Sunday, September 7, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Dinner with the Amish
Dinner out.
I am going to let this blog sleep for a bit. At this point, it seems irrelevant. Our farm will remain a personal endeavor, and if people would like to come and visit or participate, they are still more than welcome to. The church is just not morphing into anything physical at this point. Although I'd love to have some labyrinth ceremonies, if anyone is interested.
I am going to let this blog sleep for a bit. At this point, it seems irrelevant. Our farm will remain a personal endeavor, and if people would like to come and visit or participate, they are still more than welcome to. The church is just not morphing into anything physical at this point. Although I'd love to have some labyrinth ceremonies, if anyone is interested.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Goat free/ milk free farm
Our herd of dairy goats were re-homed yesterday to some folks not too far away. I hope they will enjoy them as much as we have.
This is a step towards becoming a farm based on plant consumption...a vegetarian farmstead. The kids still can't have casein, and most dairy products do more harm than good to the human body, so we are, once again, going milk free in our farming practices.
It is time now to focus on healing practices for ourselves, both physically and mentally, and also to explore healing paths for the planet and all people.
This is a step towards becoming a farm based on plant consumption...a vegetarian farmstead. The kids still can't have casein, and most dairy products do more harm than good to the human body, so we are, once again, going milk free in our farming practices.
It is time now to focus on healing practices for ourselves, both physically and mentally, and also to explore healing paths for the planet and all people.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Labyrinth
Walking a labyrinth is a meditative experience. It can be used for cleansing oneself spiritually. As you travel inward, you release the past and clear your mind of any negativity. As you reach the center, you mind clears and you spend a few moment in quiet contemplation. The walk out of the labyrinth allows you to be filled again with good energy and good feelings.
The labyrinth is a sacred space, grounded and connected to the Earth. Walking through the paths of the labyrinth is a walk into the center of oneself and into the center of sacredness. It can be a very healing journey as you release all that does not serve you. The energy from the Earth and the energy from the labyrinth work with each person's own energy to bring about exactly what they need in that moment.
Ceremonies can be held in the sacred center of the labyrinth, including blessings, name ceremonies, weddings, or anything else that would be enhanced by the sacred circle of the center.
This week we are building a labyrinth on our land. It is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time, and now we have the space to do it. We chose a simple spiral, which can represent the path of time in and out. Time is circular, not straight. The spiral is a simple and direct path into the center.
Richard measured out the outlying circle and then he raked out paths for the inner circles of the labyrinth, leaving a central circle that is relatively large. In the center we will plant a tree and place a bench for meditation. We were trying to figure out what to line our paths with...something that would not vanish into the sand. My first idea was to used lumber scraps that I could paint in beautiful colors, but then, as I was relocating some old beer bottles we found on our land, I thought, we should use bottles! What better way to re-purpose all of the bottles we have been collecting and saving for building projects. And so the labyrinth was born!
It went pretty fast. We tried to dig the bottles into the sand a bit so they would not fall over. We got most of the outline of the labyrinth done--enough to be able to walk the labyrinth. I cleansed and blessed the space with sage and prepared it to be used.
I envision the finished labyrinth with paths lined with a kaleidoscope of colored bottles. In between the paths we will plant herbs (and other plants), so that the spiral of the labyrinth will become our herb spiral as well. It will be a beautiful place to walk and heal (and harvest herbs).
The labyrinth is a sacred space, grounded and connected to the Earth. Walking through the paths of the labyrinth is a walk into the center of oneself and into the center of sacredness. It can be a very healing journey as you release all that does not serve you. The energy from the Earth and the energy from the labyrinth work with each person's own energy to bring about exactly what they need in that moment.
Ceremonies can be held in the sacred center of the labyrinth, including blessings, name ceremonies, weddings, or anything else that would be enhanced by the sacred circle of the center.
This week we are building a labyrinth on our land. It is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time, and now we have the space to do it. We chose a simple spiral, which can represent the path of time in and out. Time is circular, not straight. The spiral is a simple and direct path into the center.
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| Richard, raking out the labyrinth path |
Richard measured out the outlying circle and then he raked out paths for the inner circles of the labyrinth, leaving a central circle that is relatively large. In the center we will plant a tree and place a bench for meditation. We were trying to figure out what to line our paths with...something that would not vanish into the sand. My first idea was to used lumber scraps that I could paint in beautiful colors, but then, as I was relocating some old beer bottles we found on our land, I thought, we should use bottles! What better way to re-purpose all of the bottles we have been collecting and saving for building projects. And so the labyrinth was born!
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| The beginning of the labyrinth |
It went pretty fast. We tried to dig the bottles into the sand a bit so they would not fall over. We got most of the outline of the labyrinth done--enough to be able to walk the labyrinth. I cleansed and blessed the space with sage and prepared it to be used.
I envision the finished labyrinth with paths lined with a kaleidoscope of colored bottles. In between the paths we will plant herbs (and other plants), so that the spiral of the labyrinth will become our herb spiral as well. It will be a beautiful place to walk and heal (and harvest herbs).
Sunday, August 3, 2014
New Facebook group
I've started a Facebook group for people in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. If you are interested, join us.
SLV Natural and Organic Living
SLV Natural and Organic Living
Friday, August 1, 2014
Progress and a bit of Local Flora and Fauna
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| cleared land for pad site |
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| the gravel arrives |
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| spreading gravel |
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| And the gravel is laid, spread and leveled |
We also had Brett, the landscape guy, clear and level a pad for the camper up near the tiny house site. We are now a ways away form the animals, and the bugs are not as bad. It may also be a condition of having the land cleared up in this area.
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| Camper moved next to office |
While we haven't been working much on the office as we shuffle animal pens and campers around, we have gotten most of the back straw bale wall done. Richard put wire fence along the back wall to hold the bales in and we will also put 2 x 4 (or whatever we can find cheap) on the inside walls. Then the two fences are "sewn" together through the straw bales with wire. This creates a stable and secure wall.
We also got a few more Earth bags done and leveled in the front wall.
The Industrial Hemp continues to grow. It loves the daily rain. It is budding now.
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| Hemp - male |
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| Hemp - female |
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| Hemp...glorious hemp |
And while on our daily walks, we have discovered some of the critters and plants around us:
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| Red velvet ant |
The Red velvet Ant is really a female wasp. They run frantically along the ground, looking for places to dig underground.
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| beetle with a tail |
Not sure what the beetle with a tail is. They look like stink bugs, which we also have a lot of, except these guys have this weird tail.
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| salt brush |
The little salt brush plants look almost like ferns. Except they're prickly and live in the desert.
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| desert plant |
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Pot Belly pig care and info
Some of the things I worried about with Harley were just natural...probably exacerbated by living in the desert, but still...
They shed every year when the weather gets warm and they shed nearly all of their hair, living a stripe up their back. Their skin gets itchy and they rub and scratch on everything.
Also, adult pot bellys are usually overfed. They don't need nearly the amount of food most people give them. Two cups a day is usually enough for a mature adult, but base it on weight. We give one cup or so in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. Some of the feed says feed free choice, but that is not wise. A pig is still a pig and will eat nearly everything you give it, becoming obese and unhealthy. If you can't see your pigs eyes, they are too fat.
If your pig is constipated, add a little oil (olive oil or something similar) to their feed, and they will usually be better in the next day or so.
Here's a great link on pot belly pig care (just in case you are thinking of getting one or have recently become a proud and happy owner of one). And another.
Of course if your pig stops eating entirely or is acting really weird, call your vet.
By the way, Chloe is doing great and has become very vocal and social. I'm tempted to try to get the pig harness back on her and take her for a walk! Well, maybe not quite yet.
They shed every year when the weather gets warm and they shed nearly all of their hair, living a stripe up their back. Their skin gets itchy and they rub and scratch on everything.
Also, adult pot bellys are usually overfed. They don't need nearly the amount of food most people give them. Two cups a day is usually enough for a mature adult, but base it on weight. We give one cup or so in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. Some of the feed says feed free choice, but that is not wise. A pig is still a pig and will eat nearly everything you give it, becoming obese and unhealthy. If you can't see your pigs eyes, they are too fat.
If your pig is constipated, add a little oil (olive oil or something similar) to their feed, and they will usually be better in the next day or so.
Here's a great link on pot belly pig care (just in case you are thinking of getting one or have recently become a proud and happy owner of one). And another.
Of course if your pig stops eating entirely or is acting really weird, call your vet.
By the way, Chloe is doing great and has become very vocal and social. I'm tempted to try to get the pig harness back on her and take her for a walk! Well, maybe not quite yet.
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| Chloe |
Hemp news, tiny house and work on the office
Hemp is now thigh high! With all of this daily rain, it's shooting up. It's not as high as other hemp growers in the valley though. Richard went to a meeting of local hemp growers this past Tuesday and met a few people growing Industrial Hemp locally. We ran into one of them at a fair in the park in Alamosa and followed him home to tour his hemp garden. His plants are 7 - 8 feet tall! He has a lot of variety though. We only have one type - Finola. Although, people have been trading seeds and plants around, so we may be able to grow more types in pots or next year.
We were also chosen to be one of the test plots for the valley. Yuck. At first I thought maybe we should just till up the plants, but that would be heart breaking. Watching those babies grow is so wonderful! And, it's the principle of the thing. We wanted to grow hemp this year to set a precedent for others to grow hemp. It would be wonderful if everyone was growing hemp in their backyards. It is an amazing plant. So, we will continue to watch our hemp plants get taller and see what happens. Richard plans on harvesting them on September 1, so the state will inspect so many days prior to that, to make sure the plants do not have an THC in them. The biggest issue is the cost, which we will bear. We have to pay cost of transportation for the inspector to come to our place (from where?) and we have to pay for the lab costs for the testing too. Kind of crappy, but it is what it is. Maybe they can bill us. Maybe it won't be too much. I sure hope not.
As it is, we are having a hard time saving for the deposit on our tiny house/shed, and I'm afraid it just may not happen before winter gets here. So plan B? Move the camper up the hill next to the office and start building walls around it, which we can then insulate. We will make a garage for it. A passive solar garage with windows across the south face, of course. At some point, we may pull the camper out and finish that space into a tiny house. So, we will see what happens. We are still waiting for the landscape company to send someone out to level the pad and put down four inches of gravel for the tiny house. They are having trouble keeping their appointments.
We got another course of Earthbags done on the office and Richard has almost all of the straw bales up. We may need a few more straw bales to finish it, and we may have trouble finding them right now. I'm particularly worried about moisture because of all the rain we have been getting in the San Luis valley, which isn't normal, as people will explain. Whatever. I love the rain! It makes things grow. It makes our hemp grow taller and taller. Maybe the SLV's climate is changing too. Maybe the winters won't be so intense.
We were also chosen to be one of the test plots for the valley. Yuck. At first I thought maybe we should just till up the plants, but that would be heart breaking. Watching those babies grow is so wonderful! And, it's the principle of the thing. We wanted to grow hemp this year to set a precedent for others to grow hemp. It would be wonderful if everyone was growing hemp in their backyards. It is an amazing plant. So, we will continue to watch our hemp plants get taller and see what happens. Richard plans on harvesting them on September 1, so the state will inspect so many days prior to that, to make sure the plants do not have an THC in them. The biggest issue is the cost, which we will bear. We have to pay cost of transportation for the inspector to come to our place (from where?) and we have to pay for the lab costs for the testing too. Kind of crappy, but it is what it is. Maybe they can bill us. Maybe it won't be too much. I sure hope not.
As it is, we are having a hard time saving for the deposit on our tiny house/shed, and I'm afraid it just may not happen before winter gets here. So plan B? Move the camper up the hill next to the office and start building walls around it, which we can then insulate. We will make a garage for it. A passive solar garage with windows across the south face, of course. At some point, we may pull the camper out and finish that space into a tiny house. So, we will see what happens. We are still waiting for the landscape company to send someone out to level the pad and put down four inches of gravel for the tiny house. They are having trouble keeping their appointments.
We got another course of Earthbags done on the office and Richard has almost all of the straw bales up. We may need a few more straw bales to finish it, and we may have trouble finding them right now. I'm particularly worried about moisture because of all the rain we have been getting in the San Luis valley, which isn't normal, as people will explain. Whatever. I love the rain! It makes things grow. It makes our hemp grow taller and taller. Maybe the SLV's climate is changing too. Maybe the winters won't be so intense.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Pictures - hemp field, Joy, Chloe, office, Fairy Dust
The Industrial Hemp field at different stages:
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| Hemp field 7-9-14 |
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| Hemp plants 7-15-19 |
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| hemp field 7-19-14 |
Joy's friend Happy in the garden (Yes, we now have two Aspen trees...Joy and Happy, or Happy and Joy, Happy, happy, Joy, joy):
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| Happy the Aspen tree |
Chloe's bigger yard with water and mud to play in:
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| Chloe's yard with mud wallows |
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| more foundation for straw bales |
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| Earthbags on front of office |
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| straw bales on office |
And Fairy dust, who is doing so much better. In fact, she's back to her pushy, goaty self.
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| Fairy Dust |
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| Fairy and kids (Pixie in front, Trixie in back) |
Thursday, July 17, 2014
A trip to the vet...
We had to take Fairy Dust (the newest mama goat) to the vet yesterday. She's been getting skinnier every day, but when I noticed her shaking from the cold (it was 60 F), and not eating any hay, I really felt something was wrong. It might've been a residual infection from her kidding, or something worse. Of course trying to find anything on the internet makes it all worse. I was pretty convinced she was going to eventually die if we didn't get her some help. We did give her some herbal remedies, mixed in grain and I even did an energy healing on her. I put an old t-shirt on her to keep her warm. We also gave her a good dose of probiotics. By the afternoon, her energy was up a bit, and when we arrived at the vet, she was actually pooping and peeing in the trailer. (It had been a while.) She was also trying to eat the straw Richard put down in the trailer. The vet gave her a penicillin shot, which we have to continue for at least seven days, and at my urging, ran a stool sample for parasites. She was loaded right up with worms of all varieties, so he gave her a dewormer too. She is doing better today...even eating hay.
All of the other goats and llamas are healthy, or so they appear. We have to get everyone back on the herbal dewormer regimen. We haven't been regularly deworming for quite some time. Mostly because it's so difficult with the llamas. But, we have to figure it out or give them shots, which Richard does not want to do. I just want them to be healthy. So, it's time to build catch pens in their fields so we can try to begin training them.
I am so glad we are close to a big animal vet here. And, it was even affordable. Not what I expected at all. The last time we took a llama to the vet for an exam and penicillin, it was over a hundred bucks. This time it was very reasonable, and the vet was very nice--not condescending or judgmental.
We were thinking of selling off the goat herd anyway...as bad as milk seems to be for everyone, and with the allergies...what's the point? I know we have been down this road before. Richard wanted the goats to make cheese to sell. There is no market here, at least not one we have access to at this point. I think hemp milk is a better alternative to animal based dairy anyway. And cheese in general should play a smaller part in our diets. We are going to focus more on a plant based diet and on establishing a food landscape based on permaculture ideas. We have so much space to work with here, it's exciting.
Chloe the pig is more social without old Harley around. Harley appears to be happy in his new home in the forest. Without the grumpy boy, we opened up Chloe's pen and have been giving her lots of water to wallow in. She has made her own mud holes. I have also been spraying her down with bug spray in the hope it will alleviate some of her discomfort. She does not like that at all. She is still pretty unpredictable, and I don't trust her to not bite. Hopefully she will get better with time. I pet her on her head and scratch behind her ears, all while keeping a close eye on her attitude.
The office is coming along. the straw bails go up fast. That's good because they are sitting outside in the rain that has been coming every night. Hopefully they will dry fast under the roof of the office. The rain makes the night smell so good. The gardens are happy. The Hemp plants are about 8 - 10" tall now.
This week we are finalizing our tiny house plans so we can commit the down payment to having it built. It will be built by local Amish men. I hope it lives up to the quality they are famous for. It should take about three weeks to build and then they will deliver it to a prepared pad on our land. We are still waiting on the landscape company to do the pad of gravel for the tiny house.
All of the other goats and llamas are healthy, or so they appear. We have to get everyone back on the herbal dewormer regimen. We haven't been regularly deworming for quite some time. Mostly because it's so difficult with the llamas. But, we have to figure it out or give them shots, which Richard does not want to do. I just want them to be healthy. So, it's time to build catch pens in their fields so we can try to begin training them.
I am so glad we are close to a big animal vet here. And, it was even affordable. Not what I expected at all. The last time we took a llama to the vet for an exam and penicillin, it was over a hundred bucks. This time it was very reasonable, and the vet was very nice--not condescending or judgmental.
We were thinking of selling off the goat herd anyway...as bad as milk seems to be for everyone, and with the allergies...what's the point? I know we have been down this road before. Richard wanted the goats to make cheese to sell. There is no market here, at least not one we have access to at this point. I think hemp milk is a better alternative to animal based dairy anyway. And cheese in general should play a smaller part in our diets. We are going to focus more on a plant based diet and on establishing a food landscape based on permaculture ideas. We have so much space to work with here, it's exciting.
Chloe the pig is more social without old Harley around. Harley appears to be happy in his new home in the forest. Without the grumpy boy, we opened up Chloe's pen and have been giving her lots of water to wallow in. She has made her own mud holes. I have also been spraying her down with bug spray in the hope it will alleviate some of her discomfort. She does not like that at all. She is still pretty unpredictable, and I don't trust her to not bite. Hopefully she will get better with time. I pet her on her head and scratch behind her ears, all while keeping a close eye on her attitude.
The office is coming along. the straw bails go up fast. That's good because they are sitting outside in the rain that has been coming every night. Hopefully they will dry fast under the roof of the office. The rain makes the night smell so good. The gardens are happy. The Hemp plants are about 8 - 10" tall now.
This week we are finalizing our tiny house plans so we can commit the down payment to having it built. It will be built by local Amish men. I hope it lives up to the quality they are famous for. It should take about three weeks to build and then they will deliver it to a prepared pad on our land. We are still waiting on the landscape company to do the pad of gravel for the tiny house.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Gardens, office and a chicken waterer turned planter
Here's a re-purposed chicken waterer that failed. I painted it with acrylics and sealed it, but I think a Rust-oleum type paint might be better.
Richard has been working on the office....
He stapled more bags to the ground level bags to compensate for bag breakage and top provide a water barrier for the wall. The two by fours will be filled with more gravel and the straw bales set on top. In the front we will do E-bags and windows to utilize the south solar gain.
And the gardens....
Hemp sprouts showing.
Our personal garden is going slow. Only one of the three sisters has come up--the beans.
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| Chicken waterer planter |
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| And with petunias |
Richard has been working on the office....
He stapled more bags to the ground level bags to compensate for bag breakage and top provide a water barrier for the wall. The two by fours will be filled with more gravel and the straw bales set on top. In the front we will do E-bags and windows to utilize the south solar gain.
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| Richard installing break where straw bales end and E-bags begin |
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| E-bag break next to door |
And the gardens....
Hemp sprouts showing.
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| Hemp field...greening up |
Our personal garden is going slow. Only one of the three sisters has come up--the beans.
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| Personal garden |
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Harley finds a home
Yep, Harley went to Kate's Farm in Black Forest, Colorado, where I think he will find shade, mud and a good time (they have two female pot bellied pigs). Richard and Brendan got ol' Harley loaded into a large dog kennel without too much hassle and he rode home in the back of a pickup truck. I hope he acts like a gentleman for them there.
It sure was fun talking to other people about farm stuff. The animal stories are wonderful, and I always learn something from someone else's experiences.
Thank you Brendan! Good luck Harley!
It sure was fun talking to other people about farm stuff. The animal stories are wonderful, and I always learn something from someone else's experiences.
Thank you Brendan! Good luck Harley!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Photo catch up and news
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| Seeding the hemp field |
Richard seeded the hemp field with his handy seeder. And about five or so days later, we had sprouts!
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| Hemp sprouts |
The baby goats are still up to their fun and games.
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| Pixie on Taylor while Patty watches. |
And we have had some amazing looking storms come through, but little to no rain for us. Richard took these photos of a storm at sunset.
And in other news...Richard got the solar panels hooked up and we are now totally off grid and functioning. We only have to run the generator for the well pump.
We have a bad connection on one of our hoses that Richard is continually trying to fix. As a result we have inadvertently made a small pond. I'm thinking of moving the pigs near it so they can enjoy some mud, which might help with the bugs.
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| run off pond |
He also made a bat house and hung it on the office in the hope that some bats will move in and help take care of our mosquito and fly problems.
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| Bat house on office |
We have so many little tiny black flies and the mosquitoes come out at dusk and dawn. Poor Harley the pig has about rubbed all of his hair off trying to scratch. One of the goats, Oreo, is doing the same, but doesn't look so bad. We spray her with bug repellent, but Harley is just too unpredictable to get close to. I have someone coming to look at him today and maybe take him home to his farm in Black Forest. That will be better for him and me.
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| Hairless Harley |
The office is coming along....
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| Office door |
We have a contractor coming today to give us an estimate on doing some pad work. We are looking to buy a tiny house...well, a nice storage building, Amish made, that we can turn into a tiny house. We have decided this is the only way we will have time to get a reasonable shelter in before winter. Things are just going too slow. The tiny house will have two lofts for bed space and we will put in a bathroom and kitchen. We are excited about making it a nice little home. But first things first....
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
We got hemp!
The hemp field sprouted!
And my laptop is out for repair, so the posts may be slow coming.
And a friendly reminder...we are registered with the state of Colorado to grow Industrial Hemp. We are legal.
And my laptop is out for repair, so the posts may be slow coming.
And a friendly reminder...we are registered with the state of Colorado to grow Industrial Hemp. We are legal.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Hemp in the ground
Hemp is in the ground! Better late than never. Hopefully it will mature enough to get seeds for next year. If not, it will be a great mulch and improve our garden soil.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Windmill spins
The windmill is up and spinning!
The rest of the garden soil has been tilled and is ready to plant. Richard and I took turns to get maximum usage out of the rented tiller. We had both gardens done in about three hours of constant tilling.
The pallet fence provides a bit of shade and some windbreak for the plants.
We brought home a trailer full of road base to work on the Earthbags on the front of the office. Richard is finishing the roof metal now.
We have been having a hard time finding pallets in this town. Who'd a thought? Pallets have value here and most places (in fact every single place we have called or asked) charges around $3 a pallet. Well, at least they are not throwing them away. But, it makes it quite a task to locate free pallets for building with. How are we supposed to uphold the ghetto farmer image without our pallets? I am still looking. There has to be a pallet source somewhere around here.
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| Wind power |
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| Wind generator |
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| Richard with rented tiller |
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| Three Sisters Garden |
The pallet fence provides a bit of shade and some windbreak for the plants.
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| Hemp Field |
We brought home a trailer full of road base to work on the Earthbags on the front of the office. Richard is finishing the roof metal now.
We have been having a hard time finding pallets in this town. Who'd a thought? Pallets have value here and most places (in fact every single place we have called or asked) charges around $3 a pallet. Well, at least they are not throwing them away. But, it makes it quite a task to locate free pallets for building with. How are we supposed to uphold the ghetto farmer image without our pallets? I am still looking. There has to be a pallet source somewhere around here.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Gardens, horses, rental deposits
The food garden is pretty much in. We may supplement it with a few more things, but now we have tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, kale and a new raspberry plant. I also found a tree. It's an Aspen and we put it in the corner of the garden. I planted the irises I had in pots from the rented farm along the south fence and we found some annuals which we put in pots here and there. We'd like to put a three sisters garden in the middle open space. The garden is looking good!
We drove to Salida to buy a couple of huge solar panels. I remember how cute Salida is now, and how trendy and expensive. It seems all of the rich granola types have flocked to the tiny mountain town and the real estate prices are staggering. Ridiculous. Too bad. It's cute and artsy. But Taos is more of an art town and cheaper, believe it or not. Significantly cheaper. Not that it matters. We have chosen Alamosa now and there is some art here, and some culture...thanks to Adams State University, I'm sure.
Salida had a lot of large, outdoor horse sculptures here and there. Strange to see so many. Down here, in the Valley the wild horses run. Horse medicine is still with me. In fact, I have been reading a book on touch training horses, but I was hoping to use it on the llamas. They need to learn some manners. Or I do. They need to learn trust, and so do I. Larry, the neighbor, didn't think it would be a good idea for me to get a mini horse. I get the feeling he discourages people with no horse knowledge from getting horses. But how does one learn then? I just wanted to have a live horse around to remind me of the horse medicine. It doesn't matter though. The horses are with me anyway.
Richard is working on the power station for our homestead. He's almost got the wind generator assembled and ready to raise. We still need a charge controller for the solar panels. Things are moving forward.
We are having trouble getting our security deposit returned on the rented farm we recently vacated. The landlord has told us he sent it. but it has not shown up. Three weeks now. We may have to take him to court, which I just really don't wan't to do. But we need that money for materials. Plus he kept our driveway gate...said he would buy it. Ha! Maybe we need to go take it down. Why do people have to act so dishonorably? I cleaned that place like crazy, and last we knew, the landlord said it looked good and we had been great tenants. So? The lease assured us of a returned deposit within ten days of vacating premises. I just don't understand what the issue is. The landlord won't return our calls now. So we sent letters...one regular mail and one certified. This begins the process we have to follow to take the landlord to small claims court. I hope it doesn't go that far.
Today I am collecting llama beans to spread in the gardens. Hopefully tomorrow we can rent a tiller and get it all worked in. Then the Sister's garden goes in and the hemp goes in. It'll happen.
We drove to Salida to buy a couple of huge solar panels. I remember how cute Salida is now, and how trendy and expensive. It seems all of the rich granola types have flocked to the tiny mountain town and the real estate prices are staggering. Ridiculous. Too bad. It's cute and artsy. But Taos is more of an art town and cheaper, believe it or not. Significantly cheaper. Not that it matters. We have chosen Alamosa now and there is some art here, and some culture...thanks to Adams State University, I'm sure.
Salida had a lot of large, outdoor horse sculptures here and there. Strange to see so many. Down here, in the Valley the wild horses run. Horse medicine is still with me. In fact, I have been reading a book on touch training horses, but I was hoping to use it on the llamas. They need to learn some manners. Or I do. They need to learn trust, and so do I. Larry, the neighbor, didn't think it would be a good idea for me to get a mini horse. I get the feeling he discourages people with no horse knowledge from getting horses. But how does one learn then? I just wanted to have a live horse around to remind me of the horse medicine. It doesn't matter though. The horses are with me anyway.
Richard is working on the power station for our homestead. He's almost got the wind generator assembled and ready to raise. We still need a charge controller for the solar panels. Things are moving forward.
We are having trouble getting our security deposit returned on the rented farm we recently vacated. The landlord has told us he sent it. but it has not shown up. Three weeks now. We may have to take him to court, which I just really don't wan't to do. But we need that money for materials. Plus he kept our driveway gate...said he would buy it. Ha! Maybe we need to go take it down. Why do people have to act so dishonorably? I cleaned that place like crazy, and last we knew, the landlord said it looked good and we had been great tenants. So? The lease assured us of a returned deposit within ten days of vacating premises. I just don't understand what the issue is. The landlord won't return our calls now. So we sent letters...one regular mail and one certified. This begins the process we have to follow to take the landlord to small claims court. I hope it doesn't go that far.
Today I am collecting llama beans to spread in the gardens. Hopefully tomorrow we can rent a tiller and get it all worked in. Then the Sister's garden goes in and the hemp goes in. It'll happen.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Planting and pondering
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| This place, Mt. Blanca |
We got our raised garden beds made, half filled with dirt, and today the kids and I planted potatoes in one. Tomatoes go in next. We need more dirt for the other beds and then we can plant them too.
More hemp seeds are started. We had a mishap with the wind...the last starts got blown out of their pots, pots overturned, dirt everywhere. But maybe some hemp will come up out in the middle of nowhere.
Now that we have water, the planting really begins.
We bought a Lilac bush and planted it near our compost/grey water pit, hoping it will reap the rewards of such a nutritious place. I long for trees and I can't find any to buy that we can afford. So, Lilac bush it is. It's a start. I love Lilacs anyway, but some shade would be nice. I know it will be years, but we have to start somewhere.
It has been difficult. I have become disillusioned with this whole process and have house envy when we go to town. Oh, to have walls and space to get away from one another; a backyard with green grass and trees; a real kitchen with cabinets to fit all of our spices and pots and pans; a shower and bath tub to soak in; windows to keep the sand and dust at bay; a comfortable bed; I long for some sense of permanence. This nomad lifestyle is wearing thin.
It is difficult, but then I think of an oasis in this desert place--of greening the desert--of permaculture masters who have achieved amazing results with only a piece of land to work with. That's what we have--an empty canvas, waiting to be filled. I long to fill it with color. Bring on the flowers! Let's get the fence up and get some peacocks to strut around and remind us of natural beauty. These things excite me.
And, the most important thing of all...it's all ours, outright, no banks, no debts. This land is ours. That's pretty powerful and has so much meaning. Everything we do will be for us and the future of this place.
I have also been disillusioned with the idea of the church. I have been witness to too many churches that seem to represent everything I don't. I have seen the people in charge of churches fall to their own egos, striving for power and fame, money and a name for themselves. I'm not interested in any of that. In fact, I'd rather sit in the shadows and let the church create itself. Is that possible? I foresee a space where all people are equal and hold the same value. No one has any more power than another, not even the minister. Who am I to pretend that I know more or have any better connection to Source or All That Is? We all have the same connection, or the same ability to connect. We can all communicate with Nature, with God. we do not need anyone to do it for us. Perhaps we need to be reminded of this, and if I can do that, I am honored.
If this Green Desert Sanctuary can be a place of sharing, a place of ideas, a place of peace and love, then it will be a success. I see a Sanctuary where people can come and learn, come and teach, come and just be, enjoying nature, spending time with the animals, and a place where they can remember who they are and their connection to All That Is. We are All One.
Let us redefine what a church is and who the players in a church are. We are all the church. This is a church of love for Earth, love for All. This is a church where people can gather and simply be together, doing simple things like gardening, building, taking care of animals, talking and taking care of each other and the planet. The only expectations are love and honesty, kindness and compassion. Can we do that?
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The well is working and other farm news.
We have well water!! The third pump we have tried is working and the cistern is filling right now. It will take several hours, but today we don't have to haul water. That is something major.
I have been spreading the manure and compost out in our garden spot. Now we will have the water to get the garden going. I was beginning to worry. The hemp will go in the ground very soon. In this area, the last possible freeze date was today, June 10. Crazy late.
Fairy Dust's baby goats are adorable. They jump on and off of Taylor, our female black llama, when she is laying down. At first she spit at them, but now she tolerates it. I have been trying to get a photo, but I keep missing it.
The bugs are horrible out here. Nats or something with attitude. They are eating Oreo the goat up. She's the only one though. We bought some bug spray that is environmentally friendly and have been hosing her down. She looks pretty bad. With her scratching, she has rubbed patches of hair off all over. Too bad, I was hoping to sell her and Cookie, her daughter. With the two new does, we have decided to keep them and re-home Oreo and Cookie because they have horns. The horns are just too much to deal with. I remember right after Oreo had her buckling, Coco, I was trying to examine him and she kept getting between us. She horned me, right in the eye, with her one horn. I thought for sure I'd have a black eye. (How to explain that? It was my goat...) I put frozen peas on my eye for a while and had some puffiness, but that was it. Now, I avoid Oreo and her horn. Our goat herd should be horn free. One of the baby girls may be growing horns, so we will have to disbudd her, but the other looks to be polled for sure.
Harley the pig had developed a major aggressive attitude last week. We could not figure out what was up with him, but he was mean, charging at us whenever we went near. I did some research and found out it's a dominance thing. So, we growled back at him and began pushing at him with the trashcan lid, which also serves as a shield. I guess in pig language, you have to shove them sideways to gain the upper hand. Richard got Harley's respect. He had to go in the pig pen to change the water and had it out with Harley with the metal trash can lid. (No one got hurt. I was worried about Richard being eaten by the pig.) The next day Harley's attitude was mostly gone. But, I listed Harley on Craigslist anyway. He scares me. And, after all we did to find his wandering pig self when he escaped. Irritating. Chloe may have been feeling sick or something, which may have started Harley's attitude. I think she may have been in heat. She seems better now and he's acting nicer. In any case, no one seems to want Harley so we are trying to figure out how to deal with him next. I think we need to separate him from Chloe, but I'd love to get them into the garden space so they could till it up. We are trying to build a pallet fence around the garden area, hoping to run electric wire along the bottom to keep the pigs in. They hate the electric wire, we have discovered. We need more pallets and have to find a local source.
Building is going slowly, with the 1-2 hours of water hauling daily. I finally got the foundation done on the office. The gravel trench and first course of gravel E-bags are finished. I put gravel on the floor too, hoping it would be better than the sand. I've been thinking of a patterned concrete floor. Richard got the plywood on the roof and is working on the metal. He got the batteries installed, the invertor going, and has been using the van as an office for the past few days. He is looking for solar panels now to recharge the batteries, but has installed a plug to hook the generator up to recharge the batteries. The straw walls are going in soon, and the door needs to be framed in. I was hoping to find a small window to put on the west end, opposite the door to create a cross draft in the hot weather.
I have been thinking of where we are going to put our first small house. This is the house we will overwinter in before we begin to build our bigger house. We have been looking at round Earth bag studio houses with a loft for sleeping. Anything warm that get's us out of the weather will be perfect.
All of our houseplants are living in the big horse trailer with shade cloth. They are looking pretty sad, but the trailer helps protect them from wind and sun. I don't have anyplace else for them now.
We had a storm this week that rocked the camper back and forth. It felt like we were on a boat. I wonder if the wind could ever tip it over? I heard a story from a man at the Artesian well about his little camper being rolled, over and over in a wind storm. The camper ended up at the other end of his property. Scary. We have to get a stable structure built.
So much to do.
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| The boys finally get their pool. |
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| pump filling the cistern |
I have been spreading the manure and compost out in our garden spot. Now we will have the water to get the garden going. I was beginning to worry. The hemp will go in the ground very soon. In this area, the last possible freeze date was today, June 10. Crazy late.
 |
| The garden |
Fairy Dust's baby goats are adorable. They jump on and off of Taylor, our female black llama, when she is laying down. At first she spit at them, but now she tolerates it. I have been trying to get a photo, but I keep missing it.
The bugs are horrible out here. Nats or something with attitude. They are eating Oreo the goat up. She's the only one though. We bought some bug spray that is environmentally friendly and have been hosing her down. She looks pretty bad. With her scratching, she has rubbed patches of hair off all over. Too bad, I was hoping to sell her and Cookie, her daughter. With the two new does, we have decided to keep them and re-home Oreo and Cookie because they have horns. The horns are just too much to deal with. I remember right after Oreo had her buckling, Coco, I was trying to examine him and she kept getting between us. She horned me, right in the eye, with her one horn. I thought for sure I'd have a black eye. (How to explain that? It was my goat...) I put frozen peas on my eye for a while and had some puffiness, but that was it. Now, I avoid Oreo and her horn. Our goat herd should be horn free. One of the baby girls may be growing horns, so we will have to disbudd her, but the other looks to be polled for sure.
Harley the pig had developed a major aggressive attitude last week. We could not figure out what was up with him, but he was mean, charging at us whenever we went near. I did some research and found out it's a dominance thing. So, we growled back at him and began pushing at him with the trashcan lid, which also serves as a shield. I guess in pig language, you have to shove them sideways to gain the upper hand. Richard got Harley's respect. He had to go in the pig pen to change the water and had it out with Harley with the metal trash can lid. (No one got hurt. I was worried about Richard being eaten by the pig.) The next day Harley's attitude was mostly gone. But, I listed Harley on Craigslist anyway. He scares me. And, after all we did to find his wandering pig self when he escaped. Irritating. Chloe may have been feeling sick or something, which may have started Harley's attitude. I think she may have been in heat. She seems better now and he's acting nicer. In any case, no one seems to want Harley so we are trying to figure out how to deal with him next. I think we need to separate him from Chloe, but I'd love to get them into the garden space so they could till it up. We are trying to build a pallet fence around the garden area, hoping to run electric wire along the bottom to keep the pigs in. They hate the electric wire, we have discovered. We need more pallets and have to find a local source.
 |
| Harley, looking all sweet |
Building is going slowly, with the 1-2 hours of water hauling daily. I finally got the foundation done on the office. The gravel trench and first course of gravel E-bags are finished. I put gravel on the floor too, hoping it would be better than the sand. I've been thinking of a patterned concrete floor. Richard got the plywood on the roof and is working on the metal. He got the batteries installed, the invertor going, and has been using the van as an office for the past few days. He is looking for solar panels now to recharge the batteries, but has installed a plug to hook the generator up to recharge the batteries. The straw walls are going in soon, and the door needs to be framed in. I was hoping to find a small window to put on the west end, opposite the door to create a cross draft in the hot weather.
 |
| Battery box and inverter |
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| Earth bag foundation is done. |
I have been thinking of where we are going to put our first small house. This is the house we will overwinter in before we begin to build our bigger house. We have been looking at round Earth bag studio houses with a loft for sleeping. Anything warm that get's us out of the weather will be perfect.
All of our houseplants are living in the big horse trailer with shade cloth. They are looking pretty sad, but the trailer helps protect them from wind and sun. I don't have anyplace else for them now.
 |
| Horse trailer greenhouse |
We had a storm this week that rocked the camper back and forth. It felt like we were on a boat. I wonder if the wind could ever tip it over? I heard a story from a man at the Artesian well about his little camper being rolled, over and over in a wind storm. The camper ended up at the other end of his property. Scary. We have to get a stable structure built.
So much to do.
 |
| This is the Artesain well where we got our water for the past week and a half. |
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