Dez's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

POST 77 (DAY 83, Sunday, 2020.11.01
[Evening Entry] ... Warm Blooded...

Went into town yesterday.. to get lost.. I didn't have anywhere specific to go, but I knew my car needed a good long-ish drive.. so I hopped in and got rolling..
Sometimes the open road speaks to me.. things like "how are you?" or "breathe.."..  yesterday, it said, "lets celebrate.."
So to mark the joyous occasion of my near-three months here at WL, I thought I'd spend money.. but not just on me.. something inside me wanted it to be a treat for others also, so I bought dairy..
One big stick of Organic pastured raised butter (salted of course), two packets of organic cream cheese to slather on some fresh bread that I would make later this week, and two small bricks of organic cheese for taco tuesday.. ITS GONNA BE GOOOOOD~!

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..

Enjoy the pics~!

ps. I chopped firewood with Clayton today~! yay~! =D

POST 78 (DAY 84, Monday, 2020.11.02)
[Morning entry]

Finally uploading a profile pic.. which on is best?..

A DREAM: From a deep sleep last night.. Jumping into a lake from a swinging rope, on one sunny day, with friends, laughing.. the feeling was freedom.. enjoying company and time.. how often do we simply enjoy time freely?.. truly free, as when a small child giggles for no apparent reason.. do I find moments to spontaneously enjoy the company of those around me anymore?.. or is it all too often about getting things done?.. whatever the case, it's all good.. i often must remind myself that it's all OK.. ITS OK to both enjoy or not enjoy.. to simplify or complicate.. to burn the bread a little.. of course it feels a little extra nice when that last 10-20% of a thing wraps up smooth.. still I can find appreciation in the first 80-90%, right?.. after all, that IS my choice.. and choice is that jump into a lake filled of fun and friends..
(or a couch filled with friends and smiles)..

enjoy the day~!

#1 or #2 are both great.  Group pics make it hard to tell who the intended subject is (in my opinion)

POST 79 (DAY 85, Tuesday, 2020.11.03)
[Morning Entry]

This morning, I realized while waking up slowly (a thing I love to do).. that I prefer morning entries with evening updates.. I’ve tried strictly morning entries and strictly evening entries.. now it seems I’ve found middle ground in this formula.. and I’m very excited about it!

Had a breakfast burrito with squash, eggs, carmelized onions, and bacon.. of course I added some spicy mayo.. so good!.. and then for morning dessert—cornbread with cream cheese.. waw yummy! Excited and energized for the day!

Enjoy the pics~!

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.

POST 80 (DAY 86, Wednesday, 2020.11.04)
[Morning Entry]

Yesterday, I was at the dining table, super-enjoying taco Tuesday with the core boots here at WL, and began to talk about Monday (aka the day before), as if it was sometime last week.. the other boots asked to clarify, "..doooo you mean yesterday by chance?".. I paused to recollect for a couple of seconds.. then we all bursted into laughter together, because the common understanding was that the sense of time works a bit differently here.. There is a richness and density I feel as the days and weeks pass.. for example, the last 2+ months I've been here feels something closer to 2+ years.. Evidently, I'm not alone in this observation.. So much soul-feeding happens being here, vs when compared to being the City.. reflecting to the recent past feels like walking through a dense food forest of warming memories, funny moments, and remarkable situations.. where as in my City memories, those times seemed much more spread out for some strange reason (i'm not exactly sure).. "We eat the desert of opportunities, here at 'permaculture disneyland'", I often express..

Enjoy the pics~!

POST 81 (DAY 87, Thursday, 2020.11.05)
[Morning Entry] ... CAPACITY..

"A sustainable pace.." is what Josiah mentioned to me during our first few days of working together.. sometimes it's easy to push ourselves beyond our own limits because we somehow believe it would let someone down if we didn't.. a sort of peer pressure.. in the safety of our own individual sustainable pace, we can choose to push within our own limits and pause when that limit is reached.. going beyond is somehow regarded as more, but in a way, it can actually be less.. less efficient, less productive, less sustainable.. thus we run into "burn-out"--a message from the human body or the soul that something needs to change.. and usually that's pace or trajectory, or both.. I burned out of the working-for-money game--it fed my body well, but did not feed my soul much (at all?).. eventually (March 2020), I decided to quit my dream job, and leap into the abyss.. in a sense, I needed to pause everything in order to regain perspective of my soul-priorities.. Research led me to WL..
    Though I still feared the unknown of jumping into a world of permaculture, something in me resonated.. the efficiency of the rocket mass heater blew my science-interested mind.. growing organic food at home sounded so interesting.. living in the quiet of the countryside appealed to my peace-seeking side.. it was a place that I didn't know I was actually looking for.. I suppose that's usually how it goes--the thing you're looking for is a vague concept as if seen through a translucent, blurry lens.. upon arrival at WL, I fell--dare I say--in love.. the environment, the people, the culture, the work.. work will always be--even in retirement or vacation--life takes work.. and sometimes, we push to our limits.. sometimes we push beyond our limits..
    So rest and recovery must also become part of work.. we charge our cell phone batteries periodically and regularly, because we know we need a little screen to stare at--I mean--we know we need to recharge our own battery(ies) periodically and regularly.. distractions can serve for temporary means of ignoring our own needs (this is probably another topic).. Sometimes, we are distracted from charging our batteries.. and before we know it, burn out shows up.. how best do I reduce burn out then?.. building it into my routine seems to work best for me (as I had discussed in a previous entry).. Also, being mindful of my pace in real-time, of course helps.. One benefit of living in community, as I am finding, is that those around me can act as reference points and/or mirrors to show me my pace, as I observe the pace of the person next to me.. I often think that I'm one of the slowest-paced workers here.. mentally, physically.. its quite humbling.. to know that they accept me as I am is encouraging, and makes me want to build UP my own capacity.. to keep up with my company.. in a sustainable way.. in acceptance and grace..

have a wonderful day, permies.. and enjoy the pics~!