CABIN IN THE ROUGH.
Hannah and I had planned a trip back to Bugtussle this week, but I ended up having to go solo. She had an art project to finish for someone and, with Wendell sick and all, it just didn't make sense for both of us to leave––poor guy.I went back to work on the cabin, but mostly I went back to get advice from the Smiths. The Smiths, our neighbors who own Bugtussle Farm and who sold us the land, have pretty much built their homestead from the ground up, almost entirely on their own. Needless to say, this family has been an unending source of inspiration for us. And being able to sit down and talk about the cabin with them these last couple days has given me infinitely more confidence in our situation. We're wanting to move in next month, and I was completely unsure if that was going to be possible until this week. Unsure, that is, until I spoke with the Smiths.Eric and I went through the house and took measurements, brainstormed ideas and made a supply list. There's definitely a ton of work left to be done, but Eric and Cher made it seem possible, less daunting. When Hannah and I make another trip back next week the Smiths are confident that, with their help, we can all work together and knock out the wiring and maybe even the insulation. Getting the bulk work done will definitely put us one, or possibly even two, steps closer to being in the house and on our farm.After the wiring, insulation and stove pipe are installed, all we need is a cookstove and we'll be ready to move in. As the Smiths said: you can live without running water in your house, but you can't live without heat––you have to be able to get warm.Speaking of, does anyone in the Kentucky/Tennessee area have a wood cookstove they're looking to sell? We're definitely in the market for one! Shoot us a message!- Jesse.
OUR NEW FROE.
So the new tool we mentioned yesterday is called a FROE. It is used for splitting wood into shingles. Since we are clearing tons of cedar trees from around the cabin area, we've decided to use the wood as siding - making it into traditional cedar shakes.It is a somewhat daunting project, but one we are excited about. Here is an amazing video of the process - looks fun, right?Whew. I foresee a lot of splitting in our future. Maybe it's time for our first Rough Draft Work Party? Eh? Anybody?- Hannah.
RESOLUTIONS.
I've seen stats that say anywhere from 50-80% of resolutions are broken by the end of January. That's pretty significant––significant enough to think maybe everyone's first resolution should be to keep their resolutions. So I'll start there - that Hannah and I are serious about our resolutions this year... even if one of mine is actually to be a little less serious.I resolve to be less serious (meaning, less knee-jerk reactions and opinions; to seek more perspective), to be more engaged in conversation and work, and to cook more diversely. I cook every day, but Ive always been perfectly content to simply cook the same basic meal––a starch, a protein, a vegetable––and I'd like to change that. I'd like to have more recipes for the blog, and for our family. I'd like to use more spices and more involved preparations. Ok, and while I was sick recently I was inspired by a movie we found on Netflix––Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle––about a Korean family's struggle to keep their restaurant alive amidst a country-wide kimchi competition... and their food looked amazing. (Full disclosure, we have not seen Le Grand Chef 1.)Hannah says she's going to paint more and focus more on her artwork in general - we have lots of exciting projects and products in the works! She wants to keep progressing with her knitting and maybe even shear a scraggly Bugtussle Farm sheep so she can start to practice spinning. She wants to master the art of baking bread in the wood cook stove, expand her bee hives, and have a more POSITIVE attitude.As a team, obviously starting the new farm and finishing the cabin will be our biggest focuses for 2013, but there's no need for a resolution there––those are goals, and ones we're thrilled to be able to have! We do resolve to maintain the blog, though––it's been such a great source of inspiration, motivation and support for us we don't want it to get left behind!So thank you all for helping us survive a lively 2012, and here's to an even better 2013! Happy New Year!- Jesse.
THE CEDAR PORCH.
Some more cabin details: To protect the plywood until we can get the cabin sided, we covered it with tar paper - basically a thick, waterproof, tar-coated material. It's not the prettiest - but it works! Instead of buying siding - we are hoping to mill our own from the countless cedar trees we have been clearing as we make pasture space. Jesse already cut down two cedars to make beams and floor boards for the little front porch - it is our favorite part of the cabin so far!- Hannah.