Uncooperative projects

Lately I seem to be trying to work with yarn that does not want to be worked. I have a few balls of this that seemed to have lots of potential when I purchased it before Thanksgiving last year. I decided it was going to become a shrug to cover my grandma arms during a number of formal events over the winter/spring. I have tried at least four different crochet patterns and two weave patterns, none of which were right. I'm very afraid this yarn wants to be knit. As anyone who knows my crafting skills, I knit at the speed of dirt. I'm just too uncoordinated for it. Maybe this yarn will become a gift for someone who can put it to proper use.



And then there's this, which is destined to become a baby blanket for The Tall Guy's uncle's girlfriend's daughter's new arrival (otherwise known as "The Baby"). This is Peaches & Creme worsted weight cotton in I Don't Know What Color. I bought about a dozen spools of this yarn in different colors years ago, and it's one of my favorites, worked with an I hook. The fabric is wonderfully drapey once it's done, and even in sc stitch it stays flexible. The problem with this is that I wanted to keep it simple, so after a number of false starts I settled on changing rows of double and half-double. Then I realized that at that width I was going to run out of yarn long before I ran out of blanket, so it became something else. I did the center in granny square, and now am finishing it off with double crochet in the round. You can see the original on the right and the new almost-finished product on the left. It's mind-numbingly b.o.r.i.n.g. I'm trying to stick with it, but I've been working with this yarn for so long now that it looks destined to end up in my UFO pile. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, UFO = UnFinished Object. I'm hoping to finish this weekend, if for no other reason than to give it away and get it out of my house.

Soup & Census

I was originally going to call this post "What's for Dinner?", but the alliteration of "Soup & Census" struck me as a good title. It was a busy weekend, even though we specifically made no plans. Sunday evening snuck up on me, so as I usually do when it's dinner time and I have no dinner plans, I make soup from what's available in the house. Tonight it's red lentil soup with barley:

It came out very nice. The variety of textures is wonderful: the lentils are broken down, a little gritty and earthy, the barley is springy and I threw in a handful of flax (because why not?) which stayed crispy-crunchy. It's a thing of beauty. I can't give you a proper recipe because I rarely use one unless I'm baking. But I can tell you what I put in it and how it was prepared.

One slice bacon and 1/4 pound breakfast sausage**, reserved for this purpose
One bunch green onions
Fresh marjoram leaves, left over from making herb butter
One can diced tomatoes
3 cups red lentils, picked over
1 cup barley, picked over
About 2 1/2 qts water
3 chicken bullion cubes
Salt & pepper
Cumin
Red pepper
Shot of olive oil

**Note: When I refer to cooking any kind of meat, be assured that we use only free-range, vegetable- and grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free animals from our local butcher. It's the right thing to do.

I broke up the bacon and sausage into tiny pieces and browned them in a stockpot. When they were just done, I added the green onion that I ran in the food processor and the olive oil. While that was softening, I whirled the marjoram and flax in the processor with a cup or so of water. This didn't actually grind the flax, but busted them enough to release their oils (rich in Omegas!) in the abbreviated cooking time the lentils require. Once the onions were soft, I stirred the barley into the oil for a minute. I don't know why, but this rice technique I learned from a Mexican mama keeps the barley happy during it's simmer. Add the water, tomatoes, spices and lentils and you're on the way. Lentils and barley take about the same amount of time to cook (approx. 45 minutes) and combine to form a complete protein. Plus that yummy texture attribute I mentioned.

So as that was bubbling merrily, I opened yesterday's neglected mail and found this:


Sorry about the crap cropping job, but this "American Community Survey" is, in fact, the new 28-page census. Now normally I wouldn't mind filling this out, civic duty and all that. Plus I'm one of those weird people who truly enjoy filling out surveys and regularly get several of them in the mail. But the second I saw the big print (in bold and italics) informing me that I am required by federal law to complete and return this form ASAP, the Taurus in me rocked back on my heels and said "Oh, yeah?"

I'm resistant.

Re: US

Periodically, I will create a Re: post. These will include information on a topic that may not be familiar to everyone, like post-market reuse of building materials. I may also submit a Re: post on a topic for which most people have at least a working knowledge, and recount our own individual experiences. For example, a dyeing technique that went badly (or surprisingly well), or perhaps the best way to get a true cheddar from that pot of milk.

The first official post in this category is to introduce ourselves and our expectations from life in general terms. Hopefully more people will be able to relate to our efforts if it is understood that we are not noticeably different from everyone else. We are not long-haired hippies driving a VW microbus. We are not new-age young moderns who homeschool and maintain a family bed. And we are most definitely not rural survivalists. We are just regular, very-left-of-center folks who want to do things differently from the way we were raised.

However, we do share one quality with the stereotype of each of these inviduals: we get a lot of The "there they go again with the crazy ideas" Look. You may know The Look to which I refer: sideways out of the corner of the eyes, maybe with a slight head shake, and even a little "huh?" noise if the concept is quite radical. Even in our neck of the woods, which is quite earthy and aware, I get an abbreviated version of The Look when I say that the car I drive and the food I eat are political statements. We get the full-blown "???" reaction when we tell people we mean to keep goats for all our dairy and most of our soapmaking needs. It doesn't improve when I add my dream of living in a yurt. And what do you mean you spin and dye your own yarn?

We have decided that most people give us The Look out of simple ignorance. Many of our friends did not know that it is possible to make a beautiful mozzarella in our own kitchen. They did not know that living in a 30' round tent with radiant floor heating is much cozier than their current old Victorian come February. They did not know that with some hard work and cooperation from Mother Nature, it is possible to grow and preserve an entire winter's worth of fresh organic produce over the summer. How can we hold them responsible for what they were never taught?

But with patience, understanding and a willingness to overcome generations of status quo stagnation, we find those who love us are coming into the light. When I got an email from a friend (who has steadfastly refused to recycle from her family of four), thanking me for letting her know where to recycle outdated electronics, well that was a happy day. We CAN make a difference. YOU can make a difference. Even if it's one person at a time. Even if that one person is myself, I am making a difference. Change will come from multitudes of people making a personal choice for themselves and their families. When my friend recycles her computer appropriately, THAT will make a difference.

Onward and upward.

Let the games begin

Welcome! This blog will be a record of our ongoing quest to live a sustainable, crunchy and off-grid life. As we embark on this adventure, we wanted a way to document our lessons learned. There must be more people like us: normal working stiffs who are trying to find a better way. Hoping to forge our own path, and to support others in their quest for a small, simple lifestyle, we give you the first installment of "Sacred Tasks".

Among the topics to be covered at random
(read: at my whim) in this blog:

• Research and findings on non-traditional homes
• The experience of selecting, buying, erecting and living in alternative housing - be it a recycled house, yurt, quonset, geodesic dome or earthship
• Breakthroughs in renewable energy resources and their practical application
• Raising of livestock (and their practical application)
• Cheese- and breadmaking, home gardening, canning and other self-reliant food practices
• Fiber arts - crochet, dyeing, weaving, knitting and spinning
• Homesteading
• Jewelry and other crafts
• Homemaking ideas
• The 4 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink) and our continual battle to adhere to them
• Finding the time and/or finances for all of these endeavors

Whew! That's quite an undertaking. I invite you to please post your own ideas and input at any time. The Tall Guy and I make absolutely no claims to be experienced in many of these topics, we're fumbling newbies to much of it. Since we're all in this together, we hope to learn from an exchange of information and inspiration. Onward and upward, my friends!