Chapter 5: Surviving the Outpost - Water, Light, Heat & Food

While at the Faire, I wanted to test my ability to survive in a minimalistic environment; once again striving to be less dependent on chemical and electrical energy. It should be said that while I was at Britannia, I did received $1,000 a month allowance for my progress at the Faire. Yes, I was grateful and fortunate enough to get sponsored for living at the Faire, but that was my only source of income the entire 8 months of my residency, and for the first month and a half that income supported two people: Anvil and myself. Let us quickly break that down. For roughly 24 days of each month, I would get up in the early hours of the dawn, or a slightly after, to start my morning with a hearty meal alongside a hot drink and begin the work day. I would stop for lunch at around 1-2ish and not cease again until dinner needed to be made. Some nights I worked so long into the evening's fall that I had to make dinner in the dark. During the summertime, that meant a start time of around 915pm. So it is easily safe to say that I was active 13 to 16 hours a day in sponsor for 38 dollars each of those days. Yup, you read correct: 38 dollars a day.

Almost all of that allowance went to my real life bills. Even though I was living in a fantasy world where these things did not exist, sadly the portal of Britannia Faire could not dissolve their reality. While I was able to completely eliminate my shelter expense and utility cost, minus gasoline and other combustible chemicals when I was unable to scavenge resources left over from an event, I still needed to pay for my phone service, car insurance and repair, college loans, gas for my vehicle, additional travel expenses, and food for the month. In the end I was unable to stay under this allowance rate and as a result spent some of my personal savings to live on this land within these conditions.

A picture of the Tavern before Masque Ball taken April 2013. Old rotting bar top featured in the last blog, is laying on the ground next to the ATV.

Once I was able to focus less on prepping for events, I was able to concentrate on how I could reduce my living expense. My first solution was to never use the generator to provide heat in the form of electric heaters or plug-in blankets, lights, nor running showers or sinks for drinking and washing water. Truth be told, I was only half successful with this endeavor. I never failed for heat check, but occasionally for light and running water under certain circumstances.

Electrically Generated Luxury: There were some nights when the weather was warm and additional energy flowed manifested by Will in addition to a wonderful sound system and groovy tunes, where I worked well into the darkened hours. What drove me to use the generator was my OCD to have things neat, organized, and taking up the least space as possible. Thus, I exhausted these hours sanitizing drawers, cabinets, and additional areas untouched or unexplored, trying to find a new organized and logical place where similar objects could live together in a less chaotic, thrown together setting. If things became piled up and cluttered in my immediate space, my mind would mirror the environment and become the same. All my creative energy would cease until the Set was clean and in order once again.

I felt compelled to clean the Tavern at night when I could artificially create luminosity. Having used the day’s natural radiance to work on the land, I never wanted to waste the natural rays working on something that could be completed under simulated light. I tried to limit the generator run time to two hours an evening when I would go through my cleaning spurts. By second season, I wanted to chart out when, how often, and what I used the generator for, in hopes to become more efficient at chemical resource management. However, given the death of the second season, I was unable to carry out my experiment.

Charging Stations: By the beginning of the following season, after the introduction of the Brit Coin (One coin = One US Dollar as backed by Elon) if one person wanted to plug in their device to charge they were asked to donate one coin as donation to the gas fund it took to run the generator, in compensation for the convenience of not having to walk back to the car parking lot to charge off a car converter. In game/during events, one could even look at it as a penalty to your character for breaking the medieval atmosphere. I am sad this idea took so long to manifest itself.

I used this electrical opportunity to charge my rechargeable battery music player, additional electronic devices, and run the water to wash the two-three days of stacked dishes, so we did not attract mice or flies. I actually really enjoyed doing dishes when the time presented itself. Warm soaks were the only way to get my dirt saturated nails and hands clean from the day/two days of work; as rinsing them off in the stream doesn’t have the same effect.

The common state of my hands.

Water:

Speaking of running water, the Tavern does have a well system that feeds two showers, three toilets, one urinal, and two sinks. However, when the well was initially dug, the aquifer selected was found to contain sulfur water. Hydrogen sulfide in well water can come from a number of sources. Most commonly, it occurs naturally in groundwater or it can be produced by certain sulfur bacteria in the well. No worries, the rotten egg smell produced from sulfur water does not relate to the sanitary quality of the water, as sulfur bacteria is not harmful by itself. What is potentially hazardous is the buildup of sulfide gas in the air. However, there were no enclosed spaces accessed by the public where hydrogen sulfide gas could collect. (For a cross reference source visit the Department of Health: Well management tab.)

You may ask, what causes hydrogen sulfide gas to form in groundwater?  *Quick Science Lesson here.* The answer: decaying organic matter or an aqueous (liquid) chemical reaction with sulfur-containing minerals found within the soil and surrounding rock formations, where these minerals may dissolve in the water. Yay!  Using knowledge derived from my Aqueous Geochemistry class in college. *Suddenly feeling like a scientist again*
 

HydrogenSulfide molecule

Lucky for the Faire, it was found that the water outgases the sulfur in two-three days if left in an open container. However, most visitors reacted adversely to this drinking water issue and many gallons of pre-filtered water were brought in from the general store's shelves. I on the other hand, had no problem with the sulfur contaminated water. To save money on buying water and to reduce plastic waste, I devised a system that involved sanitizing and washing the empty gallon jugs that others had purchased and used, refilling them with sulfur water from the tap, and leaving them open, exposed to the air in the outdoor unplugged fridge located next to the newly black painted pantry. Depending on which day of outgasing the gallons were at, determined which shelf the gallons were placed on; moving the gallons up one shelf every day of outgasing that passed. With this system, I always had at least 12-15 gallons of drinking water on hand at any time.

*Side note* The pantry, which was another unplugged fridge, used to be a cream colored, covered in stains and rust. Three cans of black spray epoxy later, the pantry looked like new and was placed outside in the public eye. This made room for an actual fridge that was utilized when events were taking place. My Stage Manager and Set Design experience has shifted my assessment on how I view what the public sees when they enter the Faire. To me this entire 56 acre land is a huge live action Set in which people come to play a character, much like impromptu theater. Therefore, if I am going to place a mundane object out into a mock medieval setting, I want the object to blend in and to be as ascetically pleasing as possible. No one may have noticed the change, but I sure did and it helped me fall more into character because of it.

Water Jugs add up fast and take up a lot of space. Brain screams, “MUST CLEAN ALL THE THINGS! Make the counter space clutter go away! Cannot create new, if old is not maintained.”

Bathing:

During the fall, I would spoil myself with a hot shower after a few days of hard labor, or wait it out to shower at an event site or when I traveled elsewhere. The summer would find me using biodegradable soaps to bathe in the stream that flowed alongside the property. I was not above taking advantage of Britannia Faire’s showers if an event was happening, the generator was full, and I did not pay from my own allowance to fill it. Stream showering gave me a whole new appreciation for hot water and I remember thinking how heavenly the showering experience was at Ragnarok or Badon Hill; even more so when I would visit personal homes. When you live without, the littlest thing makes you grateful and happy. At least it did for me.  

The common swimming hole from a not so common perspective.

There were two places that were deep enough to bathe at BF: One is the common swimming hole most visitors know about while the other, more private area, is located at the end of the property line past the Back 40. The water was cool, sometimes even cold, but always refreshing. It was such a reward to be clean.

Canopied by a beautiful Sycamore tree that has its roots wrapped around broken bed rock.

Pictured above is the more private bathing area. The Rock is a great space to sleep in the sun, on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If I was at the Faire on a Sunday, I tried to make it a point to only work half the day or only on things that directly benefited me or made my life more efficient; celebrating the week's progress with a day of rest. 

The seasons have begun to change and Summer is in full green.

Non Electrically Generated Light:

On most evenings at the Faire, when I had the energy to stay awake, my immediate eveningscape was either illuminated by candles, bathed in the glow of firelight, or depending on how much brightness I required for the evening, posssibly a Tiki canister or two. In a closed space where the light has a high surface area to bounce and reflect off of, one mobile Tiki goes a long way. I would make sure only to use candles upstairs, as to avoid the black smoke and fumes that Tiki’s give off.

A Night in the Life

Heat:

On chilly evenings, harnessed flames were the only source of additional heat not in the form of extra clothing layers, or 25lbs of blankets. More than once I regretted not starting a fire in the upstairs fire place before bed and found myself awake and cold during the night. Given that wood, tinder, paper products, and homemade wax fire starters were the only ways I started fires, I would make it a chore to always have a stockpile of each on hand.

This small stock of wood would only last around two and a half days max if conditions were cold every night. For the upstairs fireplace pieces needed to be kept small and under a certain size to fit within the hinged door. Did not receive the blackened wood receptacle until Spring of the following season. It made things more convenient and kept the floor free of debris... most of the time.

Firewood:

Britannia Faire’s wood supply came from a huge stockpile of lumber stacks deposited by the previous wood harvesters that visited the land, prior to Red's initial purchase. Before and during events, runs to the Back 40 would be made, to fill the onsite truck up with the burnable wood slats, to be placed where the public fires were to be.  

This is just one of the many piles of wood that was taking up residence within the vicinity of the Back 40.

While great for huge communal fires, these pieces were simply too big for my purpose. I would create a personal stock of split wood from fallen trees and logs scattered around the sections of the Faire. Surprisingly a large amount of what was gathered equally came from the Back 40. However, these were fully intact downed trees that were buried by the grass that grew tall in the far neglected field. They were discovered and harvested from Anvil’s and my adventure in taming the Back 40 for the first time. I will go more into how much of an adventure this was in a different update that deals solely with the Back 40 efforts.

My new toy and closest thing to a baby I will ever have. My foot for scale.

Given my new primitive living lifestyle and my love of forest restoration, I figured this was a great time to spend the few dollars I stashed away for a rainy day on a brand new personal Chainsaw. With continual tune ups and frequent sharpening, I plan on having this tool in my stores for a long time. I was so excited to use my 18inch chainsaw that I remember rushing home to play. Each downed tree was cut to the length of 16 inches so that it would fit easily into the small fireplace in the upstairs cabin.

There’s an old adage that says firewood warms you twice: once when you split it and again when you burn it. True enough. Cutting and splitting firewood is a great way to work up a sweat, and it’s also extremely rewarding.

After the initial cut with the chainsaw, it was time to split all that was harvested. Anvil practically begged me to split the wood; as he enjoyed the physical work out and liked that it challenged his hand-eye coordination. I can equally relate to his feelings and also enjoy the splitting task.

The area under the back stairs was turned into a woodcutting station. Axes, mauls, and hatchet hung on the plywood under the stairs for easy access and organization. This area was often littered with wood splinters. Once in a while, these wood splinters would be raked up and collected in buckets to be used as tinder.

When I cut wood, I don’t think of it as “work.” To me, not only am I working out my entire body, picking up and dropping the maul, I am rewarded with the satisfaction of improved survival. This wood can be used to light a darkened space, produce “free” heat, and even provide me a place to cook my food. All of those things I can provide myself at the expense of gaining stronger muscles and becoming leaner for my efforts. Plus the more you Woodcut the better and more efficient you become. 

It was absolutely surprising how much wood ones goes through during the colder months, or on rainy days. I never wanted to be stuck without means of heat. I always kept a reserve supply under a tool bench in the shed, behind the sofa in the sitting room, and I tried to always keep my rooms supply topped off. I did this just to be prepared. Without quick access to a weather report, I never knew when the rains and cold weather changes were on its way. Sometimes, it would rain for three days straight, and you never wanted to be stuck without dry wood to keep you warm. 
 

Before I left the Faire in November of 2013, I made sure to move all the extra wood I split up to the loft so that it would stay out of the snow and free of moisture. This wood did not make it to the following season when I returned, as the resource was used up by both the Viking and the Ranger upon winter visits.

I made it a point to never use combustible chemical accelerant to start my fires. I would start with one homemade wax fire starter and then pile sticks on top of the flame in a tepee formation being careful to avoid smothering the flame. I also made it a point to collect any and all burnable products produced by the Tavern and its event guests. This included used paper towels, napkins, scrap or used paper, and cardboard boxes of any thickness from cereal to moving box. I made a tinder pile from the collection of sticks that covered Bandit Camp’s grass, in addition to the limbs of the fallen trees collected from the Back 40 that were under 2 inches in diameter. Happy with the progress of the flames, I would then add the split wood and begin enjoying the scent and sound of a warm crackling fire.

Food:

This was an area at first where I could not cut much of an expense on. Given that I was working my body to extreme levels, I wanted to select only nutrient-dense food that would provide the most bang for my nutritional buck. Nutrient-dense foods contain high levels of nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, but with few calories. They are high-quality and generally not or minimally processed.

There was also the added compilation of keeping any food I bought cold. I would be sure to only buy half gallons of milk, if any milk at all, and my meat consumption practically halted to a stand still. This also made scheduled events magical, because I would take advantage of the cooling system the fridge supplied. Fresh fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, and starch composed a majority of my diet.

This image shows everything I would consume, including the treat of dairy products. I would only stray from this selection during scheduled events or when the management crew went to dinner in town at a local pizza shop with an all you can eat buffet for $7.85. I cheated and ate there around twice a month. You would be surprised the things you can make with only these ingredients.

Given my reluctance to buy expensive, need-to-be-refrigerated meat, a majority of my protein came from Hummus and Peanut Butter. 

Avocados were also an expensive item to buy, but sometime I would spoil myself.

If the additional staff members came early on an event week, sometimes they would purchase meat. Chicken, Pork, and Steak were on the ingredient list then.

The potato side dish on the upper-left side was a usual my main dish on evenings I cooked for myself.

Vegetable packed salad with dried fruit was also a common entrée, dressed with a simple oil, vinegar, and pepper dressing. However, this night we had steak!!!

While I could have cut down more cost by cooking each meal over an open keyhole style fire, I wagered that I would prefer the time it would take to start a fire and get the temp right every lunch and dinner, to be filled with physical labor instead. Therefore, cooking happened either in a propane fueled grill, or a mini-Colman cook stove, also powered by propane. However, there were times on lazy Sundays where the time was taken to cook on an open range. 

Timmourne Darkwater was the Sponsoring Land Marshall for the 2013 season and we spent a lot of time together that year. We shared meals, stories, fires, and even crossed swords a few times.

During the evening or on rainy afternoons, sometimes I would desire a nice relaxing cup of tea or perhaps some hot chocolate. For this I would make sure to utilize the fire that I already had started for the evening; further utilizing a free resource thus saving the propane that needed to be bought from the general store in town. 

While I understand that running to town for supplies was essential, I often thought of it as cheating myself out of the primitive experience. I wanted to be more sustainable than this and I wanted to further reduce my cost of living. And with that thought, I started the adventure of building a garden on unknown soils. But that is an adventure for another day.