Kickin' it old school

So I've been thinking a lot about my interest in learning how to make things traditionally. It all ties in to my theory that life would be a lot better if we lived a little closer to the land and hadn't pushed aside a more natural/simple way of doing things for so long. I think it's a serious problem that no one knows how to do or make anything anymore--they just buy it because that's easier (but almost never healthier or better). I read an article today that summed up this feeling: "I have been trying to figure out why no one knows how to do anything anymore. We can’t understand, let alone repair, most of the gadgets we use everyday...We don’t know how to grow tomatoes, can peaches, hem pants, or build fences. As the last generations of depression-era children or back-to-the-landers take their leave of this world, these skills go with them."
So true--and so sad. I don't know why or how it got under my skin to research and learn these types of skills but..it's definitely a desire of mine. I guess it shows up in my art too--my themes are typically about the past and incorporating it into the present--that it's never really forgotten, or shouldn't be. I could ramble on, but i'll spare you.

After spending the weekend with my sister shopping for essential oils that are energy provoking (lemongrass, orange, clove bud) and serenity provoking (ylang ylang, lavender, cedarwood). And if you're thinking "This kind of stuff is crap" well, i used to think that too. But after using them for aromatherapy to help me get a decent night's sleep during art school exam times (they actually worked) I started to see there was something to it all.
So all this brings me to my next venture: I'm gonna make my own lye soap. I was reading up on it more after my sister and I made soap out of some stuff we found at Michael's and it seems infinitely more practical and efficient to make it the old school way and get a lye solution going. I plan on heading to the library Monday to seek out some books on soap making and then possibly heading across the border to Tennessee to purchase some lye...because it's illegal to sell it in the good ole state of North Carolina. Lucky I'm near the the border.

Definitely more on this endeavor later. I'm super excited to see how this turns out!