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

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Esteban. Sorry I only discovered your thread here today, while you're already a 'boot' for a month.
I always love to follow the boots. Most of all I love to see photos and videos of what you are doing there.

From now on I'll do my best to read your posts. I like your story-telling style!

Hi there! No worries at all, I’m just glad you found the thread and are following along now. It’s been a busy first month, but an incredible one. I really appreciate you taking the time to read the posts—and thank you for the compliment on the storytelling, that means a lot.

I’ll definitely be sharing more photos, videos, and updates as I go. Happy to have you along for the journey! 🌿😊

B.E.L. Post # 35

Saturday 11/22

Today is normally my off day, but I still felt the itch to get a little work in. Started the morning by splitting up a pile of wood for kindling—nothing like the rhythm of the axe to wake you up.

After that, headed over to the Abbey to feed the cats and walk the perimeter as usual. Calm day over there, everyone accounted for and well fed.

Back at Base Camp, I scouted around and found a solid dead standing tree ready to come down. Will be dropping it soon ....

Even on a “day off,” it feels good to make progress. 🪵🌲🐾

B.E.L. Post # 36

Sunday 11/23

After the morning cleaning blitz, I headed out to scrounge and split some fuel for the main house rocket mass heater. Managed to fill up two wooden boxes with good, solid woody bits – the kind that burn hot and clean. Always satisfying to stack them full and know the heater is well taken care of for a while.

Next on the list was finishing the cat-proofing on the automatic food feeder for the Abbey and Basecamp. Those furry masterminds have been working overtime to outsmart the system, but I think this setup should hold… at least for now. 😅

Rounded out the day with a peaceful little harvest of mint. Got a nice batch – fragrant, green, and ready for tea, drying, or whatever feels right. A simple way to wrap up the day, but a good one.

Hi Esteban.
I forgot to mention: I love your little doggie!

About cats: my son and d.i.l. have two lazy cats. When they go away for a few days I take care of those two cats. They do have two cat-feeders, the kind that goes around and has several compartments with one serving of dry cat-food inside (working with batteries). All I need to do is fill the empty compartments. This opens só easy ... I am sure it wouldn't be safe for the Wheaton cats!

B.E.L. Post # 37

Monday 11/24



After the morning meeting, we headed over to the shop as usual. While I got the rocket mass heater going, Stephen was walking John through some chainsaw maintenance and care. Once the shop was warmed up and squared away, we headed to the Abbey for our regular rounds.

Today everything looked good—no signs of the perimeter being breached, no new damage, and the cats were all doing well.

Back at Basecamp, Stephen and I each felled a tree to use for building the framing for the new paddock gate. With those down and trimmed, we shifted gears and wrapped up the afternoon by processing corn until the end of the day.

A productive and steady day with good progress all around.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Esteban.
I forgot to mention: I love your little doggie!

About cats: my son and d.i.l. have two lazy cats. When they go away for a few days I take care of those two cats. They do have two cat-feeders, the kind that goes around and has several compartments with one serving of dry cat-food inside (working with batteries). All I need to do is fill the empty compartments. This opens só easy ... I am sure it wouldn't be safe for the Wheaton cats!

Hi there!

Thank you so much — my little doggie will be very flattered to hear that! 🐶😊 He absolutely loves attention and thinks everyone he meets is his new best friend.

That’s sweet that you take care of your son and daughter-in-law’s cats while they’re away. Those rotating feeders sound perfect for relaxed house cats, but yes… the Wheaton kitty crew would probably have those things cracked open in 10 minutes. They’re clever, motivated, and always ready for “just one more snack.” 😅

It’s always fun seeing how different cats behave in different environments — sounds like your feline charges have it pretty good!

B.E.L. # 38

Tuesday 11-25

After our morning meeting, we made our usual rounds to get the day rolling. First task was lighting up the fires in both the classroom and the shop—always feels good to get those spaces warmed up and humming early.

Once everything was burning steady, we headed over to the Abbey. Checked the full fence perimeter and everything looked solid with no signs of disturbance. Fed the cats, who as always acted like we hadn’t fed them in years.

Back at basecamp, our High Commander greeted us with a bit of excitement—he presented us with plans for building a rustic chair, full sketch and all. Looks like we’ll be diving into it and John and I proceeded to the task

B.E.L. Post # 39

After the morning meeting, we kicked off the day by getting the shop fire lit and warming up. Once that was going steady, we headed over to the Abbey for our usual rounds—everything looked good and quiet.

Coming back to basecamp, John and Stephen peeled off to run a garbage load to the transfer station. Meanwhile, I hauled a crate of cardboard over to the main house and got to work processing woody bits.

Once everyone regrouped, we all ganged up on the chair project. Made solid progress and managed to get it nearly finished by the end of the day.