The Öko Box

Wrestling In Big Sandy Mush Part 3

2009-11-29T08:13:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Championship Wrestling in Big Sandy Mush! Oh yeah, I bet you thought it was over, that these guys packed away their speedos and wrestlin' one-sies just cause the winter weather came!?! Hell NO! These guys (and a surprise gal) came back with vengeance, to acrobatically, dramatically, and fantastically fight once again for the championship belt. You know, who wouldn't wanna come wrestle in the middle of nowhere at an abandoned school--- count me in!
I arrived fashionably late as always and missed the beginning of the first round where some smaller guys from South Carolina were getting boo'd off the ring from the strangely mixed crowd. The crowd was not only the die hard kids, guys, & old men who are familiar to me now, but I swear a mini bus load of hippies & hipsters had been dropped off this time too - and they were intoxicated, which meant more DANCING, yelling, jumping, laughing, fun.
I was particularly smitten with the big wrestler from Waynesville NC, because he was wearing the most awesome 'all in one' "USA" red white and blue outfit! He also beat the poor tiny guy from South Carolina... in fact their size difference made it nearly unfair. Moving right along to the next round were some guys I am now familiar with - the Hillbilly & TNT...
Even though the crowd was wild and plenty amazing tricks were being done, I got the feeling the wrestlers themselves were sluggish due to big Thanksgiving meals and lazy holiday-ness was creeping into their souls. Their match went on and on, and ended in a 'draw' in which the announcer said "We have two winners, not two losers!" :)
Then something totally new and shocking happened! A .... girl.... came out with the current Champion.... the crowd went bananas....
She was taking no prisoners, she wasn't there to be sweet - she was there to scream, yell, distract, support her honey and strut her stuff...she was the perfect authentic wrestling ho, to flank the readily boo'd evil Champion. One old man in the crowd started yelling at her "Go Home YOu JeZebel!!!!"With Jezebel at his side, the Champion beat out the opponent with no problem...
This costume below completely got my attention, he wore an "Army" shirt on the front but the back side of his shiny spandex finished the story... it looked like maybe he wrote "KILLER" on there with freakin' white out! Now that is scary stuff. Only true pysco's write on their outfits with shit like spray paint or white out or puffy paint.
KILLER and the whole gang all jumped in the ring at once because the last match was the winner will be the last crazy guy in the ring - and you had to be thrown over the top rope by any of the opponents in order to lose the round! It's a sight to behold when all the tight pant winners and all the loose pants losers are throwing each other out the ring left and right... I basically didn't know WTF was going on till there was only two left.
When you have a Jezebel hottie by your side, you are bound to hold onto the Chamionship belt... all my favorites, all the good guys, all the tiny guys, all the funny guys got thrown over the rope. Evil takes all again!
After it ended I sat in my metal folding chair and watched the men take apart the traveling stage (layers of canvas, padding and wood). I was pretty excited because I was asked by the head guy to be the "Official Blue Ridge Championship Photographer" and was wishing I could accept such an honor. Cause how cool is that? Not sure my health would really permit, but I sure as hec will make an effort. I was also contemplating why the group of Hippies and Hipsters thought that they should be the only ones to get the free wrestling posters being signed by the wrestlers and left the rest of us in the dust! Lame! Can't they share on their commune, and let us have one too!!! ;)
HA! In the words of AC/DC "aAAAHHhhhhhh A, THUNDER!"
Bye Ya'll!!!!
XoXoxoxooooo

Eco Art: Black Charcoal & Egg Paint

2009-11-28T08:57:00.004-05:00

Woo! I have another color to add to my non toxic art-senal. Black, one of my long missed dark colors I used to liberally apply on my toxic acrylic paintings back in the day. I have not only missed the color itself but I have also missed the thick goopy opague quality that acrylics gave my art work. Last night I learned how to powder charcoal from the wood stove here, and turn it into paint!

1.Using a rock and a wood surface the charcoal was carefully crushed into a power by rubbing the stone over the charcoal... this was actually fairly easy and didn't take long at all.
2. After powdering the charcoal I took the powder and added it to an egg yolk (just the yellow part of the raw egg).
3. Stirring it together with bamboo stick (you can use a spoon, knife or anything laying around) it immediately turned black and was a thick dark paint ready for use!
I tested a blop on some scrap paper and it was good to go!
I made a paint brush by cutting a small bit of my hair out and tying it to a stick with a rubber band, then applied the paint to this scrap piece of wood (end piece from a lumber mill). The wood was rather rough and my brush was too soft for the rough wood, so the paint could not go on smooth - the surface in which you paint has ALOT to do with how much paint you will have to use and how it will look when applied (same reason why canvas is ghesso'd before use). The thing that was really cool about the black egg paint was you can easily scrape back into it and draw using the 'negative' technique (like scratch board). I drew this simple owl into the paint, while testing out how the egg & charcoal would apply, work, and especially how and if it would dry correctly after!
While waiting for it to dry i smashed some poke berries on the surface and stained the wood with it- using a little water to spread it around. One of the amazing things about the charcoal/egg paint is that not only did it dry rock hard, but it keeps a bit o' shine to it... in other words it does not really dry to a matte finish, it has gleams of light reflecting off the surface. Very cool!
This (new for me) discovery of using powder in egg yokes for thicker colors is awesome... you can most likely apply other natural & non toxic powdered colors like various spices and herbs (turmeric, paprika?) , and I would love to dehydrate native dye plants growing in the woods here and make my own organic egg paints for free with a wider range of colors!
When this project below finishes drying what i want to write above the 1970's looking owl is "Kiss me Stranger". :)
XoXo

Gretta's Guinea Hens

2009-11-26T13:19:00.004-05:00

This Thanksgiving I awoke to a new flock of hens here in Big Sandy Mush... Guinea Hens!!! My friend Gretta found this tight group of chirpers running around her Knoxville,TN neighborhood and captured them in a dog crate in her back yard. Gretta's brother Bort picked up the flock late last night and brought them to the old chicken coop & free range area here! YAY!
They were safely shut in the coop when I first saw them and did not seem all that scared of humans. They stayed together, very close - a behavior that is much more extreme then I have seen with domesticated chickens. Their faces look alot like vultures and they tend to put their neck in while resting, in the same position vultures assume while napping on a tree branch. Their feathers though are so vibrant and patterned so beautiful - striped like the back end of a male turkey, but all over their body!
They filed out together into the field to peck around in the grass...
I gave them food scraps but they showed no interest in them (unlike chickens) - if anyone knows about these birds I am open to suggestions on how to care for them.
In the meantime, check out how the flow of their back feathers are so dramatic and gothy. :)
XoXo

Oops! Ants

2009-11-25T07:34:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when you cut up bamboo for kindling (for the wood stove fire) ya might find a lil' family living inside the hollow & cozy stalk! This whole colony of black ants fell out of a piece of bamboo onto the floor...
In order to get them back together, I took a broom and gently swept them into a dust pan. Bort (co-fire starter) got the idea to put them in a tin can with paper to hide under, and once they settled in there I put the can o' ants in one of my large potted plants so they could re-colonize somewhere more pleasant. :)
XoXo

Wanna See Someone Cute?

2009-11-24T18:06:00.003-05:00

Oh, she is so key-ute-es! She built the neato nest you can see here.
XoXo

Funny Fungi

2009-11-23T06:58:00.002-05:00

Heres a few of the remaining Mushrooms from this month (November)... once the real cold winter comes there is not much fungi action. We have been unusually warm this November, it's felt like a nice cozy spring most of the fall - with warm sunny days and intense ground soaking rains... good conditions for some mushroom bloom. These pictured here are my favorites cause they are bunches of fun. Fun-gi, he he. ;) The pink one up top is some type of cup mushroom... while the one below here is a mushroom with a twist!
These tiny fungi's growing on the dead apple branch below really fascinated me, how they look like the spokes of a wheel on the inside. Or maybe like the fury petals of a blooming flower? It's a beautiful basic pattern that can lead the imagination to so many places and inventions (and ya'll know how I am all about sum' biomimicry!)
XoXo

Sketching A Sustainable Dream

2009-11-22T07:47:00.004-05:00

There are some adventures which are just still a dream, but the only way to make that dream happen is to clarify your intentions and follow every avenue of possibility towards making it happen. I make creative lists, and now I make drawings of what I want too! Right now I am looking for land to purchase (with or without a structure already on it) so that I can begin where I left off a long time ago, in building my own eco & sustainable homestead to live out a peaceful and natural life on. The above pic is my drawing of what I want to happen, I got the idea of drawing when a old neighbor from back in Marshall NC told me once she looked for her farm for almost a year and couldnt find anything she liked, she finally sat down one day and drew an exact picture of what this dream farm would look like - she drew in small details like spring fed concrete watering hole for her horses and hills rolling a certain way, barns in a specific place. After she made the drawing it was in almost no time she pulled up to her future farm, which was an exact replica of every detail of her drawing.
Another thing I am loving to do, is take the online photos of all the places that woo me on the TInY HOuSes BlOg, and save them in a folder for inspiration! Below are some of my most favorites I wanted to share with ya'll... to see tons more like these, go here.
I am attracted to natural wood, whether it's flat, round, logs, cordwood, or a shack - if it's made with wood in a natural rustic way I fall in love. Being in a forest setting, these structures make more sense- they blend in better and hopefully attract wildlife. :)
On the TiNy HOuSes BlOg, there are so many hand built homes that are on trucks or made from horse trailors and other wild imaginative objects. This one below is an antique/vintage photo which is why it holds that true gypsy style and energy.
And of course- here is my dream hobbit cabin, which looks not only like heaven to me but also not too hard to construct.
Now we get to interiors of tiny eco homes- which make good use of natural materials, space, and re-use.
In the pic above I love the wooden counter top, I built an exact counter top like this in my favorite house I ever bought - and would love to do it again! The bedroom pic below gets me because of the feeling of a loft, yet full private room to sleep in- it is very well designed.
Now, the cob house kitchen below freaking rocks, basically cause a real tree with bits of branches in tack was used to hang things off of and i lovvvvvve the micro sized kitchen! I am not into cabinets, everything I have is useful most days and i like having little open shelves like in this micro kitchen.
And last... quirky construction, so quirky I don't even comprehend - but all those warm looking wood slats on the walls, floor and ceiling. Mmmmmm, COmE On DReAM HoME, I am ready for you!!!!
XoXo

Animal Tracking: Wild Turkey Scat

2009-11-19T12:48:00.003-05:00

The other day I was walking in the woods when I stopped because I thought I smelled something odd. Within about 30 seconds I saw far up the hill behind some trees were a group of wild turkeys sneaking away! After crouching down and watching them slink out of sight I stood up to continue my walk... I then realized I was standing in a spot with turkey poop (aka- scat) on the ground and that was what I had been smelling.
Yay for my nose!

XoXo

Small Grey Snake

2009-11-19T12:34:00.002-05:00

I did not expect to see a snake in mid November! Usually they are hiding away from the cold, but it just has not been cold the last few weeks- and after more of days rain this snake came out into the morning sun to heat up his cold blooded body. It was a rather small snake and very well camoflauged into it's surroundings- so well in fact that i had no idea i was sitting about 8 inches from it, while i was scraping some sap off the bottom of a pine tree.
Look in the pic below and see if you can spot it?
It's scales were mainly a grey color but there were tan bits and a tan belly. It was highly alert about me being there, it's tongue never came out, it didn't move and it took one breathe to my every 5. Watching it breathe made me forget about everything in my life I think is important, the movement was mesmerizing & beautiful.
Does anyone know what kind of snake this is? It seems rather common here, especially near creeks and spring water.
XoXo

Animal Tracking: Kids and Critters (and a worm too!)

2009-11-16T08:06:00.005-05:00

Last night my cousin Jessica came for a visit with her kids - as the sun went down and they were just arriving I had to think up something fun to do in the dark! Knowing nature related thrill seeking was most likely in their DNA too I suggested we go out in the woods with flashlights, leave out some food on a rock and wait for wild animals to come while we hide. There was no contemplating this one- they grabbed the flashlights and were like "are we going now?"
What I didn't realize was how amazed and adventurous it would be for them to find all the animal tracks I have been following... yippee! After dropping off some food for the resident pig we carried the rest of our bait while following deer, raccoon, and opossum tracks all the way through the orchard to the last apple tree. The tracking calmed their fear of the dark and unknown, the realization that some of the tracks were animals who were literally running away from our noise made them jump with excitement "it was JUST HERE!"
Not only did we have bunches of fun tracking animal prints and carefully looking for prints of animals we did not want to run into in the night (aka - bear and coyotes), they also found all types of slugs and even some huge earthworms. :) Yay!
We pretty much left out the bait on a big rock and forgot about it- since tracking prints & scat & slugs, climbing apple trees and eating apples was too good to resist.
Because it was so hard to get a good night time photograph of many if the tracks we saw, here are some below I have seen in the last week that are similar...
**Btw---> For easy tracking with kids in your back yard, find or make a moist muddy spot where you can safely leave some food to attract a nocturnal animal. When the animal comes for the food it will leave it's prints in the mud and the kids can try to figure out which animals live in their hood.**
Anyone wanna try to identify these prints above and below? They are classic cut outs!
This last pair is probably some animals you know real well... they might even live in your house with you!? ;)
XoXo

Wheel Bug

2009-11-15T07:25:00.004-05:00

Wheel Bug!!! I never thought I would see another one of these again- the first time I encountered one I got a call from my neighbor in Asheville saying "Leslie, CoMe SEe ThIS CraZy BuG On My PorCh!" We had no idea what it was till a commenter on this blog identified it as the rarely (or never) seen by humans wheel bug.
Given the name wheel bug I am sure from the saw like jagged wheel shape on it's back, it is one amazing and prehistoric looking creature. It's big tooth is larger then it's micro sized head, and penetrates soft bodied insects for a meal. It can also be used to give a vicious painful bite to humans. They are said to be shy and I believe this is true- in both cases I saw wheel bugs they were trying to hide and get away from me, but they are not overly scared at the same time - they will aggressively move towards you also. (I like these guys!)
Wheel bugs are said to grow up to 1.5 inches long (not quite as big as a flying Louisiana cockroach but pretty huge for something that bites real bad and flies too)... this one I saw yesterday was rather small compared to the one I saw last year. It was also in an area with alot of other bugs which had hard bodies, and Lil' Wheelie seemed to have no interest in eating them.
Then there was this tiny insect that looked like a baby wheel bug, but since their nymphs don't hatch till spring time I supposed it was not...but maybe??!! (Someone tell me if they know, and maybe someone tell me if they even think they know!)
One tough little buggie though, giving the hands up threat to the wheel bug when he crept close by. :)
Was this a case of "Luke, I'm Your Father"? Cause tiny guy, your profile looks like ya got the mono killer tooth too!
XoXo

Mouse Nests

2009-11-14T08:28:00.003-05:00

Animals are hunkering down for the winter, and the mice have built some really well insulated nests! These were found when lifting up various pieces of canvas that had been stored outside and were going to be used for a project...that is till the puffy spectacular mouse houses were discovered. This first nest was near a few colored tarps which ended up making it's nest speckled with brightly colored string. :) I like to think about how when our backs are turned the mice are pulling our fabric apart.
This second mouse nest was found under thicker tarp in a field near the pig pen. It had access to the canvas strings (or soft stuffing from the pig's blanket), hay & sticks.
Something to note about the way animals & birds build their houses is how airy, puffy and thick the walls are - and the way they weave into circles. These qualities are to insulate from cold winds - which originally baffled my trained human mind... I would have guessed without learning that the thicker tighter weave would keep me warmer, but it's not the case.
Maybe the critters are onto something too- with their natural built temporary houses - I doubt they get very attached and when it falls apart they build the next one... without paying a penny.
XoXo

Bleeding Tree

2009-11-13T08:08:00.003-05:00

One of the reasons most regular folks label environmentally concerned folks as "treehuggers" and "hippies" is for exactly what I am pointing out here. This tree is obviously bleeding from being partly cut with a saw - the macabre part of my personality noticed right away how sickly the dried black goo looked dripping out to one side... the part of me who strives to give nature all the respect it deserves wanted simply to share how strange and amazing this looks with others. I am not an advocate of deprivation, I am not seeing this and having it lead me to simply screaming "save the trees" - in a world of survival there are many uses for trees. It is how we (ab)use at this point in modern history that strikes me as odd and disturbing. We don't just build simple shelters, we build toxic McMansions in gated communities, we use billions of paper grocery bags instead of bringing re-usable bags...and still that isn't exactly the problem, our whimsies are just a symptom. The real problem is the disconnect from nature. Who will really think of a tree or the eco system while building their big 'keep up with the Jones' house in the wealthy or middle class neighborhood - and can you blame them for not thinking of it, when they have no exposure to the reality of our natural resources and where these resources come from? Sometimes I think people should act more responsibility towards the earth (of course they should) but the over educated rich are just as under educated as the poor in this modern consumer society. Without the hands on knowledge of what this eco system really entails, without the reality and experience (AKA living in the woods and with nature in the raw)- I have doubts to whether the majority of uneducated will come around very quickly to learning the basic elements of respect for the earth that supports their very life and breath. Our education system is concentrated on teaching children and adults what I would consider some really petty skills, mainly ones applying to consumption, sales, and how to fit into the economic box we've created. After learning to read and write- our most basic education should be to learn the one-two steps to what really keeps us alive - being our food & how we can grow it, our water & how we can keep it drinkable, our air & how we can keep the earth in balance enough to breathe it without breathing in later health problems.
It's good to recognize it, it's amazing to talk about, but it's extraordinary to go out and really live it! I believe the low mummer of talk I hear these days of cleaning up the planet is a good sign - I am forever an optimist about the possibilities of change... I know that when things really start to break down and are seen for it's dysfunction people will undoubtedly be motivated to make changes - but it would be so awesome if we could fix before it completely breaks.
XoXo

Swelling Creek

2009-11-12T07:36:00.005-05:00

Being that I grew up in New Orleans, a place surrounded by water, regularly flooded by water, below sea level, and a culture that dares to throw a party when watery hurricanes threaten from the sky... I have developed a secret love for the power of water when it begins to overflow. Some people get a thrill from sky diving or a roller coaster - I get a similar adrenline rush of happy contenment to see a flood swelling up. The power of nature is something I can depend on, understand, and sometimes even relate to. Even when it crosses the fine line between beautiful over to destructive.
The massive rains we had the last few days filled the streams, creeks and rivers to the very edge... staying in the beauty zone and not so much the re-creator - I had to take my bike out yesterday morning and see what my favorite creek down the road had turned into.
I parked my bike next to the bridge, immediately realizing where I usually play under there and collect rocks was now totally underwater. I had to carefully climb some slimy wet boulders to get to the soggy mud and squish my way upward into the woods, towards what was once a noticeable waterfall.
The water was so high in the creek and rushing down so hard the sound was deafening! I wished so much I had a video camera to share the sound with ya'll... the intensity and power was such that the once waterfall was eclipsed by it's own water volume and could hardly be seen. (Check out this link to see what the Willow Creek Rd waterfall looked like in April!)
I crouched down in the trees for a while and watched - but more so listened. I was by myself and thought it was a good time to stay quiet, sort of a nod to mother nature for being so cool.
Eventually I felt tired and was ready to go back... hiking back through the slippery leaves, steep hill, crawling under pines tree branches and squishing through the muck, and back over the slippery boulder to the bridge.
I pulled by bike back up to the road and took off.
XoXo

Wild Turkeys In The Rain

2009-11-11T15:25:00.005-05:00

This morning I went out on my bike (the 'cajun knuckle') to check out the super saturated area - 2 days of non stop rain dumping down into the creeks and darkening the landscape made everything look like a new world. As soon as I got down the gravel road and landed on Willow Creek, I saw a gaggle of turkeys milling around the field where the corn crops had been harvested. Yay! I love the wild turkeys here, they look like underworld vultures on flamingo legs - not like overly domesticated bred to be overweight Thanksgiving turkeys.
In the spring and summer these gobblers were very shy and stayed far away from me - but today they did not seem to care much as I rode my bike closer towards their flock. I have experienced them before in the winter a few years ago, they would let my cats sit amongst their group while they ate on a hill off Robinson Cove Road. Maybe in the winter they don't care as much? Breeding time might be more important.
When I got fairly close, a big white truck started flying down the cury road behind me and the turkeys started to get spooked enough to cross the street towards the woods I always walk in.
They don't fly very far, but in big spurts... their wings are huge and make alot of startling noise.
They all made it to the hill and filed away into the woods, perfectly camouflaged into the fall colored background.
XoXo

Opossum Time! (Includes Drool and Close Ups)

2009-11-10T13:05:00.005-05:00

Oh, Mr. Drool Nose - How I wuve thee! I wish you would come in my room and sleep with me and my 'friendly to other animals your size' kitty names Toots! You have very pretty eyes and I can wipe that runny nose for you.
Opossum's have some of the most beautiful sculpted ears of all the night creatures I ever saw...(I know i go on and on about it each time I post a opossum on here, but it is so true!)
Their fingers are like giant bird of prey claws... yet also like creepy yittle hands.
I think this opossum is looking extra pretty because it's winter coat is in... or maybe it's cause it somehow looks like it has eyelashes. Or possibly it's the long rat like tail hanging down behind the wrapped vines in the pic below- it blends right in. Good camo is always stunning.
It looks alot tinier, once in perspective- don't it? <3 Come Back Soon! ! !
XoXo

Animal Tracking: Down The Rabbit Hole

2009-11-10T11:41:00.004-05:00

There is still one tree left that is dropping apples - and I am not the only one who is gathering them! Yesterday I knelt down the gather a bag full up apples for some potential apple sauce, I could see that deer had been there amongst other critters nibbling the fruit too. When I leaned forward to grab a nice dark red apple I saw rabbit scat (poop) in three piles right ahead of me.
The scat was obviously fresh and from my point of view I could see a well worn thin trail...
I followed the trail carefully looking for more evidence, after about 10 feet of winding i found a half eaten apple. :) It was freshly eaten within a 1-2 hours, the apples falling wild from the trees turn brown really fast once open.
Then next to some rocks i found more apple bits, but these much were older. Possibly the rabbit's compost pile. ;)
And there was the hole... where the rabbit stays! Awwww, cute.
What an awesome place to live!
XOXO

Squeezin' In A Narrow Cave

2009-11-09T07:34:00.004-05:00

Up on a steep hill in the woods there is a pile of huge rock out croppings- inheritly as dangerous as it is infinitely stable, the tremendous rocks are all piled together in such a way that it created a series of caves. Mud, leaves, and smaller rocks gathered into solid mass on the top cracks - filling in the original openings, and animals dug a new series of tunnels. It was awesome!
I started to squeeze my body into the larger opening, and realized I actually could have snaked my way all the way to the back... but did I want to?
The inner rock was jagged on some edges, it seems perfectly dry and clean in there - I did not smell animal urine and the only tracks i saw looked like a micro tiny deer shaped print (possibly a small pig?) I squiggled my way forward...
In the back of the crevice the rocks piled upward like tiny steps - there was a strong breeze of clean pure air blowing directly in my face. I was told that the cold air blowing out the hole meant the cave went deep underground. The stone 'steps' led up to a sharp left turn, and it looked as though maybe a right turn too! I wish I was an animal this size and could just move in, a cave seems like a really nice place to stay.
But Alas- I hadnt really gone too far back because I started thinking about the possibility of the creature who lived there getting pissed and me being stuffed in the crack with it biting my face like some kind of 80's horror film gremlin. So, I squeezed back out and will try again another day. :)XoXO00

Alone In The Wilderness With Dick Proenneke

2009-11-07T18:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I got a DVD in the mail from a friend and commenter here at The Oko Box (Thanks Blair!)... the video was about a man who went out into the remote woods and built a cabin without any power tools, and ended up so comfy & happy there he stayed in his hand built cabin for the next 30+ years. I found a condensed version of the video on youtube, and although it leaves out some extraordinary parts of his creative abilities - you'll get the idea of how bad ass this guy was! He has inspired my already inspired self to follow my earthy dreams and heart, and don't let anything stand in the way of my love for nature.

XoXo

Abandoned Bus, Abandoned Upcycled Home

2009-11-07T13:06:00.005-05:00

Walking down the road at the base of Earlys Mountain in Big Sandy Mush, I saw this crusty old bus across a big farm field. Like a magnet I was pulled towards it to find out what the details of it's history were...I just knew it had at have been at least a party bus for some teens, a school bus full of old seats, or an empty bus full of ghosts. I also needed to use the bathroom at that moment and needed something to hide behind anyway. :)
Once I was there I felt brave- I could sense no one was in there and that no one would care if I pulled the rusted door open to get a better peak inside the mystery van...
The inside of the outer door was dark red with padded & quilted looking plastic material - Fancy! First thing I saw was the steering wheel, hole in the floor, and piles of furnishing trash. Or rather trashed furnishings.
The inside looked as though it had once been the 70's pimp mobile! The ceiling was this fabulous tan quilted pattern, there was a kitchenette cabinet and the whole thing had obviously been outfitted like a luxurious camping RV!
The broken old windows once had groovy curtains- picturing the upcycled bus's glory days was not hard at all. I wish it had been my own glory bus.
I went around the outside to the front of the bus, where it looked like traditional junk yard bus- with no sign of the ancient party inside.
The windows were target practice, surely for teenage boys or drunk rednecks.
The sides of the bus read something like "Forest Hills... Schools". I got behind the bus, used the bathroom and left. Too bad marking territory in the human world isn't as easy as marking it in the animal world.
XoXo

Mixed Media Eco Art & Project Fail

2009-11-06T08:33:00.009-05:00

Here is my latest eco art project video! It is in a much more primitive style, but only because the handmade paper I recycled from junk mail was realllllly hard to draw and paint on. To make the picture I used charcoal from the wood stove, poke berries, coffee grinds, nasturtium flowers, yellow dock leaves, magazine clippings & pine sap for a 'glue'. The project was already difficult because the paper could break easily if pushed on hard (and i get a lil' rough with my art)- but in the end the project was a total FAIL because i coated it with an oil and wax mixture! The oil turned the paper dark and gray and bled the other forms and colors into each other. I do think wax would be great alone though for the stiffness and lasting quality- especially to seal in magazine collage pieces, which were only stuck in place with the pine sap. :)

XOXoxo

Rural Entertainment: Visiting The Wells Organic Farm

2009-11-05T07:48:00.009-05:00

Guess what Ya'll!? I got to go for an adventure about 5 miles down the road from my house to see the Wells Organic Farm in Big Sandy Mush. :) For me this is a huge deal because I have seizures and can't drive in a car hardly at all, and the road down Early's Mountain is one so windy they have those dreaded squiggly warning signs (like in Pee Wee's Big Adventure when he eventually drives off the cliff!) About 2 miles into it, I almost went back home because I thought I couldn't make the car ride (swooning nausea and approaching seizure)... in fact I wanted to be left on the side of the road to walk home. As fate would have it, I persevered and made it to my not so far away destination! (If I look a bit war-torn in the pics, it's because I went through my own personal battle field to get there.)
The Wells Organic Farm mainly does organic eggs and at one time did organic chicken, but the labor that went into producing organic chicken meat (slaughter, feed, etc...) did not come equal enough with the profit. The funny thing is I wanted to show ya'll all about their eggs and chickens, but once I arrived I sat on the ground, tied my water, knife and snacks into a bundle so I could explore the old buildings, barns and hills instead. (The look on my face is post car ride horror and figuring out whether the huge dog was going to eat me up.)
I had caught a ride with Bort there, who was helping Mr. Wells chop firewood for the winter - so while they chopped I went off to discover tiny bits of their world. A world that has been passed down for a few generations and more acres of inherited land then I could possibly fathom.
Behind Bort in the pic below is the giant chicken coop (looks to have once been a tobacco drying shed), some solar hot water contraption on the roof, and where they were splitting wood (with a self made splitting machine!).
I left to go across the road, crossing over a reallllly old bridge that was totally falling apart. I walked across the huge beams that held it up rather then the boards caving in.
There was another HUGE long tobacco shed on top the hill, holding hay and a mish mash of everything many generations of farmers can end up collecting and storing for 'future' projects and for projects that never quite worked out.
Once i walked past this building I walked towards a smaller house down a dirt road. The house intrigued me till I got close enough that a big black dog came out the door , with a man trailing behind it, staring at me with complete 'what the hell are you doing' body language. I kindly waved with a smile but that seemed to not change his expression, feelings or his dogs urge to take me by storm. I told him I was visiting the Wells Farm, and all the scary melted away... i turned around and looked for a better place to explore where i wouldn't disturb anyone. I found a quaint hill that must have been farmed because there were turnips growing randomly in the grass - I picked a turnip green off the plant and chewed on it for the next 30 minutes...it was mmmmm good. In fact, it was the best I ever tasted.
Half of the hill was covered in stinging nettles! I never saw such huge patches of nettles before, and even though i know they sting really bad i thought my boots and jeans would protect me so i began charging through them trying to get to some woods to play in on the other side. But shit, i got stung right through my jeans, and anyone who's touched stinging nettles before knows it's no joke when it gets you! I carefully back tracked out the patch and headed for the next barn i could see.
Being at an old barn is alot like getting to talk with an old man. You can see his personality in the construction, because each barn I have ever explored has it's own thumb print, it's own face wrinkles, it's own long wild story.
Inside the barn were rows of rusted metal holding bars for cattle, random chains and equipment on the walls, a tractor and...
A Circle Jerks cassette tape!?!!! YAY!
After a while i came back to the big farm house and made some friends! That big dog's name is Zoom and the kitty came up and got right in my warm lap. There was also a german shepard and another tiny kitty who were too shy for the picture, but I was trying to whistle and call them in. :)
Our friend Cody happened to be at the Wells Farm too! He showed me around the greenhouse (which was very warm and humid inside), and told me about an underground food cellar built into the barn where hundreds of potatoes are being stored.
MmMmM, Ya'll... look at dat Bok Choy! I want me some.
Mr. Wells is a 'live and learn' expert on wood stoves also! Buckstove being lowest on his list and his Bakers Choice cooking & heating stove close to the top. He showed me how in this Bakers Choice wood stove with just a few hot embers burning he piled the split wood on top and it ignited instantly! He put a teapot on, and the heat was flowing out. I am sold. :)
It was time to go when the sun was going down, the cold was getting real crisp and Bort was piling some logs into the car. The ride home was slow and much easier then the ride there. :)
It's been real!
It's been fun!
It's been real fun!
XoXOooo

Organic Fall Garden

2009-11-04T10:28:00.004-05:00

This is the first time I have ever got to plant a fall/winter garden! I was not sure what to expect, but here is what I have learned so far...
1. Animals preparing to not have food for winter may be extra tempted to venture into your garden! Something ate the tops off of all my kale and dug up my beets in just one night.
2. Stuff doesn't grow with the gusto of spring and summer, it is a slower smaller process - but still well worth the time.
3. Planting stuff at the end of August is probably best to get a head start on the growth.
Here is a list of what seems to be growing well enough that I will replant them again next year:

Red Russian Kale
Purple Mustard Greens
Radishes
Beets (if something doesn't dig them up and eat them)

A few things are iffy, and I can not tell if it's the climate, pests or critters- and that would be the cauliflower and broccoli having issues of disappearing. I am still watching the carrots, which seem to be growing well but V-e-r-Y sloooooow. The green onion seeds I planted never came up at all.
As ya can see in the pic below radishes get first prize for fall garden producers!!!
XoXo

Animal Tracking: Tiny Mystery and Co.

2009-11-03T14:32:00.005-05:00

I don't look like much of a tracker, but I like to pretend! That is me in the apple orchard this morning (eating an apple, giving dirty looks) - the mud up there was perfect for looking at animal tracks. The thing is, I found some that are familiar to me and some that are a total mystery... maybe ya'll can help me figure it out!? :)
This first track above looks like a kitty cat paw, and was about that size. The cats that live here never seem to go up that way... but the tracks right next to there (seen below) may have been the who knows what that tempted them to go into the unknown.
This print in the mud is not only new to me, but has me pretty baffled. Ultra tiny, about the size of a penny including toes and pad - perfectly shaped little circle for each spot it imprinted into the ground. But no real visible claws, which made me think this might not be a squirrel (my first guess) and started thinking possibly it could be a giant frog, or other baby critter?
Next to the single print above was a little scurry of the same creature's tracks, where they stepped in the same place more then once- and even looked as though it slipped, skidded, or could have been dragged. Any guesses on this one?
Below is a large print of a coyote or medium size dog. This was further up the muddy trail by about 30 feet from the tiny mystery prints. In a way, I can see an entire food chain forming as I move upward...
This last track is a classic deer imprint, which there are tons of! I love thinking about how the deers are out-smarting me, always one step ahead, silently getting away.
Past all the apple trees, and into a small man made hut I finally found something that was there right then and not just it's tracks... a wittle brave forest mouse! Look at his sculpted ears and clean multi-toned coat, I love him! He was running fast as he could away from me... :)
XoXo

Growing On The Forest Floor

2009-11-02T17:48:00.004-05:00

It's beautiful from far away, and just as breathtaking close up. I find myself looking at the 'bigger picture' in my emotional life quite often and attempting to overlook the details... while in my physical view I am over compensating by noticing every little detail growing around me, far more then the bigger grand view. I suppose if nature was a teacher, the lesson would be there is worth in everything we see-... it's a million trillion tiny details that build up to the picture at large and each bit of the ecology counts. Emotionally or physically.
Striking patterns and colors, mushrooms and moss are especially mysterious to me. The moss growing on the stick below made criss crossing diamond shapes, with little bits of more moss right in their centers.
I was told this classic looking mushroom below may be a choice edible, can anyone give it a positive ID?
XoXo