Spring Clean Up

Every year our Senior class at our little country school raises money to go on a Senior Trip and for a Senior Gift. Last year the Seniors went on an Alaskan cruise, stopping in Canadian ports along the way. The kids start earning the money as freshman. The freshman class this year has decided to earn their money by collecting and selling scrap metal. They have been to a number of homes collecting old wire fencing, t-posts, and other metals. They came to our place this last weekend and they worked hard gathering a trailer full of metal things that we don't want or don't need. It looks a little different here without the old lawn tractor, rolls of fencing and so on.
(Now if I can find someone to haul off the junked plywood. It makes good kindling for fires.) BTW, the school itself does not contribute financially to the senior trips, the money is all raised by the students. Once I put up the new pasture fence, I'll have another load of wire for the kids.

Fire starters Version 2

Last winter I posted about making fire starters. For starting fires in your fireplace. For a reminder- Melt old candles over simmering water. Use a metal bowl you don't really need anymore for the candles. Put dryer lint into each egg cavity in a cardboard egg carton (Styrofoam doesn't work well). The new version involves putting a teaspoon of old dried coffee into each cavity. Pour the melted candle wax over the lint and coffee. Let the wax solidify. Tear apart the egg carton. I usually use two cavities for each attempt at starting a fire. You can also add herbs and spices to add fragrance. Thanks to my mom for providing candles and dryer lint (our lint is too sandy, but what do you expect when we live in Desert). And thanks to Cheryl for suggesting the coffee addition. Cheryl makes her fire starters with coffee and shredded paper instead of lint. She's been shredding the really old papers at the school that we don't need any longer.