Skills List

What do I know!  Hmmm, a list would help ...........

• Sewing, since 10 years old
• Crocheting, self taught at 12 years old
• Knitting, taught a few others also
• Spinning, re-learn (drop spindle)
• Cooking
• Baking
• Canning, jam, jelly, fruits
• Dehydrate food
• Vegetable gardening
• Raised chickens (for eggs)
• Raised rabbits (for meat)
• Kept goats
• Kept horses
• Start a fire (chop wood)
• Hunted birds
• Shooting - shotgun, rifle, handgun
• Fish, dig clams
• Pitch a tent with no help
• Use tools - Circular saw, hammer, screwdrivers, etc
• Drive a stick shift
• Photography - amateur
• Draw - Commander Mark style
• Balance a checkbook
• Bookkeeping/Accounting
• Scored for son's baseball games
• Grow houseplants
• Read instructions and follow them
• Housekeeping, know more than I practice
• Recycling, religiously
• Re-purpose: clothes, dishes for serving 
• Making jewelry (beginner)
• French braid - my own hair and others

I love to learn new skills and there is so much left out there to absorb and use in every day living!  I have read articles in magazines now for many years telling us how to 'save' time in chores to gain a minutes here and there.  WHY?  So we (society) can sit around, watch TV, gain weight, thereby diseases can set in like the heart or diabetes, etc.  Gardening, canning, sewing, cleaning house is being connected.  Staring at a TV is dumbing down our population!

Future, Freedom or Government 'Slavery'?

I have been reading a lot on sustainable living, mostly opinion and some practical information to try.  Most of the opinions are establishing 'self' sustainable living.  I don't believe this is possible, there is not enough hours in the day.  A sustainable community is a must with trade to 'help' each other.   We are mired in cutting ourselves off from each other, depending on technology, sitting in front of a TV going numb in the brain.  I don't see the good in our so called advanced civilization.  How many people don't have medical/dental insurance, enough food, clothing,  housing.  We don't all have access to big incomes,  we are the working poor!  Raising animals, growing vegetables, keeping occupied with activities that improve home life is better than being brain dead, government slaves.  Helping and caring for each other gives us satisfaction but most important, trade.  We are all gifted in different skills.

Sustainable living is something I want to aspire to.  Is it possible?  Can't hurt trying.  I think that getting back a sense of community is crucial.  ".... the world is ending" is too common a thing to say, I do think something may happen to change how we live life.  A kind of creepy, hair raising feeling, it's making me feel antsy, our government doesn't take care of us (just the rest of world).  Taxes continually go up, while cuts are made in the 'wrong' areas.  I know everyone may not agree with this, but I don't see any balance in our government.  We need to take care of ourselves.  So my 'community' will start with my kids. Trying to have property together, helping each other.  The gardens and outbuildings will be community, houses separate.  Yes, there could be a lot of problems.  Working them out will be worth it,  community is a century's old way of life.  Trying is better than what we have now!  In the past we have taught ourselves to garden, raise chickens, keep goats and horses.  So yes, I want to learn more!

I have believed all this in pieces but only recently have my thoughts and conversations been put together at the same time.  The signs of the times have brought it all together and is making a big impact in my life.  To my surprise is how many others believe the same as I do.  Wow, am I sounding radical.  This was not my attitude growing into my adult years.  Disillusion has been slowly setting in the last 10 years.  The future is not looking good for our children. Mine already see it and that is sad.  They also see the need to learn homesteading skills because our government may fail them. 

Denim Re-use

What have I used denim for!  A list of things I have made over the years:

• Purses, 4 styles - lined (sold a few, too)
• Coin purses - lined  (from back pockets)
• Rail fence quilt (UFO)
• Circles quilt - with frayed (started, a while ago)
• Heart wall hanging (gift to brother)
• Pocket wall hanging
• Vest, strip pieced
• Toy carpenters apron for toddler
• Organizing hanger for a child's bed
• Round purse (experiment)
• Heart shaped drink coasters - sets of 4 (gift)
• Flower (experiment)
• Backpack (stolen from my car)
• Chair covers - stapled over previous one
• Pillows, 2
• Picnic blanket, large triangles (gift)
• Soft 'buckets' - stay upright when full 
• 'Sleeve' to hold plastic grocery bags

My projects have come about from necessity, I love to sew and tight incomes do not leave room for personal  interests.  Since this happened off and on during the kids young years, they came first!  Friends started giving me their cast off jeans, I could turn to sewing with a little creativity without the guilt.  And recycle, which I am passionate about!  I have 3 of the large garbage bags full of jeans still.  My newest  project find is the 'buckets', I absolutely love them.  Gave 2 away and have one myself.  Will need to make more, because I am going to store sewing and knitting supplies in them.  The 'jeans' are the inside with pockets and fashion fabric on the out (found the instructions on the internet),  been looking for a new ideas lately.
                                                                                                                                                                              

Compost Day!

I saw on the calendar that today is compost day, who knew!  My compost bin is full so I pulled more out of the bottom to the top again, this will distribute tons of red wrigglers to the new stuff faster.  So guess I participated in Compost Day!   Otherwise, a beautiful day!    Worked on a small project for my daughter, a pincushion (it will look like stacked pillows).  The top pillow is pieced in a log cabin.  Don't know why, but I like to make pincushions.  Last Christmas, I made a pretty heart design that I found on the internet for my sister-in-laws.  Did a little free motion quilting but I did not like the way it sat so I poured acrylic beads into the point (the kind used in beanie babies) then the fiber fill and perfect!  It sat just right with the point down, showing off the top nicely.  I will be making more of this one.

Land ho?

Hubby said to me last week "maybe we should be looking at just land".  Oh my gosh, inside I am jumping for joy.  Been saying this for 2 years!  And been shut down on the idea for 2 years.  It's better to at least start than sit around, doing nothing.  A garden and orchard can be started, trees can be felled and aged for building material,  outbuildings can be started,  it could be a wonderful destination during the summer, camping out.  It's like paddling a boat up stream,  I am getting no where fast!  So now he must be feeling the persistent social pressure of sustainability because no one out there is going to care about us.  We will fall between the cracks, we're the working poor.  Working so hard for the government, with nothing left over for us.  We need to take care of our present and future.  We all need to consume less, and here in my house I am not only doing that but also letting go of 'stuff';  it sits in boxes, unused.  'Stuff' should not make us happy, family and friends should.  Working in gardens, with animals, in coordination with each other should be our goal for happiness.  When I was a kid, we heard that TV would rot our brains, etc.  Well it's happening.  Laziness, diabetes, heart disease are the proof!  Well, we'll see what happens!  Hmm, maybe we;ll be out looking this summer.

Glories of Nature

November 2010

We have lived in this house going on 6 years now.  Visitors think we are so lucky, because of the view we have of the City across the valley.     I say YES, lucky.  But my eyes are looking to the left at the beautiful woods (2 pastures away).  Quite frankly the view of the City leaves me cold, I could do without it.  Yes, houses are 'sold' because of such views, silly.  The woods are ever changing and seasonal.  Even in the dead of winter they come alive.  The last few days have been good for the soul.  Trees are bursting into green, the sunsets over the City have been red and orange -  hints of the truly brilliant colors to come in summer.  I so love spring (and fall), even without the flowers, the shades of green are so fresh and bright, especially in contrast to the darker evergreen trees.  The air is crisp and cool, the sun is warm.  A very good time to get outside and work!  Our son mowed the lawn this week, takes close to an hour and a half.  Looks better now than the winter into spring shaggy growth.  We have neighbors who are fanatics and have already been out twice but I like to wait for a few dry days, makes the work easier!

Sustainable future

I found a site last week called Peak moment TV, conversations about 25-30 minutes long.  (people who are trying to create a sustainable future) Just love it!  The conversations have set my imagination to work and I want to try out some of the projects others have done.  Yesterday, I watched a program  showing how to set up a grey water system with a wetland pond  with plants that help clean the water (no water is visible) as it travels to final destination sites.  (program  #141) and it was done with local codes and approved by the city.  We rent an OLD house that has a 'grandfathered'  grey water pipe.  It's not used for it's potential, it just makes a puddle in the field.  What a waste!  I will definitely want to set up a system like this.

I am keeping a compost pile that I will take with me.   The container is a hand me down that wasn't being used!  Sad.  So yesterday I dug out the bottom (there is a door to pull up) and added the beautiful, black compost to the top with all the lovely worms.  This will distribute the moisture and bring the good bacteria in faster to recently added debris (I did this a couple weeks ago).  I have been adding the guinea pigs bedding and am running out of room,  this adds the carbon I have been lacking, works great.  I used to use rabbit years ago, fresh in the holes I'd dig for pumpkin and squash and never had problems (we had chickens, their manure HAS to be aged).  When starting my raised beds,  I am going to burn logs (in a trench, cover them with soil, this will let them smolder and put the logs out slowly.  This will create charcoal.  Good bacteria lives in it for years!  The Mayans did this (National Geographic article) and experimentation has been done with success recently.   Covered with my own compost and a layer of good dirt.  The first year should be good.   All of this is my plan for a part of my garden to be NO till, also from recent articles I have read.  Every year the beds are top dressed with compost and mulch.  If we happen to move to a property in the fall, I am going to try the lasagne  method of starting a garden.  Corn and sunflowers will be grown in quantities to large for raised beds.  So, many new methods to experiment with.  When?,  don't know.  Soon? I wish for.

Denim love to use and re-purpose jeans.  Covered a couple of tall chairs for someone as a favor with it.  I stapled right over the previous cover to make it easy.  They do look nice, should be durable too.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx