The Snow Storm That Wasn't

Hello, friends.  Last week, I redeemed Swagbucks for a $25 GC.  Free movies were enjoyed on Amazon and Youtube, and free Kindle books were read.  The last items needing attention in the freezer were tomatoes, some that I ran out of time with, before our vacation, and froze.  It was good to get them canned up, knowing they're now shelf stable until needed.  All laundry was dried on the line.  Wool sweaters were hand washed, and dried outdoors.  

Extra sweet potatoes were baked for a dinner, and the extras made into sweet potato pie another day.  The soup container of leftover bits was used, and a pot of vegetable soup was made on a cold day, using lots of homemade veggies.  Bread was made in the bread machine for J to have with it.  Daisy shared GF tortillas she'd made, in a post last week.  They sounded good, so I tried a batch for bean burritos, and they were very good.  I'll definitely be making these again, doubling the recipe next time.  Thanks, Daisy!  Instead of the 1-3" of snow forecasted, we got a dusting, followed by sleet and freezing rain.  We've got our hopes high for the next chance of snow in a week, though. 

I spent time on paperwork for taxes, working on spreadsheets for my online shops, printing receipts I hadn't gotten around to printing, and gathering all the receipts I already had.  It's a start.  Biochar and compost continue to be made.  I'd just about filled the 6 gallon ash can I bought for the biochar, and began layering and inoculating it in a bucket.  If the biochar is left raw, without inoculating, it can actually pull nutrients from the soil at first.  From what I've been reading and watching, you can use what you have.  We have a small amount of bone meal, and I combined humic acid and a sea-based fertilizer in water, and drenched it.  I continue making biochar retorts, as I have empty cans available.  I saw that the cans last for approximately ten burns, before they become too full of holes to be useful, and that seems to be the case.  Then the cans can be recycled.

I've been pondering how this blog will look going forward.  Beginning our adventures in the skoolie this year will mean I'll be away from home a bit more.  We've never been ones to announce that we're away from home online, so there won't be real-time posts as we travel.  That's never seemed smart to us.  It also won't be as easy as simply not posting when we're away, as they makes it pretty obvious when we're gone.  So, things will shift in terms of regularity, but I'm thinking I'll continue to share recipes, and anything new, like the biochar, on occasion, and share our travels, once we're back home.  Most of what I share has been shared here many times before, and there are sixteen years of archived posts to look back on.  For the near future, I expect posting will continue as it's been, but at some point, it will shift.   My thoughts go out to those impacted by the CA fires, as well as those in substandard housing, in the NC mountains.  Take good care, friends.

The First Days

Hello, friends.  I'd hoped to get this up earlier, but our water heater went out Sunday evening, which threw everything off.  This morning, after finishing my MM morning routine, I had to drive an hour to Greensboro, to pick up a part, so J could repair the heater.  I took advantage of being 2 miles from my co-op, and got needed groceries while in town.  All members get a 5% discount.  After I returned home and had lunch, there were orders waiting to be powder coated.  But before I finish prepping dinner, I decided to get this post up.  A batch of suet was made for the birds, which incorporated dried tomato skins, and grape skins and seeds, saved from canning projects.

Anytime J has any pork or chicken bones (he doesn't eat beef), I've asked him to save them in a bag in the freezer.  As the bag was full, I simmered them on the woodstove, pulled the meat off the bones, and canned the meat and broth for the pups.  I skimmed off the fat before canning it, and gave small bits of it to the pups over several days, which they loved.  I had a craving for pizza New Years Eve.  There was an extra homemade GF crust which I'd frozen, and an extra serving of homemade pizza sauce in the freezer, so that made it easy.  For New Years dinner, we had homegrown crowder peas and collards, rice and cornbread.  Our grain grinder hasn't had much use in recent years, but I did grind the corn with it.  

I'm making one to two batches of compost and biochar every day.  I continue to gather materials for biochar... pine cones, sweetgum balls, small sticks, acorns and hickory nuts.  After a bin of shredded paper and cardboard was emptied in the chicken coop, more grasses and seedheads were gathered from around the pond to add to it on two occasions.  The floor is pretty well covered now, and it feels noticeably warmer.  A soup mix I'd been given, which had ingredients I couldn't eat, was simmered on the woodstove, and is being used as part of the chicken's daily mash.  Bits of dinner leftovers were added to a soup container in the freezer.  After some recent delays, I was able to get some time at the sewing machine.  I love Susan Branch's calendars, and the pocket calendar, which spans two years, doesn't come with a cover.  The first thing I did was make one, with some heavy plastic I saved from an order.  When I made the first one, two years ago, I wasn't sure it would hold up, but it's still intact.  I then mended sweaters, a vest, nightgowns and a pair of shorts.  It's always nice to see that pile go down.  What have you been up to the first days of this bright, shiny new year?

A Clean Dash For The New Year

Hello, friends.  This week, we worked on touch up painting.  Joseph sprayed a few spots that got scratched, or needed a bit more paint, and I painted various edges with a small paintbrush.  He also painted the outdoor compartment latches, and polished one of the wheels that had become oxidized.  Having sat in a lot for several years, the dash was filthy when the bus arrived here.  The construction only added to it.  Joseph tackled that job this week, and it looks so much better.

My first attempt at creating a macrame cord to hold the stained glass bathroom window up was a big fail, and rather intimidating.  I finally put my big girl pants on, and tried a different tutorial.  This one was so much easier to follow than the first.  Though slightly wonky, I'm happy enough with the results to use it.  Joseph was concerned about the metal below the mattress rubbing a hole in it, with all the movement an RV entails, and decided to put a piece of  burlap between the mattress and metal.  He bought a large piece, and cut it to size. I helped him pin it, and it's ready to sew around the edges.  Happy New Year!

Homemade Garden Amendments

Hello, friends.  I hope you've had a lovely week.  As our freezer was filling up with veggie scraps, I simmered them in pots on the woodstove overnight, and canned the broth the following day.  For Christmas dinner, J requested Pasta with Olives and Bread Crumbs.  I only make it about once a year, and it was so good.  As kalamatas are in a vinegar brine, which I can't have, I tried a new olive, Purple Beldi, which were perfect in this dish.  I woke before J Christmas morning, and decided to make him biscuits, which is also a rare occurrence these days.  It's a shame I haven't found a GF version worth eating yet, but maybe some day.  

 

composted material

I requested a big ticket item for Christmas this year, one that I hope will up our gardening game. It's an in home veggie composter; this one.   They were having sales before Christmas.  I've used it once or twice every day since, and love it so far.  It has a 2.5L bucket, which fills quickly around here.  You push one button to start, and it's extremely quiet.  Maybe because I'm composting several orange and lemon skins, it smells really good as it's working, much like something is baking.  Of course, the real test will be how well the compost works.  For sure, it will be able to be used much quicker, will cut down on our overflowing outside compost container, and go a long way in cutting down on fruit flies in the house in summer. 

finished biochar

Another garden-related chore on my to-do list for a while has been to try small-scale biochar making.  I needed to buy a crimper for the cans, and finally did that last week.  I gathered a 5 gallon bucket of plant material, such as pine cones, sweet gum balls, and acorns.  I started the first batch Saturday evening, and just left the cans in our woodstove overnight.  On Sunday, we had our first batch of biochar.  Small amounts, but it's so easy.  You may remember we tried making large scale biochar, with a 55 gal. barrel.  It required a huge amount of time to collect enough plant matter to fill it, then required hours of babysitting for the process.  This new method is more my scale.  If you'd like to learn more, I first heard it shared by David the Good, who I've mentioned before.  A short video with instructions is on Youtube here.  Biochar is great for gardens.  I did check inside the acorns, and it's all crispy, as it should be.  Our recent gardens have been underwhelming, and I'm hoping these homemade amendments will get us back on track.  Both the compost and biochar need mixing with moisture and other things before using, but it's pretty straight forward.

One day, I noticed lots of large seed heads and grasses around the pond.  As we decided not to buy any hay this year, I decided to gather some of these, to use in the chicken coop.  This was one armful, and I'll add to it in time.  I've been using paper and cardboard shreds for nest boxes, but haven't had enough to add a lot to the floors.  Having the floors covered will add to the warmth, so I thought I'd try this for the winter months.  Guinness's coat has been limping along, with a broken snap.  Last week, the second one broke, so it needed fixing.  I found a brand new package of snaps I'd thrifted, for .50 in my stash.  J had done snaps before, so he replaced them while I watched and learned.  Like many others I've seen, I took Christmas decorations down late last week.   I removed holiday-related ornaments from the tree, and kept it up, with nature and homestead-related ornaments.  It's early for me, but I'm feeling a desire to move on, to see what 2025 has in store for us all.  It's been a tough year, but I can do small steps to make a difference.  May the new year transmute the darkness, and bring in more hope and light.

Christmas Week Progress On The Skoolie

Hello, friends.  With having holiday time off, Joseph has been hard at work on the bus every day.  After painting, he reinstalled the visor and mirrors.

He fabricated and installed a hand rail, using materials we had on hand.

He repainted the front and rear bumpers.  

Then it was time to move the bus.  Some weeks back, Joseph hired a neighbor to remove several trees with stumps, fill in the holes, and grade and gravel the area.  This makes a large parking area, which also serves as a great turnaround spot for delivery trucks.  We had permission to go through a neighbors land, to park the bus behind the shop, as he's been working on it, but knew we didn't want that to be our long-term solution.  Problem solved.  I guided him, as he backed out of the old spot, and into the new spot.  There's enough room to fit another skoolie, if we make friends on the road, who want to stop by.  You can see our neighbor's logging equipment through the woods.  We're pondering what to plant there, to make a hedge along that edge.  We're happy with the latest progress!

Seasonal Pleasures

Hello, friends.  I hope your week has been a good one.  The pup's dog food was on sale at Food Lion last week, but the one I stopped at didn't have any, so I requested a raincheck, the first time in years.  They musn't give out many, as my cashier didn't remember how to do them, and called the manager.  She said they stopped doing them during the pandemic, which I found interesting.  I'm assuming due to the lack of staff.  The bags were $6 off, so I felt that was worth asking for, and asked for three bags.  The birds have been busy at the feeders.

before the ornaments

I baked two types of cookies, some for J and some to give at our family gathering.  Just before leaving for the gathering, I noticed a hole in the cardigan I planned to wear, so I grabbed needle and thread before heading out the door.  In the hour it took to get there, I found several additional holes, but had it all squared away, before we arrived.  This is a festive red sweater I thrifted years ago, and generally only wear this time of year.  It's hard to tell if it's just falling apart, or if moths got to it, though I've not seen any sign of them otherwise.  

Last week, I harvested a head of lettuce, rosemary, and greens for the pups and chickens.  Laundry was dried on the line.  We got the lights on, and decorated our tree.  Like several others I've noticed this year, simplifying feels right, and I began gathering some holiday things I will be letting go of, keeping only the things that bring the most pleasure.  Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, and Happy Hannukah!

She's Not Yellow Anymore

Hello, friends.  Well, this was the big painting week.  Joseph's business partner took off time to be with family out of state, so as the weather was cooperative (mostly), he took this time to paint the bus.  Before starting, he masked off all the areas that needed covering, created a plastic tent, then applied primer.  I sanded the bus, then wiped it all down with a damp rag, with a little help from him in some of the highest spots.  There were some wind gusts, quite a bit more than was forecasted, that tore off the plastic on three occasions, but he muddled through it all.  

He then gave the skoolie two coats of Seaside Teal.  She's not yellow anymore!  We're discussing what detail we might want, and are both leaning towards a curved line somewhere.  That can come in time, though, now that the main paint job is done.  He also plans to give it a coat of clear sealer.  It was an enormous amount of work for him, and something he hopes to never do again.  I've been gathering a few more items, like dog beds, bathroom soap dispenser, and stair treads.  There's still quite a bit to do, but this definitely feels like progress.