We are on the cusp of a new chapter for Bedlam Farm—first, the raven. I spent an hour this morning looking at YouTube videos talking about how to make friends with Ravens and get them to know us and be safe around us. We are not looking to have a Raven as a pet, but we’ve heard so much about them – they are considered the most intelligent birds on the planet.

The videos suggested putting meat and animal bones (plenty of those around here) underneath the maple tree where they nest. They speak to us outside of our bedroom window every morning.

We may also create Raven sounds with a bird sound app Maria has to make them curious. Ravens are formidable hunters and sometimes thieves but are surprisingly amenable to people.

Since I wrote about this, I’ve gotten a dozen messages from people who have made contact with Ravens without trying to capture them or make them into pets.

I’m fascinated by them – so is Maria – and we would get to know one or two of them better and learn how amazing they are said to be.

We’re also ready to assemble our new free-standing and odorless composting toilet from Nature’s Head. The bathroom weighs 28 pounds and is completely portable and self-contained.

We will put the toilet together this coming weekend; we’ve been too busy to get to it. We have heard from many people who have used these toilets, from private homes to RVs to cabins, boats, amps, and remote houses.

Just imagine how much water could be saved if these toilets were widely used.

The composting toilet is also used in old farmhouses like ours, which are too complex and expensive to add upstairs bathrooms. The reviews and comments have all been good. The toilet is entirely self-contained, urine-diverting, and waterless.

This all began when a long-time and faithful blog reader read that I fell down the stairs after catching some wicked virus and ran too fast for the bathroom. She strongly urged me to build a bathroom upstairs.

We researched building a new bathroom, which was too complex and expensive. So we came across these portable “dry” toilets, which we found are already widely used. The composting toilet we got cost about $1,200.

I’ve gotten many requests for updates on the toilets and how it works; I’ll share the process every step along the way (but the last.)

I’m excited about both of these projects.

I’d love to know Raven better; they fascinate me. I’ve heard so much about them; the toilet could be a profound step into the future. It needs no water, and the waste can fertilize pastures and gardens.