Making Waxed Cotton Food Wraps

I made these from one yard of fabric from my stash, cut into fat quarters.  They are quite large, I'll probably make them smaller next time. 

They hold their shape well.

Starting with a cloth that has been prepared by sewing the edges (or cutting with pinking shears), grate some wax on a cheese grater.  I used inexpensive paraffin wax from a salvage store, but if you're the kind of "crunchy" person who uses extra-virgin coconut oil to clean your bathroom, then you'll of course want to use local, organic beeswax.  The fat quarters took a little over 2 ounces each.  

 Heat your oven to 200 degrees.  Lay the cloth on a cookie sheet (I had to fold it.)  Sprinkle half the grated wax over each layer.

Heat in oven until the wax has melted.  Then, using a paintbrush you don't mind sacrificing, spread the wax to the edges.  Re-fold (or turn over) and repeat.  

Lay over a cooling rack (or two) to cool.  

Hand-wash these with cool water.  Don't microwave them of course.  When the wax has worn off you can re-wax them, or just give them a hot wash and use them as cloth napkins.

The Struggle to Find Community in Groups

I gave up on the prepper group I had joined.  The most active members left the group a while back in a mysterious, paranoid mass exodus.  The group that was left lacks the inclusive spirit of the original group, discussions became all about conservative politics, and it became clear that I don't belong there. 

So I tried to become active in Transition RVA, but I've pretty much given up on that too.  All their meetings are on weekday evenings, and they are not child-friendly, making it difficult for a parent of a young child to participate.  Most of their events are documentary movie screenings, which I have no interest in because I am already converted, or they're about alternative housebuilding, which I have no interest in because I'm not in a position to build a house.  They did some fruit tree planting in a park, which is worthwhile, but I have too much gardening work in my own yard to want to do that kind of work anywhere else.  Also, it seems that most of the group is vegan, which is  a good indicator of how serious they are about sustainability: a vegan lifestyle is not sustainable in this climate without fossil-fuel-dependent agriculture.  There is just too much idealism and sentimentality in this group and too little pragmatism or real action, and it's hard to see how my skills could be useful to what this group is doing.  I see the offerings of the Transition group in nearby Charlottesville, and it gives me one more reason to wish I lived there instead of here. 

The best group I've joined lately is a Facebook-based bartering group.  I've done several barter exchanges and made some friends in this group.  The group is not ideological at all, and that seems to make it work better.

I've considered starting my own group, focusing on household-level resiliency.  I imagine skill-sharing workshops, "barn-raisings" to help each other with big projects, an old-school postal mail newsletter instead of yet another internet group, kid-friendly meetings, and swap meets.  But I'm not sure I have the time and energy to commit to organizing that right now.  In fact, I'm sure I don't.