I got my first BB this morning when we were doing work on fukuoka flats. Not that I was doing anything different from what I’ve done before, but this time I got a badge bit. I plan to do a few more badge bits while I’m here especially as they come up organically in the boot camp. My biggest obstacle is the lack of pictures and videos that I’ve taken while doing certain tasks that could have already gotten me a BB if I had documented them. The new camera phone I’ll receive tomorrow might help that problem. This afternoon was spent repairing the junk pole fence at a corner of Allerton Abbey that had fallen down, so that it remains deer proof. Of all the pests I envisioned as a child, vicious, tree devouring deer weren’t so horrifying as what we face when planting fruit trees in the woods. I’d imagine the threat is pretty clear if you could imagine having candy that’s been delivered to your neighborhood and delicately handled as to be available at your leisure. At least so see the deer, hence the necessity for bone sauce. tbc
I made a loaf of sourdough yesterday. I was using the same recipe I’ve always used, but the first time in a loaf pan. Let’s just say it looks a whole lot better than it tastes. I overdid it on the salt, and it wasn’t sour enough. The next attempt will surely improve. The funny thing about junkpole fence is that when it isn’t built up to the latest iteration of design, if you go to fix one section, you end up fixing three. So a large portion of the morning went to junkpole repair. I don’t foresee myself lacking in junkpole fence proficiency as I continue in boot camp. Another chair is now complete as of this afternoon and I do believe that it will stay together, and has the smoothest edges of all 3 handmade chairs currently present. Other words could be used to describe this chair but you can look and decide for yourself. New, black locust tree nursery has been established. The seeds have been scarified and planted. All we have to do now is wait ten years for the seeds to grow fence size, then construct a fence using the black locust, then the fence will last seventy plus years. I’ve heard it stated that the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago and the second best is right now. It always comes to mind when planting trees. Allegedly there are 25 hazelnut trees, and 6 apple trees on their way here for planting in the very near future. So we keep planting them too.
It’s May day, but it seems that people don’t really celebrate it anymore. I can see how the occasion might be lost, considering the fact that its relation to labor appreciation in Europe is superseded by labor day. And it being the traditional first day of summer seems to also get overlooked. I do have vivid memory of May 1st, 2020 marking the day that the square in Huntsville, Texas reopened after covid. So that’s why it’s special to me. More work was done at Allerton abbey wing walls again today. We’ve run into a situation necessitating the removal of rebar that was never intended to be moved. Trees are irrigated. Complexity trail is near completion and the first gimbal stabilized walkthrough has been done. Wood drying experiments continue, and the second round of bone sauce is cooking as I type this. Also the new sourdough loaf 1.1 is out. We’re not quite at 2.0, but we’re a lot closer. The main issue here was releasing from the loaf pan, greased was not enough. We finished off the night with a few hands of penny ante poker. All fun new games that were a whole lot more fun and exciting than the Texas hold ‘em like I’m used to. Oh and GAMCOD got some stuff planted. I’m really pleased with the fact that I often forget all that got done because there was so much done. Sometimes I’ll get to writing and don’t even remember a project until I go to add pictures. Enjoy the occasional long caption.
Allerton Abbey shall live on, so help me God. Of course, as with any project, the easy part is already done. Today we wrestle with the giants of yore who stand solidly indifferent to our efforts. Little do they know of our chisel, and wedge plot. But the sun was out and it made the morning of log wrestling quite pleasant. In the afternoon we disentombed the bone sauce from its scorched hideaway. I suspect that this one is the winner given that the smell actually caused me to gag, which it had not in the prior attempt. With a little improvised grass brush I made all of the baby trees and then some, should be protected from the vicious tree predators that look like Bambi. Stephen, the high commander around here, has started using the expression “goat mode” to describe when one is to remove grass and then mulch an area. It’s a fitting term, and also quite satisfying to observe before and after pictures of, so I’ve included those. Apparently there is a scythe that once existed here, JP and I both had the same aspiration to track it down. A new boot shows up on Sunday, and the Missoula farmers market starts on Saturday. ‘Til next time. Seth
Nothing like knocking out another BB by making my breakfast. Frying an egg in cast iron is another one of those skills that I take for granted until I try to record myself doing it. I imagine that many of the skills in PEP will carry that same effect. But I did it, submitted it, and don’t you forgit it. After espresso drinks, and a game of patchwork, I headed to Missoula for the farmers market, got my bike fixed(it was out of my fixing abilities), and explored the city a little more. This afternoon, I picked up a new pair of shoes to try out, some local organic yerba mate, and got my bike fixed in record time. I’m starting my own GAMCOD at Allerton Abbey for fun, so I got a lot of brush cleared and the dimensions measured out. Footage of the event does exist, but I’ve yet to decide how to use it at this point. One thing I do know for certain is that I will be taking photos at the sauna by Cooper cabin. I have used it no less than four times since I’ve been here and I’m excited to keep using it this summer. To come: new boot tomorrow, nest labor project- Seth seeks sewing skills. The sourdough loaf I started is looking like a batch of pancakes now, and the kombucha is nearing completion.
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The egg in question
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Before
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After
permaculture is giving a gift to your future self. After reading this tiny ad:
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