Well, today is my last day here at Alderleaf. Tomorrow morning Michelle is picking me up and we are movin' in! Yes, yes, this is another bittersweet one for me. I have fallen in love with this land, the farm, and the people that reside here. But, this isn't really goodbye for me... I plan on stopping by once, maybe even twice a week--potlucks, farm days, frisbee tournaments, slack-lining, Settler's of Catan, etc.
I've been taking a break from the garden this week and putting my mind and energy into other things. Finally made my first West-coast bowdrill kit: western red cedar (Thuja plicata). I also had my first attempt at using cedar root as a natural bow cord. No coal yet, but perhaps I'm close... a few adjustments away I hope.
I've also sunk my hands back into brain-tanning. Wahoo! It's funny how much I miss it when I go long periods without working some skin. I gave Vita and Frog each a muskrat hide (Ondatra zibethicus) and am teaching them fur-on egg-tanning. I haven't used eggs much myself, so it's a good learning experience for me as well. My hands and mind have been so itching for projects lately... I didn't realize how absolutely obsessed I am with crafts until the last week or so. It's hard here because I'm lacking tools, materials, and personal space. Last night I lay in "bed" for 3 plus hours, skills to learn, ideas for crafts, projects to work, tools to buy, etc., etc., running/flying through my brain. I would periodically turn on my flashlight, jot down some notes, then lay back down, head still spinning. It was a really strange experience, but good. I feel like I finally released a lot of the mush that was beginning to traffic jam. In fact, here's some things I jotted down. If there's anything anyone knows how to do and would be interested in sharing/teaching their knowledge, let me know. Even good websites or classes... anything helps.
Skills I want to learn:
-Food storage--canning, dehydration, jerky, pickling, fermentation, etc.
-Saving seed--processing and storage
-Pottery--preparing the clay, primitive firing, glazes or coloration
-Knitting--more advanced stitches, patterns, etc.
-Natural dyes--especially for wool
-Natural soap making
-Butchering and filleting
-Woodworking/construction--specifically creating joints, pegs, etc. without use of metal
-Raising bees and harvesting honey/beeswax
-Tapping trees for syrup and sugar

Oh boy. Just thinking about it makes me sooooo excited. I know I'm going to be away from you all for a long while, but when I'm back you all best be ready to dive right in to all of this with me. :-) (AND MORE!)
What else... On Friday I'm meeting with the director of a children's nature camp for a possible job instructing one day a week. It would be really good to have at least some income while I'm here. Plus it's right up my alley. I've found it to be very fun finding similarities between skills and games even all the way across the country. So many of the same names, games, challenges, and crafts. Played foxtails in the field yesterday and I felt like I was right there out in front of Kiwanis.
While I'm thinking of it, for those of you interested in sending mail: letters, care packages, money, chocolate, etc... :-) my mailing address will be as follows:

Estelle Waterman

c/o Mosswood Hollow

20215 320th Ave. NE

Duvall, WA 98019

I've also been slowing the clock, passing time, being a kid. Frog and I have been taking adventures across the creek, time traveling it seems. We spend hours at a time crawling through bushes, searching the ground for animal hairs, trailing deer, studying mountain beaver sign (Aplodontia rufa), climbing trees, skipping rocks, balancing on fallen logs, sleeping in beds of moss, dancing with the river, you know... being alive.
It's a rainy one here today. I think only the third one since I've been here, actually. Haha. I know, I know... winter's coming. The.rain.is.coming. And I'm going now. Peace be with you all.

Life Questions

This week has been pretty quiet. There was a survival class that was being run all week, so everyone else has been busy with that. I worked a little bit on the farm, but I've mostly been hitting the books hard almost everyday... I've been studying up on small house design--how to maximize small spaces for the most use and comfort. I'm in the process of designing multiple houses (primarily using cob, big surprise, aye?). It just makes want to start building NOW. Or at least start collecting materials and furniture so that when I do start building someday, everything will be there and ready to go.
I also started a basket. The frame is mostly red alder branches with a little willow, and then the main weaving will be with cattail. It's looking really nice so far, we'll see how it turns out (I'll try and remember to take some pictures while I work on it). I finished the frame today, now I just have to soak the dried cattail for a bit to get them workable.
Tonight a bunch of us got together and cooked a feast. We made kale mashed potatoes with onions and garlic in a thick mushroom gravy. Then for dessert we had vegan freezer fudge made mainly from almond butter and chocolate chips. So incredible. Everything was entirely organic, vegan, no preservatives, even cooked in non-aluminum, non-stick pans. Haha. (One of the interns is a little crazy about his food.) I know I've already said this, but there's just something amazing about cooking together and sharing food with a group. There was so much thanksgiving going around and such a great energy in the air. It's the little things that add up here. Like tonight, for example, one of us accidently put in way too much liquid aminos and it carried over into the final taste. At first he kept apologizing, but then someone perked up with, "Well, maybe there is someone here that really needs them tonight." It's simple words like that that make me take a step back and thank the greater energy for bringing me here to this place and to these people.
It's hard to think I'm leaving this place in less than a week... I'm not really, though. I'm going to try to make their weekly potlucks and continue helping out on the farm when I can. There's no way I'm not going to continue being a part of this community. It seems like that's an ongoing trend for Alderleaf. Shaun decided he's going to stay here for the 9-month program. So excited for him. :-)
This week has been quite the soul searching journey for me. Not entirely sure what caused it or why now, but it's been interesting. If you're interested in what I mean or want to help me through some crazy times, get in touch with me. Especially you elders out there, your wisdom is much respected and appreciated. Sorry is this post seemed scatter-brained... It's late and I'm very tired.

Feng-shuiing My Life

Been a happenin' few days so I'm just going to organize this post by dates.

Thursday 8/18: Gardened. Haha. Turned some more beds, planted some perrenials in the hugelculture bed--strawberries, rhubarb, sorrel, oregano, thyme, chives, sage... Then I made a wonderful campfire-cooked dinner and WATCHED TV. Shaun (a fellow kid camping here) and I sat down with some Netflix for the first time since I've been here. It felt a little funny, but it was a good way to wind down.

Friday 8/19: Seattle! My friend Heath picked up Shaun and I early in the AM for a tour of the Seattle area. We were trucked around in her Cube Car with her two sons (ages 9 and 11). It was nice to be around kids again for a bit. I sat in the back with them and swapped nature stories practically the whole trip. :-) First she took us to canoeing underneath the highway. Haha, check it. It was so weird. You're like canoeing through cattail, ducks are swimming around you, and then the cars on the highway are roaring by overhead. But, it was really nice to get out and be active in the sunshine. Afterward we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant called Aqua Verde. Everything on the menu was local, free range, organic, etc. and the cost was reasonable too. It's surprising and so exciting how progressive it is here, especially with food. Heath also took us to a chocolate factory and out to ice cream, both locations use all organic materials and made nearly all of their products there at the shop. Both of which, might I add, were freakin' delicious! Ohhhh to have homemade ice-cream. Mmmm. We also visited a lot of different parks and monuments with views like this one:

Saturday 8/20: Spent the day studying more organic building. Brought a table out into the sunshine and parked myself there with 4 different books on creating and designing small houses to maximize space, money, etc. I've already got a few pages in my notebook full of sweet ideas, designs, building sketches, notes, and the like. I basically crammed all day until it hurt. Now I just want to go home and start working on my parents' house... and garden... and landscape. :-D

Frog and Shaun looking out over the bridge.

Sunday 8/21: Wait for it... Yup, I gardened. It's true, I've become obsessed. I turned over another bed, leaving potatoes, comfrey, and carrots behind. After a hard days work, Frog, Shaun, Vita (another intern that lives in the West house), and I took a hike to a place they call "The Gorge." Not quite like Ithaca's gorges, but still super beautiful. I introduced the group into rock paint and went nuts with that for an hour or so. After our artistic cravings were filled, we hiked down the gorge, climbing, jumping around, crawling over rocks, stretching across logs... There's something about the flow of that kind of movement that brings me right back to my roots as an animal on the Earth--back to my core body, to my instincts, to my true energy.

I <3 climbing.

Monday 8/22: Monday morning my roommate Michelle picked me up so we could finalize our move into Mosswood. I showed her around the campus here: the root cellar, the chicken moat, the gardens... Then we spent the day moving around furniture and feng-shuiing our yurt. There really is nothing like trying to make rectangles fit nicely into a circle. Anyways, I'm so happy with the situation. The landlords are super kind and Michelle is so awesome. We fit together better than our furnishings did in the yurt, that's for sure. But seriously, things have just been working out so greatly for me here. This experience so far has been exactly what I need. Being here and talking to people about my life so far has made me realize how absolutely lucky I am.

To my Mom and Dad: you have been so incredibly supportive, and I love you more and more every day. To my grandparents, whom have helped me find my way, I miss you very, very much. I'll try and write you soon.
To my friends at Primitive Pursuits: I don't know how I got so lucky to stumble upon you at such a young age. You have shaped my life in more ways that I can thank you for.
To all my friends and family back home and at college, I send my love. I couldn't ask for a more supportive group of individuals. I have never been alone in times of need.
To Mother Earth. You know how I feel about you... I tell you everyday. :-)

Lastly, today: I harvested and washed dandelion roots for Donka, the momma sheep. What a life, aye?

Becoming a True Gardener

So, I'm finally feeling like a true gardener. I get up, work in the garden, eat, work in the garden, then the sun goes down. Next, I eat again, and then I spend the night celebrating the good life with friends until it's finally time for a good night's sleep. I have dirt permanently caked underneath my nails, and I have tan lines from all the band-aids I have to wear on my beat up hands... blisters, hang-nails, cuts... the usual. I have also been told that my back is approaching the African-American look, as I spend most days bending over in the blazing sun.
Something else ya'll might find interesting: snakes. I like em, you should too. But the point is, they are EVERYWHERE here. You walk down the trail and every twenty or so feet one goes zipping off into the bushes. I was lying down in the field yesterday and one slithered right up to me and hung out by my face for a while. They are all garden snakes--harmless other than the stink they leave behind on you if you pick them up. On a similar note, there are no poisonous spiders here either; even no ticks... only bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and the occasional wolf. Haha, those are all much less scary though, and don't worry Mom, you're lucky if you ever even spot some of their tracks.
Another super plus about this place is the library they've got going on. There are soooo many exciting books on anything and everything I have interest in. Their library is divided into sections, get this: wild plants and trees, permaculture, wilderness survival, wildlife and tracking, ecology, inspirational stories, general resources, and other. Damn. This is my future bookshelf. Last night I looked at three different earthen building books and five different books on basketry alone. Haha, insanity. I'm in love.
What else... yesterday, after a super intense day of work, one of the interns, Steve (whom is called Junco or Badger), took us out to an all you can eat oriental buffet. I remembered half way there that I wasn't wearing shoes, but let me remind you that I have probably worn shoes less than ten times since I've been here. So taking that into account, it really wasn't THAT dumb. I ended up making some cardboard flip-flop things that probably drew more attention to me than going barefoot would have. Anyways, the restaurant was super cool. You get a bowl to fill with whatever you want, and then they take it and cook your food right in front of you. The sauces and combos and ughhhhh so good. Plus you can go for seconds, thirds, whatever. Haha, here I go talking about food again.

Just in case ya'll forgot what I look like. 

I can tell I've already lost weight from being here, too. My once modest boobs are now barely past teenage size, and my pants are beginning to sit a little loose around the hips (that might also be from being worn everyday without washing, though). :-)
Alright, spending the evening making good use of the library.
Oh and if you want to see some pictures, my friend Heath from the permaculture program has some really good ones on her flicker account. http://www.flickr.com/photos/heathashli/ Check it. There are a lot of the land here, plus some from the projects we all worked on.

Waterfalls, sheeps milk, and beer.

Phew. It's so great to have some days "off." It's funny to put it that way, because these days have been some of the most exhilarating and physically challenging yet.
Yesterday a few friends and I took to one of the many amazing hiking trails here in WA. We only hiked about five or six miles round trip on a well maintained path, but damn. I don't know if I've ever climbed that many boulders and stairs before, or if I ever want to again. I guess that's a lie... I would totally go again tomorrow if given the chance. :-) Along the way we were all quizzing each other with plant ID and edible/medicinal values. I was surprised by how much I've already learned. Anyways, our final destination was a completely stunning waterfall called Bridal Falls. It was HUGE. The trail came out right at the bottom of the waterfall and you could walk out onto the rocks below, nearly underneath the falls. Not only was the water absolutely frigid, but the power of the falling water made incredible winds that shot out tiny water droplets, which stung our goose-bumped legs. It was so loud and so massive that as soon as I stepped out into its presence, I couldn't help but let out a belly-shaking howl. Hahaha. Normal people may have been weirded out... this group joined right in with all kinds of hooting and howling. I wonder how that sounded for the people still on their way up. :-)
Today I woke up early... not by choice, might I add. Some of the boys here decided to get up real early to go for a morning run. Of course it had to begin with a pass by my tent and some more hooting and hollering. Anyhow, I decided to get up and start living up the day. I worked for the residents hauling gravel, weeding; I even learned to milk a sheep! My newly trained hands were pretty clumsy and the momma sheep got a little pissy at me and ended up stepping in the bucket. I also accidentally squirted milk on my leg. Hahaha. Needless to say I need some more practice. After the milking escapade, I made a really sweet dream catcher--three tiered, using caddisfly homes as beads and feathers from the chickens we harvested last week. I think I'm going to give it to one of the apprentices (whom we call Frog) for being so kind and giving me rides, pizza, shampoo, beer, etc.
Speaking of beer, I think I am finally starting to develop a taste! Wahoo! I drank a beer the night before last and one last night as well, and almost enjoyed them both times. Frog just put in a small slice of lemon for me, and badaboom badabing--delish.
I have been really bad about taking pictures lately, I even forgot my camera on the hike (just means I'll have to go again sometime). I'll try and keep up with that and upload them soon.
For now, off shoot some arrows. Sending my love.

Officially Permaculture Certified.

Wooooooweeeeeee. These last two weeks have been crazy in every sense of that word--crazy busy, crazy awesome, crazy fun, crazy tiring... just straight up crazy. Where to start... going backwards.
Yesterday was my last day of the permaculture intensive. I am officially certified! Haha. The last few days have been major project cramming night and day. Not only were we having new material fed into our overflowing brains for 8-plus hours a day, but before class, after class, and during all our breaks we were rushing to finish our design presentations. Earlier in the course we were assigned clients (our instructors) with plots of land (pieces of Alderleaf's land) and a design task that they wanted us to present (my group's client wanted his land designed for a childrens' outdoor school). It was a lot of fun, especially since I had a lot of experience pushing me in the right direction. On top of that, we all had to find an individual part of the design to focus on and present. I chose to design an outdoor, all natural playground. Anyways, it was all a great success, the teachers and students loved our design (the main instructor even said with a little work mine would totally be publishable!). But I'm just happy to have it all done. So anyways, this is why I have not written in over a week. :-) Man the days are flying by.

Last weekend a friend drove me out to Mosswood to see my yurt. Damn it is beautiful there. The yurt overlooks this amazing wetland and is so cozy and welcoming both inside and out. The pictures that I have on here barely do it justice. After I moved in what I could, we went to a restaurant and I had my first large quantity of food in a long time: a bacon-avocado burger and sweet potato fries. There are no words... Since then, I've been a lot better about making sure I'm eating enough and eating healthy. Wednesday and Thursday of this week I had two of the best meals of my entire life. Wednesday a group of us campfire-cooked this amazing veggie/potato stir fry and fresh salmon. We harvested all kinds of amazing herbs and spices from the garden and loaded them on. The flavors were insane. Then on Thursday we had a meal with the whole permaculture class. Everything was harvest by hand here in the gardens or from next door neighbors. We had all kinds of fruits and vegetables, potatoes, sheep's milk, and chicken. It was soooooo good to have milk. And to top it off there was a maple/pumpkin custard for desert.
Eating the chickens was a special honor, for earlier in the week they were two young roosters that gave up their lives to teach the class how to butcher. It was such a powerful experience, one of the most intense I've ever gone through actually. Though I have skinned my fair share of animals, I had never witnessed death that closely. It is really making me think twice and give extra thanks each time before I sit down to eat. I send my hopes that you all get a chance to feel that spirituality and reconnect with your omnivorous roots. Anyways, that meal was one of the best of my life. Sitting down at the table, sharing stories, laughing, eating... There was such joy around the table I could not help but feel at home. :-) Just thinking back on it makes me bubbly all over again. On the same note, that feeling of thanksgiving and respect sort of constantly seeps from the land here as well. It's so obvious (both spiritually and visually) that Mother Earth is well taken care of here.

What else... I've been hanging out mostly with the interns and people who live here permanently. Been practicing my archery a lot with one of the residents. There were like three or four days in a row where we target shot, played archers tic-tac-toe, or horse for hours at a time. One night we even shot at candles under a crazy star-lit sky. Needless to say, my accuracy is getting a lot better... it's sweet.

One day I got invited to go fishing at a nearby lake. Didn't actually end up fishing at all, haha, but did a lot of wading through muck, balancing (and not balancing) on floating logs, and identifying local plants. Here's a picture of Junco trudging fishing-poll-in-hand out into the bog and another of friend weaving some cattails.








I've also gotten to participate in many little jam sessions. There are so many great, passionate musicians here that there's usually a good mix up every other day--guitar, banjo, and drums mostly... Everyone is all about bluegrass. I've been getting a lot better at harmonizing on the spot too so it's been tons of fun.

Oh, good news! I'm staying here at Alderleaf until September! I'm so excited. I realized that if I could continue camping here I would not only save on a month's worth of rent, but I would also be able to hang out with my new friends for an extra like 2-3 weeks. So I asked if I could stay in exchange for helping on projects and in the garden and such, and they said they'd love to have me. I'm PUMPED.

I can't get over how nice everyone is here. Not only happy, but also unique. The students taking the permaculture course ranged from 20 (me) to like 45 years of age, and each person was so confident in their path. It was so refreshing to have such unique personalities coupled with such a diversity of skill sets. There were kids running around and babies and parents and elders and games and dancing and ahhhh! Okay, okay, I'm sure you get the point.
Alright well I'm going to try to write less sporadically and spontaneously from now on, but no promises. It's probably pretty easy to tell my mind is straight up mush at this point. Excited to keep in touch. Please email, facebook, or text me. I miss you all and love hearing from you. 

Its been, one week...

Wow. I can't believe I've already been here an entire week. I feel like I've known everyone for months. They do an amazing job building community here. Not only is it something we talk about during permaculture design, but also there is plenty of time built in for music, sharing stories, and teaching each other skills.

Today we built a compost pile. Sounds funny, but composting is one of the things that I'm finding myself most interested in. They have a composting toilet here that is a breeze to use (no pun intended). Something about turning "waste" into beautiful, dark, healthy soil is so appealing to me.
The other thing that has become a recent obsession is building with cob. I can't wait to come home and start putting my knowledge to the test. I'm going to make my parents some amazing new garden structures and compost bins. :-)
The only downside for me right now is food. I definitely need to learn to cook, and learn to eat right. I'm at the point of rationing my food now. Haha. I'm basically living off grit, peanut butter and jelly, trail mix, and instant soup. Let's just say I took an avocado skin out of the compost yesterday that still had some meat on it.
Today, I made a map of my parents' land back home and started designing some elements of permaculture throughout the property. Point is, I'm already excited to come home and share my new knowledge with you all. Though my journey has barely begun, in a way, I'm ready to come home. I love you all immensely. XOXO.

Trees, slugs, and other bugs

Currently on a friends laptop in our main classroom. I'm so excited to tell you guys every detail, adventure and wonder, but let's be practical now. :-)

The view off the bridge where I hitch-hiked for the first time.

Washington's version of "roaming hills."

My commute here went better than I expected--didn't get LOST (which is saying a lot for me), didn't get mugged, didn't get kidnapped... I even had my first hitch-hiking experience. Since the minute I got here, people have been only kind, gracious, and welcoming. I feel so at home here even though less than a week has passed by.
It's such a different world here, I feel like I'm in a jungle sometimes. The trees seem to only grow up and not out. They are sooo tall compared to the trees back East. Scraggly, winding branches up to the sky. It's hard being in a different place, though. So much of my tree and plant identification is back to square one--eastern hemlock is western hemlock, elderberries are poisonous, and the only sorrel is sheep sorrel, not wood sorrel.

SLUGS! I love slugs. They have so many giant slugs here (they are actually quite a problem in the gardens). There are beautiful brown slugs with orange tread, huge black slugs that come out at night, and banana slugs that supposedly numb your tongue if you lick them, though I haven't tried it yet. The first day I sat with one of the banana slugs and studied him for like thirty minutes straight, taking pictures, following his tracks, and the like. I then went to set up my camp a few yards away. There's no better way to say this so: on the way back, I stepped on him. It was the worst. The loss of a close friend so early on. Needless to say, I've since been much more careful where I walk.

Moss climbing high on the trees.

The squishy moss that makes my feet smile.

The last real difference I'm going to mention here is the blanket of green that covers everything in the deep woods--the ground, dead logs, tree roots, trunks, and branches all the way up to the sky. MOSS. It comes in all shapes and sizes and is an amazing cushion for us bare-footers. I am really growing to appreciate it for all that it has to offer.


I spent the weekend hanging out with the residents and interns who reside here; went to an amazing concert, played music, had a bonfire (started from a handrill coal shared between me and a man they call Junco [like the bird]), made art, gardened, and much more. Wow, that really sounds like the life, aye?

Today was day two of the permaculture intensive. If I could describe in one word how its treating me... well, I couldn't. Haha. I definitely have some mixed feelings about it that I wont go into detail on here. For those of your who do not know, permaculture is a design approach to sustainable human communities. "It's not how you do it, but how you think about it" ~Bill Morrison. Permaculture teaches you to look at a space and see the relationships between all its parts in a way that will give you the most output for the least amount of input. It's all very amazing work, I get to get my hands dirty, and it's the doorway to the sustainable living style I have been seeking since high school. The only reason I am unsure of it in any way deals with my own pessimistic views of the future. For now, it's making my mind, body, and soul happy and healthy.

So much more I could share, but for now. Sending my love and missing you all incredibly. For real though, I'm already a little bit home sick! <3