Carina Hilbert
@carinahilbert.bsky.social
I'm a disabled former secondary teacher of English, Spanish, and ESL. Now, I'm a homesteader who gardens, raises ducks and geese, and still knits and spins yarn. #ChronicPain #DemocraticSocialist she/her
I have fallen down the knitted stuffed animal rabbit hole and joined the Nettles and Ivy KAL from French Lavender Home. I finished the head of the mouse tonight! #knitting
November 19, 2025 at 4:06 AM
I have fallen down the knitted stuffed animal rabbit hole and joined the Nettles and Ivy KAL from French Lavender Home. I finished the head of the mouse tonight! #knitting
I saw a real Monarch butterfly in the flowers by the property line!!
October 3, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I saw a real Monarch butterfly in the flowers by the property line!!
I haven't felt like coming up with my own design in ages until I saw this Cautiva yarn from Spain in the yarn shop by my daughter's home. Hopefully, these mitts will turn out okay. #knitting
Thankfully, I have a copy of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. It's the best! Worth every penny.
Thankfully, I have a copy of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. It's the best! Worth every penny.
October 1, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I haven't felt like coming up with my own design in ages until I saw this Cautiva yarn from Spain in the yarn shop by my daughter's home. Hopefully, these mitts will turn out okay. #knitting
Thankfully, I have a copy of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. It's the best! Worth every penny.
Thankfully, I have a copy of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. It's the best! Worth every penny.
Welp, we are over a week into Tour de Fleece, and I'm finally spinning. my husband's rearranging of things in the camper last night made it so my e-spinner is easier to get to. Then he helped me fix it.
I'm still working through this dark green, sort of neppy, Polwarth from a small farm in SW MI.
I'm still working through this dark green, sort of neppy, Polwarth from a small farm in SW MI.
July 13, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Welp, we are over a week into Tour de Fleece, and I'm finally spinning. my husband's rearranging of things in the camper last night made it so my e-spinner is easier to get to. Then he helped me fix it.
I'm still working through this dark green, sort of neppy, Polwarth from a small farm in SW MI.
I'm still working through this dark green, sort of neppy, Polwarth from a small farm in SW MI.
Cinnabon hatched her babies, all 16 of them, and now Raven and Chonk have kicked her out and have decided those are their babies. I just... 🤦🏻♀️ Ducks are weird.
July 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Cinnabon hatched her babies, all 16 of them, and now Raven and Chonk have kicked her out and have decided those are their babies. I just... 🤦🏻♀️ Ducks are weird.
Zoom had her babies! She hatched 11!
One already has the name Parkour after I've caught it 3 times climbing up the hardware cloth in the coop. Fast little sucker, too, so definitely Zoomy's kid.
She has them out and about in the duck yard today, and they are doing very well. #HappyDuckMom
One already has the name Parkour after I've caught it 3 times climbing up the hardware cloth in the coop. Fast little sucker, too, so definitely Zoomy's kid.
She has them out and about in the duck yard today, and they are doing very well. #HappyDuckMom
May 26, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Zoom had her babies! She hatched 11!
One already has the name Parkour after I've caught it 3 times climbing up the hardware cloth in the coop. Fast little sucker, too, so definitely Zoomy's kid.
She has them out and about in the duck yard today, and they are doing very well. #HappyDuckMom
One already has the name Parkour after I've caught it 3 times climbing up the hardware cloth in the coop. Fast little sucker, too, so definitely Zoomy's kid.
She has them out and about in the duck yard today, and they are doing very well. #HappyDuckMom
Our gander is judging you for not understanding that geese are superior. Our Pekin drake Danny in the back corner just wants to take a nap without everyone bothering him.
March 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Our gander is judging you for not understanding that geese are superior. Our Pekin drake Danny in the back corner just wants to take a nap without everyone bothering him.
Yeah, I'd say it got windy. Thankfully, all ducks and geese are accounted for and okay. Molly the Brave has not been sighted, but she is likely safe under the camper or the trees. It happened during her usual walkabout time. *Sigh*
Waiting for the storm to pass to fully fix it. #HomesteadingIsFun
Waiting for the storm to pass to fully fix it. #HomesteadingIsFun
March 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Yeah, I'd say it got windy. Thankfully, all ducks and geese are accounted for and okay. Molly the Brave has not been sighted, but she is likely safe under the camper or the trees. It happened during her usual walkabout time. *Sigh*
Waiting for the storm to pass to fully fix it. #HomesteadingIsFun
Waiting for the storm to pass to fully fix it. #HomesteadingIsFun
Molly helping me.
February 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Molly helping me.
The flock is home! All 20 ducks, geese, and Molly the Brave Chicken are on the new homestead property in their pen and flock hut. We added tarps to the flock hut to protect from wind and rain with a lean-to on one side. It took a bit to get them all in for the night, but they're in and safe. Whew!
February 4, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The flock is home! All 20 ducks, geese, and Molly the Brave Chicken are on the new homestead property in their pen and flock hut. We added tarps to the flock hut to protect from wind and rain with a lean-to on one side. It took a bit to get them all in for the night, but they're in and safe. Whew!
That lighter strip across the middle of the field is where I started mowing with the push mower, mowing down the dead weeds for the garden/orchard. It hurt my hands too much to do more than that, but I'm slowly making progress on getting the garden in. 🌱
January 30, 2025 at 10:12 PM
That lighter strip across the middle of the field is where I started mowing with the push mower, mowing down the dead weeds for the garden/orchard. It hurt my hands too much to do more than that, but I'm slowly making progress on getting the garden in. 🌱
Of course the rain is coming earlier than they said this morning, so putting my shawl outside to dry (pinned to a sheet, and that clipped to two drying racks) isn't going to do much this afternoon. Hmm. Where to put it inside the camper to dry right during the rain tonight and tomorrow. 🤔 #knitting
January 30, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Of course the rain is coming earlier than they said this morning, so putting my shawl outside to dry (pinned to a sheet, and that clipped to two drying racks) isn't going to do much this afternoon. Hmm. Where to put it inside the camper to dry right during the rain tonight and tomorrow. 🤔 #knitting
I'm in! First week of every month, total spending boycott of at least Walmart, Amazon, and Target. #FirstWeekBoycott
![From the TwoXPreppers group on Reddit:
Can we prepare a mass boycott?!
I'm working on a large scale initiative a NO SPEND week starting April 1st-7th. No purchasing at Walmart, target, and Amazon specifically, this will be repeated for the first week of every month for the rest of the year. So May 1st-7th June 1st-7th, July 1st-7th and so on through the rest of 2025! No buying from these three retailers. April 1st marks the beginning of the second fiscal quarter so there will be better metrics to measure our effect on these retailers . We can gauge our spending power! April also gives us time to get people involved on a large scale. I think that asking people to boycott shopping for just one week a month is very reasonable and doable.
I need your help spreading this message. We need a prompt to be sent out in mass through text and email threads. Also a logo I would like also to distribute flyers, with the help of others we can make a huge impact. What do you all think?!
[Errors included in text]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:akzs45txjgk6hepsc3bjkowk/bafkreidevdmokc467qofnzzd2eyzs3uqyz6andyzv4ro3s4awwxgwyu2ru@jpeg)
January 27, 2025 at 8:48 PM
I'm in! First week of every month, total spending boycott of at least Walmart, Amazon, and Target. #FirstWeekBoycott
The frame is up! I'm crashing for a bit and watching a flock of juncos forage in what will be the orchard and garden.
January 27, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The frame is up! I'm crashing for a bit and watching a flock of juncos forage in what will be the orchard and garden.
I had to find a chair to sit and take a little rest. The first two layers of the greenhouse are up, and I should have the rest up in a bit. I'm glad I got the bigger one. 🌱
I need to get the seed starting going this week very badly. 😬
I need to get the seed starting going this week very badly. 😬
January 27, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I had to find a chair to sit and take a little rest. The first two layers of the greenhouse are up, and I should have the rest up in a bit. I'm glad I got the bigger one. 🌱
I need to get the seed starting going this week very badly. 😬
I need to get the seed starting going this week very badly. 😬
As a Michigander now living in Virginia in the ice storm in a camper, no power, this is just true. I'm going to have to break out my Berne barn coat when the temps drop tomorrow, as my fall coat just isn't going to be quite warm enough. 😄
January 6, 2025 at 5:05 PM
As a Michigander now living in Virginia in the ice storm in a camper, no power, this is just true. I'm going to have to break out my Berne barn coat when the temps drop tomorrow, as my fall coat just isn't going to be quite warm enough. 😄
Oh yeah, this is a threat. #USAIsARussianVassalState
November 29, 2024 at 1:10 AM
Oh yeah, this is a threat. #USAIsARussianVassalState
The chicken cooked up faster than expected, and there's some burning. 🤦🏻♀️ Grill learning curve. The cornbread baked up fast, too. Veggies are still cooking. At least it smells good! Don't know about gravy, though, which is my husband's favorite part.
November 28, 2024 at 10:50 PM
The chicken cooked up faster than expected, and there's some burning. 🤦🏻♀️ Grill learning curve. The cornbread baked up fast, too. Veggies are still cooking. At least it smells good! Don't know about gravy, though, which is my husband's favorite part.
I finally made it to the laundromat (we'd needed it for a week 😳), and the red charity toddler sweater held up to washing pretty well. It's so bright! I hope the little one who gets it likes it.
November 24, 2024 at 5:21 PM
I finally made it to the laundromat (we'd needed it for a week 😳), and the red charity toddler sweater held up to washing pretty well. It's so bright! I hope the little one who gets it likes it.
I started the next charity sweater. I'm using the Drops kid sweater pattern, Tamzyn, but I'm using worsted weight yarn, so I'm not sure how big it will really be.
It isn't quite as drapey as I'd hoped. Maybe I need to go up a needle size. 🤔
#knitting
It isn't quite as drapey as I'd hoped. Maybe I need to go up a needle size. 🤔
#knitting
November 20, 2024 at 3:05 AM
I started the next charity sweater. I'm using the Drops kid sweater pattern, Tamzyn, but I'm using worsted weight yarn, so I'm not sure how big it will really be.
It isn't quite as drapey as I'd hoped. Maybe I need to go up a needle size. 🤔
#knitting
It isn't quite as drapey as I'd hoped. Maybe I need to go up a needle size. 🤔
#knitting
I finished the charity toddler sweater! Well, the knitting part, anyway. I still have to sew in the ends and wash it.
I sort of made it up based on average measurements, so I hope the little one who gets it likes it and that it fits.
I sort of made it up based on average measurements, so I hope the little one who gets it likes it and that it fits.
November 19, 2024 at 2:20 AM
I finished the charity toddler sweater! Well, the knitting part, anyway. I still have to sew in the ends and wash it.
I sort of made it up based on average measurements, so I hope the little one who gets it likes it and that it fits.
I sort of made it up based on average measurements, so I hope the little one who gets it likes it and that it fits.
Our cats, though Shadow, the pastel torbie is a stray that stays by our camper, not really our cat, per se. Patches is the calico, queen of all she surveys, and Mr. Floofers is the pile of floof who is the kitty baby despite being 7.
November 17, 2024 at 2:02 AM
Our cats, though Shadow, the pastel torbie is a stray that stays by our camper, not really our cat, per se. Patches is the calico, queen of all she surveys, and Mr. Floofers is the pile of floof who is the kitty baby despite being 7.
I finished the second sleeve of the charity toddler sweater and joined it! Whew! Now to figure out the neckline. I do want to do a garter stitch yoke (warmer, maybe), too, so ... Hmm. We'll see. #knitting
November 16, 2024 at 1:41 AM
I finished the second sleeve of the charity toddler sweater and joined it! Whew! Now to figure out the neckline. I do want to do a garter stitch yoke (warmer, maybe), too, so ... Hmm. We'll see. #knitting