I woke up at 5 am and, even though it was plenty warm in the bedroom, I felt like I should head downstairs early and check the wood stove. It is cold out there this morning, currently 2 degrees, and there’s almost no wood left on the rack we keep on the porch. The kids were supposed to fill it 2 days ago but since the big snowfall there’s been a mound of snow at the end of the driveway, between the house and the wood shed. Our snow blower is inconveniently out of commission due to yet another mouse nest so the path through the snow mound is slim and was made by my walking the dog. You would think I asked the 17 and 23 year olds to cross the Alps to get fire wood. Sheesh. I got the fire going but there isn’t much wood up here for it. I can feel the cold pushing through the walls still so I will be letting the kids know that TODAY they get to fill the wood rack when it’s a nice toasty, I’m guessing, 10 degrees out later!

The laundry detergent experiment was successful! It’s so easy and cheap to make and it doesn’t leave heavy perfume on the laundry, it smells clean, it almost smells like it was dried outside. I’m completely thrilled with it and plan to continue making it. I started out by making my own washing soda. I poured 4 lbs of super cheap baking soda onto a very large baking tray and baked it in a 400 degree oven for an hour. Voila! Washing soda. (about 6 or 7 Cups of it) From there, to make the detergent all you have to do is mix a ratio of 1 Cup washing soda, 1 Cup Borax, (available in the laundry aisle in the grocery store) and 1/2-1 Cup of grated bar soap, any kind, I used Trader Joe’s Honey & Oatmeal soap. For 2 large canning jars of detergent I used about 4 Cups each of washing soda and Borax and 2 Cups of grated bar soap. Each load takes 1/4 Cup detergent and I always put it in before the adding the clothes to the washer. My total cost was about $5.07 total for the two 1 quart jars below. I’m estimating I’ll be able to wash about 40 loads or so with this. I am positive there are cheaper detergents out there but, because this was an experiment, I didn’t bargain hunt at all. I got the baking soda and Borax at the same store and used a bar of soap I already had on hand. I think if I comparison shopped I could bring down the cost somewhat

My husband is deep in his final project for his degree. Only 1 1/2 weeks left to go and we’ll get to spend time with him again. It has been a long 6 years! He spent all day on it yesterday while I tended the fire, ran errands, ferried kids, baked bread, made meals, finished the knitting on the last scarf for next weekend, and did laundry and mounds and mounds of dishes. There weren’t mounds of dishes festering in the sink, to be clear, I was just cooking all day so there were multiple rounds of dishes. I am in no way so organized and motivated that mounds of dishes festering in the sink doesn’t happen, it just didn’t happen Yesterday. I have long considered myself an indifferent housekeeper. I’m a good cook, I clean daily… to some extent, but I tolerate a level of mess, dust, and dirt that puts all my friends at ease when they come over. I imagine they think: “Oh, she really DOESN’T judge my housekeeping!” Yeah, I don’t. My gods, why would I? If someone’s house is comfortable, livable, then it’s fine. Dust, cobwebs in the corners, a laundry pile, and dishes in the sink are par for the course. If your place is messier than that I assume you’re planning on catching up with it soonish, maybe you’ve been working more, or are a little under the weather or depressed/stressed, etc. We’ve all been there, usually pretty regularly, and the women that don’t go there? I know they exist, their homes always seem spotless and perfect, I assume those chicks are hiding something. (probably bodies in the basement)

Keeping busy and learning new skills seems to be good for my mental health. I’m noticing a more positive outlook blooming here behind my eyes. The idea that there is a lot to do isn’t as scary when I’m busy and actually ticking lots of things off the list. Also, life doesn’t feel so overwhelming when I’m successfully learning to do new things. Even unsuccessful experiments give me a little boost. I tend to laugh at myself or at the sub-par outcomes because my experiments are cheap and usually instantly repeatable. I just re-read instructions or search for alternate instructions and try again. It builds my confidence to overcome little setbacks and it makes me really happy when I succeed in making something that seemed unmakeable to me previously… like lip balm! I’ve been paying over $3 each for little tubes of it and now I can make tins twice the size for pennies. I can make any flavor I want and it’s ridiculously easy. I feel like an alchemist. I may start wearing robes and carrying a staff or something.

Of course what I’d really like to be is a Druid. My dream is to live in an amazing little permaculture forest garden with lots of animals and I can grow and forage all our food and make most anything we need, like clothes, furniture, and such. I have been a frustrated Druid for my entire life. I need to take like gardening classes or something. Do they have those? I’ve been trying to keep a few herbs alive indoors. They are… struggling. They are still alive though so I think it counts.