!!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 54

After this morning’s meeting, we headed out to the Abbey to start repairing the junkpole fencing. For now, we’re doing temporary repairs in an old fort–style fashion — quick to put up and effective at keeping the deer out. Once Stephen is back from vacation, it will all get reverted to the more permanent setup. Even so, we made solid progress and completed two panels by lunchtime.

After the work was done, we shifted gears and watched Bad Santa 2, which made for a pretty relaxed afternoon. Paul was incredibly kind and picked us up Chinese food, and even managed to snag my special request of feta cheese — much appreciated.

Later in the evening, we all gathered and opened one present each. Molly received a permaculture DVD, Melissa got a rad t-shirt, Stephen opened a banana shirt, Paul received a cool heavy-duty trowel, and I was gifted an awesome canvas work bib that I absolutely love to pieces.

aranka fisher wrote:hi esteban, very creative signs!, good work....happy xmas to you all there,   hugs from rumi and aranka

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words. Wishing you both a warm, joyful Christmas.

B.E.L. Post # 55

I awoke this morning with such happiness in my heart — it’s Christmas 🎄  So I leapt out of bed like a little boy and scurried over to the Fisher Price house, full of excitement and gratitude.

There I met up with everyone else, and together we emptied our Christmas stockings and opened our presents. It was truly glorious. There was lots of laughter, jokes flying around, and interesting stories being shared — the kind of moments that fill the room with warmth and make time slow down just a bit.

Afterward, we had a break until dinner at 2 pm. During that free time, I put my energy to good use by splitting more firewood and loading it into the back of my pickup. I’ll continue processing until the truck bed is full, then transport it over to the library and stage it at the fire rack I emptied earlier. The intention is to stack a full face cord for a badge bit — steady progress, one split at a time.

Once that was wrapped up, I headed to dinner and continued the journey of strong love here. After the meal, the crew went to watch Red One, while I decided to stay behind and knock out another badge bit instead. It felt good to keep building momentum even on a holiday.

To close out the day, I spent some quiet time speaking with my loved ones and wishing them a Merry Christmas. A full heart, meaningful work, and shared joy — a truly rich day.

B.E.L. Post # 56

After this morning’s meeting, Molly and I headed to the shop and got a fire going to warm things up. We spent the morning processing cardboard and continuing work on the signage project while Stephen headed out to the Abbey to collect some data.

After lunch, Molly and I made our way to the Abbey to continue working on the junkpole fencing. The weather cooperated and we were able to make solid progress, adding an additional 25 feet of fence. It felt good to see the line extend and know it’s slowly but surely coming together.

A steady, productive day with good teamwork and tangible progress.

B.E.L. Post # 57

Today I continued work on the deliveries sign and processed more aluminum cans, making steady progress on a few odds and ends around the place. While working in the shop, I stumbled upon another issue that needs attention.

The connection point of the exhaust at the rocket mass heater in the workshop has separated yet again. Previously, my high commander had been using some type of insulation tape to seal the joint, but it’s become clear that this isn’t a long-term solution. I believe part of the problem is that the exhaust elbow itself isn’t properly supported. When people use the port to prime the exhaust, it likely gets pushed around (a bit of “hulk smash” energy involved), causing it to misalign and break the seal.

After talking it through with Paul, we came up with a better plan of using cob.  I’ll reseal the joint using cob, but first I’ll apply a layer of wheat paste to help the cob bond to the smooth metal surface. Once sealed, I’ll also stack bricks underneath the elbow to properly support it and reduce movement in the future.

A good reminder that small structural supports can make a big difference in longevity—and that temporary fixes have a way of asking for attention again.

B.E.L. Post # 58

Before the morning blitz kicked off, Molly and I took a moment to wish Stephen safe travels as he heads out on a two-month vacation. It was a calm, good-spirited start to the day, and the blitz itself went smoothly.

Afterwards, I focused on repairing the exhaust connection point on the rocket mass heater in the workshop. I realigned the separated sections, added two screws to better secure the joint, and taped all the seams with insulation tape. It’s holding well for now, though it’s still my intention to properly cover the area with cob to give it a more permanent and resilient fix.

Once the practical work was wrapped up, the rest of the day slowed down nicely. I spent some quiet time chilling with my dog and writing letters, enjoying a peaceful end to a productive day.

Yesterday Monday 12/29,  marked the first day without our High Commander, and we rose to the occasion—holding fast and steady until his return.

After the morning meeting, Molly and I got right to work processing more cardboard and woody bits. Molly also installed a few additional power strips at the kitchen island counter, which will definitely make that space more functional. From there, we spent the rest of the morning continuing progress on our signage projects until lunchtime.

After lunch, we headed over to the Abbey to work on the junkpole fencing repair project. We were able to successfully repair two panels, roughly 24 feet total, bringing that section back into good shape.

As the day wound down, we returned to basecamp, put all the tools away, and wrapped things up cleanly—ending a solid, productive day of holding the line and keeping things moving forward.

B.E.L. Post # 59

After this morning’s meeting, Molly and I loaded up the work rig with tools and big plans. Before leaving, we once again challenged the large ice patch using hand tools, teamwork, and questionable confidence. The ice did not flinch. We poked it, scraped it, and glared at it. It remained unmoved and smug. We declared a strategic retreat and vowed revenge at a later date.

Upon arrival at the Abbey, we wasted no time and jumped straight into the junk pole fencing project. Today was all about dismantling the fallen panels and restoring some sense of order to what looked like a fence that had simply given up on life. We pulled things apart, sorted usable pieces, and organized the fallen poles into neat-ish piles that almost looked intentional.

By day’s end, we had successfully cleaned up and organized 10 panels — roughly 120 feet of fencing — which felt like herding cats, except the cats were poles and occasionally tried to trip us. Tomorrow’s goal is to start rough framing: resetting vertical posts with gravel socks and installing horizontal supports so the fence can once again stand tall and feel proud of itself.

After returning to basecamp, we wrapped up the day working on our wooden signs until the end of the evening. No signs were harmed in the making of this progress, and the ice patch remains undefeated… for now.