Samantha Lewis

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) sprinkled on the path will make them move to a new location.  Find out where they are coming in and put down lots of it.  They will probably be gone in a few days.   If they start coming in at a new place, treat the new area.  

I would also check to see where they are heading when the come in.   If they have found a food source, you will want to get that cleaned up so they no longer have a reason to come inside.   Wipe up all their trails with hot water to get the ant smells off.  Treat with something fragrant that you like.  Essential oils or some other fragrant herbal smell.

They will change their ways if you change the environment.

Are you ready to make some tangible change in the world around you ?
Paul wants to make it possible and affordable to make the world a better place starting in your own community.



Right now, you can get 24 of his books and 12 DVD's


Here is the deal:

Get 12 copies of "Build a Better World in You Backyard"



Plus 12 copies of" Skills to Inherit Property" (S.K.I.P)


More about the SKIP book here:
https://permies.com/wiki/160690/physical-copy-SKIP-book


and 12 step by step instructional dvd's on how to build a rocket mass heater Building a Cob Style Rocket Mass Heater



If a person was going to get just one movie, this would be the one. A cob style rocket mass heater is "the old reliable". We have two projects to demonstrate this technique. One in a log home and one in a tipi. We put one in a tipi as part of an experiment to test how warm a person can be with a rocket mass heater and zero insulation. We interview the couple that stayed in the tipi for the first winter, with a strong focus on how comfortable they were when it was 26 degrees below zero.





For a limited time, you can get:
12 "Build a Better World" books
12 "Skills to Inherit Property (SKIP) books
12 Cob Style Rocket Mass Heater DVDs


You can think of this as a permaculture party pack.  Have a party or potluck in your backyard or garden.   Share permaculture with your friends and neighbors, give these books and DVDs away or sell them.  

Right now is a great time to get the SKIP book out to people who are home schooling their kids or looking for an alternative to college.

I think Muscovy ducks are probably the easiest meat animal.  

They go from hatching to full size in about 6 months.  They will hatch and raise their young with no help from me.  In a lot of situations you can feed them for free.  

In the summer, if you just have a mud puddle, the ducklings can live happily on the insects that come to the puddle.  

It seems to me that ducks use far less grain than chickens.   They also are easier on their habitat.  If you don't have enough paddocks to move animals around in yet I think ducks are a good start.  

I love rabbits too but they seem to be always getting out of their paddock.   Otherwise they are very easy and can be almost free to feed.

If you want chickens for eggs, I would get a gentle breed that does not fly much, the buff orpington is nice and no trouble.

I think the main thing is to start really small with the fewest possible animals.  That way it will be easy and delightful.


Good luck!

I like to start with fruit.  I think it is hard to beat a good bowl of blueberries, apple slices or some nice grapes.  

When fruit is out of season I try to have dried and frozen fruit on hand.  

I follow the fruit with eggs and or sausage.  This is too much protein for me in the morning but for a strapping 14 year old, it gives him good energy.

We also like to make a little parfait with fruit, sprouted nuts and kefir.

If we are being fancy or I have extra time, I will make crepes or Yorkshire pudding.

What are you doing this holiday season?

Consider renting a cabin or a wofati at Wheaton Labs for your holiday vacation!

Come warm yourself with a Rocket Mass Heater.

Bask in the abundance of life.





You can get a good dose of peace and quiet...





Fresh air and sunshine.  







Exercise and healthy food!

Samantha Lewis wrote:When I was growing up, we went over the river and through the woods to my grandmother's house every holiday.  

We indulged in the finest foods and drank in the happiness of being together.

Spending holidays at Wheaton labs gives me that same feeling of family.    

Sitting around the table and everyone has contributed to the grandness of the day.

 It is really the sweetest thing.

Beau M. Davidson wrote:The first time I visited Wheaton Labs, I drove through a massive blizzard and arrived to see a winter wonderland, alive with the sparkle and glow of the snow-laden Montana wilderness.  Don't get me wrong, the Lab is incredible year-round, full of the verdant fecundity of nested hugel beds and cultivated woodland charm.  But for my money, winter is the time when it really shines.  The wofatis are in their element, emitting the heat of summer under their snowy blankets.  The wildlife is alive with crisp vigor.  You can work steadily, all the short day long, in the shining winter sun without overheating.  And every day ends with a warm drink and community.  Hard to beat!

Here's the calendar for this year.  If you want a cozy place to overwinter, it's a perfect time to ease into the bootcamp.

Half assed holiday schedule for the 2026-2027 winter season:



Fri October 30th - indoor gardening day



Wed November 4th - apple seed day



Wed November 11th - bun warmer day



Wed November 18th - chair repair day



Thu November 26th - Thanksgiving Day



Fri November 27th - wood box day (half day)

- try to replace plastic bins with wooden crates and boxes
- maybe try to make a box that will almost hold water
- maybe even try to make some dovetail joints
- some boxes will be quick and some will be very nice
- unlike wooden spoon day - wood boxes will remain with the bootcamp


Wed December 2nd - day of light - a half day of improving the lighting in and around our nest

- add mirrors
    o on walls
    o in window wells
    o lots of creativity
- add lights that are more efficient by lighting people more than the room
- add solar night lights outside - find artistic themes
- different sorts of prisms in the windows
- add indoor night lights
- make full room lights that can be turned on at the source that add HUGE light to the room
- light experiments
- possible candle lit dinner
- an evening campfire (bun warmer or pavilion)
- maple foods
    o maple meringue cookies
    o maple rolls
    o maple cookies
    o spaghetti with each person adding about a tablespoon of maple syrup (tip of the hat to Elf)
    o horchata sweetened with maple syrup
    o fresh bread served with whipped maple butter
- hot spiced cider


Fri December 4th - wooden spoon day - half day

- we all carve wood kitchen utensils
- maybe one cutting board
- make lots of soup that people eat with wooden spoons!
      o make bread bowls for soup
- ice cream to test the strength of wooden spoons


Tue December 8th --   Christmas decorating day - a half day of

- setting up a tree and all the decorating
- popcorn
       o +maple syrup to make popcorn balls
- make a wreath
- convert a cubby into a "nativity" featuring wheaton labs stuff
- Christmas movie


Tue December 15th - christmas stocking day - a half day of

- making Christmas stockings (for current and future boots)
- baking
- further cool decorations
- Christmas movie


Fri December 18th  - christmas baking day - a half day of baking

- and a Christmas movie


Thu December 24th  - Christmas eve - half day of (i need ideas)

- I will go into Missoula and get Chinese take out for everybody
- egg nog
- fudge
- confections
- add an ornament to the tree
       o must be something that can be used for many years
       o says your name plus "Christmas 2022"


Fri December 25th - Christmas day - fancy foodening



Tue December 29th  - day of fire - a half day of improving fire stuff

- build indoor and outdoor firewood racks
- do all rocket spots have
       o a kindling cracker
       o a poker
       o an ash bucket
       o ample fire starting paper and a propane torch
       o a nearby fire extinguisher
       o good firebricks for the wood feed
- find quick and easy ways to upgrade rocket mass heaters
- make improvements to the bun warmer space
- evening with the bun warmer
      o plus a tiny camp fire in the middle (with our little camp fire contraption)
      o smores
      o hot dogs
      o hot drinks (tea, spiced cider, etc.)


Fri January 1st putting away Christmas + movies day

- black eyed peas, greens and corn bread
- spaghetti



hot springs day - mixed in somewhere.  Surprise half day




Tue January 5th - Proenneke day  (half day)

 - small roundwood projects all with hand tools
       o coat hooks (cut forked branch style)
       o coat hooks (dry pegs in green half-round of wood)
       o a kitchen chair (probably pretty big and blocky)
       o repair projects
       o sawbuck


Fri January 8th  - national houseplants day (half day)

- overhaul all of the houseplants
- modify stuff to be houseplant pots
- coleus seeds
- plant edible stuff, maybe herbs
- add plant shelves and grow lights
- experiment with self watering stuff


Tue January 12th - gadget mending day  (half day)



Fri January 15th - quilt day
- collectively make one quilt for one thing
    o maybe a window quilt
    o maybe a curtain for something
    o maybe a bed quilt
- each person has their own square or two to be added to the quilt
- they can add messages with laundry markers
- each boot can add their name
- somewhere it says "bootcamp 2022"
- ravioli served so it looks like a quilt


Tue January 19th   -sauna day  (half day)



Fri January 22nd   - fermentation day (half day)

- water keifer
- kim chi
- miso
- kraut
- sourdough
- keifer


Fri January 29th -  pina colada day (half day)

- blended drinks (with umbrellas), pizza and the house is 80 degrees
     o beach music
     o drink from pineapple cups
- improve the dock
     o add tropical somethings
- improve the library
- movie featuring pina coladas or beaches
     o shrek (plays the pina colada song)
     o pirates of the caribbean
     o lilo and stitch
     o fantasy island
     o swiss family robinson
     o guardians of the galaxy


Tue February 2nd - Masanobu Fukuoka's birthday!  

  - make seed balls
  - upgrade the free shelf stuff
  - sushi

Fri February 5th art day

- signs and labels
- maybe tiny rock jacks to hold up outdoor signs
- food that would be served at an art gallery
          o foods impaled with toothpicks
          o foods served on a cracker
          o grapes


Tue February 9th - pulley day

 - projects with pulleys
    o laundry racks
    o window quilts
    o food drying racks next to the ceiling that can be lowered
    o pulley-based ceiling storage
    o more things like Bob.
    o maybe some experiments with manual log skidding winches
    o maybe some gravity lights in the pantry


Fri February 12th -    cat house day

- build a cat house
 - eat lasagna
 - maybe a movie featuring a cat



Wed February 17th - roundwood furniture day

 - making furniture out of roundwood, like the picnic table and the couch balcony.
    o chairs
    o stools
    o tables


Wed February 24th - repair cafe day

   

Wed March 3rd - gate day

 - projects with gates
    o maintain existing gates
    o build new gates
    o make garden gates animal tight for spring
    o update allerton abbey gate to be more beautiful
   

Wed March 10th - garden twig day

 - making useful art out of twigs, like a cucumber, pea vine and clematis frame.
    o tomato cages
    o trellis
   

Wed March 17th - dog day

 - we work on making something for dogs at the dog star
 - wofati dog house
   

If you want to dive in deeper, consider joining the Wheaton Labs bootcamp for hands on Half Assed Holiday experience! : https://permies.com/link/hahbootcamp

Emi Oakes wrote:Hello! Would love to visit via the Seppers program- I'm new to permies.com and amazed what Wheaton Labs is doing : ) Exactly what I want to be learning.

I'm thinking about potentially two weeks in the coming months (maybe late Sept - mid Nov) in some private space that would be comfortably heated with a RMH, perhaps wofati style. Are things available then and functional for the fall weather? Also curious if this overlaps with other scheduled projects or events I should take into consideration. Thank you! Happy to pm or email to coordinate - Emi

Hello Emi!

Thanks for contacting us.
We would love to have you visit!

I think you would would be really happy in Cooper Cabin, it has a great rocket mass heater.  It also has a nice kitchen with a rocket cook top and indoor willow feeder.    


Let us know what dates you are looking at and I will get you on the calendar.

Thanks!

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:I have a very-specific, but accessible to nearly everyone reading this, kind of request.

We're having problems with Rex, the Lab's excavator. It our quest in attempting to fix it, I've acknowledged that an operator's manual would be exceptionally useful.

Anyone willing to pick up a manual for us? One link appears to cost $30:

https://heavymachineryequipment.com/downloads/hitachi-ex120-owners-operators-manual/

The entire bundle is nearly 1,000 pages. Thankfully, this is an indexed PDF file that will be helpful for us to root through so long as we're working with Rex.

Anyone willing to jump in on this, you have my gratitude...! Thank you!  :-D

Hello Stephen!

Do you sill need the excavator owner manual?

It looks like if I buy it I will get to down load it.  Would it be better if I just sent you $30?

Hello Ty!

Wheaton Labs has a great program called the permaculture bootcamp.  

You can gain skills and meet new people.  

https://permies.com/wiki/bootcamp

Phil Stevens wrote:I got some of these seedling bags and a grow mat as a gift:

https://www.floatingpeaks.co.nz/shop/garden-gift

I liked them but they might be on the pricey side. I've often thought about felting some of the many bags of wool I've got into matting, but just don't have the time for it at the moment.

Thanks Phil!

That site has a lot of great ideas of things we could do with extra wool!  They have weed suppression squares that you can put around a plant like mulch.  They sell a wool pouch that you fill with soil as a seed starting mat.   The stuff is a little spendy and a lot of the products are sold out. That makes me think this could be a good income source for someone here on permies with a little entrepreneurial spirit.