Three Howling Moose aquaponics workdays set: Tomorrow (Tues) morning, July 2nd and July 5th. See http://howlingmoose.com/page6/page6.html for details.

Or let me know when you'd like to come out for a tour, no need to work!

I'm having "farm work days" out at my aquaponics greenhouse. Building the infrastructure is taking a lot longer than I planned (bad planning...) If you're interested, there are jobs for all skill levels, from painting to power tools. See http://howlingmoose.com/page6/page6.html or the Howling Moose Gardens blog for more info.

A taste of what would be in store...

From Howling_Moose

From Howling_Moose

From Howling_Moose

Or, just come out for a tour!

DSL outage. Not sure when I'll have connectivity back. They say 24-48 hours...

Yes, I have been living under a rock for the last few months, as I try to get my new business up and running. But NBC, WTF are you thinking? Here's the advertising image for their new fall show, "Free Agents."




I assume it's a comedy. All I can see is "Hank Azaria gets a blowjob." Thanks, NBC, for reminding us that sexual harassment is the only thing women are good for in the workplace.

Io9 has an article up about Fan Art for Crossover Stories We Wish We Could See.

My fave, which is #10 in the gallery:

(Simply walk into Mordor by ferret42)

(via @dhewlett on twitter)

So, now that Howling Moose Gardens is a real thing, and I'm actively spending my days doing it, I've started a business blog for it, over at http://howlingmoosegardens.blogspot.com

I've recently posted a video, an invitation to work days, and some random blathering.

Please also note, Howling Moose gardens is also on Twitter, Facebook (although that's mostly a feed of the twitter stream), and the most active spot for HMG goodness is on the Backyard Aquaponics forum thread.

I am in need of styrofoam peanuts for Howling Moose. Specifically, the evil, non-environmentally friendly ones that don't dissolve in water. So, if you have a stash you want to get rid of, or are expecting a shipment containing them, please save them for me! Timeframe is within the next month-ish.

And just to make you smile:

Ferrets in sync!

(sunshine on the left, Smudge on the right, cleaning ferretone off their bellies after a nail clipping)

Thanks for the name help, all.
I've spoken to all sorts of people, and have decided that fun and easy to remember trumps respectable. So I'll stay with Howling Moose Gardens.

Speaking of which, I'm 99% sure I've found my starting greenhouse.

( Pics and stuffCollapse )

I went to visit S.C.O.R.E., which is a small business counseling place. They loved the idea of my aquaponics business, but they HATED the potential name, Howling Moose Gardens. They think it sounds like a snowshoe making business. =) They recommended I change it.

There is a strong argument for names that are accurate descriptions of their business, or close to. Frex, Growing Power (main site down?) is a great name, but on the other hand Amazon has nothing to do with books, Nike has nothing to do with shoes, and Electric Fetus has nothing to do with music.

So, should I keep my fun and edgy (heh) name, or switch it to something more on-the-nose? Technically, switching won't be hard. I haven't filed any paperwork, just made a twitter account and webpage.

S.C.O.R.E tends to be pretty traditional, and my customer will tend to be folks who attend farmers markets, and shop at food co-ops, so probably younger and more hip than your average Minnesotan (oh, that statement's not going to get me in trouble!)

ETA I guess you can only take the poll if you're signed in to LJ. I'm sorry. I thought the Poll Maker said it was open, but maybe that just means open to all LJ users. Pshaw! Let me know in comments if you'd like me to throw something up on polldaddy.

ETA 2 I won't start by selling aquaponics supplies. That may come later.

Poll #1706186 What should I name my Aquaponics business? Should it be fun, or accurate?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

What should I name m aquaponics business?