My Frost Knife CAme Back To Me!

I had lost this knife at the end of the summer, while chasing JuJu the donkey (back before we learned to walk together peacefully without me pulling the lead rope.) I lost it in what could be considered a needle in a hay stack... a green handled knife in an endless pasture, so big I could just vaguely re-trace the steps where I had run.
The knife was sentimental to me, and sentimental to the person who gave it to me... plus I had just had it professionally sharpened by the bearded man who taught spoon carving classes (link here!) It was so sharp I hardly had to touch the tip to anything and it would slice it open.
So when my neighbor pulled up today and opened the glove compartment saying "I have something for you"... i was ecstatic, full circle, aligned stars, lucky excited! He told me it had been run over by a bulldozer, but he found it anyway because he was using a metal detector.
He had the blade wrapped in a paper towel and told me sweetly "Be careful, that knife is sharp."
*
My primitivist, rewilder, survivalist, nature buddies out there will understand how cool this reunion is, a knife is the tool we all carry all the time. Sometimes accidently on our belts in public places (oops, sorry thrift store, sorry grocery, sorry remote corner store, i forget!)
YAY, to a happy ending. :))
xoxoxoxo

Animal Tracking: Bunnies, Opossum and Pig, Oh My!

After all that rain, and the pig digging up half the orchard here it left a perfect field of moist mud for imprinting animal tracks! Wanna help me guess who came through?The pic above and below were in a swampy wet spot were there is spring water puddles which are permanent drinking holes for little critters. The mud here is extremely gushy and wet - making the prints dark and deep. At first glance I would have guessed the tracks (marked with pink stars & arrows) were a tiny skunk or fox because of the size, but each one only had three toes and oval heel... hmmm, me thinks dis' might be a big rabbit!
Further up the hill I found another track, more faded and less deep - but perfectly shaped as a classic bunny print. (See below.)
This next one is the pig! His tracks are all over the place, which is helping me learn the subtle difference between his tracks and a deer - which can tend to look similar when first viewed.
What do ya'll make of this imprint below? Bird of prey, opossum, raccoon? Alien with claws? This was faded, smooshed and appeared to be caved in a little - but has the appearance of being a track...my guess is opossum.
This next track was an animal with a thumb, meaning raccoon or opossum are the most likely characters to be sneaking around. It amazes me how there is so much unseen by humans action going on in the woods, all in balance, all in silence, all under our nose. A super highway of animals and bugs following their instincts to survive.
Last but not least... can you guess what made this track!?!? ME! It's a Leslie's cowgirl boots print!
At the end of my tracking trail, there was an apple tree where my animal friends have been eating. Who eats like this though? Not deer and not the pig? Who done it?
XoXo

DIY Glue: Pine Sap Pitch

I watched Bort make some black glue using dried bamboo leaves, charcoal powder, and pine sap. Other then gathering the pine sap from the tree and helping dry out the leaves, I simply stepped back and learned the process... cause this can get a little strong smelling. In spite of the cooking and some smoke during pine glue's creation, I believe it is alot less toxic then chemical based adhesives- it's 100% natural and far more sustainable then a plastic squeeze bottle of elmers. (Which BTW is made with wheat and can't be used by those with Celiac Disease, like me.) After gathering a good amount of sap off a pine tree, you'll need some extremly dried grass. We used bamboo leaves since it's been raining like a motha' here for over a month now. We wrapped the leaves in foil and heated them in the toaster oven to dry them out. You can also dry grass or leaves over an open fire or candle too. The point is to get it dry enough that you can powder it, even in the picture below it could be powdered alot more- but the humidity in the air made this as tiny as it would get.

First you put the pine sap alone (without the powdered grass!) in a container to heat it up. We used an old bean can and held it over a candle for controlled cooking.

Bort made a cool make shift handle with a screw driver to easily hold the pine sap can over the candle. You can see the pine sap beginning to smoke and heat up! Supa' neato!

Once it gets cooking it's good to stir it with a stick (or whatever you like to stir with) before dropping in the dried grass.

It bubbles like a pine smellin' witches brew...

Once it got really bubbling, the dried bamboo leaves & 1 tablespoon of powdered charcoal were added in and stirred, then it turns into this awesome black as night gluey substance.

This is a kind of glue that can be stored in the dry form and then re-heated to make it into glue again. In order to store it you can scrape it out the cooking container with a dull knife or the stirring utensil you were using....

Then it will actually roll onto a stick, which you can twirl around on a smooth surface like the rock picture below. Once it's cooled off enough you can shape it with your fingers too! It dries rock hard and if powdered grass is not added it will be very brittle- the dried grass is the binder holding the glue together in place.

I never knew glue could be so pretty, but that stuff looks mystical. Xoxo

Pine Comb

Let's just say something terrible was to happen, like Peak Oil or Armageddon or you went camping & forgot your hair brush...and you don't want to develop dreadlockin' knots on your well groomed head. When out in nature and in need of a full service hair brush you can just pick up a dried pine cone and comb away on those lovely locks. The more open and bigger the wedges the better- the smaller more compact pine cones like I am holding have to be held on an angle.

I was surprised how well this actually works, seems like something fairies use to brush unicorn hair or maybe how the easter bunny keeps looking so clean cut.

Xooxoxoooo

Survival Bow and Arrow (DIY Free Fun!)

I learned how to make a quick survival bow and arrow the last two days which has been way too much fun! My freshman year in catholic highschool (St. Mary's Dominican in New Orleans) we actually had archery classes and I excelled far better in that then anything else that came the rest of the four years. You only need a few supplies to make a free bow and arrow to play with, which include: string, sticks, duct tape or feathers, and a knife.

My arrow was made from an apple tree branch which is not fully dried out yet - the lighter the better when choosing a stick for your arrow cause mine is still too heavy. Carve a little point on the front on the stick with a knife, tie some feathers on the back (i used a little pine sap under the chicken feathers to help them stick better), and make a notch at the back end for leverage when you pull the arrow back on the bow string. If ya don't have feathers, try making a faux feather part out of duct tape.My bow is made of three simple sycamore branches, tied in five places evenly spaced. Then a bow string is tied at the top and bottom, very tightly, giving the bow a little bend (this makes it snap back real good for a better shoot). Your bow branches need to be able to bend some without braking - kinda like the way bridges are built to bend in the wind... so test the branches out first before tieing them all together.
My bow rocked, but my arrow needs time to dry out and get lighter - as you can see in the pic above it's weight would make it flop downward. But HELLS YEAH, I tried some other arrows (made of bamboo and strong dried weeds) on my bow and this thing was awesomely correct!

Shoot and retrieve for good free fun, until eventually you will make a DIY bullseye...which is what I want to do next! If your neighbors are close by you might need a specific target to keep from accidentally impaling people, pets, windows etc... I suppose this is my face of success above - an MTV elfish roar. Primal, dirty, and fashionable. XOXO

DIY: Making A Basic Mallet Tool

Today I watched Bort (rope maker, rock heater) make a basic slightly primitive mallet tool for all ya' hammering or clobbering needs. The process was quick, simple and creative - using very basic tools to start with: a hand saw, axe, and a big rock... and of course a log to carve the mallet from.

Using a dense sweet smelling piece of Hickory to start with, he cut the log to the length the mallet would be. Oh my gawd ya'll, Hickory smells sooo good- kinda like a combo of Banana Boat sun tan lotion, summer snow balls in New Orleans, and sugar bread!

He then used the saw to cut into the log where the head and handle of the mallet would divide. As seen in the picture below, the log is not sawed all the way through, but rather only partially inward.

Then using an axe to split the wood, he hit the back of it with a rock (you can use a hammer but the metal on metal sound is sick). This is done on the longer part of the log & on all four sides to create the shape of the handle. As seen below, the woods splits down to the circular saw mark made.

He continued this step all the way around till the handle of the mallet was approximately the desired grip size.

Then using a tool I can't remember the name of (so someone help me in the comments section) the mallet handle was smoothed down and given a more rounded shape, making it much easier to hold.

The last carving step is to repeat the axe and rock splitting on the short heavy end of the log, creating a square shaped head for cave man quality whacking! After finishing his, Bort made me a mallet my size (using his new mallet instead of a rock for splitting with the axe)- and we both decided to paint them with poke berries and blood root...

the end result may cause primitive feelings, hysteria, and a constant seeking for something to bang on.

XOXO

My Healthy Holiday Wish List

It's still so much fun to make that holiday list of gifts I wish I could get... of course over the years my tastes have changed and I no longer use the JC Penny catalogue as my point of reference. :) I have gotten totally eco, organic & health oriented with my longings - not to mention most of my holiday wishes are for things I really do need rather then just a treat. (Except for the organic lingerie...but honestly I need some new undies too!)

1. Diamond Organics Macrobiotic Sampler Box! Mmmmmm... Here's what is says: "A friendly introduction to macro specialties like burdock root, daikon radish, fresh ginger, garlic, winter squash, fuji apples, assorted pears, and more. We top this off with fresh-cut cooking greens such as collards, kale, baby bok choy, and dandelion, plus shiitake mushrooms and parsley." You can buy sampler boxes, pre made meals, tofu, and other organic groceries HERE.

2. Home Health Test's Mineral Check! With the economy in a bad slump I can't afford to check my health the way I really need to, and these home health tests are actually less expensive then a doctor appointment, they use real lab tests, and the mineral check is very important for making sure I don't have deficiencies related to Celiac Sprue.
Here's how it works: "MineralCheck is a safe, easy-to-use, and reliable screen that uses a small self-collected hair sample (requires a snip of hair) to measure your mineral and toxin levels. This non-invasive and inexpensive screen provides you with the accuracy of a laboratory analysis without leaving the comfort of your own home. The test specimen is mailed to a laboratory and within 7-10 working days of receiving your sample, a lab analysis with your results is sent directly to you. There is no extra charge or fee for the lab report." They have bunches of tests including diabetes, allergies, STD's, and hormonal balance - go HERE to check it out.

3. Organic Sherpa Bunny Set By Clare Bare! It could be cause it's amazingly creative, it could be cause it's awesomely sexy, and it could be cause it is SO cold out and it looks so warm and fuzzy... or maybe cause the model has a tiny boobies just like me!?! But I want this organic lingerie cause it's the coolest shit I have ever seen & I love Clare Bare. Here's what it says: "This set is from Clare Bare's limited edition holiday collection. The fabric is super warm and fuzzy stretch organic cotton sherpa, lined with organic cotton on the inside. The top is a princess seam bralette with silver eyelet lace up detail in the front. It is elasticated for a snug fit. There are dusty rose velvet bows with amazing abalone shell buttons that have anchors engraved on them. The corset (tummy warmer) is probably the most comfortable one you will ever wear- my model can attest to that! It laces up the front with organic cotton cording, has velvet and abalone shell button details, and silver suspender snaps to clip on to your thigh highs..." HERE is where you can buy it!

4. Real Goods All Purpose Survival Tool! I am completely enthralled with living as sustainably as possible- I have read tons of books, taught myself how to organic garden, dry herbs, compost, companion plant... I study how to make my own shoes, skin a rabbit, make a gravity fed spring well for a house, build a live roof... I can chop wood with an ax, build a fire, dry fruit in the sun, dye fabric with plum skins, make paint from poke berries & create just about anything out of nothing (cause it's in my Cajun DNA!) So, no further explaining needed why I am IN LOVE with this tool for only $20!!!
Here is all it can do: "Finally, an all-in-one camping tool. This heavy-duty steel tool is 8 tools in 1. It has a shovel, hammer, saw, hatchet, bottle opener, nail puller, and a wrench. Unscrew the built-in calibrated compass to find an emergency survival kit in a waterproof bag. Included are matches, fishhooks and line, nails and more. The one tool you'll need for camping, backpacking, gardening, or in your car for those unforeseen emergencies. Comes with a snap-on carrying case." Buy this awesome tool HERE!

5. REI Seattle Solar Camp Shower! Continuing with my survivalist & low impact theme from above, I have been drooling over these solar showers for nearly a year now... Here is what it says about them: "Enjoy a warm shower in the wilderness with this lightweight and packable five-gallon solar-heated shower bag...
*PVC-free black PEVA water reservoir is heavy duty yet lightweight for easy packing
*Black color absorbs heat to warm water in approximately three hours
*Five-gallon capacity equals 8 minutes of nonstop shower time; bag measures 26 x 18 inches
*Push-pull valve on hose is easy to use, allowing you to turn water off quickly
*Sturdy plastic handle offers convenient toting and durability; hanging strap is adjustable"

BUY IT for only $24.95 HERE!

NOW for my really BIG wishes:::

6. A HOUSE! That's right... my very own little eco hut in Marshall, NC that isn't moldy, isn't out gassing, no more landlady next door, and I can grow my own organic gardens, plant my herbs, have some chickens and attract wild animals. A house with good windows, passive solar potential, clean water, lots of land, trees, not right on the road, a creek, and a place to build a small fish pond. It doesn't need to be more the 600 Sq Ft... it can even have an outhouse!

7. MONEY! oh yeah, with businesses running into the ground, people losing their jobs, and nobody is shopping, the whole economic structure has collasped and has to be rebuilt new... in the meantime, where's the money for the bills gonna come from? Hmmm.

What is on your wish list? Share some of your eco awesome finds this season!