Land ho?

Hubby said to me last week "maybe we should be looking at just land".  Oh my gosh, inside I am jumping for joy.  Been saying this for 2 years!  And been shut down on the idea for 2 years.  It's better to at least start than sit around, doing nothing.  A garden and orchard can be started, trees can be felled and aged for building material,  outbuildings can be started,  it could be a wonderful destination during the summer, camping out.  It's like paddling a boat up stream,  I am getting no where fast!  So now he must be feeling the persistent social pressure of sustainability because no one out there is going to care about us.  We will fall between the cracks, we're the working poor.  Working so hard for the government, with nothing left over for us.  We need to take care of our present and future.  We all need to consume less, and here in my house I am not only doing that but also letting go of 'stuff';  it sits in boxes, unused.  'Stuff' should not make us happy, family and friends should.  Working in gardens, with animals, in coordination with each other should be our goal for happiness.  When I was a kid, we heard that TV would rot our brains, etc.  Well it's happening.  Laziness, diabetes, heart disease are the proof!  Well, we'll see what happens!  Hmm, maybe we;ll be out looking this summer.

Glories of Nature

November 2010

We have lived in this house going on 6 years now.  Visitors think we are so lucky, because of the view we have of the City across the valley.     I say YES, lucky.  But my eyes are looking to the left at the beautiful woods (2 pastures away).  Quite frankly the view of the City leaves me cold, I could do without it.  Yes, houses are 'sold' because of such views, silly.  The woods are ever changing and seasonal.  Even in the dead of winter they come alive.  The last few days have been good for the soul.  Trees are bursting into green, the sunsets over the City have been red and orange -  hints of the truly brilliant colors to come in summer.  I so love spring (and fall), even without the flowers, the shades of green are so fresh and bright, especially in contrast to the darker evergreen trees.  The air is crisp and cool, the sun is warm.  A very good time to get outside and work!  Our son mowed the lawn this week, takes close to an hour and a half.  Looks better now than the winter into spring shaggy growth.  We have neighbors who are fanatics and have already been out twice but I like to wait for a few dry days, makes the work easier!

Sustainable future

I found a site last week called Peak moment TV, conversations about 25-30 minutes long.  (people who are trying to create a sustainable future) Just love it!  The conversations have set my imagination to work and I want to try out some of the projects others have done.  Yesterday, I watched a program  showing how to set up a grey water system with a wetland pond  with plants that help clean the water (no water is visible) as it travels to final destination sites.  (program  #141) and it was done with local codes and approved by the city.  We rent an OLD house that has a 'grandfathered'  grey water pipe.  It's not used for it's potential, it just makes a puddle in the field.  What a waste!  I will definitely want to set up a system like this.

I am keeping a compost pile that I will take with me.   The container is a hand me down that wasn't being used!  Sad.  So yesterday I dug out the bottom (there is a door to pull up) and added the beautiful, black compost to the top with all the lovely worms.  This will distribute the moisture and bring the good bacteria in faster to recently added debris (I did this a couple weeks ago).  I have been adding the guinea pigs bedding and am running out of room,  this adds the carbon I have been lacking, works great.  I used to use rabbit years ago, fresh in the holes I'd dig for pumpkin and squash and never had problems (we had chickens, their manure HAS to be aged).  When starting my raised beds,  I am going to burn logs (in a trench, cover them with soil, this will let them smolder and put the logs out slowly.  This will create charcoal.  Good bacteria lives in it for years!  The Mayans did this (National Geographic article) and experimentation has been done with success recently.   Covered with my own compost and a layer of good dirt.  The first year should be good.   All of this is my plan for a part of my garden to be NO till, also from recent articles I have read.  Every year the beds are top dressed with compost and mulch.  If we happen to move to a property in the fall, I am going to try the lasagne  method of starting a garden.  Corn and sunflowers will be grown in quantities to large for raised beds.  So, many new methods to experiment with.  When?,  don't know.  Soon? I wish for.

Denim love to use and re-purpose jeans.  Covered a couple of tall chairs for someone as a favor with it.  I stapled right over the previous cover to make it easy.  They do look nice, should be durable too.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx

Homesteading Communities and How to Find Them

Homesteading Communities and How to Find Them

Portable playhouse

I decided to sew a playhouse for my grandkids.  It's something I saw in an article years ago for a 'garage' for a boy and it slips over a card table. I am using scrap pieces and making each side a different color (various shades of green and yellow.  I don't  have the 4th side complete yet,  it a will have a back door of sheer material.  The girls tried it out, though and LOVED it.  J was an animal growling around and napping in the 'house' and V got very excited just going back and forth thru the front door.  I am adding laces and a mailbox and probably something hanging off the rod on the inside to stuff toys into.  This will go outside nicely, too.  Possibly with a floor blanket made of denim,  I've made a picnic blanket of denim that turned out well and was very washable .

Took a load of recyclables to the dump, a TRUCK FULL.  At least 2/3 of the 8 sacks of mixed paper were from basement cleanup.  Old school papers (my kids informed me of throwing them right in the trash and not even checking them out).  Old national geographic that became too musty to keep (they are great for school projects).  Old cardboard from tossing the contents and more!  I am jumping with joy!  So check off another on goal list.

Dreams of the future took another hit last week,  gets a little hard to think about, let alone write about.  I sometimes think that not everyone is on board for the future.  Having a future.  Saving is such an integral part of having dreams otherwise let's all just sit in the corner and vegetate.  Or just not dream.....
..... of land
........ of owning a house
............ of having animals
............... of having a very large garden

Favorite place!

                                                                                    


Just some photos from the most beautiful place on earth (to me)

I was playing around with composition, which I know nothing about.  I have fun and photos  please me, that's the important part!

Dreams or not?

My dreams of the future always seem to get knocked back into reality. So I really want the impossible? Maybe so. I just want some land and an okay house. The land is the most important part. But I am half of a whole. And that half puts up too many obstacles. I dream of gardens, chickens, goats and horses But the land is what we need for the dreams to come true. Improving other peoples properties is fruitless because when you rent leaving all the HARD work is heartbreaking. I have had to do this before. So, here it is spring and I want to dig and plant and improve........... what, a rental. I work hard enough to have the 'American Dream'. After all these years, I feel the government and society no longer support this ideal! Been feeling a bit blah since the Japanese situation, It bothers me that governments don't think of the consequences of their decisions (nuclear plants, etc), definitely our own government thinks nothing of their own people! We are nothing!