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A Year of Re-Skilling

Yogurt: The Easiest DIY Ever

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Making yogurt is so easy that I’m just going to post photos.

Step 1: get a good teacher (e.g. Katie, Renaissance Women member and Cowichan Recyclist)
(This is a fancy yogurt maker. You don’t need this.)
Step 2: get some yogurt (homemade or store-bought). This will be your mama culture.
Step 3: Measure 1 litre of milk (thicker milk, e.g. homogenized, makes thicker yogurt).
Step 4: heat milk to 180-degrees. Stir frequently and use medium heat so it doesn’t burn.
Step 5: cool the milk to 115 degrees in the kitchen sink filled with cold water.
Step 6: add 2 tbsp of the mama yogurt to the 1 litre of 115-degree milk.
(As an alternative to mama yogurt, you can use a packet of yogurt starter.)
Step 7: whisk the starter into the milk.
Step 8: pour the milk into one 1 litre or two 500 ml jars. Screw on the lid, then wrap in a tea towel. Here, Patti shows off her swaddling skills.
Step 9: place your yogurt jar(s) in the oven with the oven light on. This provides just enough warmth for the yogurt to set in 6-12 hours. Then refrigerate and eat!

See how easy that is? Yogurt is a living food, like kombucha or sourdough, and therefore yet another DIY food that’s good for you. Go heat some milk and give it a whirl!

A Year of Re-Skilling

Random How-Tos Part 1

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Here are some how-tos I’ve picked up sporadically throughout my 31 years:

How to clean a ceramic teapot

Rinse the teapot with water. Dump in a bunch of baking soda. Wait 5 seconds, then wipe the teapot with a wet cloth, smooshing around the baking soda. It’ll be spotless, and without using any gross chemicals. This works for tea-stained and coffee-stained mugs/dishes too.

How to get your kids to read

Learned from my parents:

  1. read to them
  2. read in front of them
  3. take them to the library at least once a week so they can check out lots and lots of books
  4. don’t make them feel guilty about library late fees
  5. optional: give  gifts of books at Christmas time (especially on Christmas Eve to help calm excited nerves and get everyone to sleep)

How to get a job

Don’t wait for job postings. Think of what you might want to do, then:

  1. Google local people who do that job, then email them and ask if you can take them for lunch/coffee and ask some questions. If they don’t think you’re creepy, you will be top-of-mind when an opportunity arises. NOTE: this doesn’t work for freelance or entrepreneurial jobs. You are their future competition.
  2. Tell your friends and family you want to work in a specific area. Inevitably someone knows someone. Then: see #1 above.
  3. In the meantime, stalk job postings (all of them, not just the classifieds, and not just one website) and apply for anything you’re somewhat qualified for. One of my favourite jobs came from applying for an entry-level job — they saw my resume and skills, and hired me for the (better) job they hadn’t yet posted.

How to find your love partner

  1. Do what you like to do, whether it’s a dance class, political activism, a book club, a sports team, etc. You already have something in common with everyone you meet, so you’re halfway there. If there aren’t any date-able options in your activities, see #2 below.
  2. Tell your friends that you want to date new people. Tell them what you’re looking for. At the very least, you’ll have lots of dates as a result. In our 20s, my girlfriends and I hosted “Bring Your Own Stranger (BYOS)” events at a local bar. We handed out invitations to interesting single people we met in the weeks beforehand, and challenged friends and coworkers to bring their single friends. It was awesome.
  3. Have fun by yourself. I met Brock when I went to a gay friend’s birthday party. I did not expect any straight men to be there. And I was sick with a cold too. But I went because I knew it would be a fun party, and once I got there I found out the birthday boy had a present for me: a tall, straight, single man.

How to emergency-iron wrinkled clothes

Use a hot-air hair dryer. You can even do this while still wearing the item of clothing. Be careful not to stretch the fabric with your hand while drying, though, because the fabric will stay stretched-out until you wash it.

How to shave your legs

A friend told me this before she trained as an esthetician … perhaps she’s learned a better method since: use body lotion instead of shaving cream. You moisturize your skin while shaving.

Not much for 31 years! Post your own below so I can learn more, please.