Dez's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

POST 41 (DAY 47, Saturday, 2020.09.26)
[Morning Entry]

"Wholesome".. A 10-second interview with one of our volunteers (Lara).. Thanks for all your help, and for being you!

Lara visits us (in Sept 2020) from her current home in Colorado state.. she has been a terrific addition to our team and forward velocity, during her too-brief two weeks.. When she arrived, Waldo (the orange and white kitten) was the first to greet her.. and then she waved through the library window to me, where I happened to be writing a BRK post, on one cold Sunday evening (13 days ago).. She brought much warmth to our community and a spirit of graceful willingness to get to workin', not to mention all the laughs--Thank you Lara.. we wish you the best that the universe has to offer, along your journey, and genuinely hope to see you again soon =D

This morning, I'm up early.. I cooked breakfast, but I'm not really hungry.. perhaps I'll try fasting today--after all, it is Saturday (a day when I don't really have to eat for work).. I'll probably end up eating something soon-ish..

Options for today are:
1) do nothing but lounge all day
2) do something early, quickly, and then lounge for the later portion of the day (I could do some firewood chopping, or clean out my car.. these two seem to be top priority for me right now).. If I clean out my car, I can sell it, and stop paying $50-60 each month to have it as my storage compartment.. hmmm.. the more I think about it, the more I want to do both of these.. and yet, I would like to relax a bit today.. I guess we'll see how today unfolds--no pressure~! =D  Usually, I feel better overall if I choose option 2..

TWO POEMS..
Open Heart
    where steady rhythm
    and unbound grace
    lend a courageous ear
    to a home-like place
Unopened Letter
    floating through
    and even by
    essence enveloped
    in a silent collide

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[EVENING ENTRY]
Some emotions are happening.. and interesting side of gratitude..
..Remember that time last week when Waldo went missing for a day and everyone was wondering, "Where's Waldo?".. it was then that I realized how attached i had grown to that magical little kitten-y fuzzball being.. there was a part of me that became really sad from the Waldo-Void.. today there's a part of me that's pretty upset about one of our Boots going away.. I guess its going to be like this every time a Boot goes away.. working with someone really develops a certain type of bond and affinity.. I knew this kind of day might come, and I knew this kind of feeling might come with it.. So, I had reserved my emotions up until the last day (yesterday).. There's something to be said about "the willingness to be vulnerable"--and part of the risk of being vulnerable is that I might actually feel something.. I'm deciding to think of this as an encounter of sorts--a growing familiar with my emotional side.. "I'm a little to very sad and that's okay..".. I'm not saying I'll shed tears, but I'm not closed to that option either.. We are human, are we not? ..and humans sometimes feel things.. and sometimes.. sometimes.. expressing those feelings takes a drop or two of eye-liquid.. and that's okay.. even just writing these words out seems to be cathartic.. I believe its important to be kind to one's self, because for a long time, I did the opposite.. I went through a long period of not letting myself feel things or express feelings.. hard times indeed.. perhaps it takes a safe place to be able to reach one's own emotions.. I feel safe at WL.. the people here accept my human side, whether its at the work-site or in the common areas (like the dining room or living room).. I feel free to relax and express myself without fear of rejection, judgement or reprimand.. Of course, I can only speak from my own experience (this is Dez's Bootcamp Experience Log).. So, will I feel this type of sadness more as other Boots come to share, and then leave?.. My guess is probably yes.. Also, I'm sure that some will remain--and that might bring another type of emotion to the surface, like elation or delight.. and those times will be hopefully be noted as well =D ..really, the opposite side of this sadness I'm feeling is gratitude for the energy each visitor decides to share with us before they go away.. also, I'm so grateful for the Boots who are here to remain already.. we have a really fun and awesome "core" group of amazing individuals who inspire me every single day, to hone and develop my own skill set to its greatest potential.. so grateful =D

no pics today, because of the video.. ok maybe a cat pic..

POST 42 (DAY 48, Sunday, 2020.09.27)
[Mid-day Entry]

Slept hard last night.. meaning, I slept deeply and soundly without waking up, from about 9:30pm-5:00am.. actually this is a very rare thing to have happen, and it has not happened since I've been at WL, so I am very pleasantly surprised.. actually I wanted to sleep in longer, but I had to use the bathroom, so you know how that goes.. made some breakfast..
    BREAKFAST: I was trying to make every meal different and/or fancy since I've been here.. this may be part of the reason why I didn't want to do it anymore.. it's been decided that if/when I make breakfast, it will be a tortilla-egg-and-leftovers cake of sorts.. so this morning the featured leftover was a bean-tomato soup surrounded by a layer of fluffy scrambled egg, which is then enveloped by a semi-crispy tortilla shell.. simple, delicious and energizing.. its my version of "lembas bread", because apparently its enough to get me through the day.. I've made it four times, but haven't taken a pic yet.. maybe if/when you (the reader) come to visit us, you can see it in person~!.. or i'll post a pic of it likely soon.. of course if you're here in person, its likely you'll be offered a taste of the real deal =D .. after breakfast we went firewood harvesting..
    FIREWOOD: I love firewood harvesting.. cutting, chopping, and stacking some more on the rack today felt very good for the soul.. got a another scrape on my arm and another on my calf.. since when did I become so negligent of where my limbs brush against? I used to be so cognizant and careful of pokey/scratchy things that touched my body.. Now I just become aware as the abrasion is happening--I do wish to change this back, because I believe every wound is a small tax on my immune system.. plus, I enjoy being more aware of my spatial coordination..

ps.. by the way, yesterday I took 3+ naps throughout the morning and afternoon, watched several episodes of "Picard" with Paul, ate pizza, drank some ginger brew and called it a day.. I had not taken a day like that in a while, and it turns out that that's what my soul really needed.. there will come a day when my entire existence will be designed around napping, watching my favorite star trek series, and enjoying the company of permaculture/homesteading nuts.. dare I say "nuts"?.. rather, "enthusiasts" perhaps.. ;) .. have I mentioned that I should take more naps?--I love naps..

Enjoy the pics~! by the way, sometimes (often times) it's easier for me to post short video clips on instagram, so If you would like to see more footage of my experiences here, send me a purple moosage requesting my instagram handle =D

POST 43 (DAY 49, Monday, 2020.09.28)
[Evening Entry]

THE WORK: AM--seeding maples in the freezing cold.. a bit hard to concentrate.. a bit on the edge of extinction, sowing life into seeds that I may never see grown.. poetic perhaps?.. i like to think so.. =D continued the morning with the installation of a chimney for the RMH at the Love Shack..
    PM--LS-RMH burns great! Its not quite cold enough to continue lighting it (today's burn was just a to test the new chimney).. I'll probably light it once a week or so until winter sets in a bit chillier.. first chimney elbow at 135 deg F, second chimney elbow at 110 deg F, top of main heat barrel at 400-500 deg F.. all in good order.. continued the PM shift in the patio.. laid some rocks down~!

DINNER: Curry a la Clayton.. Thanks~!! Nom~!

Feeling a little out of it today.. probably will hit the hay early.. enjoy the pics~!

Dez Choi wrote:.. a bit on the edge of extinction, sowing life into seeds that I may never see grown.. poetic perhaps?

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”

POST 44 (DAY 50, Tuesday, 2020.09.29)
[Evening Entry]

THE WORK: AM--Wofati Greenhouse.. today's work was mitigating a speed bump which occurred along the way, at some point.. basically, there is 8 feet of gravel/dirt at the bottom of a 20 foot pipe which goes into the ground.. its not actually supposed to be there, but here we are today with this situation.. on the bright side, most of us are problem-solvers by nature, and we have a community of bright minds who may have very interesting and workable ideas--so if you happen to feel the need to chime in with an idea, please let me know.. so far our best solution with our current resources is to vacuum it out, which is working, but not super fast.. but it works, so.. progress..
    PM--seeding turnips at Allerton Abbey.. to be quite frank, I don't have much experience with growing plants.. or anything, for that matter.. the four hour shift was certainly a journey of sorts.. At first, I struggled.. my mind was grumbling at the monotony of such a task.. I even listened to that voice for a little while, giving the seeding my begrudgingly minimal effort.. about 2 hours in, I hit a wall, and decided to step back for a short break.. a voice told me to do some pushups, so I did 11.. then went back to seeding.. 30 minutes later, another wall--did 10 pushups, and went back to seeding.. but this time when I went back, I had a change of heart.. I realized I was surrendering to a different voice this time--one that told me "sow love and care.. how much can you care about such a monotonous thing?" the rest of the afternoon was a breeze, and the time seemed to fly by as I was actually having fun with each little seed that may or may not grow into someone's beautiful, tasty food.. I wanted each seed to grow robustly.. I wanted the hugels to be so filled with turnips, that people would wonder WHO PLANTED THEM??.. at which point, I'd raise my hand and let everyone know, that it was not I, but it was LOVE and CARE.. Love and Care sowed those seeds into germination and a healthy life.. isn't nature wonderful?

DINNER: Taco tuesday.. y'all know how much I love taco tuesday.. soooo gooood~!

WELLNESS ASSESSMENT: I was feeling low today.. while seeding, I tried to review my thoughts and heart.. I wanted to remember my original intent or showing up at WL.. it wasn't just for this country-boy to finally leave The City.. it was also to help build something significant.. to join a team of "weird enthusiasts" who actually want to make the world a better place, one moment at a time.. and my--what a team we have~!.. if any of you haven't had a chance to visit WL, come to meet the people.. maybe you'll have a chance to see their hearts, or even find your own seeding-surrender moment.. By the end of my day, I felt a lack of appetite even.. ON A TACO TUESDAY?? Yes, I suppose even on a taco tuesday.. so, I thought I'd take a moment to call a friend.. we laughed and caught up.. part way through I got hungry, and excused myself to go inside for a taco or three.. NOM~.. My fingers are sore, my legs are scratched up, I'm gassy from all the legumes (TMI?), but when compared to the overall experience I'm having as a human being living on Earth--life is good.. so good..

enjoy some random pics~!

My first thought was to vacuum out the gravel.  Another options might be to take Judy and run a hose down the well casing and turn on the water.  If there's a big enough gap between the hose and the side of the well, it might flush the gravel up and out quickly.  Or it might make for a very interesting story with water blasting everywhere.  Either way, be sure to have the cameras rolling

POST 45 (DAY 51, Wednesday, 2020.09.30)
[Evening Entry]

THE WORK: AM--Filming at Allerton Abbey, the Lap-Latch cut-outs for the Rafters on the roof.. I got to use the chisel again today.. loved it.. maybe i'll make some special carving projects.. hmm--what to make...? Also got to see how the drone camera works.. so fun..
    PM--took Toots (the van) to fill up on gas, because it cut out as soon as we got about 100 feet from the Abbey.. interestingly, it only filled up 6-7 gallons (for a 20 gallon tank).. that makes me think it wasn't actually out of gas (the gas fill nozzle overflowed onto the ground at the pump).. may need to keep a close eye on it these next few weeks.. after returning, I helped Josiah cut the next couple lap-latch cut-outs.. forgot to take some pics.. but i took others..

enjoy the pics~!