!!!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

Dear Stephen,
Thank you so much for telling us about your experiences; very helpful and inspiring. Really glad that you’re loving it. I’m contemplating all of this. It feels pretty impossible right now with Brexit (I’m from England) and various other fears and concern about how I can keep my beloved cat with me, but I’ve taken risks in the past and rarely regretted it.
Best wishes,
Gemma

Thanks for the kind words, Gemma! My time here has been a rewarding experience, all round. Some days there's a lot more hard work (digging ditches comes to mind...) however the environment, atmosphere, and the people surrounding me all rejuvenate me enough so that I'm ready to do it again tomorrow. It feels great to be part of this team.

...And the stuff you've done in Tudor Crescent Village seems like a huge local boost! Very impressive that you took community-building into your own hands, and plenty of folks are participating and appreciating your efforts. I'm sure it's gratifying.

Maybe you'll find a way to make the trip out here to Big Sky Country. If not, maybe there's a similar initiative a bit closer to home you can take advantage of (while still seeing your cat more often than not). Again, it's good to hear the encouragement, and I appreciate it! Thanks Gemma!

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Thanks for the kind words, Gemma! My time here has been a rewarding experience, all round. Some days there's a lot more hard work (digging ditches comes to mind...) however the environment, atmosphere, and the people surrounding me all rejuvenate me enough so that I'm ready to do it again tomorrow. It feels great to be part of this team.

...And the stuff you've done in Tudor Crescent Village seems like a huge local boost! Very impressive that you took community-building into your own hands, and plenty of folks are participating and appreciating your efforts. I'm sure it's gratifying.

Maybe you'll find a way to make the trip out here to Big Sky Country. If not, maybe there's a similar initiative a bit closer to home you can take advantage of (while still seeing your cat more often than not). Again, it's good to hear the encouragement, and I appreciate it! Thanks Gemma!

My pleasure, Stephen. Thank you for your words of inspiration and encouragement, too. I appreciate also your having taken the time to check out my website and endeavours. Yes, the stuff I’ve done on the street has been rewarding but what I create always ends up getting trashed and the art materials stolen. So I do it when I’m in the mood. Kinda why I want to get out of this place and hang out with like-minded people and expand my skills. I’d love to experience Big Sky Country. It’s good that the people around you seem nice. I have to confess I enjoy working in teams but really need my own space away from people, too. You seem to have been able to find that balance which seems good. All the best for now, Gemma

BRK #58

A have a short video to share about an event that happened this morning. I was woken up by fluttering turkeys and cackling crows and ravens, just outside my tent. Seems like someone had spotted a hawk or owl, and was rushing to bring the young turkeys to safety.

The behaviour of the ravens further confirms my hypothesis that they are birds that exist merely to ridicule every other species around them: humans, turkeys, and beyond.



Thanks for watching, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #59

It's been a Monday, and one that was kind of all over the place. We've welcomed a new boot-for-a-week, Candace, and even with just a short time here it's been enjoyable to have her around. So, welcome! Hope you dig the time you spend with us.

Gardening at Basecamp, while usually fun anyway, was punctuated with some serious growth and surprises. A massive sunflower stalk on one of the plots managed by Dez finally decided to flower. Here it is, surrounded by bees.



Another bizarre find was this obscene daikon radish, out of one of the hugels I'm responsible for.



Snacked on it after dinner today, and it was most definitely spicier than usual. I'm accustomed to mild-tasting daikons, but this one in particular was over-the-top! I suspect I just waited too long to harvest it, though this couldn't be helped as I'd been wanting to grow foliage for chop-and-drop and it was only during that task where I noticed any daikons were ready to harvest at all.

Let me rein it in with a typical, routine task: water harvesting. We're currently picking up water from a nearby creek, and while waiting for the water pump to do its thing, this is the view I have of the majestic Judy: one of our farm working vehicles.



Judy holds over 550 gallons of water when totally full, and makes the trip back to Basecamp interesting, without fail, every time.

Meanwhile, in the afternoon the biggest team of boots and I went out to Bartell's Bunkhouse, one of the structures in Ant Village. Our goal was to make it and its immediate surroundings "tour ready," as there's a rocket mass heater inside. We made significant progress on it today, and while not a strict WOFATI - according to Paul's standards - I was impressed with the structure. I remember mentioning that if it had a loft it would be the kind of structure I'd be interested in building and then living in for a while. Here's a shot of the RMH in Bartell's Bunkhouse.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!