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!