Magical Chicken Days

The Chicken Class was a big success. We had a couple of cancellations in the morning, but everyone else that signed up showed up. Thanks guys! Richard did a wonderful job. I think he's a natural born teacher. Me...I freeze in front of a crowd, so I'm better left to the writing side of things...or the sign making, which I can usually pull off on short notice.

Copied chicken, bad cut and paste

This picture does not have the chicken's feet, so when I was free handing a bigger version of this onto poster board, I had to do a little research on chicken feet. Handy if you happen to have a flock of chickens in your backyard!

chicken foot (hen)

During this class, my little ones and I were entertaining my mother and sister (who came for a short visit), on the other side of the house.

This past week sure was all about chickens... moving them around, drawing them, teaching about them, chasing them back into their yards after discovering they can fit under the gate.

New Hampshire Reds go for a walk

It was also about learning, and how life is full of lessons every single day. I learned that our farm can not accommodate dogs, so please leave them at home if you come to visit. I learned how to draw chicken feet and how to fit ten extra people comfortably in our kitchen. I also learned that miracles still happen, and when I asked for one a few days ago, in relation to our farm location situation, I never expected it to show up in the form of a jolly man who might just be the answer to my prayers. And the new adventure may just involve that old sleeping dream of living in an Earthship. How about that?

Maybe the serendipity, the synchronicity, the magic of intention and the power of the good old Universe has come knocking on my door, or maybe the wind has blown some of the dust residue from NM and Susan's good luck into my mountain valley. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

March 6 chicken class is full

Believe it or not, we filled up our Chicken Basics Class for this Sunday!  But, there has been so much interest that we may offer another class next week. Let us know if you want to come and we will set it up.

Also listed the two big goats on Craigslist and have been fielding e-mails about that. Who knew two pregnant dairy goats would be so easy to sell? They aren't gone yet, but we are hopeful our first callers will come through, but if not, then the second family definitely gets them. And by the way, that second family needs affordable dairy goats for their little girl in a bad way. They are so far out in the country (near Trinidad) and the little one is allergic to everything but the goats milk, so if anyone wants to sell a couple of nannies in milk or about to kid, let me know...there's a family who needs them.

Today we went to Pueblo to get more pallets for our fence project. Hey, the midden in the upper garden is almost hidden from the street now. The neighbors should be pleased...if it wasn't for that damned pallet fence.

Going to do a seed starting class next Sunday, and as soon as I get the details together, I will post them. Feel free to register early.

Gettin' on the gray and pinin' away for a real farm

Here's an Earthbag update:  

We decided to go with the base coat of stucco (gray coat) to cover our bags and protect them from the UV rays. Since we will eventually stucco the outside to match our house color , we decided that rather than mix up local mud, which might or might not stick, we'd just do it the lazy store bought way. Actually stucco gray coat is really cheap.


Today, the weather was warm and sunny, and hopefully the coat we put on will dry before we reach the overnight predicted low of 28 F.
 
This time I got to help a little, painting on the thin coat, but Richard finished up the outside while I managed the children, laundry and phone calls from farm hunting.

I still ended up with stucco in my hair, covering my cowboy boots and splattered across my face. For a minute there, I felt like I was back in the creative mode, painting (anything will do) and getting dirty was part of the joy. Can't wait to play with the thicker stucco...just like getting my hands in clay again. 

One of the neighbors stopped by to ask about llama poop for his garden, and he and Richard chatted over the fence for a while. I'm guessing he's not one of the complainers, and in fact he's building a mulch/compost pile and building garden beds to plant in. Good for him! We are bringing down the neighborhood. Power to the backyard farmers!!

And the news on relocating the farm: our bank won't give us a loan. I guess in this day and age you can't own one house and buy another. No more contingencies. I've had several suggestions about selling our house and renting for a few months. Really? Do you think someone would rent to a family with two llamas, five goats, two guineas, 30 chickens, two dogs, four cats, two parakeets and a parrot? What would the pet deposit look like on that?

But, I called another guy...who just might be one of the nicest men I've talked to on the phone, and he's given me hope. If we could wipe out some erroneous info on our credit report we might have room to wiggle. So that's the next plan, otherwise we are looking at owner carry situations and they usually want too much down, although I'm not ruling that out. I've posted ads on Craigslist, looking for a farm. Hey, if you're a fan and have a farm in Penrose you want to sell and would carry the loan for a year or two, (until we sell this house and get another mortgage), please call me up!

In any case, life goes on here on the farm. The chicken class is still on for Sunday and we still have space open. We are about to order a mess of day old chicks...layers and broilers, and maybe even a turkey or two.
(Oh man, that's going to raise that rental deposit.)

Yesterday we went and picked up a load of manure and some sapling fruit trees from different farms in Penrose and I had more great conversations with a local farmer. They raise goats, have a couple of llama/alpaca cross girls, a great old orchard, and bees for honey that they bottle and sell.  Wonderful. The things that are possible.

I noticed in Penrose, most people have animals and the resulting manure pile, composting away somewhere, and in some cases, in their front yards, which is part of the working farm, and not some sprinkler system feeding sod surrounded by decorative rocks and gravel. I have to say I prefer the farm look, where real things are happening, and think we'd definitely fit better in a farming community that understands the projects being worked on and the value of that animal poop in the gardens.

Earthbag Building Details

Earthbag Llama Barn Building Updates

Here are all the posts relating to our efforts to build an Earthbag Llama Barn:
Day 1 of the Building Blitz
Day 2 of the Earthbag Building Blitz
Day 3 Build a  Barn
Richard's blog thoughts

Peepers Jeepers, little chicken sunglasses and a Chicken Basics Class

Peepers

Our chickens have been pecking each other to the point where bare skin shows, and in some cases they have started breaking the skin. I blame those evil lavender guineas for teaching them this annoying behavior. But, the guineas are gone and the bad behavior continues, so we researched online and found something called peepers.
 
These little plastic things fit into the nostrils of the chicken (and other gamebirds) and block the line of vision directly in front of them, so they can't see to peck...at other birds. They can still eat and drink (I wondered) and even peck at gravel in the yard.


We put the Peepers on all of our older layers. They look like little chicken sunglasses. It was highly entertaining at first as the chickens stumbled around and missed the perches, but they all got used to it after a short time and all is well in the coop again.

Chicken sunglasses

While Richard and I were catching hens and installing Peepers, their came a crowing from the brooder, and not once, but three times...the softest little cock-a-doodle-do ever. This time I caught a glimpse of the little rooster, and sure enough it's the little Barred Cochin--the one with the pit bull attitude, all puffed up and crowing with his neck stuck out in the air. My little Napolean.

Little Napolean

Moving chickens around today...Reds in the fort move up to the goat barn, where Richard built in four nest boxes. Charlie the Roo gets to go back down with the laying hens...he's got Peepers on too, and the Buff living with him in the goat barn is a dead chicken walking...she's not only pecking the others nonstop, but eating her own eggs. So the babies in the brooder get moved to the chicken fort and the brooder gets cleaned and waits for the new chicks to arrive. Yey!

And, speaking of new chicks, we are offering an Introduction to Chickens class here at the farm on March 6, 2011 from noon to 3pm where we will explain the chicken basics from ordering chicks to caring for day olds. Housing and feed, brooder temps and cleaning pasty butts will all be covered. A tour of the chicken coops is included and maybe some refreshments too. Only $10 per person. Register at Green Desert Eco Farm soon. Space is limited. Learn how to have your very own backyard flock and get fresh eggs every day from your own hens.

We are raising revenue to buy a farm out in farm country (Penrose) or to invest in this one here. We are encouraging classes on sustainability, and this is one of them. We hope to start a group here in Fremont county that is concerned and working towards creating a sustainable community...transition town...maybe call it Fremont Resiliency Group or something. We need to start working together on the problems that are coming in the near future...economic crashes, water shortages, food shortages, crazy weather, etc. Let's put our heads together and come up with a local plan.

Denver rally agains corporatocracy...join the revolution

Today we met with the USDA and became a legitimate "farm." I have mixed feeling about being involved with the USDA or government in general, but there you have it. Can they help us buy farmland in Penrose? Maybe. Maybe not.

Thinking of going to Denver tomorrow to get actively involved in the uprising in America. It'll be hard with the two little kids, and probably cold, and a terribly long drive with gas as expensive as it is, but I think we have to. We must start showing our support of those in our nation who are fighting back against the corporatocracy, who I personally blame for every evil in the world. Those few rich men are destroying our planet because they need more dollars in their pocket? To grow the portfolio? At the expense of people and nature and the very earth we live on? I've had enough. I've been saying America needs a revolution, and maybe this is the beginning of one. In any case, showing support for our fellow workers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and the rest of the world that dares to stand against the "man" is the right thing to do.

Everyone get out there and bring your signs!!! Let's let the greedy one percent know we've had enough, our opinions do matter, and we want our Earth back! Get to a capital city near you and join the revolution. It takes the masses to be heard. How important is the future to you? How important are the teachers, fire fighters and police? How important is the middle class? How important is a better life for our children? Let's take a stand!!

Sign up here!  Or just show up. We want change, so let's do our part to make it happen! 12pm local time...everywhere.

Classes at the farm

Thinking of giving classes here at the farm to generate a little revenue. I found a great farm for sale in Penrose with ten acres and water, and we are going to look at it today, but coming up with that $1500 earnest money is a struggle. We have half and are waiting for our tax refund to show up in the bank, but what if we decide we really want this property? Maybe it's not the right time. We will go look first and then see.

Also the conservation man from the USDA is coming out today to do an assessment on our property and decide if we can get one of the high tunnels to grow in. Exciting. And we meet with another department of the USDA tomorrow to officially get the farm on the books and see what programs are available to us. I'm hoping a farm loan for a real farm. Wouldn't that be cool?

Anyway, wondering if anyone is interested in some gardening classes or maybe chicken basics that we could run on Sundays? Ideas for classes would be great too.

Still working on the earthbag barn. We decided to stucco the portion that is done, and continue with more bags to make the walls a couple of feet higher, but we have to get the bags out of the sun, so this weekend we will be mixing up the stucco and plastering the outside. If anyone wants to come out and help, you are sure welcome to, just give us a call.

Class ideas:
Chicken basics...from day old to laying, to retiring to the stew pot.
Seed starting
Garden prep
Composting
Cold Frames
Soil Science
Bio Intensive Gardening
Build a hoop house
Cheese making (when the milk comes in)
Build a chicken coop
How to make a recycled can tin man
Goats...care and housing
Fencing

If anyone is interested in any of these subjects, let us know and we can put together a class. Donations to the farm are always welcome and can be made through Pay Pal at the Green Desert Eco Farm site.

We are getting serious about farming now. Support the farm...ours, or any small, local, organic and natural farm. It is important that we change the food paradigm of America by not participating in Agribusiness.

Day 3...build a barn

Day three had a great turn out too! The weather was not so nice...a little cold and windy, but our participants stuck in there and we got eight levels of bags up when the day was done.

 

digging more dirt to fill the bags

hauling the dirt to the earthbag barn

six courses

Rolling out the barbed wire for the next course

seven courses

Eight courses done at the end of day 3

Thanks to everyone who participated! It was definitely a hands on learning experience for everyone. Now we have to research some kind of mud plaster to cover the bags to protect them from the UV rays. It will be slow going now with just the two of us...or one of us as the case may be, so anyone who still wants to come out and help, give us a call.

Day 2 of the Earthbag Building Blitz

Big turn out today. People went home tired and sore, I'm sure, and we appreciate everyone's help. The structure came a long way in a few hours with so many hands.

 

 

Three courses...looks solid

Tying the bag

The end of four courses

It was a long day. Everyone was a big help and everyone's little kids had great fun together. We are meeting so many people who share a common interest in learning more about alternative building. It's a wonderful thing--earth friendly structures built out of recycled materials. You can't get more grounded than that for housing options. This structure will remain cool in the hot summer heat, warmer in the cold winter and block out some of the wind we get here in our high desert. It sure seems to make more sense than the modular home we live in now. We need to go back to building with the land, and for the climates we live in, keeping in mind the climate changes that are occurring and will get worse over time. Which is more sustainable, a modular, stick built house or an earth house?

Day One of the Building Blitz

First day started off slow with only one participant. Kory came down from Denver to get some hands on experience, and he and Richard worked hard all day, finishing the trench, laying in gravel and putting down the first course of gravel bags. Good work guys!

Filling the trench with gravel

Gravel bags go in trench

Richard "sews" the bag closed with re bar wire

Kory fills buckets with gravel

walls and buttress ends

An excellent day for the Earthbag Barn. We are off to a great start. A few more people stopped by later in the day...Donia and Paula from the Canon Food Co-op, bearing pots and pans of food (thank you) and two ladies who might come back tomorrow when the building site should be hopping.

We made a new friend...Kory, who is as interested in Earth friendly structures as we are, and came bearing a stack of books to share on the subject. Can't wait to check them out when he returns tomorrow. Thanks for all of your help today Kory!

Getting ready for the Blitz!

We are working like mad, trying to get ready for this weekend when people from all over will descend upon our little farm to build a barn.

Last four cabinet doors painted and drying

I've been cleaning the house, while trying to get the cabinets finished. As the doors go up, some more clutter gets put away and things begin to get organized. It seems like everything we need to do to get ready will never get done.


Where will everyone park? We are trying to clear some space and make a parking area, and one of our neighbors (one who likes us) offered to park cars in his field, if the ground is dry.

Finished doors, finished cabinets

The cabinets look nice, I think, for recycled cabinets.

Re-used broken bricks

Also have some recycled bricks to deal with, so I thought we could use the broken ones to make water wells for some of our trees. I think they look nice too, although our neighbors might disagree. The hillside is eroding so badly on the east side of our property, we need to hold the soil there long enough to plant some ground covers. I don't suppose our neighbors would understand anything about that.

This is trash

I did however find something else over on this side of the property: trash! and it isn't mine...could it be one of the neighbors is a litterbug?

And we have been taking care of pallets by putting up more pallet fence. They gotta love that!

Tires hidden under mulch

The tires by the driveway, that will eventually be a low retaining wall next to the berm there, were covered with some of the enormous pile of wood mulch, taking care of two eyesores in one shot...maybe. Is it better? Who knows.

Planting the fort

Richard built a frame around the kids play fort in the yard to keep it from blowing over again. The horrendous wind keeps tipping this big toy over, and the slide has been ripped off, unfortunately. This is kind of cool because once the kids outgrow the fort, we can put a roof on this, put a bench or swing under it, and enjoy the view of Pikes Peak in the distance.

I suppose this looks "weird" too.

I've been thinking of running away...to NM or to Penrose, a farming friendly community. Colorado is a right to farm state. Do the covenants prevent us from having that right? Can they do that?

Richard went to the Town Hall to pick up a permit application and find out what the news is. We don't need the permit, and the clerk there was excited about our Earthbag barn, but he did say a few years back a man tried to build an addition out of tire bales and was struck down. The town wouldn't approve it. Can't build out of tires...he said. We were thinking of building a greenhouse out of tires, but Earthbags are much easier.

There were no complaints that came by him, he said, but we may have too many goats, according to county rules. Four hoofed animals is what we are allowed. The llamas have toes, and so do the goats, but all are considered hoofed. One animal per half acre. Who goes? My vote is for the bully goat girls, but that would still leave one too many. Would they notice? Probably.

Maybe we should start a community garden in our tiny town. The town clerk said they were trying to come up with ways to bring the community together. Maybe if we contributed to a good, green cause, people would see that we are not bringing mayhem to the land and call off their witch hunt.

In the meantime, we are looking for a friendly neighbor to house a couple of goats...

Found a piece of vacant property in Penrose. We could move the goats out there, put  up hoop houses, and farm to our hearts content, while trying to convince the county to let us build an earth house...Earthbags probably. The realtor has yet to call me back. I wonder what it takes to purchase land? Where do you get financing? How much do you have to put down? How does that work?


There's some cheap land down near Taos, sort of. Could we go back there? We could collect rainwater in NM. That's something. And NM is green builder friendly. Taos is a mecca for artistic and creative, eccentric and sustainable types of folks. I miss it. One of our guests this weekend is coming form Taos. She's planning on building an Earthbag house out in the wilds of Taos county and has started a blog Home Sweet Hive which will chronicle her story as she builds. Can't wait to read about the progress. Can't wait to meet her this weekend. Welcome Susan and family!

In fact, welcome to everyone who is coming to our little farm this weekend. Can't wait to meet everyone. It'll be great fun!

After the press, covenant police

Ah, so now it comes...the people against sustainable living. "Not in my backyard." While I was doing my Wii fit exercises, there was a pounding on the door, followed by high barking of two watch dog chihuahuas. Richard's at work, the children are running a muck, sick with colds caught at the Pediatricians (of course), and I look my best in cut off sweats and old T-shirt. But who should be knock, knock, knocking at my door, the developer of the subdivision herself, waving some paper at me..."We have covenants here."

"Yeah, I'm aware," I reply.

She told me her phone had been ringing off the hook with complaints from the people who live here. Something about the newspaper and a barn, tires, animals and pallet fences.

Huh, all in one swoop. "So what exactly is the problem?" I ask.

No permit for this barn.

Don't need one. The barn is under the required size for a permit. Am I sure? You bet, we did that intentionally.

She went on to ask me if the barn would look like the house. Yeah, same color with a red roof, like the house trim, I said. Too many animals. The covenants tell me we can have two large animals on our lot. I count the llamas, although they are "miniature" and the two of them together might weigh as much as one horse. Too many goats? Yeah, probably. We want to see how they all milk and keep a couple of the best milkers. The town said we could have chickens and that's not in the covenants anyway. All of our buildings are within the required setbacks, and the town told us we didn't need permits for Ag buildings.

"Barbed wire."

"What about it?" Complaints...but the only barbed wire we have is on a roll, wrapped in plastic, waiting to be placed in between earthbags to hold them in place, eventually covered by more earthbags and stucco. The covenants say we cannot fence the main road line of our property with barbed wire fence. That's the only mention of it. We could technically fence the rest of our property with barbed wire, and one of our neighbors does indeed have his property fenced in barbed wire, even on the main road side. And I like my pallet fence, I told her. It doesn't look that different from the wooden privacy panels you buy at the big orange store. She agreed. There's nothing in the covenants about pallet fences.

She just wanted to give us a copy of the covenants, she said, in case we never got them. I asked her why people move to the country and then try to turn it into suburbia? I asked her why it wasn't expected for a family to move to the country and put in a garden and raise some chickens and even supply natural, raw, fresh milk for their kids? She thought that was okay. I told her I'd love to share our farm fresh eggs with our neighbors, and vegetables too, but the covenants do say we can't run a business out of the home. She didn't think there was anything wrong with selling eggs to the neighbors. Hmmm...

I told her I'd love to put in a huge, ugly metal garage like my neighbors, but I didn't have that kind of money, and in this economy, I had a right to live as sustainably as I could. I told her we don't have money for fancy fences or siding for our barn right now (I want to stucco it too...mostly we don't have enough time, but there is the money issue). I told her I'd love to bring in some fully grown trees to block my view of the neighbors, but that wasn't possible. I told her we planted tress, 200 of them last year, and that in twenty years, maybe the neighbors wouldn't be able to see us anymore.

She told me if we were abiding by the covenants there was no problem, but that she would check with the town on Monday to see about that permit thing. (Isn't she on the zoning committee?)

In the end, I think I had her seeing some of my points, realizing maybe we weren't doing anything wrong. Or, maybe she, like so many others talks out of two sides of her mouth. She (or her deceased husband) wrote the covenants for this subdivision.

So, what's the problem? Richard came out of his office to see what the commotion was, and offered to talk to anyone about their concerns over the earthbag barn. I told her we'd even hold a town meeting if they wanted. Did I set us up for a lynching?

As far as I know we are within our rights, not breaking any laws, rules or covenants, but it sure is a big pain in my butt. I wish our neighbors would man up and come and talk with us about what is going on, maybe they'd learn a thing or two. Maybe, they'd appreciate that someone in the town and community is going to be growing some clean, local, natural food.

All said and done, I think this woman is a nice enough person, and I don't hold anything against her. I hope she doesn't show up with the "petitions" she mentioned the neighbors talking about, but I'm not sure what they could petition, since we aren't violating anything. I told her with our "neighbors" driving fifty up the road in front of my house, I needed a fence to keep my little kids safe. She said they were working on that problem, but there wasn't much they could do. Can't enforce the speed limit, but can harass property owners because the neighbors are afraid of what they don't understand? Bring down property values? Sure, the neighbors we do know have told us their houses aren't worth the mortgages, just  like the rest of the country. Whatever.

Maybe I need to circulate a petition that bans airborne pesticides and herbicides from straying onto my property and presenting a health risk to my family and animals, and garden.

So, what's gong on here? Who knows. Maybe they don't like Richard's long hair, but ironically enough, he's about as straight edged as someone could ever be. Oh man, give me Taos and the weird New Mexico world any day. I'd love to have neighbors with dreadlocks and tattoos and piercings....if they were environmentally and spiritually aware, doing their part to change the world. Isn't it funny that most of the time they are? It is the black sheep, the lunatic fringe who will save the world, or die trying.

We need a real farm and lots of land...with no covenants...in the southwest, with enough moisture that we can garden, and not too high that nothing will grow, and cheap enough we could buy it, and put up a tent while we build a house made of earth that does no harm to the environment.

Why would a building that is so environmentally responsible offend people? Here's what it will look like, sort of. It's the building at the top of the page, in the header. Imagine it more closed, a pale beige color, with the buttresses turned a bit different to protect the door, and with a metal red roof. Is that offensive? I guess we could make it square, if that's what they want.

Not sure what to do with this. Keep on marching forward I guess. Honk if you support the farm!

The newspaper article is out today!

Here it is, much anticipated, and like all journalists are forced to, Carie asked Richard his age, but thankfully that information did not make it into the article. Not that it matters, which is exactly my point, and when I wrote for the paper up in the Springs, I argued with my editors about such trivial information not mattering at all. Does it matter how old an artist is if the work speaks for itself? Does it matter how old the farmer is? Maybe if he's turning a hundred and one and still farming strong. Anyway, I have strayed from the purpose of this post, which was to share this great article, thank Carie and Jeff for the story and photo, and invite everyone out for the barn raising!


Earthbag Building Blitz article

Earthbags in the news!

Finally we have sun! And on this slightly warmer day,

Photo shoot

the press came to visit and get information for the upcoming story on the Eathrbag llama barn building blitz. One reporter and one photographer from the local Daily Record came out to interview Richard and get a few shots of the Earthbag building project, although there was not much there to shoot. Richard was up at dawn, digging the trench for the foundation bags, and he even managed to get gravel in the trench, and a bag filled before the photographer arrived.

The trench is dug, the gravel is ready, and the bags are layed.

The building blitz is on! We even have two confirmed participants! Maybe with the story running in the local paper Friday or Saturday, more people will show up and we can get the barn raised in three days.

Just in time. The sooner the better, since one of our newer goats, Yvette, is bullying the heck out of our three original goats, and headbutting my fat, pregnant Cinnamon in the belly. That is not allowed. Last night Cinnamon and Tres spent the night separated in the milking parlor of the barn. I'm ready to get rid of the two big ugly goats, but Richard wants to see how they milk. Well then, they simply have to be separated into their own pen to protect the others. More projects.

All the animals and people survived the cold spell here on the farm and we got a little snow out of it. The winter rye is starting to come up down in the chicken yard, so Richard spread some seed out in the new llama pasture and in the old pasture too, taking advantage of the moisture. It may not come up until spring, but it should come up. We need to get some pure, untainted, organic alfalfa seed to add to the mix.

This morning when we went down to feed the chickens, as usual I heard one of the hens barking at the feed dish. Richard says she always does that, maybe yelling at the others to move out of the way. I decided we should call our farm newsletter The Barking Chicken, so all of you CSA members stay tuned.

Repurposed feed bags

Still looking for more feed bags for the barn build and any and all interested people who want to help and learn hands on about building with Earthbags.







Details at www.greendesertecofarm.com.

Please send us a note if you are coming so we can plan accordingly. I hope to come up with some kind of a meal for each day for all participants, but if anyone wants to bring a dish, feel free, and we will do it up buffet style in our farm kitchen. It's free of course.

Let's build a barn--one that incorporates some of the proponents of the New Earth Paradigm: recycling, re-using, re-purposing, building community, teaching skills, earth friendly, passive solar --an earthen house for and by the children of the earth. We are all connected.

Cold day in Hell?

What a crazy week...sub-zero temperatures outside and the USDA approves Genetically Modified or Genetically Engineered alfalfa.

Here on the farm, we've been trying to keep ourselves and all of the critters outside warm enough to get through these chilling times. We put heat lamps on all of the chickens and I try to lock the goats in the barn every night, which is an entertaining circus of me chasing some in while others run out; me cussing and threatening goats, and them just staring back at me; me pulling collars and pushing butts, and them digging their toes into the dirt, or the two inches of snow we got over our cold days. Eventually I did get the girls all in and locked the doors up while my breath froze on my scarf. Luckily we had no casualties over the freezing cold nights and we seem to be heading into warmer temps now.


We did have some frosted llamas.

Frosty boys

Icy Vader

 And some frosted plants.

This was the ice cloud we lived in, until the snow came. Delightful weather in southern Colorado. Happy to see the sun shining again today.

The week was not spent idling away, however, as I found some great desks for the kids on Freecyle and we had an adventure driving into the wilds of Penrose to get them. That was fun and we always drive by the camel rancher up that way to get a gander of the camels, llamas, striped donkies (zonkies) and peacocks.

The desks are old school, just like some I had back when I was in grade school. I love them and the little ones do too, although the kids are a bit small yet to enjoy the full experience. Let the home-schooling begin!

Little feet, big desks

And I finished the painting I was madly working on, oblivious to the freezing fog, the snow or the time, except when it mattered of course (like taking a pitcher full of hot water out to thaw the chicken waterers mid day).

Utopia

Let's just call this one Utopia for now, for lack of anything else. The colors here are a little off, but you get the idea. Somehow I got caught up in my personal vision of what I'd like the world to look like, and this is what came out in my stupor of creativity. I love to paint from the subconscious, never really knowing what's going to happen until it's all done. It's a surprise to me too, and then I get to try to figure out what it means. I always feel like creating art is a trip into one's own spirituality, where the spirit has free rein to communicate however it chooses. I love it. The spirit of art: communicating with the soul.

Anyway, like most of my art, it's for sale. Make me an offer.

After the painting was done, I was at a loss, coming down to a reality where Monsanto is taking over the world? Can it be? I guess so. And, Whole Foods supporting this nastiness? Is it true? Apparently. I don't shop at Whole Foods any way because I feel their prices are too high, but now, I never will. And I hope more people think about boycotting the "organic" food store because we don't agree with their decision to sell out to Agribusiness. Maybe we should do a protest march, with signs, around the Whole Foods near us.

I'm afraid of what this means to the organic food movement, like hey, it's over! I'm afraid of what this means for the future of the world. I feel like I'm standing here, screaming silently, while I watch a few evil corporate giants pound the nails into the coffin of the human race.

I'm not sure what to do with this, but this week I have been feeling physically ill (sinus headache or spiritual pain?) from the craziness of the world. I have been feeling hopeless indeed as I sign my online petitions to stop GM alfalfa from becoming the standard. Too late.

Now tell me, where am I going to get organic alfalfa for our goats, whose milk we drink? We could grow it, right? No. If anyone in the region is growing Monsanto alfalfa and it cross pollinates our organic variety, not only will our clean livestock food be ruined, but Monsanto will sue us for "stealing" their patented plants.

We went to one of our feed stores today, and while I love the people there and think highly of country people in general, I was surprised to hear that the reaction to the approval of GM alfalfa was fairly positive. What????? I buy my hay from these folks...the farmers in the area. If one chooses to grow this nasty crop, then we all suffer the ramifications. What do we do with this?

Are we ready to give up on the organic food movement before we had a chance to change the world? I'm good and mad. I'm also reading another Gary Zukav book, Heart of the Soul, and right now I'm working through the chapter on anger. Where do I feel it? All over. I'm angry that we humans are letting some other humans destroy our vision of Utopia. Damn them!

Maybe we need to look at Egypt as an example and think about rising up against the corruption in our own home country. We need to take back our food, take back our medicine, take back our energy policies, take back our environment, and take back our souls. It is a cold day in hell indeed, as I contemplate my thermometer crapping out at negative 2 F, and think about a planet with no natural food, air, water or soil, and wait for the next catastrophic weather event to strike. Depressing. The stuff anxiety attacks are made of.

Any ideas, anyone????

Building barns and community

Things are snowballing now! Richard's Biointensive gardening class for the  Canon Food Co-op was a big success, and then his local radio spot with Helene from the Co-op was also a hit, and now we are going to be featured in the local paper for the Earthbag building blitz that will take place the weekend of my birthday. What a wonderful opportunity to teach people about alternative building techniques!

I put an add out on Freecycle, looking for feed bags to be donated for the event, and got the press. Hmmm... Good. Good. We are hoping to get people in the community involved with their donations and help, kind of like an old style barn raising, but this one will be built out of Earthbags and eventually stuccoed to create a llama shelter for my boys in the new pasture. We need to move them so the goats can have the barn to birth the Spring babies.

Pregnant goat or fat goat?

Recycling the used woven polypropelene feed bags into building materials is just one example of how we can all look around and see things we might be able to use again. It will be an exciting event. Can we get a barn up in two days? Will anyone show up to help? Can we get enough feed bags, dirt, gravel and lumber for a roof? What will happen? Anticipation....

And, I've been in my crazy creative world, painting for days, working on some vision of a future utopia while thoughts float in and out of my head.

Our cats have been getting sick from the commercial cat food we bought them. This is the second time. Different food. Same manufacturer. Last time, we called the food maker and they sent us coupons for one free bag and a few bucks off two more bags. Great. We bought a different kind, choosing to stick with this brand because this is the only manufacturer whose food has not been recalled yet. But my cats are still getting sick. What's up with that? I would love to buy them organic food, but with the expense of the chicken and goat food, I can't justify buying the cats organic food too. So, what can I do? I could make food, which I may try if time allows. But this got me thinking....

As our planet evolves into a new way of living, we are going to have to rethink everything, including the food we eat and the food we feed our pets. If we can't trust the food for people to be chemical free, how can we expect our pet food to be safe? Wouldn't it be nice if someone local was making and selling an organic and safe cat food? Or dog food? Or bird food for my parrot?

I think perhaps we should all give up our fears about what the economy will look like as it all falls apart and start to think about what each of us individually can contribute. We need to relearn the old skills and discard the thinking that has gotten us into this mess...like how to extend the shelf life of foods.

I don't really have the time or interest to make cat food, but what if someone else does? There is a need for locally produced pet food, and a business waiting to be born. Other things too: a local mill where I can take my organic grains to be milled into flour. An electric car dealership and mechanic. A homestead supply store. A natural soap, shampoo and lotion maker. A candle maker. Like in the old times, pre-industrial revolution. If we are heading back into the dark ages, shouldn't we be preparing for the inevitable loss of products produced by oil? Isn't that just about everything? If my toothbrush is made from petroleum, how am I going to brush my teeth when I can't get that familiar product?

There is a whole new world waiting to be born and so many opportunities for people to contribute and be successful through clean, green, "cottage" industries. We are going to need these services as our economy continues to collapse. If we work together, we can think our way out of this mess, and maybe by not supporting the corporatocracy we can reverse the damage to our planet. What a wonderful vision.

For now, today, I'm going back to my painting...my utopia.

Don't forget the Earthbag building blitz February 19th. For more info see Green Desert Eco Farm. We need the polypropylene bags, fill dirt, gravel, lumber, shovels and extra hands. I'd love to meet my neighbors!

And the Xmas Boycott of 2011 is still on! Don't forget to boycott the shopping madness.

Freecycle and Re-use

Truck O' cabinets

Today we headed into town to pick up a load of kitchen cabinets someone had on Freecycle.They also had some landscaping timbers (I absoulutely love Freecycle and Craigslist.)

These are upper cabinets, all wood, old style, but at least they all match, and they are solid wood--good quality. With a little paint they will be a wonderful and welcome addition to the work space in our kitchen/dining room.

Before he had to go to work, Richard finished hanging  them up above the desk we created a few weeks ago. Wonderful! Now some of the canning supplies and maybe our stockpile of egg cartons can be put away, out of sight. I hate looking at clutter, but with so many tools and items we use daily, what can you do? Find cabinets on Freecycle, that's what!

Freecycle cabinets

This is the beginning of my bigger plan to turn our ugly and "modern" clean lines and open space modular home into something I can bear to live in. I know I can't recreate my old Victorian house, or give this double-wide the feel of a lovely old adobe, but every little thing we can do to make it less commercialized and more artsy and unique, the better. I must give it character. Somehow. Maybe some painting is in order...soon.

I always had this vision for our farm to be a work of art. Why can't we have beauty and a functioning farm too? Why does everything that is so utilitarian have to be so darn ugly? Yeah, I'm a big fan of the cute little farmhouses with red barns and white rail fences, but I know that only money can turn a farm into that stereo type, and we never have enough of that, so...what can we do to make our space, our little piece of dirt here in the high desert a little more attractive and inviting?

No offense to Richard, but I really don't like the look of unfinished projects, lumber sitting around waiting to be used, or stacks of tires. I suppose in this case, as I have been reminded by recent readings, that those people I have issue with are mirrors of myself, and the covenant police is really just me, trying to see our farm from the neighborhood perspective. I really have no idea what people think. Nor should I care. But I do care what I think, and looking at stacks of tires just doesn't make me very happy.

I'm all about re-using and recycling. I have no problem with compost piles or salvaged glass. I like the idea of re-using the throw away tires to build our retaining walls, but when the projects never get finished, all we have is a lot of junk sitting around, making me feel claustrophobic. When we do finish a project, it is a day for celebration. I try to find ways to make the compost piles more attractive (is that possible?) by putting planters of flowers around the bins made of pallets. I'd like to plant flowers in the tires when we get them all in place and covered with adobe. They will be like big planters, all in a nice row. Think of the plants that could fill them! I'm still not too clear on using tires as planters for vegetables, in case they leach contaminants into the soil, and there are arguments saying tires are bad and others saying the dirt neutralizes them, as long as the tires are not exposed. I prefer to play it safe and keep the tire planters for flowers we don't use in our foods or medicines.

I am so excited about the possibilities for re-using these wonderful things, here on the farm, but unlike the other aspects of my life that seem to go by way too fast (my kids growing up, personal time, a good night's sleep), the projects here on our farm never seem to get done fast enough. It truly is a work in progress, and much like myself, I can always find things to improve. It probably won't ever really be finished, but is anything? Like people, our farm will always be changing and evolving into something new that I hope incorporates so many of the things I support and believe in (solar, wind power), and hope I can add little pockets of beauty to the chaos of farm life.

We also finished our second Tin Man. Here's an adorable use for tin cans we normally recycle, but in this case I have been saving the cans anyway for seed start pots in the spring. I can spare a few to add a little visual interest to a garden space outside, and maybe scare a few birds or those friendly deer away from my precious plants. He's cute, which makes me smile, and he's recycled art---my favorite kind. It is a blast to reuse anything in art projects...the ideas are endless. Maybe one day we will give a tin man class here at the farm, but for now this little guy is for sale to the first person who wants him. $25 plus shipping if needed.

You can also find directions on how to make your own  tin can man on the web. Find a way to re-use anything before you recycle or throw it away...or freecycle those things you no longer need but might be of use to someone else. By trading things around, we are no longer supporting the consumer economy. Kudos!

Let's play a new game

For people who like to play time consuming computer games....here's one:

Consumer consequences

It's not totally accurate and excludes people who don't commute to work at all, or people who hang their clothes up to dry instead of using an electric clothes dryer, but it is amusing and informative. There all all kinds of quiz's on finding out what your own personal carbon footprint is. This is a lot more relevant than any of the games Americans typically play to waste time. Hey, instead of shopping, watching sports or playing video games, let's spend some time building recycling bins or re-gifting items that are still useful but that we don't need anymore. Take a class on gardening and plant something. Make your own soap, candles, bread, clothes...anything. Get off the couch and get busy. The planet is in crisis and it needs you!

Is anyone listening? Forward to...

Here's the dilemma of the day: I hate Facebook. There comes a point, I'd like to hope, in every spiritual traveler's life when watching television or listening to mainstream radio...mainstream media and all of it's consumer based brainwashing, becomes painful. Literally. Gives you a headache, makes you nauseous, or whatever. The silence becomes blessed because it is not chattering away, supporting a destructive culture focused on Ego.

Facebook has become like that to me. It served its purpose for a moment, to reconnect with my family when I was more focused on providing a network of support for my sister and her disease. When I was thinking of setting up a fundraiser of sorts for alternative cancer treatments, Facebook seemed like a good way to reach the most people. But, my sister opted to go the traditional route with chemo and radiation...which I heard about on Facebook, ironically, and I think I may have gotten one response for financial support of my fundraiser. Strange.

Actually, the more I participated in Facebook, as an observer, really, the more I realized it was indeed a forum for mainstream society to talk about...nothing. A waste of time. Good to connect with old friends and family, but why, if all we have to say is what we are buying now, what video game we are playing, or some other nonsense in support of the right wing part of America that has no interest what-so-ever in saving the planet or the people on it. More of the same. It is truly unfortunate that most of my family and the few friends I have are participating in this social garbage, supporting the consumerist culture.

I used to post links to this blog on Facebook, but when I realized that I would probably offend too many people I knew, I stopped, in fact, I bowed out of Facebook, kind of like I backed out of mainstream society some twenty five years ago. But then as it became more clear to me that time is running out, that my job is to keep talking as well as change my own life to live more gently on our wounded planet, I thought how this group of people I don't want to offend, half of whom have decided I'm crazy anyway, how those very people are the ones in most need of the message. Hmmmm....

Now isn't that opening myself up to a whole bunch of crap? I have been judged as strange or immoral, as a bad, disinterested parent, as a whore, I'm sure with my three marriages, as less than anything really, because I was a welfare mom, as uneducated (I'm one of the few of my family with an actual college degree), and hopelessly unsuccessful because I didn't dress my kids in the latest expensive fashions. I have never felt good enough for my family....any of them, and so for the most part I stopped attending family functions where some people flung sarcastic remarks or passive aggressive bullsh**t that they thought I was too stupid to get. But I did get views full of racism, elitism, judgment and any number of other "normal" and accepted American thoughts and behaviors. Creepy. I guess it was simpler to think that I didn't belong to my extended family any more than I belonged to the nuclear family that raised me, and just disappear.

I've had a great life so far. I've been in love so many times I can't count them, had four gorgeous and wonderful kids, finished my college degree, been on a summer archaeological dig, hung out with the Barnum and Bailey circus, had artwork in art shows, started my own art magazine to promote local art, written for an independent local newspaper, met some wonderfully interesting people, read many fabulous books, lived in New Mexico on and off for three years, lived on the West Coast for a minute, toured an Earthship and met one of the Reynolds clan, lived in a great old Victorian house that we remodeled, built a passive solar house on a commune that we lost, moved to the country and am now starting a homestead with a man who has finally awakened. And, I finally have llamas!!! Another dream realized.

I have been blessed in my life because it has been one of adventure. I wouldn't trade a minute of my judged life to live in suburbia and wear the right clothes. My family...few know anything about me because they dismissed me a long time ago (was it when I gave myself a mohawk?), and that was okay with me. Apples and oranges. I don't want to live in their world and they don't want to live in mine.

But here's the thing people: you can choose to continue sitting on your couches and judging others because they don't live in the right neighborhoods, or wear the right clothes, or think like you do. To hell with them all, right? And I admit it, I don't believe in some patriarchal god figure, and I never will. I don't believe religion belongs in government or in the schools. I don't believe in your god. Period. I'm not going to a hell I don't believe in either, although, we all are doing a damn good job creating that hell right here on our sacred planet. You can continue to think that the more stuff you acquire, the better you will feel...I finally got that BMW or that McMansion in the woods. You can continue to pretend that global warming is not occurring as you continue to go shopping for more stuff you don't really need anyway. And, get more plastic bags to fill up the landfills. Bottled water is great too!

Here's the thing. I agree to disagree. I think most of mainstream society is as crazy as they think I am. Religion and politics aside,  (although really, they are some of the biggest culprits to the mind-numbing of America), we are running out of time for our civilization and our planet. You can pretend, but it just isn't reality. Wake up. What's happening with the crazy weather? The violence? The economy? We are in the downward spiral of the collapse of our civilization, that's what. Extinction.

I'd like to have a planet for my kids to inherit. I'd hate to think of the human race wiping itself out because it was too stubborn to admit what was happening. Let's all get a hold of our EGOS and think for a minute. What really matters? Another pair of shoes or a new purse? Could you possibly forgo those items if it adds a few seconds to the time humanity has left? And so many of you will think....I deserve this thing because I worked so hard to get it. Right. You have been fooled into thinking that things matter more than people, than the animals we are driving to extinction, and the planet itself. It is what we have been taught from the day we were born. It's not your fault you have been duped into supporting corporate capitalism and all of the rich men at the top of the food chain.

But now, it is time to wake up and there is no more time for excuses. You are either part of the problem, or part of the solution.


I have decided to keep talking, no matter what kind of crap I get for it. It's what I can do to try to save our world. It's not a joke anymore. We are past peak-oil. Does anyone know what that means? Turn off the damn TV and educate yourselves on something besides sports scores and movie star gossip. The information is out there, supported by scientists and educated people, not just pathetic old me.

You do need to recycle. You do need to buy local. You do need to stop the crazy consumerism that has gotten the human race to where it is now. There is no longer a choice. We have four years to turn this craziness around. So, you better start supporting those "ugly" windmills and stop thinking "trendy" local food movements are for crazy hippies or devil worshipers or whatever. In a few years, when food is no longer trucked in due to the high prices of fuel, you'll be happy that you are growing your own vegetable garden.
What do you have to lose? Your ego or the planet? Ego or earth? Ego or humanity?

This blog is a public forum for me to air the emotional hurt I have suffered for years from the closemindness of my family. It is a blog that will weed out the non-supporters. I am starting a new Facebook page, under my real name, because, hey, this is who I am and I don't need to be ashamed anymore. I have some things to say and if you don't want to hear it, don't come to the conversation. If you don't want to be part of the solution, then stay out of my way, and stay out of my world, because I'm on a mission to save the planet and I don't have any interest in going shopping, or in who won the football game or in playing weird computer farm games.

Tell me how you are going to do your part to end the destruction of our civilization, and we have lots to talk about. I can direct you to the resources that will open your eyes (books and films on the right side of this blog, and The Story of Stuff at the bottom). I can teach what I know, and I am willing to help anyone who wants to be a part of the change. Believe it or not, there are lots of us out here trying to make a difference and we welcome fellow supporters. It's going to take big, giant steps to turn this train around.

And, instead of living from a place of fear, we can express our love for each other, for the planet, and we might even have fun making a difference. I'm having a ball on my little farm with my animals and the upcoming CSA, and meeting people in the community who share an understanding and feel a responsibility to change their lives to ones of sustainability.

So, tell me what you're doing to save the world and we can start a new Facebook chat about what's really important. Turns out what's really good for your body is good for the planet too. Get healthy and make the ailing planet healthy at the same time...it'll do wonders for your soul.

And boycott consumer based commercialized Christmas. The XMAS Boycott of 2011 is still on!!!