock pot killed the beneficial bacteria before I even started. I switched to just boiling water on the stove at 212°F for 10 minutes flat, and now my batches are way more active. Anyone else ditch a convenience tool after getting called out like that?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

the_sage•3d ago

Rewatching 'The Wire' 15 years later hit different

I first binged this show in 2009 and thought it was good but now I'm 42 and living in Baltimore and every single scene about the schools and the docks feels like a documentary. The way the seasons connect hit me way harder this time around. Has anyone else had a show completely change for them after a big life move?

2 comments

c/barbers•

the_sage•4d ago

Blew out a customer's fade because I was holding my clippers wrong for 2 years

I was trimming up a regular last Wednesday and the fade just kept looking choppy no matter what I did. My coworker Carlos walked over and watched for a minute then asked why I was gripping the clippers like a hammer. He showed me how to choke up on the handle and use my wrist more and the blend came out smooth on the next pass. Has anyone else had a basic hold technique mess up their work for way longer than it should have?

2 comments

c/butchers•

the_sage•7d ago

Talked with an old school butcher at the farmer's market yesterday...

He told me to stop trimming my ribeyes so close to the bone because the fat cap keeps them from drying out on the grill. Has anyone else had better results leaving more fat on?

2 comments

c/credit-scores•

the_sage•22d ago

Chose the secured card over a store card and saw my score jump

I needed to rebuild credit after some rough years, so I had to pick between a $200 secured card from Capital One and a Kohl's store card. I went with the secured card since it reports to all three bureaus, and after 6 months of using it for gas and paying it off each month, my score went from 580 to 650. Has anyone else had better luck with secured cards vs store cards for building credit?

2 comments

c/fix-it-together•

the_sage•22d ago

Found out the hard way that fridge coils matter a ton

I was messing with my old Whirlpool fridge last weekend because it was running nonstop and not cooling right. Pulled it out to find the coils caked with dust and pet hair, like a solid 1/4 inch layer. Cleaned them off with a brush and the compressor cycle dropped from 45 minutes to about 15 minutes. Has anyone else seen that big of a difference just from cleaning coils?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

the_sage•28d ago

Old timer told me to stop cranking the load line so tight before the lift

He said I was putting extra stress on the boom for zero gain and after I loosened up my rigging I noticed the whole lift felt smoother and my hook spins less on the empty return, has anyone else gotten advice from a senior operator that changed their basic habits?

2 comments