Showering Out of doors July 23, 2008

I’ve always wanted one of these..

This will be a must.  How better to connect with the outdoors?!

Dreams continued… July 23, 2008

Waking up as the sun seeps through the dome in the ceiling of our Yurt, I breathe in the cool morning air that permeates through the thick material I call ‘walls’.

Just last night we watched the stars and moon through that same dome.  Untainted by street lights or traffic.  It’s so nice to live in the country.  I walk a few feet to my neat, compact little kitchen and prepare some french press. Grabbing a mug of the fresh brewed coffee I walk out into the morning dew to meet a view that never gets old. Cows stand at the gate waiting to be milked, chickens squawk excitedly in their ‘tractor’ and the sun smiles refreshingly on the pastures and trees that I call ‘home’. A few other morning risers step sleepily from their respective yurts to start the morning chores which consist of milking, gathering eggs, watering the gardens, moving the chicken tractor and letting the hens out. However, everyone’s favorite morning ritual is gathering in the common area on stumps and fallen trees-turned-benches to drink coffee and exchange pleasantries.

Soon the whole village is awake and after a shared breakfast, we’re ready to begin the rewarding work that makes this place unique. We work together to till the soil and encourage the growth of our vegetable, fruit and berry crops. We take turns milking the cows, cleaning the stables, moving the livestock and building fences and structures. The solar panels and wind turbines need to be maintained and the compost needs to be turned. Children are cared for by everyone in the intentional community. The older children are schooled and taught by the different talents and wisdom that each adult has to offer. Later they play on rope swings, or the creek, ziplines or in the various tree fort structures.

Meals are often shared, primarily the dinner meal. All the families meet at the common area to share a BBQ which each person has contributed to. The chicken was raised and slaughtered here, the beans and salad grown, the fruit was picked, the ice cream was taken from one of the cows and made here.  And the ale and wine were cultivated here as well.  We welcome guests and outsiders always. They are welcome to join our evening meals and experience the community we have found in each other.  In the evening we sit around camp fires and stoves, on rainy nights we gather to play games and sing.  Maybe an evening dip in the pond… or capture the flag or…. what else can you do with tons of land and lots of people!  The possibilities are endless!

Excess produce, milk and meat are sold at local markets to generate income, perhaps the massage therapist has a clinic on the grounds, or the Yoga instructor. Perhaps the engineer is contracted to help set up other communities which strive to live of the grid.  The Professor teaches agriculture and ecology seminars.

We will work together, we will play together, sing and cry and laugh together and it will be as it should.  People helping people, loving people and sharing their burdens.  Living consciously and intentionally.  Because the goal of life is not to let someone tell you how to live it, or to finish it quickly.  It is for loving, sharing, and living abundantly.  Can you think of a better way to live?

Seriously, can you?  I can’t and I can’t wait for this dream to become my life.

On a related note, I’m selling my Scion xB and buying a VW camper bus, because who doesn’t need a camper bus.  So if you need a Scion, I’m your hook up.  And seriously, it’s going for a good price.  Why?  Because I’m an honest person, and I want it gone.  SO that when I wake up in the morning, at least part of my dream is real.  I’ll get to the yurt portion soon.

This is actually my Scion, it’s pretty hot huh?  But the sleeping space in it is pretty limited, so it must go for one of these….

Come on, Help a Hippie out!

Pipe dreams becoming reality July 20, 2008

We’ve been slowly evolving our plans for an intentional community. It all started as a joke, that a bunch of our friends and ourselves would live on some land and play the banjo and grow our own food and eventually wear robes and drink kool aid (too soon?). Anyway, that’s actually the plan now, minus the robes and kool aid. We’re looking into purchasing 20+ acres with 4 or 5 other families and setting up yurts (sooo cheap and sooo cool). Yurts are not just for vacation or camping, they’re for full time living too! Picture this, a 700 square foot with a loft (so another 150-200 sq. ft) all decked out for under 50K!! We could pay off our home in a few years! Our other very dedicated friends and us poured over the internet a few nights ago looking for the perfect acreage. It must have trees, and a water source, good soil or at least potentially good soil, and a sloping hill. We’d prefer 4 seasons, and the winters cant be toooo long. We are from the NW, we’re sort of pansies. Here’s some examples of yurt living.

How cool is this living room?

See the little pods off the sides? You can have seperate rooms!

And then since our living space would be fairly limited, we’d like to design some tree house/forts to hang out in with the rest of our fellow land dwellers. We invision a ‘man shed’ where the men can get together to bonds and drink beer, play X-box or sing together. The woman would have a similar cottage (notice how the men have a shed and the women have a cottage…) however ours would revolve around tea and wine, reading and laughing and of course singing if we felt so inclined. We would also have a communal area where we could cook and gather watch a movie or of course sing there will be lots of singing and dancing and being completely joyful.  Well I’m going to post this now, and finish the rest tomorrow… I need to sleep!

Quick update on Garden News July 18, 2008

The garden continues to flourish and produce, despite my novice care.  The Snap peas are delicious and Caleb often climbs in the garden to help himself to the sweet little pods, my sweet pea eating sweet peas….

The beans grew past their invasion, and they should be blooming soon!  Mmmm beans.  The squashes and zucchini are trying to take over the carrots and my lettuce is out of control!  It’s better than I could have hoped for!

Stay tuned for a crazy vision that Seth and I have.  It includes Yurts, tree forts and ziplines… oh and we’re not kidding, it’s gonna happen!

Kombucha, Kvass and the rest of life’s happenings July 2, 2008

Okay,  for some reason I can’t figure out how to seperate these pictures and place them where I want in my post.  So… and they’re out of order.  Anyone with wordpress that can offer some advice  would be greatly appreciated!

Okay, there’s a few pics of Kombucha (The dark tea looking stuff)  a few pics of the Beet Kvass process and some pictures of the gardens and Caleb with a hose…. which was a funny event.

Kombucha…. ahhhhh. It’s my favorite drink. Slightly effervescent, slightly tangy, slightly sweet and just a tad bit alcoholic. It does wonders for the gut. It helps to create balance in the bodies natural bacterias with it’s enzymes and probiotics. It does so many things so wonderfully. So I decided to just make some. I’ve heard it’s easy and cheap, which works well for me because I am also easy and cheap…. hmmmm…. you know what I’m trying to say.

So here’s the formula

Black tea (it must have caffeine)

white sugar

and a scooby (or the culture that eats the sugars and makes it fermented)

you also add a bit of either apple cider vinegar or some previously made kombucha.

1. Brew like 4quarts of tea, let sit to luke warm temp

2. add sugar, about 1 cup

place scooby in mixture, cover with light cloth, like a cheese cloth. Let sit for 7-14 days. It’s delicious.

I plan on bottling it in old Grolsch bottles to let it get more fizzy. However I keep sneaking little tastes so this first batch is just about gone as you can see.

Kvass. Beet Kvass to be exact. Actually I made Beet Ginger Kvass. I like adding ginger. Again, this is a fermented tonic of sorts to aid in digestion, mental clarity and overall health. This one’s a bit more tangy, a little bit salty… but because my tummy likes it, I like it.

To make

Whey (when raw milk seperates it produces cheese and whey)

Filtered water

Salt

2-3 organic beets

Ginger (optional)

I added a few tsp of sugar

1. Chop beets into little cubes

2. place in a 2 quart jar (or in my case several little ones)

add a bit of salt (sea salt is preferable)

3. add whey and water (about 1 part whey to 5 parts water)

4. add minced ginger and the bit of sugar (I haven’t found a recipe that calls for sugar in this, but I’m going to try it)

5. Seal securely and place in moderately warm area for 3-5 days or until bubbles form. You can then refrigerate to allow it to continue to ferment for a more effervescent effect. This is what I plan to do because the fresh stuff tastes too salty. I’ve read of people leaving it to sit in the fridge for over 6 months before they drink it! I’m glad I have beets in my garden, I’ll hopefully be able to make several batches.

Other than those 2 experiments, here’s how my garden’s looking. The beans are finally starting to take off. Yay!

Caleb enjoys helping me water….. as well as watering himself and anyone in his way.

I have to say, for the amount of work an organic garden is… it’s totally worth it!

It’s SUMMER!! June 20, 2008

Make sure to get funky cause it’s finally summer, and we finally have sunshine. I thought this little clip would be a nice way to welcome summer solstice. These guys are my favorite and I effing love this video. Make sure you catch the drum solo at the end. It’s a thing of Beauty.

Treasure Trove vol. 2 June 18, 2008

I came across this great idea today. Making Paper pots for your plant starts! I’ll have to remember this for next year! Gone are the days of using those plastic seedling pots and trays!

Speaking of trash I cam across this. Disturbing. Hawaii has an abundance of trash and wants to ship it to the NW. Think of the fossil fuel being used! Think of the amount of plastic being produced just to bundle TRASH!!! Seriously?????

And on a more positive note, a high school friend of mine was fortunate enough to attend one of Joel Salatin’s conferences on how to heal the planet one plate at a time. You can view them on YouTube in a 6 part series. Here’s part 1.

If you’re not farmiliar with Joel Salatin and his famous farm. Here’s a Link. You may just be one person or a family, but it’s going to take alot of individuals to make up an army big enough to take down corporate trashy-food America.

On another note, what kind of shoes are you wearing? Do you wear shoes that are supposed to support your arches and minimize shock and fix your back, blah blah blah. What did they do back in the day before NIKE? Can you imagine the issues the romans and greeks had with those flat leather sandals? Actually I doubt they really had any problems. Let nature take it’s course and wear a shoe that gives your foot the freedom to preform the way it’s supposed to. Soft soled shoes with no arch support people. And heels, chuck em. They are a huge reason why your back aches and your knees throb and the arches of your feet fell like crunchy marbles. Here’s some shoes I’m saving my pennies for….

The Vibram Five Finger shoes. They may look creepy, but I’ll be laughing at all y’all with your Nike Shox.

Security blanket June 9, 2008

It’s a great feeling to stock pile.  To store up.  Have extras.  It gives me a sense of security.  I actually did a little personality test thing and apparently that’s what drives me.  Security.  Which is spot on.  That’s why I garden and make soup stocks and I love, I mean LOVE when I have a full cupboard and my jars are filled with dried goods.  I feel safe.  Like a little squirrel hoarding nuts, I made a HUGE crock pot load of turkey veggie soup, I have bread rising and I’ve got more beans soaking and sprouting for dinner later on in the week.  It gives me a feeling that I’m in control, of something anyway.  I drool over peoples blogs who have the space and resources for chickens and cows and composts and gardens and they sew their clothing and blankets and make their own soup from ash.  I’m so inspired by that!  I get the sneaking feeling that more and more of the population will be turning to this lifestyle as gas prices sky rocket and people are forced to stay home and make the most of their resources.  Is it awful of me that I’m okay with that?  Forced Community, it sounds great!  What I wouldn’t do right now to be able to by some land with a few other folks and get an intentional community started.  Anybody?  Anybody?!  There’s no time like now!!!

Props to all you organic gardeners June 5, 2008

Here are my gardens, as you can see something is eating my poor little beans.   You can get a better look by clicking on the pictures.   I sprayed them down with Dr. Bronners soap diluted in water as well as putting down some sort of earth stuff that starts with a D.  It’s supposed to kill little bugs and slugs, but something is still having a hayday on my beans.  And don’t get me started on my carrots.  Or lack there of.  Organic Gardening is HARD.  Any suggestions??

Sugar=Aging June 5, 2008

Aging can be linked to sugar intake!  Much the same way that a steak browns and toughens on the grill.  It’s a reaction called the ‘browning effect’.  Scientist believe that collagen, which glues our trillion cells together, is affected by glucose, which acts upon DNA causing mutations in this genetic material that permit the start and spread of cancer… Any sudden rush of glucose into the blood stream- from a candy bar, a glass of OJ, a couple tsp of sugar in your coffee- stresses the pancreas to produce more insulin.  Excessive sugar making the rounds of the bloodstream brings about cross-linking and again.

-From Nourishing Tradition by Sally Fallon