(no subject)

[entropy_in_drag]

It's been interesting to dabble in things that were day-to-day for so much of my adult life. Peregrine wanted to butcher her first rabbits for her birthday, so we went about making that happen. The couple we bought the meat rabbits from were kind enough to let us butcher on their property, and honestly the guy looked tickled pink to show her how to do it so I let him. lmao But all the old rhythms came back immediately... I knew bucks from does, I communicated things to her the guy didn't know, and apparently neither of them had ever kept a hide despite raising rex rabbits, so I showed everyone the first steps of preserving a rabbit hide.

There was a point where I was wandering up the driveway with a hide to rinse where I realized the fall sun was beating on my back the same way it's always done when I'm harvesting things for the winter. It felt so nice, and natural. I've enjoyed my urban experience, but damn. I miss being a farmer.

Fast-forward to this weekend, and I've amassed some things I've never gotten before. I always green-tanned hides and left them stiff when I was farming, I never had much need for making my own leather. I just had chickens that were pretty, or a weasel I wanted to preserve after my collies pulled it off my poultry. That kind of thing. These rabbit hides we got were so nice, I decided to try actually tanning them! Bought tanning solution and a scraping knife over the week they were salting.

Today they were dry enough to start the scraping process. I never realized how easy it was?? Sub-q tissue just peels right off like dead skin. haha Though a lot of that is because I found a really good scraping knife. Still, it's a slow process that does get tiring around the edges. Figure I'll keep chipping away at it for the rest of the week, then tan them next weekend. I'm excited to produce my first complete furs. :D The plan is to wrap them around our sword sheaths for our wedding. The wedding dresses will be hella traditional looking, but the belts we're creating around troll crosses, antlers, and other important bits and pieces won't. Neither will the rainbow platforms I'll be wearing. lmao

It's nice to contrast this fall to last. We'd just moved in together, and holy crap. That went a lot rougher than I expected. We triggered each other. A LOT. Our struggles made seasonal depression and deathiversaries hit a lot harder, then I spent the winter getting sick over and over again. This year I'm heading into October feeling secure and happy. We've built a fulfilling existence together in this space. I have dreams of finding the home I've always envisioned for her and me, with lots of windows, and open ceilings and rafters we can hang herbs and tapestries from. It's out there somewhere. I just know it. :3

Comments

[feralkiss]

I wasn't raised on a farm but nature was close by. I didn't miss it too much when I was a young adult exploring the city (some aspects of it, sure), but as I grow older and the world keeps being what it is now, I've started missing the basic elements of it. Of feeling the sun on my skin while walking in wild places, and touching plants, and smelling things that are not wet pavement. I'm glad I moved away from the big city; modern human life is so alienating. I've found comfort in gardening and terrariums and plant stuff (as much as I can afford financially at least); these are things that make sense to me, they have the familiarity of the things humans have always done. Like slipping into old comfortable shoes. Just being a monkey-animal-thing digging holes in the dirt and touching plants, you know? I'm not familiar with dead rabbits and poultry and skins and fur, but perhaps they are the same sort of experiences in a way, even though many would try to convince us they are disgusting things.

[entropy_in_drag]

Yeah, I'd say the work and rewards feel pretty similar. :) And fffff do I ever want to move out of the city! I'll miss being able to walk everywhere and I'll miss my city job income, but it's such a relief when I can be in natural spaces again. You get it :)

I got into pitcher plants over the quarantine! They gave me something to live for after my life fell apart. Found out afterward that a lot of them are poached from their natural environments and so I'm not buying any new plants, but I sure enjoy what I've got :3 A home needs green and growing things in it

[feralkiss]

Maybe there is a reliable nursery that does not poach them that you can buy from? I love succulents and I know there's poaching happening in some instances (rare cacti etc) but I only shop at nurseries that grow their own rather than import. Hopefully that exists for the plants you love too!