i'm in the process of labeling the twenty two pages of photos on flickr that i have uploaded since i've been in ______ this year. and since my last post was only about technology (and i totally forgot something in that one - i have to go back and edit it), i thought i ought to post a general update.
some exciting things since august - i carved a pair of gauged earrings for myself out of black walnut. i'd never done this fancy of carving before, and am really pleased with how it turned out. my friend jacob next door was a huge help and my main inspiration, since i got to watch him carving wooden beads by hand many nights in the common house. it took 7-9 hours to make this pair, and i imagine it would go faster in the future since this was my first time. i did a bit of research on where all those beautiful wooden gauged earrings you find in online stores are from... some, at least, look like they are hand carved by folks in thailand who somehow earn a living wage even though the earrings sell for twenty some dollars a pair. i'm sure they're way faster than me. i'm also glad i decided to carve mine, so i know i can do it. i might carve more to add to my etsy shop, and see if folks show interest in earrings carved closer to home out of native woods.
land updates - the barrel cover sides are done. i still need to make a cover.
i also made an awning frame out of willow and osage, and started thatching. it's going well so far even though reed's canary grass is not an ideal thatch material.
i am in love with the way the awning frame looks.
jack brush hogged a good bit of my land a few weeks ago, mostly the 'nook' area that faces southeast and the small northern slope next to the road. it reveals the contours of the site really well, and ought to help cut down on biomass and make it easier to plant, plan, and build there next year.
we got a fall garden put in, though grasshoppers ate all our carrot seedlings, some of our root crops, and all of our lettuces. the other greens (kale, mustards, arugula, etc) are doing well though, and the garlic looks good despite some taste trials by various critters and the first frosts. we planted 'music' and 'western rose' varieties as well as egyptian walking onions and wild garlic.
as of the first few days of october, i'm living in a house in town that i'm sharing with another family from _____ farms. we'll probably rent until april. i've got a job as dishwasher/prep cook/waitress at the cafe just a block and a half away, and franny is enjoying the bike rides despite the fact that she's inside nearly all the time now. i have a little bed area with a curtain around it and a cool fabric covered shelf that i made for my things, and am really enjoying biking on pavement over the gravel roads near the land. easier access to grocery stores is good and bad... it's never a good thing for me to have easy access to junk food, but it Is nice to be able to hop on my bike and grab ingredients for a fresh, tasty meal. there are a lot of folks in town with gardens and chickens, horses, cows, and even an alpaca. most gardens are frosted out now, but we've got a little hoop house in the backyard with greens both sown and transplanted, and will soon have baby chickens in there as well.
since being in the house i haven't done much except organize my stuff and work. i have started working on calendars again, but it took awhile because my computer situation was so crazy. it's nice having internet. i missed web comics! i bought a pair of heavy duty headphones - they are my escape when the kids are too loud and i need help focusing. i love working with music or a movie playing into my ears, something i miss at ____ farms when i'm feeling misdirected and ambivalent.
as of the first few days of october, i'm living in a house in town that i'm sharing with another family from _____ farms. we'll probably rent until april. i've got a job as dishwasher/prep cook/waitress at the cafe just a block and a half away, and franny is enjoying the bike rides despite the fact that she's inside nearly all the time now. i have a little bed area with a curtain around it and a cool fabric covered shelf that i made for my things, and am really enjoying biking on pavement over the gravel roads near the land. easier access to grocery stores is good and bad... it's never a good thing for me to have easy access to junk food, but it Is nice to be able to hop on my bike and grab ingredients for a fresh, tasty meal. there are a lot of folks in town with gardens and chickens, horses, cows, and even an alpaca. most gardens are frosted out now, but we've got a little hoop house in the backyard with greens both sown and transplanted, and will soon have baby chickens in there as well.
since being in the house i haven't done much except organize my stuff and work. i have started working on calendars again, but it took awhile because my computer situation was so crazy. it's nice having internet. i missed web comics! i bought a pair of heavy duty headphones - they are my escape when the kids are too loud and i need help focusing. i love working with music or a movie playing into my ears, something i miss at ____ farms when i'm feeling misdirected and ambivalent.
Comments