Thekla McDaniels

I would love some input!:

I live in high desert, normally arid conditions, and we got almost no precipitation the recent winter only a little more the year before.  There will be almost no irrigation water… maybe one 7 day cycle for me.

I have a willow and an aspen tree.  I get 10,000 gallons a month of domestic water.  I have a septic tank that is working fine.

I have been thinking I might shower outdoors until it gets too cold in the fall.  Warm not hot water solar heated by hose in the sun.

I have been thinking I could use bricks and or pavers for my “shower pan” and run the water to these water loving trees.  I am old so I don’t need much soap.  What soap I use I make, using biodegradable naturally occurring substances.  Lotion?  Same thing, though it does contain very small amounts of borax and plant derived stearic acid.  

I wonder whether I should be considering creating a worm habitat between shower and soil.

Are there some additional considerations I have missed?

Thanks

And another use!

A friend gave me a couple dozen strawberry plants and even if I only get 10% survival, it is worth the effort, but you know chickens!  Moist soil is a magnet for them…. And they have their own philosophy regarding appropriate use of strawberries.  They showed up as soon as I began.

Photo below.  I watered, loosened the soil, applied my amendment materials, put the pallet in place, then added the strawberry plants.  I will probably toss some seeds in there since I will be watering, probably white clover.

Another idea:  a guardian type dog who will tend to you if you fall or are otherwise immobilized out doors.

I guess you could keep a gun with you, and neighbors are aware of three shots or some other agreed upon code.

I like the idea of a whistle.  I even have one I could start carrying

When I bought my current place and met the neighbors, I thought of a flag pole and a “ need help” flag, but I haven’t done it.  3 sets of neighbors are within sight of a help flag, maybe more…

Also, it’s possible that it might be a good thing to not survive a catastrophic injury, in which case the delay that might be the thing that determines that.

I agree with Jay, luck is an important factor.  

Wow, Dorothy!  I am glad for the luck you had on that day, glad you made it this far!

Did you get a hip replacement?


I keep my cell phone charged and on me.  I keep my router on, but I think what you’re asking us to consider is when something happens that puts us outside of all our preventative actions, and we are “on our own.”

And this is something I think about every day and I will be interested to hear from others.  There are probably a good many precautions I haven’t thought of yet.

I try to be philosophical about the fact of immortality… but as my age advances, the nearness and inevitability of my decline, demise, death take on different meanings.

I am aware that I have not completely fulfilled my potential, and I may not.

My sister died in September 2025.  That also changed my perceptions.

She had gone through a phase of listening to Paul Simon’s Seven Psalms every night to go to sleep by.

The last song in the album begins,  “wait, I’m not ready.  I’m just packing my gear.  Wait, my hands are steady.  My mind is still clear.”

The song ends “children get ready, it’s time to come home”.  

I can’t seem to get a link to a video or audio recording, but search and ye shall find…. It’s a beautiful song.  The whole collection is.  I think it helped my sister make her passage.

I think if I am out of range of help, (and if I am lucky) this is where my mind will go.

My strategy in so much as I can control it, is or will be to enter oblivion with curiosity, and a sense of oneness with all who have gone before and will come after.

Of course, we try to prevent and prepare for all contingencies, and as I said, I will be glad to hear from others on this topic, but relaxing and breathing into the pain, replacing fear with curiosity will improve just about anything.  ( in my case, child birth, divorce, 2nd and 3rd degree burns etc)

Hoping for a speedy and complete recovery for you.

Thanks, Samantha!

Salt, soda, and borax for the tanning compound

We will all have to experiment with these different ideas.  

I am torn between making my bath mat by rolling up a stack of carded wool in a large sheet of plastic … or buying an appropriate size and shape of stock tank  and make the felt in the bottom of the tank… treading it like wine.

But for now, I’m involved in all the spring tasks and chores, and haven’t prepared any wool, so it’s a moot point.

I probably won’t go further with the project until it is cold out again.

My bathroom is always cold.  Tile floor throughout, leaky window on the wind ward side.  It couldn’t be further from the woodstove, and though the furnace keeps the house above freezing, I like it warm when I get out of the shower.  

The large wool mat would prevent the cold tile from stealing my body heat through radiant cooling.

The good thing about felting is that it seems the quickest.  Pick, fluff and tease the wool, skip spinning and knitting or warping and weaving….

Thanks Steph!  I like it

I feed the wild birds.  I spread bird seed on the deck railing.  I began by using bird seed as anti slip on the ice that forms at my doors.  ( bad design of roof and doors and (insufficient eaves)

The birdies found it and considered it food.  They only come when the countryside is covered in snow.  I don’t know if my contribution to changing habitat is “good” or “bad”. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Could be it’s good to maintain innovative behaviors.  Could be it keeps the dumber individuals alive to raise young.

On a cold grey day, it’s cheering to see their tracks in the snow, and their busy little selves hopping around.  If I don’t put the seed out at the usual (sun) time, sometimes they’re waiting for me.

Great thinking, Jay.  The bigger and thicker, the heavier, it will be, and with all that mass, the more difficult to dislodge.  And warmer in winter.  I will just need to be able to lift it, and have a place to drape it to dry and air as needed.

And thinking back to that beautiful staircase I had built and trained the bannister habit, I remember I was able to purchase non slip “tape” at the local building supply place.  It came in a roll, different widths, had a sandy feel to the surface.  I would recommend that over silicone caulking.

This aging thing is like an obstacle course, one puzzle- challenge after another.
definitely not for sissies!

Ok then!  Thanks for the input.  First I will make one and then try it out, giving special attention to slippage risk, and whether it pulls the water off my feet as cotton does…. My first mat shrank a lot.  My cat uses it for his special fire side bed.  It’s wonderful to stand on because of its springiness.

Carla, that sounds scary. Do you have a solid grab bar?  When I became aware of falls risks on my stairway, I started using the hand rail every time.  Now I don’t even think about it.  It’s always handle before step, hand before foot.

I know they make rubber mesh to put under rugs and dishes… but I have never tried it.