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

BEL #607

Hunkered down for event prep. The Boot team is doing some wonderful work while we're in crunch time. Hello to Opalyn, Katie, Katt, and JR...! Not much else to say.

Here's some mullein we've dried in the solar dehydrator. We'll crunch it up and then jar it for tea.



SEPPer Roger, Ben, and Carissa put things in order in the Classroom.



Brian completes some battery maintenance at the excavator, Rex.



This mullein is slowly transforming this rocky field into soil. Absolutely mesmerizing, especially when a breeze comes through. I remember when we used the jackhammer on the drainage trench in this spot. It was my first time using that tool, and... yes.



Here's the current state of the Bobra Line project. We're wrapping it tomorrow. Just in time for some sunshades to go up, eh?



Rio is running point on the team adding benches to the rim of the Kiddie Pool. It's a multi-piece design that uses large dovetails to link them together around the perimeter of the pool. Very creative as well as functional, and I think the Kiddie Pool will be a hit this year.



Finally: ...and the name tags continue. Here's the current batch in the laser cutter right now.



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

BEL #608

...Event season begins in about 42 hours. That's a nice number. Having another week would have been nice. However, I think I said the exact same thing last year, and it also turned out superb. Not. Anxious.

Meanwhile: Bobra lives. "They're coming to get you, Bobra...!"



Here, Rio sections off a log so folks sitting on the bench in the Classroom will have a surface to rest their drinks and plates on while eating meals.



Salsify. These gigantic puff-balls are scattered all over the mountain. It's a lovely time to be here.



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

BEL #609

Less than 24 hours until the start of the PTJ...! Everyone's excited. Hello and welcome to Mike Haasl, cooks Katt, Becca, and Esther, and guest Patti! Looking forward to hanging out with all the new faces, learning what they're doing where they live, and building all manner of interesting natural building and permaculture-y artifacts. Fellow Boot Ben and I will be playing shuttle tomorrow for even more folks flying into town.

Meanwhile, I finished all the name tags. The last batch is wrapping up their "side two" in less than an hour. The machine completed 50+ tags, plus a couple extras for those last-minute cancellations. I hope at least a couple people consider them souvenir-worthy. I'm pleased with how they turned out. Of course, now I want to start another project.



While in Missoula today while running errands and playing shuttle driver, I spied this tree along the banks of the Clark Fork River. Any idea what it is?



Here's a close-up of the bark of a mature specimen, which initially caught my attention.



Here's an example of yarrow: a long-standing medicinal plant, particularly beneficial for women. Also useful for just anyone who apparently wants to have "true love" show up in their life, and/or who wants to sleep more soundly. Yarrow is growing all over the mountains this time of year, both at Basecamp and up at the Lab. We ought to harvest some of this for future tea.



Finally: BIG thanks to Tina Wolf for her Boots Love care package of coffee!!! It reminds me of my life motto: "I can do all things through Coffee, which strengthens me."



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

According to the Picture This app on my phone, that bark might be from a black locust.

Heads up for the yarrow, some people get a reaction from it, if combined with sun. I made an omelette with yarrow and then spent the rest of the day outside and got itchy bumps all over my arms!

Have a wonderful Jamboree!