Boots Love

Great to hear! enjoy.

Yes Nancy, it arrived and Paul picked it up earlier this week. Thank you so much for all the goodies. Fellow Boot Zach and I sampled the laverbread, and that kind of blew our minds. The biscuits went great with our homemade rhubarb jam, and disappeared way too quickly. We'll be chipping away at your generous bounty in the days ahead.

I'll have a closer look at those "pie spices" you included, and will likely find no other use for them but to drop them in the soil...

Once again: many thanks, Nancy...!!!

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Fellow Boot Zach and I sampled the laverbread, and that kind of blew our minds.

It is quite strong tasting, but so good for one! I gather mixing it into sort of oat crackers is one way to use it. I tend to use it in moderation in spinach type recipes.

The holiday tradition is still holding strong... Thanks Uncle Mud & Family...!!!

I'm baking some cinnamon raisin bread tonight, and this will be a splendid addition.

The boots always have my back when I'm fiddling about at Wheaton Labs. A little sweet love goes a long way.

During my work tour travels in February '26, friend and fellow Permie James passed along this enormous jar of honey from his backyard behives. The team is well-stocked with honey these days.

Thanks for the sweet treat, James!!!

Permie staff Judith Browning and family granted me with these hand-carved wooden spoons for our use at the Fisher Price House. Both a classic wood spoon and a wooden scoop were gifted to us.

BIG Thanks, Judith...!!!

Opalyn stopped by during her trip across the country, and took a break from her projects to coach myself and the rest of the team - including Paul - through some sewing and mending projects.

Thanks for your time and for sharing your expertise, Opalyn...!!!

Hello Permies!

If you haven't had a chance to hear my and my family's stories, please see the following threads:
Alexandra's SKIP to Homesteading
Harry's BEL Thread

As a new boot, it was brought to my attention that I should bring awareness to my BEL thread here on the Boots Love thread, but also reach out to the broader community with any recent requests for "Boot Love". Given that I have only been here for a little over a week, I solicited my companions for ideas and collated below:

1. Coffee -- all of the coffee
2. Chocolate - I prefer darker chocolates, but a mix would be great
3. Dog toys for the unofficial current boot mascot,, Cujo (see Esteban's BEL Thread)
4. Markers that are good for outdoors and for in the shop -- I have been surprised at how little options we have to mark lines, so anything on this front would be helpful. Example below:
Outdoor Marker Example

Thanks for all who have given in the past and continue to give! Your contributions show us boots how much our work is appreciated !

BIG thanks to Clay McGowan for his generous grab bag o' Boots Love.

His contribution ranges from coffee, to dog toys, to seeds, to even a battery pack for our 80v electric chainsaw.

THANKS, man...!

Big THANKS to SEPPer Bea Cates for her care package of cool stuff for the Boots!!!

Pictured here are the things she sent along: homemade tooth powder for me, a nifty cross-stitched kerchief, a book and tacti-CLIPS for Melissa, a detachable hard drive for Boots' data, and some homemade ache oil. The big bag decorated with snowflake cookies is zinc oxide sunscreen...!

Thanks so much for your generosity, Bea...!!!

I just wanted to publicly thank Bounce for the care package she sent to us boots not too long ago. It was incredibly thoughtful, and all the goodies inside were very much appreciated.

I especially wanted to thank her for the hard-drive she included. That’s something I’ll definitely be putting to good use. I’ve been taking a lot of photos and videos during my time here at Wheaton Labs, and it’ll be perfect for storing all the memories, projects, and experiences I’ve been documenting along the way.

I’ll also soon be dabbling a bit in some light video editing work, so having the extra storage is honestly going to help tremendously.

It’s gestures like this that really make this community feel special. Thank you again, Bounce, for your generosity and support toward us boots out here learning, building, and growing.

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!  

Big, big thanks to Liv Smith for the care package she put together for us a short time ago...!

Crunchy cereal, choccy bars, dried fruit, and coffee...! It's like she sings the song of my tummy's heart.

Plus, more work gloves!!!

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?

Samantha Lewis wrote: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?

If passing along the funds works better for you Samantha, of course I won't say no to that. When I have the PDF, I'll be able to archive it here plus a couple other places.

Thanks...!

Coco Fernandez wrote:We love the Boots that come up here to wheaton labs. I think you all do too!



Hear is away to show your love to the sweet Boots that come.

Feel free to sent things to them:
Books
Clothing
Boots
Hats
Gloves
The list can keep going!!!

Here is a starter list and the links to Amazon.com (one etsy):
Gaia's garden
Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening
Homegrown Linen
The Rocket Mass Heater Builder's Guide: Complete Step-by-Step Construction, Maintenance and Troubleshooting
The Earth Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book
Earthen Floors
The Fifty Dollar and Up Underground House Book
The Scything Handbook: Learn How to Cut Grass, Mow Meadows and Harvest Grain with a Scythe
The High Art and Subtle Science of Scrounging
The Hands on Home
Permaculture Magazine
NOMA guide to fermentation
HotHands Body & Hand Super Warmers
100% wool blanket

Here are the addresses to send stuff:

Boots c/o paul wheaton
2120 s reserve #351
missoula, mt 59801


Here is a start

This is definitely a want, not a need, but there are a few things I would absolutely love to have for my Wheaton Labs experience.

The first is the Carhartt brown nubuck leather trifold wallet.  I really like the simple, rugged look of it, and honestly, it kind of reminds me of Paul and some of his Carhartt gear. There’s something about that rugged, hardworking look that just feels right for the kind of man I’m trying to become and the lifestyle I’m experiencing here.

Amazon:  https://a.co/d/05U5aHOy

The second is the Vosteed Vombat fixed-blade knife. A compact fixed blade like this would be a really nice addition to my everyday work kit for the homestead/permaculture-type work I’m doing. If you’ve noticed some of my posts and pictures, you’ve probably seen my Victorinox Spirit and Victorinox Harvester showing up pretty regularly. I definitely use my tools, and they’re not just for show. 😄 Between fencing, clearing, working around the property, and all the little outdoor tasks that come up, I can see a compact fixed blade becoming another tool I’d put to work regularly.

Amazon:  https://a.co/d/0aLLM4nu

The third is the IDOGEAR Tactical Phone Pouch in Ranger Green. This one would actually solve a little problem I’ve run into a few times here at the Labs. There have been times when my phone has slipped out of my pocket while I was working, or I’ve set it down for just a moment while doing something and then suddenly… poof, gone. 😅 I really like the idea of having a rugged, MOLLE-compatible pouch attached to my gear where my phone can stay secure, accessible, and with me while I’m working around the property.

Amazon:  https://a.co/d/0bJ6ZCZj

Again, none of these are things I need. I already have functional gear that gets the job done. These are simply a few pieces of gear that I think would be really nice additions to my Wheaton Labs journey, and I’d be excited to put them to work here. 🌱🛠️❤️