Wood this year

IMG_0603And there’s one more shed full, let’s make sure we don’t use any of that propane (sorry Hank). I feel like we’re ahead of the game for once but there will be no resting this Winter. I’m hoping to use the snow to sled wood from hard to get areas on the land.

Soap boxes & soap

Soapmaking is Nicole’s project but she doesn’t post anything about it. As this settles into an acquired skill, it’s time to build some proper boxes.

A few two-bys

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 Watch your fingers, arms; pretty much any protuberance

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Assembly required

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Reminiscent of Breaking Bad

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Curing

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8 weeks curing time, I’ll post the soaps when they are done. We’ve been using them for a while now and they are my absolute favorite. They are made with our wax & honey, tallow from friends’ animals and sometimes goat milk. They last forever unlike the shit you buy in stores. Nicole is experimenting with a recipe that does not include coconut oil or olive oil, this way we’ll be able to source all ingredients locally.

Fun fact: soap is thought to have originated on sacrificial altars when rain mixed with ashes and fat made a suspicious substance someone decided to take a shower with. Sacrifices & dumb luck created one of the biggest advancement in chemistry. Maybe we could sacrifice our way to Mars?

Hunting

And the unusual places & times it takes you to.

IMG_0438This is the main field of our land at dusk, a great reward after hiking through rough terrain. I still find many new and interesting places in the forest.