Stephen B. Thomas

BEL #830

Here's a research video I cut together after fellow Boot Esteban and I found an enormous, currently-unidentified vegetable growing just outside the Library.



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

Regarding melatonin, when I lived in the city I would take it to help me fall asleep at night. In the hours before bed I'd also set my environment to be conducive to sleep, though it sounds like you have this sorted out already, Judith. I also agree that a tolerance can build up over time if it becomes a habitual practice while not building other sleep-positive habits.

Anne Miller wrote:For about ten years I have used a phrase to help me go to sleep.  It was a phrase picked by a past Chamber of Commerce member and placed on a billboard. [...] Until recently, I didn't understand meditation though I now believe that is what I have been doing for about ten years.  Maybe I am wrong ...

I use what I call "words of affirmation" when I lay down to sleep at night, which is a collection of statements and a kind of "sleepytime mantra" I made for myself. I find that I can fall asleep quite quickly - and sleep like a rock - if I say these to myself when I lay down and am settled. I'd recommend this kind of practice for anyone to try. To be clear: it's not "prayer," per se. But I'd possibly consider it as a personal spiritual practice, and religion is not required.

BEL #829

A few highlights of today's potato harvest along with some other vegetables, over at Basecamp. This has been the best year I've seen, in general.

This is the first year we've grown Hubbard squash during my time here, and they left quite an impression on me. This one's the size of a basketball:



Daikon radish makes frequent appearances, and this one is a fine specimen. There's at least one more I saw within reach that's this size, still in the ground. I'd like to ACV-pickle this one in little radish-sticks.



This is not a rock. This is a potato...! My current fellow Boot, Esteban (yes, both his parents and mine had excellent taste in names) found this mutant during today's harvest.



I struggled to keep up with his discoveries, however I think this four-gallon bucket - full of red-skinned potatoes from a single plant - is a solid contribution.



This was our haul from a Friday afternoon (actually, Esteban was also working on another bucket, so there were still more than this that came out today). Not bad at all, I'd say. I think two solid years of consistent irrigation have helped these struggling hugels finally turn a corner and begin to pump out bushels and bushels of food. It's been a great harvest season, so far.



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

John Halman wrote:Any spots for the bootcamp opening in November?

New Boots are welcome on Sunday, 2nd November.

BEL #828

Another sunchoke harvest update today. October seems to be the beginning of a gangbusters month for sunchoke harvesting.



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

Cristobal Cristo wrote:In this case what is the point to use the shipping container with all its limitations?

I still think it could be a good project.

When I was first thinking on natural building, using a shipping container to start with seemed like a great idea. I was also living in Baltimore at the time, and there were shipping containers all over the place, even available on CraigsList at reasonably affordable prices. So it may be a materials-available and/or affordability thing, it might be a certain aesthetic, it might help avoid "scope creep" and taking on a project too large or complex... There may be lots of reasons.

Earlier this year, I had the good fortune to work on someone else's natural building project in the southwest USA. We needed a substrate to help adhere wood and adobe, and I think Amy - my patron and the project lead - found an excellent option. We have details of the manure-wheat-paste glue here, and I added several photos.

This "adobe glue" may help prep the surface of your steel storage container for a coat or two of adobe. Chicken wire or any assortment of other metal bits is not required when using this material. It, or something like it, is recommended:

https://permies.com/t/6/271021/volunteering/experiences/Stephen-Snowbirding-Sustainability-Sojourn-February#2862454

Beyond that... If you are covering your shipping container with anything heavy, I strongly recommend you reinforce the walls and roof that will be covered so as to prevent buckling and failing of the steel. It likely won't break, but it will very likely bend and buckle without supports.

BEL #827

Time for another GAMCOD project update for what we have going on at Wheaton Labs. Things are looking good, and there are a couple surprises (pleasant and otherwise...) showing up this month. Have a look here:



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

Benjamin, your letter arrived! Thank you so much for taking the time out to drop me a line.