Silas makes wood boards

Silas and his friend, Tano, spent a number of days making wooden boards to sell at the Inverness fair. The ones in front here are made from Dutch elm. They also used madrone. Rufus helped them salvage the pieces - staying away from cracks, rotten parts, and blemishes. They did a rough cut then planed to the right thickness. They marked with a pencil and cut with a jigsaw. Rasp the edges with the surf form tool and finish the edges. Then fine sanding with an electric sander and hand sanding. Oil with food grade oil.

Tension and bad press in agriculture

Visited Rancher John yesterday. He tells me of the negative publicity around agriculture. How one or two negative stories in the press leave a bad impression broadly. In some ways the classification of organic - which tries to redefine agriculture - also diminishes agriculture. That both the organic and the other agriculture is part of one unified thing. There's a tension emphasized by the negative press yet the whole of agriculture needs to be supported. Back when my grandfather had a ranch, most people had some experience of where their food comes from. Or at least they weren't more than one or two people removed from an experience of agriculture.

Breakfast

Wake in the morning. Lemon and lime juice in water.

My homemade French style ORIGINAL yogurt.

Ground flax seeds.

Ruth's fresh figs.

Plus cup of coffee with cream.