Projects

Indoor and Outdoor Projects 

I'm feeling like culling out some things in my house, or re-decorating on the cheap. Nothing new, of course. More like re-arranging. I have some art I want to put up, and some gadget-y things I don't want anymore.

And I'd like to get some more indoor plants for this winter. The ones I have are all dead, or looking pretty sad, and without the windows open to the summer sun and getting my blast of nature that way, I want to have some more living things inside this winter.

I'd like to have a winter garden, but friends have said that it's a little too late to plant for that now. Which I was totally surprised at. Now that I think of it, it's not though. The plants need to be in the warm ground long enough to establish a root system, so the the cold doesn't kill them off. This is our first week of Fall in Eugene, Oregon. It's cooled off enough for the heater in my bedroom to kick on a couple of times, and for my mind to start shifting to the chopping of firewood and kindling. But perhaps   our local Backyard Farmer shop still has some starts that I could put in the ground.

Other outside projects weighing on my mind these days are trimming the trees, shrubs, and rose bushes. Everything is overgrown and looking pretty gross. I can't even take out the compost without bending over in half to shuffle under the plum tree branches to get to the outdoor compost bin.

The other thing I really need to do is pick all the plums I have left on the trees and try to process them best I can. Dry them into prunes with the oven, and maybe even try my hand at plum jam, or even just freeze them after pitting them. That would take a long time to do though because I don't have a chest freezer.

This morning I felt inclined (on this rainy day) to make a pot of bean soup, and some fresh bread. Maybe I'll still have the gumption to do it. It's 2:30 p.m. I'd still have time to start a project that size, and then I can get in some furniture rearranging, and dog hair vacuuming.

Kombucha and Other Brews

My kombucha brewing is going well. I like the taste of it. I'm trying different brewing times and different teas, different bottling times. I'm not keeping any records except for one or two details, like I write down when I start brewing a new batch so I know when to bottle it up, and I label the bottles with when it was brewed and when it was bottled and what kind of tea it is, or if I've added juice to it. The rest I file away in my head -- which is dangerously apt to be forgotten.

Here's what I know:

1. I let it brew one week at least. The last batch I did for two weeks, so we'll see what that tastes like. It certainly fizzed more when I bottled it than any other batch.

2. I bottle for about a week before I refrigerate and drink it.

3. The first and last batch I made tasted the best. Remembered factors: I used decaf black english breakfast for the the last batch, and oolong tea for the first one. The yerba mate tasted good, too, just a little lighter. Less zing.

4. I don't like adding juice when I bottle it. I've tried cherry juice -- which was terribly sour. I gave it all away, couldn't drink any of it. Apple and pear juices made the kombucha too sweet for me. Perhaps I could use less juice and try again (current recipe I use is one quart of juice to one gallon of kombucha). But aside from the sweetness, it really seemed to mask the bite of the kombucha, which I like.

Maybe I could make both kinds though. Make some of the plain hard cider-y tasting kind for me and Ali, and make some for the kids with added juice. Probably they wouldn't like it anyway though.

Jun is another thing to try brewing. As I understand it, it's made the same way (with the scoby) but only using green tea (instead of black) and fermenting with honey (instead of sugar.)

I also found a recipe for making ginger beer (alcoholic and non) that I wanted to try. Maybe I'll turn my office pantry into shelves of brewing concoctions.

Homesteading Classes

Ali and I are going to take a soap (and maybe candle) making class at Glory Bees. And if I ever see a cheese-making class again, I'll get us in.

Spanish

In January, I'd like to get us in Spanish classes, too.

I personally am content to pick it up half-heartedly over the next six years and get a tutor once we are in Costa Rica. But this seems to be Ali's main concern. Not deciding what job to focus on there, not solidifying our land purchase, and not on becoming farmers now so we'll know how later, but speaking Spanish.

Yes, he's concerned about all those other things (and lots more), and we talk about them all periodically. But the conversation always seems to end with,

"But we don't even know Spanish yet."

As if none of the rest of it is relevant until this one Herculean task is accomplished. Like none of the rest of it is really real, unless we can speak the language first.

It's sweet actually. In a little boy sort-of way. And I'm happy to do things in this order if it brings him peace and order.

"I pride myself in my ability to communicate my ideas," he says.

 I don't mind learning Spanish now and it makes such a big difference to him. <3

"Brews and Books," Brainstorming, and *Surprise* Its a Garden!

In Eugene, I've been harvesting raspberries almost every day! They are PROLIFIC this year. I've already made jam, given some away, eaten some, given more away, and frozen some. And they are still ripening on the vines.

The blueberries aren't doing so well. I didn't fertilize them while they were flowering this Spring. And I only just un-choked them from the grass and weeds two days ago. They are fruiting, but not many.

The plums are going gang-busters. I have four or five trees, all with green fruit on them. By summer's end, they'll be dripping off the trees.

Blackberries are coming, and the strawberries have ended. The cherries are right now. But I don't know what variety they are. A tad too sour to eat for me -- though Ali likes them. And very small in diameter. Not worth pitting and making into jam.

Ali disagrees.

He picked a bag of them yesterday and promises to pit them by hand, if I will only please make him some sour cherry jam. His favorite.

Of course I said, Yes. And not only because I don't think he'll actually pit them.

Our relationship is deepening, and we're having lovely days filled with Spotify love song DJ nights, dog park excursions, BBQs in the backyard, laughing at private jokes and Facebook one-liners, and watching peculiar Netflix movies on the couch. We still massage feet and sore muscles every night we spend together, and we continue to make plans for the future.

Despite our concerns about moving to Costa Rica (missing Oregon's climate, our friends and the social life we are accustomed to, and snuggling without being sweaty), I think going there will bring us even closer together. We'll have even more time to spend together, as the cost of living -- and subsequently our work hours -- will be far less. When we are working, some of our businesses will be joint endeavors. We'll be working together, in both the secular world and on our small farm.

We still have a few years to try on some new job ideas and see if they fit. Bee-keeping, beer-brewing, mushroom farming, cheese-making, and running healthy living retreats. Weight loss is a big industry, and while we may not have anything new to say about it, we can offer a retreat space and an itinerary to inspire people to change their lives.

I'm in the blue bikini, front row.

Would you attend a Holistic Health Retreat in a tropical paradise with offerings of: permaculture tours, outdoor adventures, healthy cooking classes, organic produce, yoga classes, introduction to ecstatic dance, journaling, art classes, and access to the beach, mountains, and bio-diverse views every day? Plus, we could sell the cookbook that Ali and I are thinking of creating. We are formulating an eating plan that sounds unique, kitschy, AND doable for the modern person, with modern concerns and time constraints.

We also thought of hosting a library at Serenity Gardens. We wouldn't make any money off of it, but it sure would be fun. And we could combine it with a hobby store, of sorts. Like, Brews and Books. We could have a small beer and kombucha brew pub, with espresso cart (Did you know that it's really hard to find DECAF Americanos in Costa Rica?), mixed in with couches and cushy chairs and foot stools amidst our shelves and shelves of art work and books. People could buy a drink and sit and read, and/or check out the books. I can see an outdoor section with a hammock, too.

Without the actual deed on the property, my Costa Rican news is scant. I did, however, get a rather positive sounding email from Jim Gale, the land-developer of the Serenity Gardens and Osa Mountain Village properties. He said that he was down to two extremely unique custom lots (one that's four acres, and one that has a difficult-to-imagine shaped lot) and while those, of course, will be his top priority to sell, he thinks that the re-sale lots will go pretty fast from now on. There will be some new people coming next month to visit the Village; hopefully my lot will intrigue them! And then, next stop, solidifying the land purchase at Serenity Gardens.

I was thinking the other day that the next time we visit, (if we have a deed) I'd love to do some work on the land. Perhaps we can have the permits and supplies ready for our arrival, in order to build an outhouse, or deck, or something while staying there. At one point, Ali had the idea to build a platform for a tipi we'd purchase to use camping during our visits. A platform could be easy. Something to put potted flowers on. And a lawn chair. We could build an outhouse next. I bet the workers would love an outhouse while they are building the houses on our street. :-)

While nothing much is changing on the Costa Rican front, we are still thinking about our future move every week. I plan on incorporating a COSTS label on this blog in order to tally up the actual costs involved in moving out of the country for those of you thinking about doing the same. Look for those posts as they come up. Also, my kombucha-brewing (and Ali's beer-brewing) successes, recipes Ali and I develop, and our permaculture efforts here in Eugene.


Questing for the Pura Vida in the Place That I Am,
Valerie