Second practice making cordage

I was out, actually with the intent of foraging for this coming weeks food needs, but got side-tracked. I was right by the river, which really drowned out any sound of traffic, I love when that happens. Again, I used the same type of reed grass, like my first try.

The picture shows the three twisted pieces I patiently twisted together. It isn't the ideal cordage material, because one end is thicker than the other. From just these few tries i find that too stiff or too thin a material doesn't work as easily. It does work, but it takes times and for me the sound of the rushing water helped.

I say this here, i have never braided anything in my many years of life...until today. I had looked at the steps in a knotting book (which i didn't have with me, but really didn't need either). With my three cords I wondered how to start, then remembered that knotting the three ends together was the way to go. I used the fingers on my left hand to hold the knotted end, while I moved the three strands over each other and my left thumb to help keep the left cord taut.

Below is the finished product, i have to say it came out pretty good. I think the next step for cordage, is to be able to splice short pieces together and then braid them. Once i can splice I'll move on.

3 braid cordage

Three days.

I'll start off by saying that I wish i had pictures to share, for the last three days. I did have my camera with me(except for today), none of the pictures I took were that postable(postable, as opposed to postal).

My first day off, i went on a hike into a section of park, I had passed i don't know how many times over the years. I wondered if there was a way I could get to the open field, so i grabbed the packs, with my edbile plant books and camera and headed off. At first i didn't see a path, but found a bridle path led along where i was trying to go. I followed the bridle path for a bit, then scurried up this hill. At that point, I wished there weren't a busy road for miles, because i would have enjoyed the peace of the woods so much more. On I went, just to the edge of where the woods opened up at the beginning of the field. I had to turn around, after walking around, trying to find a way across the thick mud or the small stream that blocked my way. i will be back, the best areas are those less trampled by humans.

Second out...I decided to take on a hike I had wondered about, it would be a challenge with the high temperatures we've had here. It was more deer path than human path, but not impossible for a determined soul. Along the way i passed a few fisherman who had found a place away from the other holiday groups. After that I was up and down, through foliage and across slate -like rock. I kept my eye out for deer the whole time, eventually I did see some but don't have the pictures to share. I have to say, where the path led me, would be a great place to camp(as long as the rangers didn't catch you).

Then there's today, out doing errandsbefore i have to go back to work tomorrow. I didn't have my camera, just my books. I found a small Raspberry patch, but the fruit wasn't ripe. I was walkig around at different spots on the park, referring to my books, trying to find Lamb's Quarters and Nettle. I did find some similiar plants in the same family, but left them for now. I really want to forage what i "need" for the week and nothing else.

That kind of goes without saying, if you know Chicory grows along one road, you don't pull it out by the roots. I twisted some Daylily blooms off today, but left the plant intact. I have my eye on Wild carrot and some huge Thistle, those i will harvest in the coming weeks. I found some really good information on prepping acorns, that adds to what the books tell me.

I've found that it can be a little frustating trying to learn so much, stay safe and enjoy the journey. It is the same for every new skill we try to learn, that says alot about the human race. We are quick to give up and go for convenience, that same mindset that tells us, we should spend money to gain everything we need to survive.

Walk in the woods

Today i gathered up my foraging books and headed off to the park. It was a cooler day , than what we have had. I have found that i don't like the heat, which is funny, because I had a job for eighteen years where I was out in the seasons. Now that I work inside I like the cooler summer days and love the shade of trees.

The flowers in the photo are Chicory, the whole plant is edible and the roots can be a coffee substitute. I found them along a road that leads into the park, a road i have travelled so much , it was a surprise when i saw the Chicory growing. My eyes have been opened and I can't begin to tell you what to eat or not to eat. I am just learning, I will share what i learn along the way, that may mean i don't post that often. I have seen plenty of people trying to do something, find a group for peer support, but never get to doing what they set out to do.

On the cordage side of things, I have been learning more and have played a bit with the process. I hope to have more in the coming weeks on cordage...maybe a braided cord of some kind.

I almost forgot, the clover I brought home from my hike. Clover was the first wild plant i ever ate, whick i think i learned about from a camp counselor. That seems right now that I think about it, because i came home and ate clover in a nieghbor kids yard. That didn't go over well, because they told their parents...I don't remember getting in trouble for it though.

This brings me to a book i found on Amazon, about harvesting the wild. The write makes a statement about how we could sustain ourselves on wild plants, like we did before we thought people made food. Then i also saw a deck of cards with wild edibles on them. The three books i have and took with me today, don't all have the same info in them. So today i would look at something, look in one book, then check another for more info or better pictures/description.
I would love a concise guide, instead of multiple books.

wild strawberry patch in my yard

My Sagitarian Horoscope for today(and beyond)

Lay the groundwork for something really huge. On days like today, which are relatively easygoing for you, it's a good idea for you to start thinking about your larger goals and hopes -- and how you can go about achieving them. Rome may not have been built in a day, but you have quite a few days ahead of you to build almost anything your heart can imagine!

Cordage

I have put this post off, must be the gloomy, un-Spring like Ohio weather. I had a week off of work, that we did have a bit of a warmish spell. I was driving through the park and decided to stop, nothing was planned. I chose a favorite spot that is like a field up on a hill. I just wanted to look around at the plants, I didn't have any books to tell me what was what and hadn't planned on tackling the making of cordage.

I ended up sitting in the grass, with the sun shining down on me, with pices of reed grass (not sure if that's the correct name, but it's the wider grass). At first, I was going to roll the pieces then twist them around each other. What i found, was that by rolling these strands it broke them lengthwise, which gave me several strands from each piece of grass. I set aside one of the pieces and worked with just one of them, tearing them along the seam that was made by rolling. I tried to remember exactly how the books said to twist it. You are supposed to twist the strand almost like a string likes. Once that is done, you alternately twist one piece around the other. SO there I sat, lost in this impromtu cordage experiment. I ended up tying knots in both ends of the piece i ended up with. One knot was tied at the beginning to help hold the strands together(there were actually three strands). to jump back a bit, i twisted two strands, once that was done I twisted that piece with the third strand then tied the final knot.

Once we get a bit better weather I would like to make more with different kind of plants or inner bark, read up on how to splice a new piece in to continue for a long piece of cord. If I can get that far, i have looked at my knot books and think it would be nice to braid the cord and use a loop and button knot to make a bracelet. i won't stop there, cordage can be used for lashing in the future.

On a nother note, i wish i had a ran collection system in place already with the amount of rain we are getting. Everything in time, I keep telling myself i will get there and to be patient.

I Figured out how to cut my own hair with clippers, while I was off of work too. It was scary, but very empowering and helped me thumb my nose at vanity.

Great Finds!

On cold blustery Spring days in Ohio, when i find myself out, it is usually in a bookstore. Today was no different, oh and what treasures I did find. I found two books on subjects I'm very interested, and could be applied to self-sufficiency. The first is homebrew Windpower, one i had seen in the ad of my magazines, such a great find. The other was a book on plank boat making, like the old vessels were made.

I think its obvious why the homebrew wind book is such a great find. The satisfaction of making something that will pay you back, its the whole argument some of us have for what we do or want to do.

The boat book, might be a bit odd, unless you are into boats, which I'm not. I can't say I'm much of a water person, I don't fear it. I respect water for everything it provides for us and for the power it wields agaisnt us--as much as the other elements. I guess it was the idea of bending wood to create these boats, that cuaght me by the toe some time ago. I can't remember where I saw it, but i had heard of some guy who built a small ark on his building in New York...not sure on where. Imagine building a old boat with your hands, set in a field of green. Life in a boat that never saw water...it just sets my mind racing, like the whimsy of a treehouse for adults.

There's another idea, of making a dome of shaped planks over a framework based on primitive huts. It would be like a wooden beehive for humans, that might connect to an earthbag dome. Then rope bridges up through the trees to a small treehouse and then to your very own ark.

Not I use ark, because we know what size of boat that might be, but i'm not referring to it in the biblical sense. The boy in me, wears his pagan heart on his sleeve with one foot still in the broomcloset for only a few to see.

Bought my fishing license online today...don't tell the boss, I did it on work time. I wanted to make sure I could print it out, my older inkjet can be a bit flakey when printing out certian things. It was slow and everyone was almost a sleep anyhow.

Our lunch room has a TV that most people turn on and watch for lunch. i was the first one in, the TV was off and I loved the silence. One coworker comes in,"is the TV broken again?" I replied,"No, just didn't turn it on" His next question, I don't quite remember. The TV stays off and he sits down, i continued eating. Another coworker comes in,"Is the TV broken again?" I replied,"No, just didn't turn it on." They were both shocked that I would want to sit there without the TV on, that no one could eat without the TV blaring back at them. TV doesn't make food taste or different, not that I know of.

Tonight, I water the veggie plants and have the computer on, no lights and no TV...it is heaven. Just knowing I have a license to fish is good enough for me. with good weather coming up too. I can get what I need done at the house, then run off to the woods. I will see if I can find a good fishing spot. I'll have to read over my cordage instructions and grab my edible wild plant book. I might even get a few good pictures, while I'm out learning and playing.

It's been a little while since I posted last. I do have a pictures of my seedlings, but haven't uploaded it yet. My blueberry plant is growing too, which is nice...not that it will produce fruit any time soon.

I found David Suelo's blog and have been reading his entries. That's quite a way of life he has chosen, living moneyless. I plan on following his blog.

Also, in the last week, I discovered Freeganism. I watched some Youtube videos on dumpster divers, it sickens me to think we throw so much edible food away.

I got a new electric bill and am happy to report it has gone down, yeah for me. I continue to use the water I wash with, to flush my toilet. I stopped using the water from the clothes washer, just until I have something to filter the lunt from the expelled water. I don't need lint build-up in my toilet tank.
I still have alot to learn. The question that I keep bouncing around in my head is,"How much can I not spend?" Dumpster diving might disgust people, but if they didn't know that it was there, they might eat it and think it delicious.

Just one more word on the produce we discard in dumpsters. It could be a very good source for quality seeds to plant, instead of seeds that have sat on a shelf for who knows how long and won't sprout.

Prmitive Skills

There three primitive skills i want to learn over the coming months. The first is basket making, using flexible twigs. I look at the trees in my yard and imagine what it will be like to do what i've read.

The second skill, is cordage, finding out what plants for making useage cordage. i do have a starting point of a couple plants that work, but i'm sure I can find others as well.

Fire, is the third skill, where sticks and stone, can hurt you, used correctly they can create fire. Fire, the one thing we need to heat and feed ourselves. Not that we need to cook all of our food, but some tastes better that way.

I checked my peat pot greenhouse just minutes ago, and have the beginnings of sprouts! I'm so excited! How could I not be? I spent what would cost me a lunch out, on seeds, and will have food that will feed me for more meals than that, for free.

I just have to get my fishing license and then go catch some more free food. I have to say, that I had bought a fishing license about a year ago, with the intent of going fishing. it was wishful thinking and never went. Getting the ball rolling has been half the battle. Now I feel like I'm just trying to keep up to the ball as it builds momentum.

Getting ready for Spring

I bought some 5gallon buckets for my water re-use efforts. It seems a little weird, when i think about it, but I forget all the reasons not to do it. The water I use to bathe with, turns out to be almost 1gallon, but barely. If i told people i knew, I was re-using the water from bathing and now the water from my washing machine to flush my toilet, I'm sure I'd get the same reaction i always do, when i suggest doing something unheard of. i don't think they realize that washing clothes uses almost 20gallons of water...I won't talk about the wattage required to wash and dry clothes here. I will say, I would look like to wash my clothes in tubs full of rainwater.

Below are my 15gallons of water from one load of clothes...machine set on medium load.

I always run into people in my life, who find it easy to question me. They always go,"why would you do that? etc. I say, why not? Whether it be reducing the amount of TV I watch or collecting cans, it all gets me closer to where i want to be. The only person i need to fight with, is myself, the inner struggle is the hardest of all. I had a coworker ask me if i was turning into the unibomber, when he saw me watching a homesteading video, about raising rabbits. Really? I told him, that I wouldn't waste my time. Then i couldn't help myself, because he eats HotPockets every single day. I said something like, easy there HotPocket blah blah...of course, all i jest. It is almost like, anyone who thinks outside the box is a crackpot...as much as being pagan is devil worship. It makes me wonder if it is 2010 or 1600. Thoreau had the same type doubters, as did all the others who thought outside the box.

I keep wonderig why i see people with "green homes" the size of mansions? Green should also mean less of a footprint on the land, not just green products.

Anyways, today I bought a small Blueberry plant and seeds. It would be nice to be able to grow my own food and have enough to store. I doubt I'll have fruit this year, with proper care I'm sure It will return the favor as it grows.

Square Pegs In Round Holes

I've always thought Japanese style was attractive. The space is used visually and the many uses one room can take on. Last year, some time i started looking more into small spaces and tiny houses. My current house, is small but, I have to admit, i haven't been very productive in the way i use it. i sleep in one room, bathe in another, cook in another and so on.

It was after I found http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ and bought jay's book, that i truly began looking at how i used my space. I also visit http://tinyhouseblog.com/ on a regular basis for new ideas, plus the stories of people living small already are inspiring. I have been on a mission to de-clutter and reassess how to use my space, out with the old in with the new or new to me.

I'm not sure what type of dwelling I will end up in, in the future. It could be a yurt or fiberglass camping trailer, but it will be far from traditional. the process has made me ask myself why on earth, would we put roud dishes in a square cabinet? it just doesn't seem to be an efficient

use of space. Hand-me down dishes, mixed and matched. Teacups that don't seem big enough for any kind of tea, except that of imaginery with stuffed animals sitting around the edges of my tiny table. i do appreciate what I was given, but i think the purging process will see the very things i was given to get me started, donated to those more needy than I.

I have come to understand my space and others space and how we value it. I'll let you sit in the corner with me, as long as you don't yell in my ear. Remember the childs toy, a square or ball withdifferent shaped holes? The object, being to fit the shaped blocks in the right holes? Some of us fit in one shape but not the other. While others would like to be one shape and not the one we are. Then there are those, who pretend to be one shape and quite visibly another. We just need to fidn where we fit...even if we are square.

Somewhere around a new beginning

Welcome to my very first post, to whoever may wander ontot this blog. I' beginning this new journey, finding myself at anther crossroads. I have travelled so far to get here, trying to grow and consider myself a seeker.

How did i find myself here? What does the Washing bowl mean to me? The answer to the first question...I have always thought about blogging, have done some, but never thought I would want to dedicate a space to it. Life changes...well mine has, that's the way I like it. How can we grow if we don't strive to be more than we are? The washing bowl, seems so simple, I mean look at it, but even as i moved the two vessels around, to take the pictures here. I noticed how the perspective changed with the angle of light. It marks a point of my life, that will give me a way to work towards self sufficiency, to fill and empty the vessel over and over again.

If it were just about personal growth, the blog may become a bit stale. My hopes, are to share, the lessons i learn from others and on my own. I'm very interested in homesteading and doing what I can to make my urban home self sufficient, solar, wind, rain water harvesting, etc. I began this part of my journey, cutting down on TV watching, with hopes to eliminate it all together. Which seems simple enough, for those willing to change...books are wonderous things if you know how to use them...they have no on'off button and require no cords. I then became curious, about how to live off the grid without running water. Thus, the search for a vessel to wash myself from, once i found the bowls shown above, they sat unused for over a week. Taking the first step to make a change, can be scary, it is something i face with every new thing I try.

There is something to be said about bowing to a bowl of warm water, cleansing yourself from head to toe. It has been a week bathing this way and it has brought me here.