Wow, the last week has been a stream of constant web hiccups … but I think it may finally be over. I hope. Fingers crossed. Prayers prayed. If you are reading these words, then everything may very well be okay. Let me know if you’ve had or are having any problems reading The Year of Mud. Updates may now commence on their previously programmed schedule. Goodbye 404s and 500s.

By the way, check out that flatbread… oh boy, I love cooking a good flatbread on our rocket stove. These were actually supposed to be wheat tortillas, but this one got carried away and had an identity crisis, becoming more like a pita than anything else. It’s amazing what you can do with a little flour, water, and yeast or baking powder. Dry or with butter/oil, and there are about 50 variations in there depending on heat, dough consistency, temperature, etc. Mm.

I gotta say, it is somewhat bothersome when people have skewed perceptions & expectations of maintenance. Some people love the idea of “maintenance-free” homes, or gardens.  However, I think that life is nothing but maintenance — literally everything, from your own body, your mind, to the environment in which you live (your house, your property, your vegetable gardens, etc.). Everything demands upkeep, demands sustenance and nourishment, demands a level of working functionality (ideally). Some lifestyles, of course, have a much higher percentage of “maintenance work” than others — farming, for one.

But since this is a blog about building (and building naturally), let me say a few things about the issue of building maintenance.

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