This week was busy, but I think we've handled it well. Lots of stresses and lots of stuff going on has prompted a post and a new project or two. Or more than that.
A few small pecan trees in the middle swale!
The big event was a water leak under our home that we found but don't know how long it was leaking. It's caused a fair bit of damage, not counting the quoted $7,800 job of replacing the original (now illegal) galvanized plumbing. We don't know yet if that 1200 square feet (110m²) of home needs a new pier and beam foundation, but at very least it'll need new plumbing, subflooring, and flooring. Which likely means new kitchen cabinets and island as well. Two and a half bedrooms, two bathrooms, the kitchen, dining room, and hallway all need the floor rebuilt. So that'll be fun. If insurance doesn't pull through for us, I'll be doing it myself. I should be less excited about that but I'm not. It'll be big fun. Contractors estimate we'll be out of the house for a month while the job gets done.
On Tuesday or Wednesday I got some news that'll shake our family up a bit. Without disclosing any personal details, my nephew's girlfriend is pregnant. They're both in high school. I won't post thoughts on it now, but it's prompted me to start writing things down in a nice notebook. There's ideas, customs, and traditions that have been cast aside as society has become it's great and marvelous modern self, and I'm going to be writing down some thoughts. Some of them will make it here to the blog of course, but I'd like to have a physical copy so I don't have to flip through a million blog posts and reblogs. The thoughts will likely revolve around family structure, choosing a spouse, and some ideas that could help to actually make life better for folks that would listen. It'll include some stories as examples, and will draw on those stories for morals and life lessons. For now it'll be a journal, but it may prove useful enough to pass it on and around to some people.
Work this week was very work-like. It went well, and I'm getting the hang of it. I came to the realization a few weeks ago that work is analogous to a bad trip. Any fighting it will be useless, as it'll just roll me over and crush me without regard. When not at work, I'll continue my feralization and my process of building a better mrally and traditionally based life that won't need an industrial job. Right now I do need it. Without that money, I'd lose a lot of the opportunities I have at the moment. The idea has been tossed around between Melissa and I of selling our property here and buying a bigger plot (8-20 acres) with a few friends and establishing a geographical community. That'd be a big step, but we need the plumbing and floor fixed first. One thing at a time.
I don't know how, but something awesome popped up in my recommended YouTube feed this week. Spoon carving videos. So I started trying that out just today. I'll be saving up for a set of knives specifically for it, but until then I've been using my axes and pocket knives. I'll post pics later, but here's the first one I ruined:
I guess oak isn't a good wood for spoons. Or maybe I need more practice.
I guess it may have been recommended because of all the axe stuff I've been looking up. Sharpening, throwing, chopping, building primitive structures, and so on.
Good hit!
The purpley-red handled mouse hawk (small tomahawks are called mouse Hawks for their size) got stained this week as a fun tester project. Both axes need new handles, and we decided to start testing some things. That handle got stained with poke berries, an abundant source of purple-red dye, medicine, and early season greens. I'd like to get to know pokeweed a little better.
Call us the purple-handed berry stainers
With all the drama of the house and the family, I've got a renewed fire to get the apartment livable and rentable. I'd love to offer it as an inexpensive living situation for a like minded young person or young married couple to live in while we all work on this property together. I think we could really get a good thing going if we had more folks living together and working together on cool things. It won't be five families on twenty acres, but another set or two of hands on the homestead would be a small step in that direction, and if it'd cover just a few hundred bucks a month towards our mortgage, that would make a big difference in our finances.
Anyways. I'm rambling and it's late. I have to hit the dairy tomorrow before working the camera at both church services, so I'm gonna cut this one off for the night and revisit things later.
Love from Texas
Nate 💚
