kestrel

Prompt 164 (But Not Really)

164. What do you picture when you think of a typical suburban property? Describe the expertly painted exterior, the thoroughly manicured lawns, the ornamental decorations and the basketball hoop in the driveway. Do you think that most suburban properties meet this intricate standard? Why or why not?
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The prompt answered itself, really. Gonna skip this one.

Meanwhile, I wanted to note down the different skills I've practiced and tasks I'd completed as part of my first two weeks at the eco-institute.

- GARDENING
Mulched a lot of hugel beds (garden beds built into the side of a large mound, with wood buried at their core so as to provide additional nutrients as they decompose over time).

Cut grass in a meadow with a hand scythe and pulled grass from garden beds by hand to make mulch.

Planted trees.

Built scaffolding from logs to lean up against a hugel bed, so people can reach the upper areas without stepping on the plants.

Peed near (not ON) plants to fertilize them.

- HOMESTEADING
Fired-up a rocket mass heater to warm the cabin through the night.

Split logs for firewood and kindling using a mallet and a "kindle cracker."

Cleaned ashes from a fireplace, to later be used in a garden bed.

Reinforced palisade-style fencing with additional poles that would otherwise be used as firewood.

Learned how to properly use a composting toilet.

Sprouted lentils in a jar.

Pickled ginger in a jar with water and salt (making a brine).

Hemmed my work pants by hand with needle and thread.

Made cloth rags from leftover cotton t-shirts.

Sewed a "zokin" cleaning cloth by hand from a leftover cotton t-shirt.

Charged and used an electric chainsaw.

Hung my laundry to dry on a clothesline.

Trimmed branches and brambles to add to a brush pile or to make mulch.

- PERSONAL CARE
Showered once a week, with soapy wipe-downs the days between. This is admittedly a rough adjustment.

Shaved with soap and a small amount of water. Also still very uncomfortable.

Played with cats.

Took a lot of photographs.

Eating organic-standard-or-better food 90% of the time. Eating vegan 90% of the time (honey has sneaked in a time or two, but no dairy, no eggs).

Learned how to solve sudoku puzzles.

Designed one tabletop game using a piecepack.

- TO DO...

Make a disposable mallet from a green log, using a hatchet and/or hand saw. Done this coming week.

Cut my hair and compost the clippings. Done by the end of this calendar month.

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