We put our first little yurt-life video together over a couple days in June. Back when we had fast-growing, baby chicks and the weather wasn’t too warm for baking indoors in the early morning. And now, we’re heading into August and the mornings are once again cool enough for indoor baking, and the early morning…
Month: July 2017
7 Quick Takes: Intentional living, minimalism, and me.
Off-grid intentional living, in pursuit of some beautiful, wabi-sabi ideal!
Herbal Oxymels
All summer the gardens are growing high with herbs and flowers. We have balms and ‘docks and roses and berries growing wild along the forest’s edge. And in this rich season, we prepare for the less abundant winter to come. Restocking the apothecary is an essential part of winter preparation. We don’t use many conventional…
Outhouses and Potty-Training
Ilya has given up diapers for good now. He’s such a big, little guy! It’s a bit of a challenge to find non-obnoxious undies for two year old boys. I have no idea what ‘paw patrol’ is, but it’s all over all the smallest boy undies I could find in the stores. We ended up…
Saint Elijah’s Cake
Baking on July days is a bit exhausting. Even using the outdoor stove, it’s hot work. So I need a pretty good reason, or an abnormally cool day, to even attempt it. The feast of St. Elijah is a really good reason. Bringer of thunderstorms, patron of my wild, changeling, little boy – I covet…
Children’s Books for the Garden
We’re a bookish family. Reading is a big part of everyday life for all of us, even illiterate little Ilya! In the summer, much of our reading is done outdoors – in the front garden, under the bee balm, or on The Rock alongside the driveway. It’s a fun, fairy season to read in, and…
7 Quick Takes: Yurt in Disarray
1. I escaped to my favorite cafe to edit a dozen poems in hopes of finding one of them a home somewhere. 5 hours later, I come home to this: All over my floor and dishes piling up again on the stove. At least it’s an attractive mess.. 2. We are trying to get a…
Nighttime in July
In the summer, the sun stays up late into the evening. When it finally goes down, we light a lamp or two, or even just a couple candles, and sit out on the stoop to watch the moon rise. The evening sky is full of june-bugs, mosquitos, bats, moths, bright, early stars, and the moon,…
Off-grid, Online
There are all sorts of off-grid homesteaders. Some have solar panels that can power a typical suburban lifestyle: television, desktop, washing machine, lights, all the trappings of modern, American living. Others cut down firewood with hand-saws, make their own beeswax candles, and long-ago abandoned phones, computers, and the online life that goes along with it….
Art Festival
We’ll be at the Norway Art Festival in Norway, Maine this weekend! Stop by the Paperwine booth if you’re in the area!!! Seth’s been working on getting everything ready for days! We have paintings, Sumi and pastels, charcoal sketches, and please take a moment to fill out a (free!) pre-addressed postcard for refugee children! The…
Y is For Home! 