You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive

"Where the sun comes up
At ten in the morning
And the sun goes down
About three in the day"


Yep, it's just about 10:00 a.m. and the sun just started coming in through my east facing window. Oh how I dread this fall's change back to standard time, and it's still more than a month away. Yeah, light will reach us earlier in the mornings, but the evenings will be oh-so-short. Better start double dosing on the St. John's Wort...

More around the house.

Big phlogging day, apparently.



That last pic is the latest basket I made in my basket-making class, through the Continuing Education Program at Hazard Community College. The Knott County branch where I take the class is just over the hill, along our wooded path, and then across the road. Just don't get hit by a coal truck with a basket in your hand. Next month's basket is a sleigh.

A Few More Laundry Notes

Okay, I cut myself short in my previous post about laundry. I meant to mention that with three cats, line-drying only simply doesn't cut it. So, when the clothes (and especially the bedding) are ALMOST completely dry, I take them down and throw them in the electric dryer for about 10 minutes on "Fluff Air" only. So, the dryer isn't using the heating element at all--the biggest energy user in the machine. The clothes come out fluffy and hair free. I don't use chemically commercial dryer sheets to cut down on static cling and free the cat hair, but simply a couple wads of aluminum foil. I've been using these two for weeks, and as much as this is going to sound like an infomercial: they REALLY work!:



Also, I've taken to making my own detergent because I can't find anything "eco" here in Hindman, or in Hazard. These are not Seventh Generation towns. Using this recipe, I started by grating half a bar of Octagon soap (I'm not exactly sure how "eco" this soap is, so I might switch to castille soap with the next batch), and boiling it in a lot of water until it's dissolved, then I add some Borax and washing soda (not baking soda, though it's a very similar compound and Arm & Hammer does sell it). Then I stir for awhile and then let it sit overnight. I made about 2 1/2 gallons for about a buck. Not a bad deal and I know (mostly) what's in it.

Today. On Deck.

I'm trying to get better with this digital camera. It's a cheapy we've had for awhile, and I take way too many blurry photos, and most with zero field depth. Because it's not a high-quality camera, that just means I have to work harder, which is a-okay, because I get to play around on nice beginning-of-fall days like today. Nice soupy light. Good for practicing at texture. Still not very successful, but fun...

Laundry as Activism

Yesterday, my Breezecatcher rotary clothesline arrived via UPS. (There's barely space in our driveway to turn around our little car, let alone a big ol' delivery truck, but the driver was really adept at backing up. Guess he has to be making deliveries in these narrow parts.) The clothesline looks like something like this:



I'll post some pics after I get it set up. Right now it's set up like a patio umbrella through the holes in the table on our deck. I've already dried two loads on it. The clothes dry just about as fast as on the highest heat setting in the dryer. Our three-armed version of the clothesline will hold about 2 1/2 super-sized loads of laundry at at time. And I figure it'll take only about 200 loads to pay for itself. (It was fairly expensive, but it is super sturdy, should last for decades.)

Speaking of clotheslines, here's a nice group on Flickr, called "Beautiful Clotheslines." Just proves to me even more that environmentally friendly things are often so aesthetically pleasing. Don't you want to go hang something on a line?:

Gingerbread Festival

Back

I got cable internet at home earlier this week, so I'm back in the blogosphere. I've got a post about Hindman's Gingerbread Festival (with pics!) brewing, and general updates. I've got to finish up some other computer work before I can get to that, but...soon. Soon.

Upcoming this weekend: The Kentucky Folklife Festival in Frankfort. So, if I go, that'll be something interesting to blog about too. I'll try to get some good pics.