A Day in the Life of a Potential Hermit

     Yesterday was a dismal day.  It alternately snowed, drizzled freezing rain and flat out rained.  The predicted high of 41 was never even approached.  It was a good day to stay inside and work/craft.
     I finally called about the coop (see yesterday's rant) about 11:30 a.m. and was told the driver had some truck trouble (good excuse) and we were next on the list to be called (funny, we were the first delivery, so why not the first call), and it would be there between 1 and 2 and they would call first.  We needed chicken feed, gas for my car, and a couple of supplies for soap and body wash making, so we decided to make a dash to town, grab some lunch and do the quick errands.  WRONG.  We did get lunch and a call that the truck was on its way.  Quick dash back up the mountain, stood out in the frozen yuk, guided the truck to a position where he could get the coop close to where I wanted it and he refused to back the truck off the gravel.  The coop was unloaded at least 300 feet from where it shall live.  They did show me how to hook the tow straps to pull it, and we hope the tractor can haul it where it needs to go without tipping it over.
     Errands still to be done, we took a second, more leisurely jaunt back to town (about 15 miles each way) and accomplished the errands.  Once home, it was going to take an act of Congress to make me go out again.
     With supplies in hand, I made my last full batch of melt and pour soap, scented with cedar, rosemary, and red thyme, the preferred scent for eldest son and his family.  I will be spending a half week with them soon to help with some childcare issues while the nearly 8 year old is on spring break.  Trips to visit them usually involved a pasture raised meat purchase, a soap making session, and picking through home canned tomato products and peppers for their pantry.

 

     As I have become more concerned about what goes into the products that we use to clean our homes and our persons, I have over the years made changes.  The first changes were to quit using commercial house cleaning products, a jug of white vinegar, a bottle of castile soap, a box of baking soda and a good cloth will clean most anything.  Furniture polish needs be nothing more than a dab of olive oil or a rub of beeswax applied to give it a shine.
     Next up was the soap.  I found a good quality hemp oil based melt and pour base that listed all the ingredients, nothing sketchy, and a mold, some essential oils and we have soap.  Next batch will be cold pressed with oils of my choice.  That is a bit more challenging and will require the purchase of an immersion blender, dedicated only to soap making, and a bit more of my time, but it is a challenge I think I am now up to undertaking.
     Body wash and lotion were next on my list and yesterday was the first planned attempt.  Realizing that I had failed to locate one essential ingredient for the lotion or lotion bars, I had to put that on hold until the purified beeswax arrives, but body wash was a breeze to make, and I know every ingredient that went into it, better yet, I can pronounce them all.  The internet is such a wonderful resource.  Did you know that most commercial moisturizing body washes contain alcohol, a drying agent?
     At the rate I'm going, I fear I'll become a hermit living on our little homestead, growing my food, making my soap, spinning my yarn and avoiding all human contact.