Right now, I'm cleaning some raw wool I just purchased from Novack Farms here in Prattsburgh. My hands are sticky with sheep fat, known as landolin, which is famous for its healing qualities, especially for the cracked nipples of breastfeeding mothers. I smell like a sheep too, a smell some people love and some despise. It is a musty, dark, musky smell and I absolutely love it! My sister's cats can't get enough of it either; they keep running over to sniff the wool then they race away. Today has been a day of projects; earlier today, I was out looking at the spot where I want to build a wikiup to live in, and I started looking at a giant white willow tree near the spot where I want to put the wikiup. I noticed quite a few branches on the ground, so I got my knife out and harvested a bunch of willow bark. Willow bark is the original asprin; the ancient Greeks discovered it's pain-killing properties and ancient Greek doctors regularly recommended that people in pain chew or suck on the bark for some relief. The active ingredent in asprin, acetaminophen, is the artifical version of the active ingredient in white willow bark that brings about pain relief. So I'm planning to make a tincture of the bark for whoever has pain in the future.
I also need to start over with my acorn flour project; I let it go too long and the acorns got moldy before I figured out a good way to grind them into flour. I did, however, manage to jar about six canning jars full of acorn tannins, the acid you have to boil out of the acorns before they are edible. Acorn tannins can be used for a variety of things, from mouthwash to tanning hides. I think Tannin would be a pretty name for a boy...but I digress.
Well, back to work on multiple projects while I wait for my best friend Holly to get out of work so we can leave on a spontanious road trip down to South Carolina to visit her sister and her sister's newborn baby.
Love ya,
Carrot
