The True Cost of Coal

Holy Shit!

We launched the True Cost of Coal today! You may have gotten an email from the beehive today (if not- you should be signed up) letting you and the rest of the world know- we did it! It's done!

Not only is the coal poster officially hatched- but so is a new website and particularly a new webstore that look SO great and are so much easier to use then the last one!

And, as to be expected- i made cupcakes to celebrate! The whole hive has been super busy getting things ready and up, but there have been a dedicated few who have been zombies to the computer in order to get things out and ready. So for them particularly- celebration cupcakes were in order.


Also, other very exciting news from the Beehive. I'm going to go on tour with the hive this fall! I don't know exactly where the tour will lead me- possibly down the east coast- but I'll be traveling from mid september to mid december. That means I'll be back in Ohio for the holidays and have decided to stay until mid January- which means I'll have an entire month for family and friends, central ohio, athens, and clevland! Then- to rock creek, WV- to give it a whirl and see what I can make work. (What I have yet to problem solve is my court date- but that will work out- right?)

Woo!

sweet and savory

For breakfast today, Nicole and I made crepes. But around here, breakfast is very preferred to be savory rather than sweet, so we had to shake up what I would normally make for crepes. And it had to be vegan.



So normally I'd use the really great crepe recipe that a friend gave to me (from her French family!) called the 4321
4 cups milk
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 pinch of salt


but for vegan ones, it was a bit different.
1/2 cup rice milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup fake butter
1 cup flour



And for the filling, we made scrambled eggs (and tofu scramble), along with a miso gravy to go on top.

miso gravy
- t tbs miso
- 1 tbs oil
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs nutritional yeast
- 6 tbs flour (spelt)
- pepper to taste
- corn starch (for a thicker gravy)



Then we had sweet ones, too. We made a chocolate peanut butter sauce (peanut butter, milk, cocoa, sugar) to go on top of banana filled crepes!

Delicious.

homesick and bike ride cure

Yesterday was an unreasonable hard day. I missed Athens, a lot. I missed my friends, a lot. I missed my family, a lot. I was homesick. I don't know that I've ever felt very homesick before. Maybe that's because Athens felt so much like home pretty quickly, or that it was so close to where I grew up. Maybe it's because every time I've been away I've known it wasn't that long until I returned. Or maybe because for the first time in my life I really felt connected to a place and to the people there, and have a fear that those connections will fade away the longer I'm away.

I got a photo message on facebook, that on any other day would have made me really happy but that day, made me cry.

And I had a headache and have generally been feeling slightly ill. Plus a continuous back ache that is reminiscent of the kind I used to get in highschool. All of this lead to a really awful mood that I couldn't shake. So, I decided to go for a bike ride. I got all ready, and literally as I was ready to walk out the door, it began to rain. The world was actively working against me.

But that night was a full moon bike ride, which I had forgotten about, until I was reminded about 10 min before we needed to leave.

Anyone want to go on the full moon bike ride?
No.
Well... actually... yes.

So I went for a ride. It felt so good. My biggest challenge was remembering that I wasn't actually flying and closing my eyes as I let go of my handle bars was not the safest idea. I got back to the house and felt SO much better. My body was happier, and so was my mind.

Today I woke up and decided to forget yesterday and start fresh. Favorite skirt, check. Bow in my hair, check. Ready to get some work done, check. Come downstairs and bam! A lovely message in my fb inbox and a great letter laying on top of my computer.



(a view from a random spot along the bike route. this part of maine has the biggest tidal changes in the world- so in high tide all that crazy sand/mud would be ocean water. woah.)

And I decided to go for that same bike ride I did last night during the day and see it a little better (and go completely at my own pace). The Music: Janina's mix she made me before I left Athens (perfect). The ride is just over 11 miles, and I was out for well over an hour when I added in some stretching over the Bad Little Falls.


(look mom! I'm wearing a helmet! {no seriously- i took this so my mom would be proud i've started wearing a helmet)

Got home, and the whole house smells like amazing dinner, which I can't wait for.

I am so spoiled.

Jasper Beach

They last day Caleb and Ben were around, we went to Jasper Beach which is just about 10 miles away from the Grange. The drive was really pretty and you could see fishing boats out in different bays, and you really saw how big of a difference the tides being out made. It looks sort of like a sandy beach, but it's not sand, it's mud. They car ride was really hilly and both Erin and I felt a little car sick, plus I was driving a stick shift which always makes me nervous.


(Ben and Erin hanging out on the rocky shore of Jasper Beach. Seaweed Head.)

It was a really beautiful day though, and when we got there we walked across thousands of rocks- from the size of my fist to almost sand- which is what makes up the beach. One of my favorite noises is when the waves crash in, and then pull the rocks back. I might have already said that, but I really like it. We all took off our shoes and waded in, but it was so cold I didn't go further than my calves and I still didn't last very long.


(Ben went swimming, even though the water is so cold it kind of hurts)


(Erin and Caleb skipping rocks and hanging out and such)

On the way back, we went around to the Take Out place here. On our way, we got pulled over. Apparently you can't have someone riding in the back of a truck in Maine... who knew? (not me). The cop rolled up and kept eyeing Caleb (who was hanging out oblivious to the fact that his sitting choice was why we were pulled over).

Cop: (hand on gun, being irritated as we search for the registation and can only seem to find unpaid parking tickets)
Erin: I can't find the registration.
Me: uhh
Cop: (standing with hand on gun)
Erin: (searching, searching, calling Kbar, no answer, an answer...)
I need Kbar, emergency, emergency! (lost call)
Erin: I don't know...
Cop: let me run your license...
(comes back, hand still on gun)
You know it's youre responsibility as the driver. You would get a ticket, not him. And you need to know where the registration is before you borrow your friends truck... condescending... condescending... i'm a dude... and i'm a cop... and you're a girl... and you're friend is black... and i'm a dude cop.
Me: we won't do it again officer...

Anyway, then we get to take out. It's the best take out ever, and the place is painted with red, white, and blue stripes and there are american flags all over the place, but there are also a bunch of pride flags. it seems delightfully ironic to me. the food is good, they have really great sweet potato fries, and HUGE portions of ice cream. My favorite so far has been blueberry, I think they add blueberries to it themselves but I'm not sure. It's really good. Everyone else really loves the Haddock Burger- which is a local fish.


(Take Out, from about a week or so before the Jasper beach trip)

and then we went home, and got back to work (yippie!)

easy peasy bread

One of the many things I've been doing this summer, is trying to keep bread stocked in the house. As it turns out, 10 people eat a lot more bread than 3, and making bread that takes 20 hours and lots of kneading isn't really very feasible.

So, I spent some time searching online for an easy, vegan, quick no knead bread. And I think my search was successful (and it's from the NYTimes... who knew?)

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup other flour (I've been using Spelt)
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
oil

Let yeast explode in the warm water, then add all the flours and corn meal. Mix. Cover for 4 hours. Then, grease a bread pan and fill it with the super bubbley mix. Cover and let rise for one more hour. It will reach the top of the pan, but don't worry, that's about all it will rise.


(Yes, that is a cast iron bread pan. Yes, I am in love.)


Bake at 350 for 45 min (or more) until it's done on the inside! And there you have it, fresh bread, with very minimal input- and a happy household!

photos from yellowstone

I've realized my photos from Yellowstone are very lacking. So, I'm using some of the photos Jessica took and put up on the internet to share some more than what I already have.


(beaver pond in the grand tetons)


(A short hike in Yellowstone)


(a view from about 8,500 ft up, near the top of the mountain during our backpacking trip)


(on our backpacking trip, the many downed trees added the the strain of our hike a lot)


(the landscape at the beginning of our backpacking trip)


(a amazingly blue pool near the gysers)


( we got stuck in a hail storm on a hike one day. crazy weather seemed to be a theme of our trip)


(we saw a bear! and two baby cubs!)


(the view from inspiration point. totally inspirations- duh)


(one of the artist paint pots. so cool!)


(the lower falls, so crazy. we watched the falls from another spot for a really long time)


(a cactus flower in the badlands!)


(after hiking up some really cool rocks in the badlands)


Jessica took a LOT of really great photos, so many I can't really put it all on here very well. But I guess that's how it works- you never really can summarize an adventure with few photographs...

a little dip

I can't believe I forgot to share this story.

After the last day of the USSF, we all decided to go swimming in the 'secret spot' (which, of course, is no secret and well known by many). So, we went out to the light house off of Belle Isle and took a (skinny) dip into the Michigan River.

One friend decided to go for a real swim, and swam away from shore. As she got a while out when we noticed a speed boat heading her way. We all started to yell out to her. She had seen it and was starting to turn back, but we then realized the boat was heading directly at her, and it was doing so intentionally.

We quickly realized it was a coast guard boat. After scolding our swimming friend for, well swimming, they pulled up pretty close to the shore (and us). We all just sort of sat there, ducking neck deep into the water.

Coast Guard: Do you know it's illegal to swim in the Michigan River?

All (in unison): Nooooooo.

Coast Guard: Well, it is. Get out!

Someone: Uhh, we're a bit indecent.

Coast Guard: I don't care, get out!


Then we all proceeded to slowly crawl out of the water and moon the coast guard folk.

a new view

(The Beehive Collective house. It's a very old house, 100+ years and was the home of a lumber extactor- which is ironic. Apparently the Beehive is the first non-blood relatives to own the place. It's way larger than it looks here and has strange things in it- like this super windy tight stair case that goes from the kitchen to the upstairs (in addition to the main stairwell). I can only assume it was for servants to use.)


(This is one of those funny fancy things about the house. You can tell it's a metalic wall paper- but what you can't see is that the pattern is velvet! It's all fuzzy! It's SO strange...)


(my bed room! i'm sharing it with 2 others right now. one of which is- presumably- very short term- and the other has the same time line as me. it's possible someone will move out into another bed room- but for now at least- bed, sweet bed.)


(this is the bad little falls. it's where fresh water meets salt water. this is about a 3 min walk from the house, and is right below the grange hall. it's super pretty!)




(and just a shot from the bees at the ussf- so many folks around all the time- it was great!)

gill

when i was in gill, massachusetts we went strawberry picking. the you-pick down the road was at the end of the season and said we could pick for free! we didn't stay that long, but there were still tons of strawberries hiding in the field.







the next day, erin's housemate made strawberry jam. we had some for breakfast and it was so! good!

a good sign

today, i braved the world of listening to my 'athens' playlist. music from athens. i had to stop listening to it the day i left, because it made me feel too sad and made me miss being there too much.

but! today was a good sign. when i turned it on, the first song to play was naturally 'so much fun' by spooktober but the magical part, was that it didn't make me sad, it made me really happy. i figured this is a good sign that my summer has been going well.



since leaving Erins farm in Gill (she let us take her car- which is a stick shift- so i was really nervous to drive it and had to be the only driver), we headed out to meet up with everyone else near stranton (ME). And on the 4th a few of us went out with Kehben to the 4th of July parade in athens, ME. We missed the parade but caught the end of this totally ridiculous and wonderful skit thing the folks there put on every year. each year, it has a different theme- this year it was about the oil spill.

i wish i had photos, but i don't. so image a bunch of people all decked out in america gear, cheering on a diy theater presentation that basically says fuck you corporations and government- this is our country. it's way more crazy than that just made it sound. damn, i really should have taken a photo.

then today we left straton and drove to machias. on the drive, the car almost broke down! i'm not even kidding. it had a really hard time going up hills or downshifting, so we pulled off. we pulled out the owners manual and found out it was the a) belt or b) alternator. a fella who worked at the truck stop told us it was the alternator and we would be able to drive it home without it breaking down. this makes it- 4/4 cars i spent time in since leaving athens ohio that have had a least minor problems. i blame my mother for this super power.


and now i'm in machias. erin and i made dinner with a fella who was taking care of the cats and then i got a tour of the HUGE house. it's insane. i'm going to get a tour or town and bike to the beach tomorrow! so exciting!

the story of jessica

I took very few photos on my yellowstone adventure, but took a few gems.


(amazing cinnamon rolls, courtesy of sonia, providing a much needed breakfast after trying to sleep in a tent during the worst thunder storm- ever- in Missouri)


(big sky)


(our amazing camp site, one of the few nights without any rain, after driving 14 hours on 2 hours of sleep, in wyoming. most stars i've ever seen)


(stopping to look at cool rocks and the sunset, near Wyoming, maybe in it)


(our own little water fall, at our campsite we had after backpacking almost 1000 ft up a mountain. lovely.)

it feels like it was so long ago already, that it seems strange to write about it. and i have a lot of work on my plate already, but wanted to get a brief update out there.

i'm currently in a coffee house, in Greenfield, Massachusetts, hoping that the car gets fixed soon and i can be on my way to Maine. This is the third car I've been in since leaving Athens that has some sort of malfunction. the car to yellowstone got low on transmission fluid and we had a scare (that ended up being totally fine). the truck i left detroit in had a broken fan, which also runs the coolant pump and almost killed it's self as we pushed it a little too hard. then the car i rode to out of toledo in and towards maine, had an engine misfire and erin and i have been stuck in Gill since. With some very serious luck, it will be fixed today and we can carry on. but, more likely we'll be here at least another day (and hang out with baby ducks at the farm our friend lives on!).


woah.