First Ride

view from the co-pilot seat

Hello, friends.  We've just gotten back from my first ride in the skoolie!  Before you get too excited, it was just to the local hardware store.  But, we already figured out a couple of things that need attention.  My seatbelt needs to be adjusted, and Joseph's seat needs oiling, as it was quite squeaky.  The point of our little foray was to see if we could identify anything that might need tweaking, so mission accomplished. 

After an appointment this week, I picked up a couple of things for the skoolie.  I was delighted to find a pack of various shelf liners for $2 at the thrift store, and then found a scrubber for $1 at the dollar store.  The circular vegetable scrubbers I usually buy are around $6, so if this works well, that's a nice savings.  Joseph added shelves in two of the kitchen cabinets, and the armoire we'll be using as a pantry, which should help with storage.  That's the latest.

It's All In The Details

Hello, friends.  Joseph did get the bus inspected, shortly after I last posted, then went on to get permanent tags, so we are road legal.  On the way home, he filled our propane tank, so we're ready to cook, heat water, and make power with the generator.  We plan to use the generator only when we're not hooked to shore power, and the solar isn't keeping up.  We hung the thrifted slate welcome sign near the door.  

We're slowly taking care of details.  I bought a paper towel holder, and kitchen wrap holder, and he hung those.  I've run kitchen items through the dishwasher, and have begun putting them away in the skoolie.  First, we put the type of shelf liner that grips in the cabinets for plates, bowls, and drinking vessels.  This will help things stay put while traveling.  I have more liner left, so I'm deciding where else I want to use it.  It may be I'll want it in every drawer and cabinet, and will just need to buy more.

We're figuring out window and door coverings.  This isn't the best pic, but you can see a rod above the right side of the door, and if you look closely, another one above the bedroom window.  A few months ago, I thrifted fabric for curtains.  I'm using it to make the two bedroom curtains.  If there's enough, I'll make another for the bedroom door.  Joseph worked on the vent piping for our water heater, and finished that. He installed magnetic latches on the armoires and the above bed cabinets, and added the knobs.  Cleaner was purchased for the radiator and intercooler exterior, and that job was done.

We were looking at knife racks, and decided we liked the vintage hand-painted ones.  The majority seemed to be chickens with a nearby axe, not exactly the aesthetic we were going for.  We found this one, with painted daisies, on ebay.  Joseph repaired a power steering leak.  Exterior storage compartments are being organized.  He was giving the cabinets a second coat of paint.  I asked him to lighten them as much as he could, as they turned out a bit brighter than I envisioned.  He added all the white paint that would fit into the can, which made a slight difference.  They will certainly wake us up every morning :o).

Blessings & Treasures

Hello, friends.  Slowly, there are little signs of spring appearing.  Many trees are starting to bud out.  It seems we got through last week's teens without any obvious damage.  Before the frigid spell, I did some winter sowing.in various containers.  The seeds I chose this year were four o'clock's, sunflowers, calendula, lupines, borage, forget-me-nots, rudbeckia, hollyhocks, bachelor buttons, milkweed, cosmos, orach, phacelia, rose campion, mullein, tansy, nasturtiums, red carthamus, evening primrose, black haw, and black-eyed susan vine.  I already had all these seeds, without buying any this year, and decided it was silly not to plant them. Here's hoping for good germination.  An online food and supplement purchase was made with a 15% off coupon, and I went through Swagbucks, which gave me an additional 5% cash back.  

We were happy to get some snow.  On Tuesday, it was a very fine snow, which some call hominy snow.  On Wednesday, there was a very pretty snow, with bigger flakes.  Even so, we believe we got less than an inch.  J requested chili for a dinner.  I haven't been a great fan of chili, but as it had been a while, I did make some.  Turns out I'm still not a fan.  It's funny, because the flavors and ingredients are not that different from the sloppy joes I make, but something about it has never appealed.  All laundry was dried on the line.  I put the sheets right back on the bed, which always smells so good.  J planted onions, and prepped an area for me to plant peas.

On Friday, I was able to spend the afternoon with my sister.  We of course went thrifting.  At the first store, I found a vintage pillowcase with crocheted edge, sewing supplies, and two types of velvet ribbon for under $4.  Our next stop was the Goodwill bins, where I found Smartwool socks, a Cherokee tie-dyed cardigan in like-new condition, two ribbons, and a small vintage linen for $1.92.  We then headed to my co-op, which was nearby, to enjoy a beverage, and sit and catch up a bit.  During the week I canned garbanzo beans, pints this time, and made golden paste for the pups.  

For Valentine's Day, J had ordered two dozen roses to be delivered through Amazon. When they arrived, there were only a dozen.  When he spoke to them, they tried to get him to agree to a 20% refund, which he said didn't seem fair, when half the product was missing.  They came back, and asked if he would like them redelivered correctly.  He agreed to that, so another delivery of flowers arrived on Wednesday.  How blessed am I?   I hope you're finding things that bring you hope and peace, in these very interesting times.  

A New Curry & Seedlings

Hello, friends.  I hope you've had a good week.  When I baked sweet potatoes for a dinner, I baked extra for a pie, which was made on Monday.  We enjoyed it several days.  I've been wanting to try my niece's favorite curry dish, and did, using our collards, onions, garlic and gifted peppers.  It was delicious, and will make it into our rotation.  She recommended adding a protein, like chickpeas.  The week turned raw again.  One day, I simmered apple juice with spices on the woodstove, for a warm drink for us.  I cut open toothpaste and lotion tubes, to use the last of them.  I'd been considering getting a membership to Angel Studios, as there are a few movies I'd like to see.  For President's Day, they're having a 20% off sale, so I decided to join.  I do want to support them, as their movies appear to be more wholesome than many, and am thinking I'll stream what I want, then likely take a break until there are more I'd like to see.

Vegetable soup was made for a dinner, which used a container of frozen leftovers, plus many homegrown veggies.  I enjoyed the leftover soup for lunches.  A batch of whole wheat chocolate chip cookies was made up, and cookies shared with my massage therapist. I intended to share some with our mail carrier, but she came especially early that day, so I missed her.  There's more dough, so I'll bake up some fresh ones this week.  We received wonderful rain.  Though the tanks aren't full, they are fuller than they've been in months, and we are so thankful.  More seeds were planted, including parsley, roselle, spilanthes, tithonia, artichokes and portulaca.  The first pepper seed is beginning to sprout, and I found the Hopi Red Dye amaranth like this, 36 hours after planting.  That's some serious life force!  The amaranth seeds were from '21, so I planted them quite thick, not expecting all this vibrancy.  

After an appointment, I shopped at Harris Teeter, getting the 5% senior discount.  Two packs of bias tape, and a pack of colored ball pins cost .50 at the thrift store, which will be added to sewing supplies.  I like to dye the white bias tape with plants, and use it as a drawstring for bags.  I went through Swagbucks to make business purchases.   Another hen was killed this week, this time inside their screened porch.  Sigh.  We still believe it's a hawk, or possibly a weasel, with the very specific part that was eaten.  Understandably, the flock has been very reluctant to venture out of their coop.  It happened the day I was away from home, when J was working inside his shop.  As February often is, the weather has been a bit of a rollercoaster, with beautiful spring-like days, and raw, cold days.  This week, there's a chance of wintry precipitation, though what exactly keeps changing.  We wouldn't mind if that's the last real hoorah of winter weather here.  I hope you stay safe and cozy, whatever the weather.  

We're Playing Tag

Hello, friends.  Joseph continues finishing small jobs on the skoolie.  He installed two auxiliary fans he'd purchased, which will kick on any time the system temp gets over 190 degrees.  My understanding is this will help when we're going up long inclines, like the one heading into Asheville.  He also serviced the transmission, replacing the fluid and filters.

He then set out to set up insurance on it.  It took a number of calls to various places, but he succeeded.  As soon as he found out we were approved, he headed to town, to get temporary tags.  Today, he plans to get it inspected, which is why the temporary tags were needed, then head straight to getting permanent tags.  A real red letter day!

Seeds & Blooms

Hello, friends.  Last week, I canned up vegetable broth.  The grow station J had given me my last birthday was set up, then I began gathering our seeds.  Five varieties of peppers were the first thing planted.  While visiting with a friend, she reminded me how long they take to bear fruit, and I remembered that all the peppers last year, both homegrown and store bought, had not born fruit by the time of the first frost.  Hopefully, this year will bring a bountiful harvest.  J prepped a garden spot, and planted onions, using our compost, and leaf mold.  I made bean burritos for dinner one night.  GF tortillas were made for myself. The recipe was doubled this time, and they were even better than the first time.  I used the smallest ones for lunch the next day.  The extras were frozen.

I've been working on being better about self-care this year.  I'm using infra-red therapy, and purchased a course (while 1/2 price) on stretching and moving, which I've been fairly good about doing daily.  On a cold day, sweet potatoes, bread and butternut squash crumble were baked.  Parsley was harvested for the crumble, which also used our squash and onions.  A jar of cabbage came from the pantry, for a side.  I won the equivalent of $25 on Swagbucks, which will go towards a gift card.  While going through more seeds, I found another variety of peppers, and planted some of those too.  Suet was made for the birds.  We're enjoying the first blooms of the year.  Hope you have a lovely week!

Hope & The Earliest Blooms

hellebore buds

Hello, friends.  Last week, I harvested some of the red-leaf lettuce.  Garbanzo beans were getting low, so I canned a batch of those.  I emptied a bin of shreds in the chicken coop, which always freshens it up.  We lost our big rooster last week, and then a hen, so our flock is down to nine.  Our rooster died due to sickness, and it's likely a hawk got my favorite little game hen on Sunday, possibly because there's not much protection, with only two tiny game roosters remaining. It's always sad.  J's plan is to not replace any of the chickens as we lose them, with our future plans to travel.  We'd recently been getting around 5 eggs a week, which has been nice, especially with prices as they've been.  A few more gallons of sweetgum balls were gathered for biochar-making.  I'm making new retorts, as the old ones get retired, because of holes in the cans.  

putting scraps on to simmer

Four loads of laundry were dried on the line, during the the week.  It was a bit cold when I hung the first laundry, in the 40's, but thankfully, the week has warmed up beautifully since then, with some days in the low 70's.  I believe I've finished my portion of the taxes, only waiting on documents coming in the mail, and some items from J.  I did much better this year than last, and am happy to have it behind me.  Now come thoughts of seeds and planting.  We'd been neglecting the outdoor freezer, and got a number of things from it last week.  I brought in some of our crowder peas and collards, which made a nice dinner with jasmine rice.  On Sunday, I got three gallon bags of veggie scraps from it, along with five more from the indoor freezer, and started them simmering on the wood stove, to can up broth on Monday.  J brought in some meat from the freezer, so between all of that, it's got quite a bit more room in it now.

One of my favorite long skirts needed some TLC, and I mended it up in a few spots.  I know that western NC isn't as prevalent in the news, as it was shortly after Hurricane Helene.  For those who aren't aware, there are still many washed out roads and bridges, more than four months after the hurricane.  President Trump's first official visit his first week in office was to western NC, where he promised to send some long-awaited assistance, signing an executive order to fast-track road repairs.  True to his word, the Army Corps of Engineers has shown up, to work on this, bringing much needed hope to the region.  The earliest blooms have begun coming forth.  I look forward to their cheery faces.  

Lots of Little Skoolie Jobs

Hi, friends.  Joseph has had more down time than usual this week from his job, so he's gotten quite a bit more done on the bus.  He fabricated a bracket for our telescoping ladder, and installed it on the back of the bus.

I assisted him in getting a tool box onto the deck up top.  He's found some pretty boat cushions to use on top, for seating.  We plan to have camp chairs as well, but it'll be nice to have the additional seating and storage.

We redid the awning fabric, and got it on the roll correctly this time.  He completed the installation of the auxiliary fuel tank, and got a delivery of diesel to fill the tanks.  

We had a piece of oak, left over from our counter build, and he decided to make a hand rail with it.  He made the rail, and fabricated brackets to install it.  

He serviced the generator, which involved new filters and spark plugs, and an oil change.  He bought fire extinguishers, and installed one inside, and the other in the engine compartment.  He installed a hot water control valve and defrost control cable, and replaced hosing to the heater.  Now that things are hooked back up, he filled up the antifreeze.  I told him this morning that I think we should begin discussing where our maiden voyage might be.  It'll be local, and another two months or so away, but close enough to start talking about.  Woohoo!

January Days

Hello, friends.  We actually received some snow last week.  Sadly, it fell after dark, so other than a couple of peeks out the front door, we didn't get to see it falling.  Only an inch, but we'll take it.  The bird feeders have been very busy, which required more suet to be made.  A batch of pinto beans was canned.  Two orders arrived leaking last week.  One contained dish soap, which made a real mess throughout the box of other items.  The box was punctured, but only one bottle was missing product, which they replaced.  The other was a case of 6 olives in glass jars, which was unsecured in a much larger box, and on its side.  Two of the jars lost their brine, and this was refunded, after a bit of perseverance.  Both of these leaks were due to poor packing of the orders, with no protection given to either. 

I forgot to mention that as part of winter preps for the chickens, we hung clear shower curtains around their screened porch area, which is where their food and water are.  It helps keep the wind off them at ground level, and keeps snow out, which they much prefer, and the area drier.  I picked the curtains up at Dollar Tree, and bought cup hooks online, which seem to hold them better in the wind than nails.  I secure them with wood and stones at the bottom.  I'd seen a "tip" online to place a bottle filled with brine solution in their waterer, to keep it from freezing.  As often happens with these tips, it was a failed experiment, at least when it's in the teens. J said he could see it making a few degrees difference, but that's all.  I'll try it again when nights are not quite as cold.  In the meantime, I'm chopping ice and bringing a teapot of hot water out through the day.

Though our tree had hardly dropped any needles, it was getting pretty dry, so we took it down.  This area is where I plan to set up the new grow light station J got me last birthday.  I'm still plugging away at taxes, and would love to have them squared away, before starting a new project.  I went through Swagbucks for two purchases, getting 4% and 16% cash back, which is pretty significant.  We've been managing well through the bitter cold, with only our drinking water line freezing.  We can just use the household water, to run through the Berkey until it's thawed, so it's small stuff indeed.  I feel for all those who have been greatly impacted by the weather.  

You may remember it was a goal of mine to grow enough peas that I had some to can, and was excited it became a reality last year.  Well, it turns out I don't love the home canned peas.  They're certainly edible, but seem to have a duller flavor than the store bought, and are a little mushier.  We'll eat what I've canned, but moving forward, I want to grow enough to eat fresh, but not preserve any. I wasn't a fan of them when I froze them either.  Growing our own food often seems like one big experiment.  Wishing you a beautiful week!

Skoolie's First Snow

 

early morning, after a bit of snow

Hello, friends.   Joseph has been hard at work on the skoolie, on a number of tasks.  He's fabricated brackets, which he attached to the back of the kitchen drawers, and attached magnets to the back of the kitchen drawer body, to secure them as we travel.  He also secured magnet latches on all the cabinet doors.  Neither one of us wanted plastic latches, and he didn't like anything else he saw, so he made them himself.  

He mounted the CB radio antenna.  His handle is Square Peg :o).  His main concern is being able to hear the chatter about road conditions, which was helpful to him years ago, when he was a truck driver.  He placed the tail light wiring into split loom, and fastened it with padded wire straps. 

He decided he wanted a front bumper valence.  It may help slightly with air turbulence beneath the bus, but is mostly for aesthetics.  He fabricated a mounting system, and bolted it beneath the bumper.  He installed an LED-compatible flasher for the new turn signal lamps, and mounted a new auxiliary fuel pump in the engine bay.  He also installed LED marker lights.  

The new awning arrived in many pieces, and was one of the few things Joseph had never done before.  We worked to get it together and installed.  We still need to tweak one thing, as we placed the fabric roll backwards, but then we can cross it off the punch list.  He fabricated a visor for the passenger side, which I'm sure I'll appreciate during the mornings and evenings on the road.  He's spoken with the man who offered to help him change the gearing, and that is scheduled to happen sometime in March.  That should be the last big job on the list.  We're getting closer!

Cold Weather Tasks

Hello, friends.  The chickens have begun laying eggs again, giving us a few a week.  I found frozen wild blueberries for $2 off, at the grocery store, which I use daily in smoothies.  Another day, I shopped at Harris Teeter after an appointment, and received the 5% senior discount.   A large L-shaped tear in a pair of J's pants was mended with an iron-on patch, which was then reinforced with sewing.  During some especially cold days a few weeks ago, I noticed frigid air coming into the kitchen, below some doors which lead into non-heated space.  My ex built this corner of the house quite off-plumb, so for the doors to open across the floor as needed, they ended up being as much as an inch and a half above the floor when closed, which allowed a lot of air to move through.  I researched and bought door sweeps, to go on these doors, which J installed.  It's made a pretty significant difference.  When I checked one day, it was 50 degrees behind the doors, and 60 just in front of the sweep.

It looks like we've got some more frigid temps coming this week, as in much of the country.  We're to get nights in the low teens, though I've heard parts of the country are getting sub-zero temps.  Brrrr.  This time of year, I'm always looking for chores that create warmth.  Last week, I caught up on the ironing.  I'm thinking this week would be a good time to restock beans, so I'll be canning some up, after I review what we're out of or low on.  One cold day, soup was made, using our butternut squash, onions, garlic, broth and gifted shishito peppers.  Another day, our sweet potatoes, broth, onions and peas were used in a curry dish.  I met dear friends for dinner and a concert (Mon Rovia, which was excellent).  I was gifted with this lovely art, created by an Asheville artist.  Interestingly, I had read about her shortly after the hurricane, as someone who had bought one of the bird-painted leaves was looking to purchase more, to support her.  I will cherish it, and figure out just the right spot for it.  

Another bin of shreds was emptied into the chicken coop, which feels cozier with each addition.  A six gallon bucket is full of inoculated bio-char, and I've started refilling the ash can with fresh bio-char.  A batch of golden paste was made for the pups.  One evening, I dropped J off at the neighbors, so he could drive this skidder back to the shop to work on.  I was thinking the great-nephews and nieces would probably think that was pretty cool.  We've continued making good progress on the skoolie.  Much of it has been things like wiring, lights, and door and cabinet closures.  Nothing very photogenic, but we're finishing up a project, which I plan to post about this week.   Stay warm, friends.

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!