First the snow, then the mud, then we’re building a house. The chicken coop needed to be moved before all this. It’s weird to see it there.
It took only 1:30 hours to move it 6 miles, flatbed trailers and good friends are awesome.
Finally all processed
240lbs of Apples
I’ve learned about another great imperial measure: the bushel!
You know you’re having fun when you use a pan as a spoon
The house smells so good
Canning
Nothing is wasted, the chickens looooove the by-product which is still full of yum-yums.
Cool Duplo Project #17 – Crustacean of some type
Protected: Wood this year
Land view
Cemetery
Ever since I saw it on the survey map, I’ve been curious to find this cemetery. It’s not on our land but right next to it.
It’s tricky to find as it doesn’t stand out much from the rest of the forest. Lots of graves from the early 1800s, cool stuff!
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
Watch your fingers, arms; pretty much any protuberance
Assembly required
Reminiscent of Breaking Bad
Curing
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.
This 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.
Maple Fiber Strength
