Jen’s Boot Camp and Allerton Abbey Experience

Orin, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words and your generous offer!

Right now we just don't have the time/energy to weigh the wood we are using, but we will try to do so for some period of time in the future, since I also think that would be interesting data, although not something I'd want to do every day.

One thing we would love to have for the Abbey is a stovetop fan that runs from heat alone, without any batteries/electricity, to help circulate the heat throughout the structure. Here are a couple option under $50:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0IAZZ5/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01M0IAZZ5&pd_rd_w=pDcHf&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=CzZgR&pf_rd_r=XVCRQ26CG0Y4STF066RA&pd_rd_r=cdcca317-f8cb-45f0-a6f4-18bf20939f6f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzVlhWVTlJNlNPRTYyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDMxMjY3MUozVk5UMVY5UFFDTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc1NDY1TjlTMzBVTkZZU1BCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CD2AIV8/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01CD2AIV8&pd_rd_w=FkfcT&pf_rd_p=c83c55b0-5d97-454a-a592-a891098a9709&pd_rd_wg=CzZgR&pf_rd_r=XVCRQ26CG0Y4STF066RA&pd_rd_r=cdcca317-f8cb-45f0-a6f4-18bf20939f6f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzVlhWVTlJNlNPRTYyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTQwNzMwMlhUQkJSOFg0MFFTRCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODQwMDYzMlhJTVJFTlE0UEZOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Thank you!

Hi Jen,
I ordered the second one for you.  Amazon expects delivery on Monday.   The first one looks prettier--like a maple leaf--but several reviews mentioned bad-out-of-box issues.  Hope it works!

Wow, thanks, Kerry! We look forward to trying it out and reporting back!

Lito,

There were three of us living in the Abbey; now it is just Josiah and me, as Bella is travelling for the winter and planning to be back in spring. There are three beds in total at the Abbey--two bunks in one cell, as well as the queen bed in its own cell.

Regarding the big dips in the charts, the biggest dip was definitely when the back door somehow shifted on its hinges and was hanging open for over a day during the coldest weather we've had this year while I was stuck at base camp, unable to make it back up to the Abbey due to weather conditions (before I got snow tires and chains). I installed magnets on the door to hold it closed, and we need to do some additional work on the doors to make them open and close more smoothly, but hopefully that won't happen again.

My skirt is made by the brand Macabi. It actually wasn't oiled originally, but has become so as I applied many coats of linseed oil to the floors at the Abbey! The original fabric is a quick-dry synthetic, but not waterproof. It is very practical; I can carry a quart of water in each pocket while hiking, or a battery-powered drill, small sledge, or other tools while working. It also clips up into a shorter skirt or shorts, which can be convenient when climbing ladders or mountains! I love it.

https://www.macabiskirt.com/

Here's a quick video Josiah made about the bucket foot-pump sink we (well, mostly Josiah) made for the Abbey. It is so, sooooooo much better than than washing dishes in tubs. We got all the materials secondhand from a really cool shop in Missoula called Home ReSource which describes itself as a "nonprofit community sustainability center with a building materials reuse store & job training, education, and zero waste programs."