Why?

Why would we want to make a community like this? I think this gives a good explanation of the heart behind why.

In the midwest I see people stressed out everyday about jobs, about money, about bills. Do we know it doesn't have to be like this? We have the ability to change things, to live differently.

How would you live if you had all of your basic needs easily and sustainably provided for? It is possible.

accidental aviary

We got our first real snow yesterday. This is my first snow this year, because apparently it snowed a little while I was in Guatemala, but it had been unseasonably warm since my return. We are having a lot of fun with the new snow. Phoenix and I were outside gathering burdock stalks and wild amaranth to burn in the fireplace (the amaranth seeds sometimes burn purple, maybe it has to do with how dry or old they are?) when I looked back to find her facedown in the snow making a snow angel.

Earlier this week I got to practice acrobatics while I closed up the last gap in the long greenhouse, at the top on the north side (54 degrees outside that day!). There were a few birds inside and I hoped that they would still be able to get out. The doors on the north have a small space at the bottom. This morning when I went in there the number of birds had multiplied. Some tall weeds inside are covered with dried seeds. The birds were pecking at these and hanging on plant hooks.

There were a number of different types of birds in there. I saw a woodpecker with the punkest red mohawk ever, some nuthatches, a few chickadees and some others that were flying too fast to see well. I think they were competing for rockstar status with the woodpecker.

I have enjoyed taking breaks in the long greenhouse while Phoenix is working at her new lessons online. A thermos of coffee or tea, a book, some birds . . .

I think that soon I will start taking daily temps in the greenhouses, comparing them with the outside temps. It would be nice to know which is warmer and to know when/if we might be able to do some winter greens.

warmish saturday, another greenhouse, landfills, ironies

pictures are inside another of the greenhouses on our property

It is amazingly warm weather for a Saturday in January. It is in the 40's outside. We decided to have lunch in one of the greenhouses where I took off my boots, sweatshirt, and hat because it was plenty warm.

We ran across this link recently about landfills in Illinois. I think this is especially interesting because when I was trying to find the Health Department for Whit

eside County everyone said, "Oh, its right next to the landfill just outside of town." A couple of people mentioned it, is there more to this story than I am aware of? Usually . . .

I was looking for the Health Department to find out about regulations for septic and drinking water on our property. As I am applying for permits and looking into codes I had to stop out at the Health Department in Morrison, IL. Plans for this new year include construction of an earthship hut and subdivision of the land for multiple residences. We need to know what we are allowed to do with septics and cisterns.

I was amazed to see what had happened with this city landfill. The landfill is located 1 mile north of the town. It was used from 1953-1971. In 1981 General Electric dumped 25,000 gal of unpermitted chemical waste into it. They were ordered in 1989 to clean it up, but nobody has done anything about it. I should be amazed that something this large has been allowed to be ignored. Especially because it is so close to a town. The ironic thing is that while I am applying for permits to make sure my systems are healthy this is located right next to the Health Department.

The link above is from the EPA about other landfills in the state of Illinois.

planning for permaculture

A major plan for our property is permaculture. Jerome has completed a Midwest Permaculture course and done an internship at a CSA. We will be planting some annual fruits and vegetables, but the goal for the future is to have something that sustains itself, a food forest. This is an efficient, economical, and sustainable way to have food (yummy healthy food). The current way that our society buys "foodstuff" at supermarkets is a large waste of resources and generally highly modified out of much of its nutrition (you could say that nutritionally supplemented grains are high in vitamins and minerals, but that is another story).

Imagine that you didn't have to go to the supermarket. All the food you needed was right outside your door. It kept you healthy. It was fresh and full of flavor. You knew that it contributed to a healthy earth and a healthy ecosystem that would nurture your children in the future. That is what we are going for.

Currently we are working on fixing up the largest

greenhouse. There are three on the property here. The plastic has been ripped in a few places and a door on the south side has a broken piece. We just fixed the door in place because the wind likes to grab these large doors (hence the break). We will put a small human sized door on the side. For now it is fixed to a point of being functional.

Jerome and I are going to sit down this week and make a list of exactly what we will be starting in the greenhouse this year. I can tell you right now that we are planning on putting in a bunch of apple trees. A recent

suprise is what looks like a patch of wild raspberries on the east side of the property behind this greenhouse. Last year the bushes were hidden by all of the burr plants that like to have parties on disturbed soil after it is left alone.

While in Guatemala, Miles, one of the Long Way Home workers gave me a USB full of fantastic permaculture and natural building books. I have been reading a book by Fukuoka (the original permaculturist) that says when this happens you

scatter white clover seed and the clover will replace the burrs. I like white clover in salads and as a tea, not to mention that it is good for grazing if you have animals. It is soft to walk on bare foot and smells sweet. I think that if people want to insist on having lawns they should at least plant clover, but I guess I'm one of those people that likes dandelions too. :)

We have a small list of people who would like to receive food from the CSA and a few people have contacted us online that said they might be interested in helping with it. I think that I am very happy the list is small for the first year, though we know that we already have strawberries and raspberries. We only got in a late garden in June last year (when we bought the farm) while we were trying to work on the house but got amazing results. Things are falling together well.

*Don't forget to click on the food forest link above to see a great permaculture video about a couple that started a food forest organic farm*

Chicken updates: January

Eggs are always best fresh and local. Growing up I ate fresh eggs every morning from some Rhode Island reds that we raised. We only have a few chickens on our farm right now, but there will be more chickens & eggs later this year when it warms up. They will back outside again then as well.

Our new rooster and hen! Jerome found them on craigslist and just picked them up nearby today. We plan to raise more chicks in the spring.

We found this sign in the barn. The chickens are not allowed to go any faster than 30mph.
Inside the barn. To critter-proof it we used some of the boards in the loft. I really enjoy the asparagus sign in the chicken area. I think it makes them feel like they are in disguise . . .