Dez's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

POST 82 (DAY 88, Friday, 2020.11.06)
[Morning Entry] ... WARDROBE...

.. Started using the bunk room closet for the first time this past week as a closet.. where I hang some shirts.. I love it.. I remember when I first moved to Seattle, it was the first time I had lived alone, in my own place.. I had the place all to myself, so I made the decisions about how the closet would be.. over time, I came up with a wardrobe and a system to keep things organized and easily accessible.. I imagine that most people develop such a system at around age 10--I was 28.. and late to the party, but the party was great!.. It took some time for me to get used to actually using the system I had developed, but once I did, I grew to appreciate it and never looked back.. hanging shirts on one side, and pants on the other, with colors arranged by shade transitioning in a sensible order.. it was magnificent indeed.. here, I hang two or three shirts, and fold my pants atop the shelf.. a much simpler wardrobe for a much simpler lifestyle.. The clothes we wear take care of us, so why not take care of these clothes?.. gone are the days I toss a mixture of tops and bottoms, dirty or clean, into a single pile of "I'll get to it later..".. and it frees up my brain capacity for other things somehow..  again, I just love it.. Thanks for hangers in the bunk room closet, Paul.. One of the first things I'll build into my plot structure is a place for my clothes.. =D

THE WORK (yesterday): AM--Picked up the second batch of Paul's books from Missoula yesterday.. Toots sure is a reliable rig..
    PM--Dug a small trench for a wire conduit, and then helped Fred move some bricks..

enjoy the pics~!

POST 83 (DAY 89, Saturday, 2020.11.07)
[Evening Entry]

Slept in this morning, til 9:45am.. Saturday mornings these past 3-4 weeks have been pretty much dedicated to sleeping til the sleeping is done.. the cause?--probably the late, big dinners i've been allowing myself to have.. in all fairness though, the food here is just so yummy to me, on most days.. so, why pass it up?.. speaking of yummy food, I made some fresh baked bread today, using Clayton's recipe (7 cups whole wheat flour, 4 cups water, 1 teaspoon yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar).. spread some butter on there, with a bit of garlic-herb sprinkle.. maybe a little balsamic vinegar.. a snack fit for kings, I say~!.. The 90-day celebratory cream cheese from last week is still here, so I tried a slice (or two) with a schmear of that creamy cheesy goodness.. Jen made some chocolate chip cookies (which I only smelled, because I don't do sugary things.. sweetness from veggies, I can handle, but processed sugar seems to affect me differently).. Then I baked some Turnip Fries from our recent harvest.. (pic below).. these go well in a quick saute pan with coconut oil.. and then served with--of course, you guessed it--my homemade SPICY MAYO~!.. Anyway, I really look forward to the relaxed Saturdays of either working or not working.. speaking of work..

THE WORK: yesterday, AM--meeting at the library with the Boots and Paul to discuss our list of things to do, as well as a conversation about forward velocity and trajectory.. its a good way of giving everyone a chance to be involved in parts of the planning, as well as to give a scope-view of the "vision" so to speak.. I especially appreciate the dedicated face-to-face time with each member as we connect on topics that may otherwise be less opportune to talk about (due to other tasks at hand, etc.)..
    PM--Planting black locust seeds at Fred's plot.. I often wonder what the world would be like without the instant access to music from my headphones.. there was a time when I did not wonder about this kind of thing.. life was lived without the constant input of media pouring into my ears and/or eyes--what was that kind of life even like?.. Friday afternoon was that kind of life--I had my phone, but chose to plant seeds in the boring-ness of my own thoughts and the sounds of the nature around me.. pretty quiet.. pretty peaceful.. and yet, something in me longed for the input of media~!.. To enjoy the peace and quiet of WL takes practice, as it seems.. and with that practice, I believe, can come a level of enjoyment that no media can touch.. When my fingers got stiff from the cold metal seeding-stick, I'd pause to warm them up in my pockets and look up at the trees and the sky.. I wondered.. about my path ahead..
    What do I want my plot to look like?.. How would I design it in such a way that it helps WL grow exponentially?.. What kind of income flow system would I want to incorporate into my plot's productivity?.. What would I name my plot?.. One thing at a time though.. and theses questions may not even be the most important ones.. I like to think that I have faith in miracles.. and miracles are usually unpredictable.. I thought I might name it "Miracle's Plot"--just a thought..

enjoy the pics~!

POST 84 (DAY 90, Sunday, 2020.11.08)
[Morning Entry]

Snow fall.. 27 degrees.. been starting up the RMH for the past couple weeks.. what an amazing piece of technology.. inspired by this RMH and the recent transporting of about 8,000 of Paul's books, I started reading.. "Building a Better World in Your Back Yard".. 5 pages in.. I wish I had more stamina for reading.. I know of people who can read for hours at a time.. maybe you're like that?.. apparently I can plant seeds for 4 hours straight.. but reading takes a different kind of muscle for me~! =D Sunday is cleaning day.. excited to get it done, so I can read a little more and possibly relax a little more.. This past week must have been pretty tiring for me--not exactly sure why..
    I spy... Wild turkeys in the fresh snow.. enjoy the pics~!

POST 85 (DAY 91, Monday, 2020.11.09)
[Morning Entry]

Light snow turkeys march on grazing.. 18 Degrees.. Golden threads of wild native grass reach up to give clingy seeds to nearby animals that brush by..
Lighting the RMH (rocket mass heater) in the FPH (fisher price house) has been and interesting learning curve.. "I fear that I may accidentally burning down the house.." I expressed to Paul yesterday.. He explained that he has run it hundreds of times without issue and that I can have more confidence in it.. I learned something new a little later that morning.. I walked away from the RMH after loading two pieces of wood a little too high--don't do that.. a moment later I walk in an the room smells of smoke.. good thing Josiah was aware of what was happening and calmed the fire back.. the cause was a combination of too much coals/embers above the bottom surface of the fire chamber, and fresh firewood being too tall over the fire chamber--these two are a recipe for smoking out or firing backwards..

more later.. time to work~!
enjoy the pics~!

POST 86 (DAY 92, Tuesday, 2020.11.10)
[Morning Entry] ... Second Quarter :: Stewardship vs. Consumerism ...

A RANT: Today's the 2nd day of my 2nd quarter.. I thought something "magical" might happen after 90 days of being at Wheaton Labs.. and it really has.. Suddenly, I feel much more at-home.. Somehow I am now able to see this place as my place.. not mine to own, but mine to steward.. When I left The City, I had decided I did not want to "own" anything anymore.. Stewardship would become my new game (in contrast to the game of consumerism).. Consumerism tells you that "you own this thing..", whereas Stewardship suggests that "you are the honorary caretaker of this thing, its people, and its culture..".. With such in mind, I find there's less room for self-centered thoughts, and more room for community-centered ideas.. Sometimes its easier for me to take good care of my friends' thing than it is to take care of my own.. a car for example--when I feel like organizing my friend's car for them, as an act of service; I can feel less inclined to service my own cluttered vehicle cabin even though I know it could use some attention..

THE WORK: AM/PM--Meeting with Paul and the Boots in the morning to discuss plans for an air thermal exchanger ventilator at the Abbey to help with the.. well.. ventilation.. excited to see how the new system will improve conditions.. Later worked on notching a post that had very little room to work.. it was frustrating, so I took many mini-breaks to breathe and re-assess best approach.. there was only one approach--short strokes of the saw with the space available.. somewhat maddening if I focused on "how limited..".. Perspective Shift--somewhat freeing if I focused on "A sustainable pace..".. where in the "job/career world" can one choose to go at a sustainable pace without fear of loss?.. loss of time.. loss of position/reputation.. loss of money.. loss of humanity.. maddening.. nature does not worry about these things.. and here, at Wheaton Labs, I can focus on being closer aligned with the natural rhythms of work..

THE SURPRISE: "How was your afternoon, Dez?" Jen asks kindly, upon my return to the Fisher Price House.. "It was fun~! Wow, its so nice and warm in here.. I didn't layer enough socks and my toes were frozen the whole time.. but I could still move them, so I knew they were okay..~!" .. "Oh, no~.." Jen empathizes as she walks out of the living room (where the Rocket Mass Heater leaves).. I continue settling out of work-mode, putting away my gloves and warming my feet by the heater.. A moment later, she walks back in with a pair of socks in her hands, "They're not the prettiest socks, but you can borrow these.." I never felt such warmth.. then Clayton walks in right behind her and hands me a an extra pair of his.. washed and ready to wear.. they both decided to let me borrow their socks during these cold months.. I'm at a loss for words..
     Earlier that day, during our lunch break, Jen had asked about my holey socks.. she wondered why there seemed to be holes on the outside, but another layer of fabric underneath the holes.. and so many holes in the socks.. I explained that I fold one pair in on itself then wear another sock over it, so my toes can have triple insulation.. though my nerdy-mathematical side thinks that with the holes, its really more like double (not triple) insulation.. Clayton may have overheard the conversation from across the room.. I wasn't expecting such a WARM gift.. I'll take good care of these socks while they are in my stewardship, Jen and Clayton~!!! Thanks..

enjoy the pics~!

Hans Quistorff wrote:

I've found that if I eat butter or cheese, my blood is warmer.. has anyone ever noticed this also?
Over the course of the day, today, I believe I have eaten a cup of butter by myself, on toast, eggs, more toast, and some cornbread (a la Jen; she makes the best cornbread ever~!)
So now, I sit outside on the porch on this chilly evening, warmed by the cup of butter in my veins.. I am doing push-ups in between paragraphs, to offset the clogging somewhat (hopefully).. it's salted--I should be fine~! I think..

The research I have been fallowing indicates that the body can only store a small amount of sugar [and starch turned to sugar] for immediate use. any excess has to be turned into fat and stored; the stored fat is the last to be called on for energy. Oils that are consumed are not stored but used for the preferred energy source. When the body is running on oil it is easy to call on fat reserves to continue running.  If oil and sugar are not available then proteins are broken down into sugar for fuel.   The indication is that the arteries are not clogged by eating oils but the stress of trying to convert too much sugar and starch into fat.

That's really interesting. Don't we all give our livestock some extra sunflower seeds or other source of fat to help them stay warm in winter? That makes a lot of sense. I'll stop feeling the minute amount of guilt I was feeling for eating fat. :) Actually, my mantra is "All things in balance."

Dez, would you like to have a pair of hand-knitted wool socks? If so: what's the size of your feet (measured in inches or in centimeters). It won't be very long until you'll have 100 posts here. Most other boots got a knitted hat (beanie) then, but socks are possible too, if I know the right size.