Half Assed Holidays for the 2022-2023 Bootcamp Season!

Beau Davidson wrote:

The first time I visited Wheaton Labs, I drove through a massive blizzard and arrived to see a winter wonderland, alive with the sparkle and glow of the snow-laden Montana wilderness.  Don't get me wrong, the Lab is incredible year-round, full of the verdant fecundity of nested hugel beds and cultivated woodland charm.  But for my money, winter is the time when it really shines.  The wofatis are in their element, emitting the heat of summer under their snowy blankets.  The wildlife is alive with crisp vigor.  You can work steadily, all the short day long, in the shining winter sun without overheating.  And every day ends with a warm drink and community.  Hard to beat!

If that's not enticing enough, the bootcamp has lined out this year's schedule of Half Assed Holidays - days of annual upkeep, fun, artistry, and taking things just a scosche easy.

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Sofia is making a bowl by burning out
the inside of the bowl


Indoor projects


winter-harvested sunchokes


the snow can hide the tipi door


we saw cat footprints in the snow and
eventually (months) managed to get this feral
cat to come this close for bits of salmon


The snow melts and freezes a few times


winter is a great time to whittle up a spoon


we tend to make a lot of shelves in winter


allerton abbey in winter


we do a lot of timber stuff in the winter


From "christmas stocking day" last year


the first sign of spring

Awesome Sushi

Here's the calendar for this year.  If you want a cozy place to overwinter, it's a perfect time to ease into the bootcamp.

Half assed holiday schedule for the 2022-2023 winter season:

thu nov 24 - thanksgiving

fri nov 25 - wood box day (half day)

- try to replace plastic bins with wooden crates and boxes
- maybe try to make a box that will almost hold water
- maybe even try to make some dovetail joints
- some boxes will be quick and some will be very nice
- unlike wooden spoon day - wood boxes will remain with the bootcamp

thrs dec 1 - day of light - a half day of improving the lighting in and around our nest

- add mirrors
    o on walls
    o in window wells
    o lots of creativity
- add lights that are more efficient by lighting people more than the room
- add solar night lights outside - find artistic themes
- different sorts of prisms in the windows
- add indoor night lights
- make full room lights that can be turned on at the source that add HUGE light to the room
- light experiments
- possible candle lit dinner
- an evening campfire (bun warmer or pavilion)
- maple foods
    o maple meringue cookies
    o maple rolls
    o maple cookies
    o spaghetti with each person adding about a tablespoon of maple syrup (tip of the hat to Elf)
    o horchata sweetened with maple syrup
    o fresh bread served with whipped maple butter
- hot spiced cider

wed dec 7 - wooden spoon day - half day

- we all carve wood kitchen utensils
- maybe one cutting board
- make lots of soup that people eat with wooden spoons!
      o make bread bowls for soup
- ice cream to test the strength of wooden spoons

fri dec 9 --  christmas decorating day - a half day of

- setting up a tree and all the decorating
- popcorn
       o +maple syrup to make popcorn balls
- make a wreath
- convert a cubbie into a "nativity" featuring wheaton labs stuff
- christmas movie

wed dec 14  - christmas stocking day - a half day of

- making christmas stockings (for current and future boots)
- baking
- further cool decorations
- christmas movie

wed dec 21  - christmas baking day - a half day of baking

- and a christmas movie

sat dec 24  - christmas eve - half day of (i need ideas)

- I will go into missoula and get chinese take out for everybody
- egg nog
- fudge
- confections
- add an ornament to the tree
       o must be something that can be used for many years
       o says your name plus "christmas 2022"

sun dec 25 - fancy foodening

wed dec 28  - day of fire - a half day of improving fire stuff

- build indoor and outdoor firewood racks
- do all rocket spots have
       o a kindling cracker
       o a poker
       o an ash bucket
       o ample fire starting paper and a propane torch
       o a nearby fire extinguisher
       o good firebricks for the wood feed
- find quick and easy ways to upgrade rocket mass heaters
- make improvements to the bun warmer space
- evening with the bun warmer
      o plus a tiny camp fire in the middle (with our little camp fire contraption)
      o smores
      o hot dogs
      o hot drinks (tea, spiced cider, etc.)

sat dec 31   - half day of putting away christmas stuff plus movies

- black eyed peas, greens and corn bread
- spaghetti

hot springs day - mixed in somewhere.  Surprise half day

wed jan 4   - fermentation day (half day)

- water keifer
- kim chi
- miso
- kraut
- sourdough
- keifer

(i need ideas to flesh this out)

mon jan 9  - national houseplants day (half day)

- overhaul all of the houseplants
- modify stuff to be houseplant pots
- coleus seeds
- plant edible stuff, maybe herbs
- add plant shelves and grow lights
- experiment with self watering stuff

thu jan 12 - proenneke day  (half day)

 - small roundwood projects all with hand tools
       o coat hooks (cut forked branch style)
       o coat hooks (dry pegs in green half-round of wood)
       o a kitchen chair (probably pretty big and blocky)
       o repair projects
       o sawbuck

wed jan 18 - quilt day
- collectively make one quilt for one thing
    o maybe a window quilt
    o maybe a curtain for somthing
    o maybe a bed quilt
- each person has their own square or two to be added to the quilt
- they can add messages with laundry markerspina colada day
- each boot can add their name
- somewhere it says "bootcamp 2022"
- ravioli served so it looks like a quilt

[b]wed jan 25 -  pina colada day (half day)

- blended drinks (with umbrellas), pizza and the house is 80 degrees
     o beach music
     o drink from pineapple cups
- improve the dock
     o add tropical somethings
- improve the library
- movie featuring pina coladas or beaches
     o shrek (plays the pina colada song)
     o pirates of the caribbean
     o lilo and stitch
     o fantasy island
     o swiss family robinson
     o guardians of the galaxy

thurs feb 2 - groundhog day (half day)

- the movie - duh
- music "I got you babe" by sonny and cher
- pancakes for dinner
- if 6 more weeks of winter - build more shelves
- if spring comes 6 weeks early - seed stuff

wed feb 8 - dye dye dye dye dye (half day)

 - just one natural dye color for each year
 - a white t-shirt (or similar) for everybody
 - dingy sheets and other house fabrics could go in
 - everybody can bring their own stuff too
 - thai food
 - fruit punch color matches the color of the dye


tues feb 14 - cat house day

 - build a cat house
 - eat lasagna
 - maybe a movie featuring a cat

tues feb 21 art day

- signs and labels
- maybe tiny rock jacks to hold up outdoor signs
- food that would be served at an art gallery
          o foods impaled with toothpicks
          o foods served on a cracker
          o grapes

wed mar 1 - sushi day

- upgrade the free shelf stuff
- sushi

Beau Davidson wrote:
fri nov 25 - wood box day (half day)

- try to replace plastic bins with wooden crates and boxes
- maybe try to make a box that will almost hold water
- maybe even try to make some dovetail joints
- some boxes will be quick and some will be very nice
- unlike wooden spoon day - wood boxes will remain with the bootcamp

Andrew Welser wrote:
Isn’t Boxing Day usually the day after Christmas? ;)

Beau Davidson wrote:
fri jan 20th   - fermentation day (half day)

- water keifer
- kim chi
- miso
- kraut
- sourdough
- keifer

(i need ideas to flesh this out)

wed mar 1 - sushi day

paul wheaton wrote:I like gate day

paul wheaton wrote:early november:  apple seed day

plant all of our apple seeds.  They need cold stratification in order to germinate.

paul wheaton wrote:Should we have a day dedicated to improving certain spaces?

   - the bun warmer
   - the spot with the floaty chairs
   - the wood shop
   - the solarium
   - the library
   - the fph
   - the berm shed
   - the red cabin
   - the love shack

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:I think a Knot Day would be worthwhile. Boots learn to tie different knots, then use them to complete a specific project to show a practical use of that/those knot/s.

Temporally-speaking, the Boots here right now are low-key obsessed with knots these days (myself included).

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:early november:  apple seed day

plant all of our apple seeds.  They need cold stratification in order to germinate.

Would cherry pits also work on this day?