leila hamaya

something i have been thinking about lately is the feasibility of retrofitting old interior walls with light clay straw.
of course in a new build its a different matter because you are starting from scratch, but when dealing with an old house already built, what is built and the way it works may not be immediately apparent...if you could just replace old walls with light clay straw.

sorry i have more questions than answers, but something to think on.
as far as i have gotten in my thinking is there may be a weight issue, but as long you have a sound foundation, interior walls should not be load bearing etc...i think the weight would be ok in most situations, if you would be inclined to it. to me it seems like very similar to lathe and plaster only cheaper and easier, more insulation and sound proofing....although maybe even more time consuming.
i suppose you would have to like the look and feel of earthy plaster walls though, and there are some small issues like its hard to hang pictures or put up shelving etc into a fully plastered wall..as well as where the wires/pipes/etc that may need to go through the walls, but there are ways around these things, like putting in a pipe to carry wires, or attaching wood pieces to places where you may want to hang something up, so it can be attached to the wood, like say shelving or hanging a picture.

edit to attach some links, in case you arent familiar - some random google recs
- https://www.greenbuildermedia.com/blog/the-advantages-and-appropriate-use-of-light-straw-clay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfbML5qHpu4&ab_channel=RoadrunnerFlats

permies to me has always been a bit of a virtual coffee shop, as i come here often in the morning with my coffee, although usually i am in reading quiet mode just absorbing some info on building and gardening, etc. so yeah some more stuff, with my second latte today ...today is a lot of work ahead so going for a second.

to make turkish coffee is very easy. its basically cowboy coffee with a fancy pot and no filtering, you leave the grounds in, but they sink to the bottom.
you dont actually need the pretty pot though.

depending on how strong you want it - you use more or less coffee per cup of water, and also the fine grind. the smaller you grind it, the stronger and thicker it is.
after you start the water to boil, you add the fine grounds. right when it comes to a full boil it quickly expands and rushes to the top of your pot, this is when its done and good to get it just as it does this otherwise it will flow out of the pan.
give it a stir after turning off the heat, wait a minute or three and a lot of the grounds will sink to the bottom. it isnt filtered, you just try not to get that many grounds in there, but they will sink to the bottom in the pot, and further they will sink to the bottom of the cup. that frothy yummy stuff is usually filtered out when you use a filter.

besides espresso, usually i am a french press gal, i think the french press is quite like turkish coffee, only the grounds are pressed down so none in the cup. but it has that similar frothy good stuff not getting filtered out, especially the beginning of the pour. also no electricity needed, back in new york i am off the grid so every watt counts.

my experience roasting coffee is pretty limited. i used to be able to get burlap sacks from a coffee roasting place for free - often there would be a handful of beans in each sack. so i have only tried to roast green beans once. it reminded me of making granola -- thin layer on a cookie sheet, evenly spaced out, keep stirring it up a few time while baking. you would want to cook them extra long to get darker roast/ less caffeine.

i'm a coffee holic =)
recently got an inexpensive used small home scale espresso machine and i love making a nice latte every morning, with some good quality beans ground extra fine.

In my opinion - there is no substitute for coffee !
one other thing to mention is for decaf they burn the beans extra dark. dark roast will have the least caffeine, and even a good decaf will still have a tiny amount of caffeine.

one of my latest faves goes for about hour at 350 ish.
actually i am still messing with the recipe, figuring it out, and every way i have tried it - it comes out incredibly good!
its seems like it cant go wrong, as i have never been not happy with it.
sometimes i bake for 40 minutes at 380, sometimes i bake it over an hour at lower temp, and also been messing with different ratio for the ingredients.

its not an easy prep, though, not too bad either, just does take quite a bit of time before baking. i usually make a couple or three at a time, put the extra in freezer- then its obviously an easy prep for a later date.
one other disadvantage is it takes somewhat exotic ingredients, so i have to stock up on special stuff -- mostly tons of mushrooms -- like 3-4 packages, or at least 2 pounds.

ok all that said the basic recipe i have been changing it up and working out my own version -- is Tuscan Mushrooms, and an old school recipe.
it uses any mushrooms, i've tried all kinds, cut up in large chunks and a few whole even, if they are small. saute in a few tablespoons of butter.
add -- one - to two cups of white wine (depending on how many mushroom basically and i just put in the amount by feel) and one large onion or two small ones.
add the onion, cook on low for about 10 minutes or until the mushroom look right, nice and soft and have soaked up the wine and butter.
then add about a cup of parmesan cheese shredded, a splash of milk or cream, and a few extra tablespoons of butter.
then add in a jar or otherwise (6-10 ounces) of sundried tomatoes, cut up fairly small, and also a jar of sun dried tomato pesto. sometimes i add a few fresh tomatoes, could maybe just use the fresh tomatoes, but the sundried is the best.
cook for a few more minutes, then put it in baking dish or two if theres extra...top with more grated or shredded parmesan cheese, bake for about an hour at 350.
i usually serve it with pasta or a meat side, like italian sausage, or chicken

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Now I read some other comments here I have to say: I don't have any experience in train travel overnight. Even going to France (Normandy) was possible within one day.

I do have some experience taking my bicycle with me on the train. One can think that's easy in the bicycle-country that is the Netherlands ... but no, it is not! In all of the train there's only one entrance for bicycles (sometimes two, if it's a very long train). When the train enters the station you'll watch out to see that entrance (with the bicycle symbol on it) and then run in that direction with your bicycle (you are not allowed to ride it). In some types of train there's only room for two bicycles. So I don't reccomand to try this during summer holiday season.

this is true in the united states, too. they should make it easy, they do not.
different trains have different systems too, so you need to figure it out before hand what your train is like.
local buses are easy, theres a bike rack to put it in front of the bus on the outside. the commuter trains in massachusetts are also easy, in california too, but not amtrak.

my scooter is bicycle like, and its a fold down, the handle bars will fold down, but its still big for a scooter. some scooters are so light and tiny you can take as baggage, quick and easy like all should be, just fold them up and carry it on, keep it with you.

but if you want to take a full size bike or a bigger scooter like mine, sometimes they make you box them up, like its even easy to find a big long box to put your bike in. they also charge you some money to add on baggage of your bike...so thats annoying and not very cool. and if someone doesnt know this before hand and shows up...they will either not be able to get it on, or at the least, have to pay to have it stowed as baggage.
also who wants to leave their bike?  like it doesnt seem like the thing to separate from your bike, i guess you'd have to use a lock and lock it to itself or something

Riona Abhainn wrote:Leila, my father's friend did that.  He loves trains and he bought a train car and fixed it up with sleeping quarters and tables and chairs and couches for him and his daughters to go on trips, its spendy of course to do something like that, and you have to pay to be allowed to hitch up to a train, but he has had fun with it.

yes, my friend had done that, long ago, he bought a caboose in particular. but he had a hard time getting it hitched up. its not easy to move if you dont own a railroad...

the neighbor too, to his place...in the berkshires - which used to be a station. theres no station there anymore, its long gone, but you can see where theres a flat spot thats all cleared and open, the rest is forested and rocky but theres one open sunny spot that used to be where the station was. actually kinda neat because its the largest thyme lawn i've ever seen and some old apple trees and the native new england grape, all in this sunny space.
but the neighbor has a parked train car - hes never met the neighbor just seen his train car.
because it used to be a station theres an extra track -  that can be switch onto a second track. the neighbor has made a little room in there. actually it looks like it hasnt been used much recently,  its still pretty cool, but looks like its not been used.
and my friend found out he's probably very old, neither my friend nor the neighbor spend very much time there, except for camping out. so he hasnt met the guy.
but yeah my friend has ideas maybe he can buy it from him or something, just roll it over a bit. or that the railroad people might let him also get a car. because he mustve been able to get a special permission, the tracks and a bit away from the tracks is owned by the railroad.

I'm into taking the trains, its one of my main, if not main way of transport especially if theres distance involved.
i just travelled from upstate new york in albany to san fransico by train just before christmas. i did that same long trip the year before as i have been hiding out from winter in nor cal, and splitting my time between cali and upstate new york.

I have a good friend who is super into trains, we travelled around new england a lot we he came to visit me and he was super into stopping at all these old train stations and even train museums.
i must admit - i am not that into that aspect =)
i dont have much romantic or whatevcer we call it about trains or train stations. i suppose i appreciate them from the architectural aspect, theres some cool old timey archictecture in old tran stations, but yeah not really want to go tour all of them. a lot of them are falling apart too, so its just kinda sad, although maybe a nice kind of sad, nostalgia.

they are more practical useful tools, to me,  and i do enjoy the train for being able to walk around and socialize with all sorts of people you wont normally cross paths with.

i love stopping in all the cities and wandering around. actually i wish they would do that more. more breaks, longer breaks. i know it would make long trips longer, but thats already that way. anyone who wants to get there fast takes a plane already! the people on the train are usually ok with it taking a while, so why not have more getting off the train and longer breaks.

this last trip i particularly enjoyed denver, colorado, thats always a big break, i think i wandered around most of the day, some 6-7 hours in colorado. it was pretty cold! but still, what a nice station and town =), and i loved getting off by that point and wandering as i had been on the train for 2 days at that point.

but yeah i have a close friend who is a train buff, he bought a really cheap piece of land in the berkshires, it used to be a train station once upon a time long ago. i camped out there a few times, the trains go by a few times in the middle of the night, so even though its this epic spot of forest and a little creek, its super loud the ten times a day they go by.

but it suits him i suppose, he likes to watch the trains go by and speculate how much and what they are carrying as freight trains are huge and important in new england, as far as getting consumer goods, mail, and some of them carry huge tanks of oil and gas. new englands early growth was entirely dominated by the train system, and its where all the cities popped up. my friend does think about whether he could get it to be a station again, or somewhere nearby, those old defunct new england train stations, functioning again and have stops.

it would mean a huge bonus for a lot of those tiny new england towns, many are really poor counties. not that far from my friends land, and i used to have relatives living in that area, theres a town called chester mass, they have been trying for a long time to get the amtrak that goes through twice a day stop there.

it would revitalize their town a lot. its a neat tiny town already, but the economy there isnt great. well one of the reasons i actually like it, this area can be much much cheaper than most of mass.- but i see the towns arent doing that well, from a strictly financial POV.

maybe in part growing up in massachusetts, which has extensive public transportation everywhere, i kinda take them for granted a bit, or just dont romanticize them. well, they are cool.
i can imagine back in the day, it mustve been even cooler, more room and people could get their own cars if they were wealthy, and hitch them onto trains to get around with their own train camper/ homestead on wheels.

like duke ellington did back in the day -- i've wondered if that could be a thing. i would love to see a musician take up like a train tour...someone whos a big name could make that a thing, with everybody hopping on the train as it goes along a tour or something. for a true sustainable transportation to and from their concerts.

and i miss that aspect of mass. i wish everywhere is like that, the west coast is the worst for public transport and it was a big culture shock when i first moved here some decades ago.
you can take a train all around mass, and in the cities a lot of people skip cars entirely, because they are hard to park and the roads are kinda messed up, what with these narrow old roads and so many one ways and weird old infrastructure.
hardly no one has a car in boston, everyone just uses the subway, or a commuter train/ bus hybrid. and then theres lots of park and rides for free parking your car, if you have one. its more of an optional thing in mass than most everywhere else in the country. i myself didnt learn to drive until i was 26 or so, when i first moved to washington state, when i started living in the woods and there was no public transport.
except in the western parts of mass, and further north and east in new england, the public transportation options are less and less, even the small towns dont operate public transport and theres no uber or taxis even.

but amtrak has become not as much fun as it was even back in my early days. like you used to be able to smoke and party and hang out getting drunk in the social spaces on the car, in the lounges and such. i know these are not most peoples priorities, but i dont see why amtrak shut down that vibe, at least for those that want that, one party car =) like it used to be when i was young.

a couple of times i would take the train down to new orleans for mardi gras, that trains social party spaces were like a continuation of the carnival aspect of mardi gras, back in those days.
they can separate out the cars too, so whoever wants that can go there, play some poker or get sloshed, and anyone who doesnt want that can just avoid that car or whatever.
amtrak has...changed a lot...but i think they might get more takers if they bring back the fun and loosen up a bit.

now its all buttoned up and theyre much more stiff.

actually this is a big item on my wish list for looking for land. i have been looking for a long time, settled on a for now deal at my place in new york, extremely rural, no public transport...but still looking.

for the place i want to really settle in, proximity to amtrak is one of my main priorities. and / or a functional public transport system of some kind, buses and trains. its hard to find, but being within a short distance to amtrak/ or a bus that goes to amtrak is one of the things that i think is a major bonus for where ever i want to move in the northeast.

i dont do a lot of short distance travel at all, when i travel its almost always far distance- to me having a train station fairly near by is like i can get anywhere from that i want to go, as long as the first step to getting to the station is easy. to me california to new york is "walking distance" sort of - if theres a train station close enough. or even new york to mass, or just about anywhere. having a train station nearby, walking distance (or rather scooter distance now that ive been using a scooter for transport) to a train station, to me - is walking distance to the rest of the country =).

in that i have considered some towns like - whitehall new york, somewhere around the vermonter stops, and recently been looking into glens falls, and what looks like a cool train station in fort edward, that doubles as a bike shop and has two major amtrak train lines through it.
it also connects to the major bike trail that runs through the entirety of upstate new york, which its an interesting nexus for non car travellers and people who are really into bikes and trains.

people can take the amtrak there and then rent a bike to go on the huge statewide bike trail. tour it all without a car. its quite a gorgeous trail going through that part of the country, a lot of is not even on the road, it goes off into the woods along the major rivers, running parallel to the road but much safer.

actually thats worth looking up a link, maybe more states and stations or even amtrak will consider these ideas -- https://www.evergreenbicycleworks.com/
the empire state trails -- https://empiretrail.ny.gov/

as it does seem through some co indinating efforts of bike enthusiasts, they have created a little income and tourists through creating the empire state bike trail that goes through some beautiful countryside,  connecting that to several rail stops - although fort edward is the only one i know of that has put the bike shop right in the old train station...and can allow people to do long distance tourist travel without cars at all.

this year i am doing candles and wax melts. i was just going to do candles, and ordered a lot of soy wax and a bit of beeswax to blend, but apparently my mom has a thing for wax melts now, so going to make a big batch for her and candles for everyone else.

i make crafts for a living so everyone on my short christmas list is used to getting handmade presents. i switch it up every year
i keep making my mom baskets ! she loves them. but by now i have run through like every gift basket theme i got, it feels a bit repetitive to keep sending her a gift basket every year.
but she really likes my baskets so i am sure i will make her some more later.
many years i do default to as above - food and booze =) homemade fudge, thats one i have done maybe too often...but i put it in like reusable pyrex containers...and thats a big hit.
i like to give booze too - feels like thats one thats always appreciated. =)

in my art school days in the city -- i went through a large "garbage art" phase -- its easier in a bigger city area, but certain times of year theres oddles of art supplies in the garbage pick up days for dumpster thriving. boston where i went to art school, is particularly good for this being the hugest college town and lots of students moving out always and leaving whatever behind.

besides just actual recognizable art supplies proper, you can find all sorts of freegan stuff. mirrors, wood boards, random metal bits, etc...i used to go out gathering and hauling my trash scores quite a lot.

James Landreth wrote:

May Lotito wrote:Foe hand sewing, do you need a special needle? I have made coon hat before and used the strongest needle that came in the regular needle pack. It worked most of the time but had a hard time piercing through the skin behind the neck.

There are needles that are designed for it. They are thicker, and some are sharp, and others not. Sometimes people use an awl to pierce the hide then sew through the holes

yes its enormously helpful to pre make each hole with an awl. you can get faster at it as you go, but you can pre mark them and measure in one step, then make all the hole in another, then actually sew it together. i guess its harder on fur, not sure how you could mark it to see, but possible on the backside? you can just skip the measuring....and go straight to punching out holes in a resonably straight ish line, probably would work ok as fur would sort of fill in any slight measurement and alignment mistakes.