Reid Robison

BRK #45

soil blocks update - kale popping up.



the small blocks are not working for our situation. watering has displaced the seeds from their blocks, and its a sprouty mess. a mess that i will figure out once the plants are bigger.

i think the small blocks could work. i would just need to master the mix. and use a fancy gentle watering can.

the larger blocks are holding their shape well. seeds are germinating. and a fun advantage of the blocks - you can observe the seed through the whole process.

this morning Wesley and i completed the library ceiling paneling. i failed to capture a photo. but its paneled.

and afternoon at the sawmill. JR was kind to teach Wesley and i how to operate the tractor.






ive wanted to drive one for the last couple years. been spending a lot of time around them but never driving. turns out its pretty simple. probably takes some finesse at times. but the driving part is straightforward.

i have mixed thoughts about tractors. they can move heavy things. but its also a big bulky machine that will soon succumb to entropy.

so together Wesley and i loaded the log into the sawmill and cut it all up. the end.

BRK #44

fizzy




kombucha. shoutout to Grey for sharing his scobys with me, its a highlight whenever i get to drink some of this.

this morning i spent some time restoring a damaged chisel.



this is the picture before i did any sharpening. i believe i may have in part been responsible for this damage. lesson learned, chisels only on wood! it took a lot of time, and i still havent removed enough material to restore its perfect line.

this afternoon - making paths through the mud.

the greenhouse at the lab is refreshing. its warm, smells greenhous-ey, and has some friendly plants.



there is a stinging nettle plant in the greenhouse. i heard its stings can reduce inflammation, so i purposely stung my left wrist. aka "urtication." my skin developed some bumps and a rash. and it hurt. ill probably try it again though.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Hi Reid. This darning can give you your first BB!
https://permies.com/wiki/105490/pep-textiles/Quick-darning-PEP-BB-textile

hi Inge, i appreciate you letting me know about this. though i am not interested in earning badge bits at this time.

BRK #43

it is spoon day.

meaning....today i am oiling the spoons i have carved.


i am hoping for a magical transformation.


but before that -

this morning started off with library ceiling paneling. we were hoping to complete the ceiling ltoday, but air compressor problems happened.

aaand the afternoon was at the sawmill. a whole log was milled today.

operating the sawmill is monotonous. in a loud, predictable kind of way. which makes it a good time to think about other things. or an opportunity to not think at all. i think coming to terms with this will he helpful for me to come to terms with the present moment.

now....spoon time!

before picture



so i got the walnut oil.....



and oiled the spoons.....and kept adding oil.....until they were really oily......

i was expecting the oil finish to darken the hue of the wood, but that did not happen.

but, its still amazing.

here are the finished spoons





my first 2 spoons (besides the throwaway failure spoon)

of course trash panda had to photo bomb (he knows no boundaries...)

and i am extremely satisfied with the result!

my favorite part is the back of the larger spoon. so smooth, all that time sanding paid off. and it has a color change on the tip.

i am interested in a tool for power sanding these. the power sanders we have (belt sander, orbital sander) cannot fit into the bowl of the spoon, and are just too large in general for this. sandpaper was difficult + time consuming.

apparently a dremel can power sand small areas.....i need to learn how to use it.....

BRK #42

it was a cold snowy morning in the mountains of Wheaton Labs......

cats gathered in the Cattyshack for who knows what reason........



trash panda and i.... were out in the cold....cutting panels to length for the library.

first he measured....




and then......

he cut



(this is a non sponsored post)

i wanted to do the cutting to get more practice using the circular saw. its essential to hold the saw flush to the board and move in a straight line to make sure no weirdness happens.

we have JR here helping us out with the panels, and it was certainly a productive morning.

the afternoon - repairing junk pole fence at one of the wofati structures here. which means repeatedly sinking knee deep in snow while walking the perimeter. at times my best option was to crawl. the fence is now up to standard!

...

BRK #41

goooood morning



its a snowy winter world out here. but it wont be next week when the temperature rises dramatically (according to future prediction technology)

mushroom grow kit: explosion of growth



they look....so....cool......
and are gonna taste good

its been a nice sunday. writing home.

i took on the project of cleaning out the fridge

we just went from 2 fridges to 1. which is good motivation to clear out a bunch of non edible mystery stuff.

this kind of thing happens in community fridges. people start weird projects. they fail to label it. and they leave. it sits in the back for a few months, or years. and then someone cleans the fridge out.

i dont dare share the pile of dishes i generated. but i will share some stats.



- 4 containers of garbanzo based miso (consolidated to 3)
- hard kombucha (currant flavored). this one was a score. besides the fizzy fountain it made when i opened it.
- 5 containers of mystery liquids
- 3 containers of elderberry syrup (if youre reading this Fred, yours is still safe)
- 30 minutes washing dishes

anyways. at least theres room in there now. i dont like throwing out food. but safety comes first. everyone draws the line in a different place, and im rather conservative with what to throw out.

if i get food poisoning, it will be impossible to pinpoint what caused it..... (maybe i should drink more elderberry syrup) (or maybe i shouldnt?)

the fridge certainly needed that overhaul.

BRK #40

firewood = restocked



love shack = swept

snow = falling

some of the biggest snowflakes ive seen



this is a view of the sky....with snow falling out of it.......

falling into an afternoon routine on saturdays, for better or for worse.

it goes like this. run -> shower -> eat.

its a perfect progression.
- run and get sweaty.
- sit on the ground. bask in runners high, cool off outside.
- get in the shower and clean off the sweat. feels awesome.
- ive worked up an appetite. i can eat while clean, hungry, and mentally energized.



anyways, a couple spoons ive carved have been drying and today i put some grit into sanding them.



these are my first 2 spoons (besides one i wrote off as a failure). the one on the left is sanded. just needs to be cleaned off, and coated with a finish. the one on the right needs more sanding.

in these finishing stages, its a challenge of deciding what tool to use. when there is a dent...i could carve down to that level...use a rasp...or sand it for 30 minutes. just trying to make the smoothest spoons possible.

BRK #39

morning update on the terraces



new log has been added to the bed. a combination of scrap cutoffs, straw, and woven sticks holding up terraces.

the result: four distinct flat areas to grow food.

the top terrace is planted with kale seeds, an early season experiment. using mulch to hopefully increase soil temperature and retain moisture for germination.



mushroom grow kit! looks like a lot of mushrooms are coming in



after observing their vitality i made a mushroom chamber to give them more humid conditions




wrist update:

today my wrists are feeling great. i added some flexibility work to the rehab routine.

a 10 minute session of rehab might include:
- wrist circles warmup
- wrist flexion with light weights, high reps to approach failure
- 30 second hold passive wrist extension stretch
- quadriped rocking in all directions
- ulnar deviation with light weights

all the time learning something new about my wrists. the pain is complex, comes and goes. but overall noticing a positive trend (i think?)

BRK #38

THIS MORNING- bed prep, and driving the excavator



yes, it was fun. and yes, its just like a videogame

Wesley and i are in the process of building small terraces into the hugelkultur beds. the idea is to slow and sink water into the soil, and harvest organic matter into the terrace. ill capture some photos once we are further along in the process. maybe should get some before pictures too.



i did see this scrunched up leaf. colors are coming out of the ground!!!



THIS AFTERNOON- adding roof jacks to a wofati with rotten posts.

its a mess back here....



the next step in the project will involve reshaping the surrounding landscape to drain water away from the building. hopefully we can make the path to get back there a little less muddy too?