The World of EATer’s and Permies

The Labyrinth at Rose Creek 

I thought I would be posting sooner than now, though “re-entry” into reality has left me a little shell shocked and bewildered.  I was away for two weeks at a permaculture design course outside Ashville, N.C., but it wasn’t the run of the mill pc course.   For starters, we were spoiled with three ‘organilocal’ squares a day, which were shared over in depth conversations of conflict resolution, tantra, permaculture playground design for burning man and the like.  This was preceded and or followed by various earth based rituals with lots of singing, sharing and getting in touch with your inner self (looking like a fool).

  

Laying out contours w/ an A-frame and a quick permaculture design on 1/8 acre

Not to be taken lightly, this was an intensive course to say the least.  Interwoven with the required course material, including a design project and participation in a no-talent show, we were sporadically exposed to surprise actions in which we were enticed to procure a collective intelligent response.  As example, a spontaneous dance party broke out between lectures and was abruptly halted when we (the dancers) were corralled by the police (actor children and other students) and beaten with batons (paper batons).  Things got quite physical when we banded together, fell to the floor and started to chant.  The police, thoroughly engaged (and enjoying it) in their role, began to attempt to pull people (me) from the pack.  I was ultimately terrified of becoming seperated from my sisters & brethren, who had a firm clasp on my extremities to the point at which I began to wonder if this were a real direct action, would I simply be pulled apart?  Note: see Starhawk’s non-violent activism resources.

Jack’s restored 67 VW

There were herb walks, where I learned how to identify water hemlock - ‘veins to the cut, pain in the gut - veins to the tip, everything is hip.’  There were peaceful nights in the tent and wet soggy mornings in the tent.  There was a girl named Dragonfly, a guy named Noah who is an active member of the International Solidarity Movement, a girl that was studying to be a doctor in Cuba and the author of Radical Healing, among other inspiring souls.  I didn’t get as dirty as hoped due to the relocation of our course, but I did get to hike to the Tennessee River and take a dip.  Oh, and the mead.  If I got nothing else out of this course, I took away an intense interest in mead and mead making.

Noah & Kelly exhibit their Fire Poi talents

We were remotely located away from cell phone service and nearby towns, so we created our own “bar” at our retreat, where the organic porters, double belgian brews, ports and meads flowed.  I sampled apple-lemon cyser, hyssop-anise metheglin, apricot-cinnamon melomel and various other home made meads.  I witnessed a small (30-40 gallons) homebrew mead operation, a mead making demonstration at the no-talent show and various wild yeasters sporting their wares.  Within two days of arriving home, I had a gallon of Joe’s Ancient Orange mead bubbling away on the counter and another gallon in the makings.

Mead at AVI

I got to hang with the female permaculture heavy weights for two weeks, Starhawk, Penny Livingston-Stark and Patricia Allison.  I forewent the day trip (our one day off) to Earthaven Ecovillage to catch up on some much needed relaxation.  Ah, another time I’ll make the trip to see how they have assembled their little village.  I’m back home now, immersed in courses and design work.  Back to 90 + degree days and the land of the flatwoods.  Got mead?                

Speed Restrictions on Housing

Exit door of “Pipe Dreams” at Elefante, handcrafted home structures

I wish that I could claim that I thought of Slow Home first, what can I say?  I didn’t, but when I ran across the idea, I was like, “Well, yeeah.”  As a residential designer, who secretly (guess it’s no secret now) wants to design & build treehouses and garden rooms, I hope the Slow Home movement sweeps the nation.  I hope it brings a new era of building or deconstructing that encompasses environmental restorative design, reconnecting humans and nature, and is a celebration of the human spirit possessing both anima and animus traits.  That is all.

The 10 Steps to a Slow Home 

1. GO INDEPENDENT

Avoid homes by big developers and large production builders. They are designed for profit not people. Work with independent designers and building contractors instead.

2. GO LOCAL

Avoid home finishing products from big box retailers. The standardized solutions they provide cannot fit the unique conditions of your home. Use local retailers, craftspeople, and manufacturers to get a locally appropriate response and support your community.

3. GO GREEN

Stop the conversion of nature into sprawl. Don’t buy in a new suburb. The environmental cost can no longer be justified. Re-invest in existing communities and use sustainable materials and technologies to reduce your environmental footprint.

4. GO NEAR

Reduce your commute. Driving is a waste of time and the new roads and services required to support low density development is a big contributor to climate change. Live close to where you work and play.

5. GO SMALL

Avoid the real estate game of bigger is always better. A properly designed smaller home can feel larger AND work better than a poorly designed big one. Spend your money on quality instead of quantity.

6. GO OPEN

Stop living in houses filled with little rooms. They are dark, inefficient, and don’t fit the complexity of our daily lives. Live in a flexible and adaptive open plan living space with great light and a connection to outdoors.

7. GO SIMPLE

Don’t buy a home that has space you won’t use and things you don’t need. Good design can reduce the clutter and confusion in your life. Create a home that fits the way you really want to live.

8. GO MODERN

Avoid fake materials and the re-creation of false historical styles. They are like advertising images and have little real depth. Create a home in which character comes from the quality of space, natural light and the careful use of good, sustainable materials.

9. GO HEALTHY

Avoid living in a public health concern. Houses built with cheap materials off gas noxious chemicals. Suburbs promote obesity because driving is the only option. Use natural, healthy home materials and building techniques. Live where you can walk to shop, school and work.

10. GO FOR IT

Stop procrastinating. The most important, and difficult, step in the slow home process is the first one that you take. Get informed and then get involved with your home. Every change, no matter how small, is important.    

Ah, the Emerald Coast

I just couldn’t help myself.  I saw this article and I was hysterical.  I was instantly inspired to write about it.  Upon further reflection, I thought JHK would do it better justice.  I ripped off an e-mail to JHK and was delighted this morning to see a reply.  Not that I didn’t think he read his e-mail, but I certainly had the impression he had quite a bit of it to wade through.  Because I read JHK every day, hope to see him in person at some point in my life and love his satirical, punchy and descriptive prose, I had to post our short correspondence…for the archives.

Dear Jim,
I am an avid reader of Cluster*uck Nation and thought you’d be interested in this article.  Well, not really interested, or surprised really, it’s just another absurdity of our times.  “Realtors Pray for Better Times” http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/6725, just a few short miles from Seaside, FL.  Huh??  I guess they haven’t read The Long Emergency or don’t connect the real estate bust with maybe someone upstairs is trying to tell us something.  Maybe instead of praying for a resurgance of house sales and well, let’s face it, more destruction of the planet, they should be praying for another way to feed themselves.  Hey, I’m in this growth industry as well and you better believe I’m working on some other skills to survive the long emergency.  The world and especially the Emerald Coast has too many realtors and designers (myself included) as it is.  The lull in the housing market isn’t hurting my feelings, Im spending more time in the garden and getting acquanted with my neighbors both human and otherwise.  When will these people get a clue and how can that preacher seriously lead a prayer asking God to allow these realtors to continue their profession by exploiting this planet some more.  It’s simply mind boggling.  Ta-ta and I hope you get to Seaside some day again soon.  I’ll be there!

His reply:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/6725

Hey, thanks for this.  I just posted it on “The Daily Grunt” http://www.kunstler.com/ That part of Florida has just exploded beyond all limits. Seaside and Rosemary Beach were great things.  But all the wannabes and copycats maye have come to the party too late.I hope they don’t get whacked by storms on top of this.

Jim
“It’s All Good”
(”Va Tutto Bene“)

Fun stuff.

Potluck

 

Events, daily happenings and course work  have spurred the blogging hiatus, which I’m briefly interrupting.

The graduation of the child and reuniting of all the various step, grand and parental “units” (as my sister likes to call the respective mother / father and their marital partner) went without a hitch.  Well, except the little one involving me making party arrangements at the wrong clubhouse.

Anyhow, there were other graduations to attend as well as a wedding, papers to write, books to read and projects to complete (still completing).

Among the projects is a Neighborhood Cooperative I’m constructing, loosely following a business plan model, with the intent of reuniting humans with nature and their communal roots.

The Blue Bag program is finally under way and there are talks of a CSA or community garden or farmers market???  I say “or” because it’s in the works and the specifics haven’t been revealed yet.

The Green Meets is attracting the attention of a sponsor, no specifics on this development yet either.

Today marked a culmination of these small events that represent a growing body of local, powerful, eco-conscious minded individuals.  The fringes of South Walton County are starting to infiltrate and with some hope and momentum this small corner of the coast may just prove itself in the green department.

Today a group of 14 of us came together for a potluck luncheon featuring local and regional foods.  The tables were set outside in the southern heat, under a canopy of pines, bound together with prayer flags.  The tables were covered with Sari’s and adorned with pickle jars filled with magnolias, produce props and beautifully mix-matched napkins, chairs, plates and glasses.  The representation of food was incredible: Gulf shrimp & fish ceviche, venison burgers, inkberry tea, blueberry-peach chutney over Mahi Mahi, watermelon water, spinach & duck egg quiche, pepper jelly, lima beans, pasta w/ local veggies, peach & basil tea, black bean & soy bean salsas, lemon balm & kaffir lime tea, zucchini bread,and cantelope & cucumber salad.  There were other samplings, though these were the staples.  Great food, great conversation with the majority of food coming from local gardens, farms, the Gulf, Alabama and Georgia.

 

Sporadic Posts

This may seem lame, but it happens that I’m finding myself spread a little thin in the writing department.  My writing/ blogging is now divided between elitrope, SustainingSowal (BTW, there’s yet another update), Prescott’s online learning forum (private) and all the other writing I do for my courses.  Some of these overlap and I attempt to provide links here and there when it is appropriate, though all of this is just to convey why my writing seems sporadic lately.  There you have it.  Oh, and if any of you are interested in Peak Oil and what one individual has done to create a Peak Oil online community, check out PeakOilDesign, another site I’ve been frequenting recently.

Cactus Bed

My posting and blog reading will be limited this week due to the fact that I’m in AZ until Tuesday.  For those who aren’t aware, I’ve decided to go back to school.  I felt it was time to reconcile the difference between what I feel passionate about and my current career path, bringing those two things in line with each other.  That’s just another way of saying, I’m going back to school to learn about sustainable community development with the goal of merging this with what I already do, residential design.  Keeping an open mind that what could emerge may be something entirely different.  The wonderous thing about this adventure is that I’ll be devising my own curriculum and finding local individuals to become mentors for the courses.  It’s crazy, I know.  The school is Prescott College in Prescott, AZ and it’s an adult degree program, hence the reason I’m in AZ.  This weekend will entail meeting my Core Faculty, other ADP students, getting acquainted with the schools ideals and philosophies, and learning how this mentoring thing really operates.

Sustainable & Peak Oil Ambitions

It’s that time of year when many people begin to think about their New Years resolution(s).  I gave up indulging in such thoughts years ago when I realized it was a sure set-up for failure and self loathing.  What I am in the habit of doing at the end of the year is creating 1 year and 3-5 year goals.  Since this is the time of year I usually travel to see family, this is a great way to kill time while on the plane or while taking a driving break.

In Preparation

I am compelled to revisit a topic that I’m deeply interested in and I believe is inextricably connected to global warming, sustainability and well, just about anything you could imagine.  I read the Energy Bulletin every day and I keep up with half a dozen other related sites including one of my fav’s, Sharon Astyk’s blog.  The topic is Peak Oil, which I’ve shyed away from commenting too much on because I believe there is a certain amount of processing and information gathering that one does before espousing to the world their true feelings on the subject.  After all, I believe the initial reaction from most is to associate ”doomer” with believing in Peak Oil and no one wants to hear or entertain the idea that their lifestyle may in some way be threatened.  I was reminded of my outward projected “peaknik”-ness this week when my post about being a “peaknik” was linked to another blog.  I have to share the context, though I won’t know until after this weekend if a agree.

About that letter to Microsoft

I recently wrote a letter to Microsoft Corporation regarding the recycling of a non-functioning mouse and keyboard.  I won’t repeat myself, though if you’re interested you can read about it here.  It was written in a moment of frustration, though after some reflection, I’m less certain about the proper placement of that frustration.  I was immediately frustrated because I thought I was doing the right thing by replacing a tiny little transceiver only to have my efforts thwarted by the company’s planned obsolescence.  I was further frustrated by the thought that I had succumbed to the advertising pressures to be that this was an item I needed, though that purchase was made previous to me deciding to become more proactive in the practice of sustainability.

Beets in Need of a Forever Home

It’s no wonder the average U.S. citizen often finds the choice of becoming somewhat more self sufficient as an inconceivable and exhaustible task better left to the ’survivalist’ nut jobs.  I just want to have a beautiful and fruitful garden, in spite of its smallness, to assist in reducing my food purchases and dependence on the ’system’.  I suppose that if it were easy, then yeah, lots more people would be doing it.  The seedling are coming along fine.  No problems there, actually, there aren’t any problems.  It’s all just a matter of wanting to do something bad enough.

So, I called the Growers Supply to order the pond liner, raised bed thing only to be informed by the sales person that the liner wasn’t really a good choice for a raised vegetable garden.  It did read in the catalogue “Commercial raised beds for $0.95 per sq. ft!”, but my interpretation was obviously incorrect.  None the less, I was back to square one, of what to make the raised beds that won’t cost two months worth of groceries.

I finally heard back from my neighbor regarding the urbanite.  No go, they have another friend that has already hit them up for it.  That’s too bad, though I’m relieved to know it won’t end up in the landfill just yet.

Finally, I decide this weekend that I have to figure out the garden situation as the beets are just about ready to be transplanted.  I remembered that the past tenants left some scrap lumber lying about in the backyard of the bungalow.  Turns out to be some nice pieces of 2×6x10’s, NOT pressure treated.  So, I decided by using the scrap (FREE) lumber, I could treat myself to a new circular saw, to cut the lumber.  I figure the saw will come in handy for future projects.  For small projects and in the event of scarce electricity, I also have a sharptooth hand saw, which I highly recommend.  In case you’re wondering why I don’t just plant my garden in the existing ground, saving myself the trouble of building a bed, it’s because I’m only about 10′ above sea level and the soil is mostly fill sand, not even suitable for the native vegetation.  Any attempt to amend the sand would be futile without means to contain the amended soil.

With a little gathering, sawing and assembling, the (2) 5′x3′x1′ beds were made this weekend.  BTW, the sigther took to this project with great enthusiasm and was instrumental in keeping up morale (and assembly).  Since the wood was free, I’m not going to sweat the fact that it will probably rot away in a couple years or that it might attract termites.  It is what it is, for now.

Today, I called a few places about the possibility of having some mushroom compost delivered.  Seems easy enough.  The one place that’s been around for forever in Inlet Beach sells it by the truckload, except I don’t have a truck.  They do deliver, though 4 cu. yards is the only amount they deliver.  I only need 1 cu. yard, barely enough to bother with, but almost too much to fill with bags.  Argh!  I just want to plant a few veggies!  What’s the big deal?! 

Another local place sells it by the bag/ cu. ft.  I’m trying to avoid going back to the big box store and borrowing a friends truck is better left for things like moving, not hauling around compost during work hours.  I resign myself to purchasing the bags I need, from the local landscaper for one bed.  In a few weeks, I’ll do the other bed, unless another solution presents itself in the next few days…*sigh*