Dez's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

POST 19 (DAY 25, Friday, 2020.09.04)
[Evening Entry]
It must be Friday because I got so excited for the weekend that I kind of lost track of time and missed my usual BRK time window.. the time is now 9:30pm, which is actually past my bedtime.. hmmm me thinks I really need to plan out a schedule.. otherwise I won't know where my weekend went.. anyway, today's post is all pictures from Allerton Abbey.. Flora, fauna, greenhouse, and maybe some misc (maybe not), but all Abbey~! Enjoy

PICS: Allerton Abbey..

POST 20 (DAY 26, Saturday, 2020.09.05)
[Evening Entry]

Maybe its post-honeymoon stage.. maybe I'm really tired.. not much on my brain to write about.. Today was the first time I tried Clayton's [NonAlchoholic] Ginger Brew.. amazing.. After a day of relaxing, four of us Boots sat around the gentle amber lighting of the FPH dining table munching on fresh tomato harvest focaccia [ala Josiah] and the cold ginger brew.. led zeppelin guitar and harmonica music in the back ground,. a dip of Spanish olive oil, a dab of Italian balsamic vinegar.. and of course, good company.. its the simple things in life that put a grin on this mug..

Josiah was kind enough to give the two newest boots a tour of the WL.. the meadow blows my mind for the second time.. me thinks i'll pick a plot there..

enjoy the pics~!

POST 21 (DAY 27, Sunday, 2020.09.06)
[Evening Entry]

Installed the reading lights and charging strips over the FPH couch.. it took 4 hours instead of 2.. mainly because it was a tight space to work in.. I forgot to eat, so lunch was a little later than usual.. part of me kept wanting to stop half way.. and another part of me wanted to just finish it today, because the end seemed so near.. so I just kept going.. the feeling of finishing a project is one worth cultivating..

Pics from around FPH.. enjoy~!

POST 22 (DAY 28, Monday, 2020.09.07)
[Evening Entry]

Hey y'all.. ok so, I wrote a few paragraphs and the internet had a glitchy-moment right as I was submitting the entry.. Long story short, I have a rule for when this kind of thing happens.. I skip the bulk of it and record just a few sentences.. so--long story short:

the weather was gloomy and I had a gloomy day also.. sometimes I feel things in the "air" of the people around me.. and often I cannot tell if I'm the one feeling these feelings or if I'm picking up what others are putting out.. a sort of loneliness seemed to resonate today.. and to that I say, "breathe.. for this too shall pass.. and remember to love self, as well as loving others.."

I know that sounds vague, but such is my rule for when technology gets glitchy.. *shrugs* =D
Good night~

POST 23 (DAY 29, Tuesday, 2020.09.08)
[Evening Entry]

Taco Tuesday.. this day, Paul started off the "Community Business" portion of the gathering around the table with an apology.. I thought I'd follow his lead and take the time to make a couple apologies of my own.. without going into all the details, let's just say that we all have junk.. and when in close quarters those junks become visible.. I grew up in a house where an apology was a rare thing--if ever--that happened to come from the older person of the household.. please don't misunderstand--my parents are awesome humans who did their very best (my father worked tirelessly to provide for our needs, we never went hungry; my mother somehow kept the house and raised three children while juggling a part time job.. I can hardly imagine being in their shoes).. I guess I never really saw their vulnerable side.. and an apology is just that isn't it? The willingness to be vulnerable, open, and accepted.. the lesson was for me; not anyone else.. it was I who needed to apologize, even though my heart was hard-bent on the logical aspect of being in "the right".. but what is "right" when the emotion is all wrong?.. And the apology, in my opinion is the ointment that works with Time, to heal the ouchie.. Past few days, I had been too proud to even consider being so vulnerable.. after writing yesterday's entry about "this too shall pass", I decided that the prideful feeling was not mine to hold onto.. Today, all day, I wondered how I would go about being accountable to my own words.. I guess its easier when I don't have to be the first one to apologize.. Thanks, Paul, for doing the thing that I thought would be so difficult.. I get that we are all here to work on ourselves and if/when applicable, help each other along the way.. Needless to say, the "wrong" that I'd been feeling and the pride that I had latched onto is melted.. and what I feel now is a kind of peace.. perhaps a Jiminy Crickets kind of peace..

THE WORK: AM/PM--I helped to install cross member braces at the base of the greenhouse's six main posts.. working with the hand chisel and mallet got me so connected to why I am here at WL.. The excitement must have carried me into the evening because I volunteered (with counsel, from a team lead, because it tends to cause burn-out feels) to continue my PM shift working on the greenhouse.. I usually switch tasks mid-day because that is what is highly advised.. the work day was done before I knew it.. there's something about working with hand tools that lets me focus.. I often lose track of time this way.. I guess that's why origami stuck with me since I was in 5th grade (I still make things with folded paper, like cranes, turtles, and flowers and sprinkle them on along my traveled paths).. will I do a double-day again tomorrow? likely not.. I take advice like this quite seriously because my plan is to stay here a long time, and I wish to avoid burn-out as much as possible..

random pics from around the Lab.. enjoy~!

POST 24 (DAY 30, Wednesday, 2020.09.09)
[Evening Entry] ..Angle Braces

Its a good day today.. because its a math day~! Does anyone else like math day? I know its not everyone's thing, so please feel free to ignore this entry and enjoy the pics below..

Today, I get to use the geometry, algebra and trigonometry that I learned in high school--yay~! (I'm actually genuinely excited for some reason).. so, I worked with carpentry again.. today was angle braces.. the concept seems simple enough--make a few cuts, stick the brace in, and voila~!.. based on being out in the field with a 50-pound round-wood log.. the learning curve is quite.. ummm, interesting.. for me, the deadman post brace was much more straightforward (a horizontal brace, vs. a brace with a 45 degree angle cut on either end).. i've gathered some info.. (if there are any suggestions, i'm happy to hear them~!).. so, as it turns out, there are three main variables 1) the receiving notches 2) the orientation of the timber to become the angle brace, and 3) the two cuts on either end of the timber to become the angle brace.. to simplify this equation, one must make the two receiving notches for the angle bracket flush, plumb and level--this way those variables are now constants (technical terms that basically mean that the notches must be flat and in parallel planes).. second, the timber for the brace itself must have level reference lines on both ends to make those variables constants.. now the remaining variable are the two cuts on either end of the timber log, which can be made one at a time.. and that's where the fun turns into a magnificent song--at least for the first fitment.. the preparation was done today, and tomorrow will be the cutting and fitting.. if you hear singing coming from the woods of WL near the build site of the Wofati Greenhouse, it might be the mad-math-enthusiast who got his first angle brace fitted~!

Until tomorrow, fellow permies and visitors~!

So exciting to see the greenhouse coming together!!!