Faeryn Savage

My path brought me to Nature's Network by Keith Reid and The Vanishing Face of Gaia by James Lovelock. Is anyone by chance, familiar?

Patrik Schumann wrote:Someone gave me a copy decades ago, saying it seemed much like work I had already been pursuing.  I've loved it, carried it around the world, occasionally delving into parts, kind of like the Tao Te Ching.  

I've encountered rather more practical info involving real life trade-offs in various other formats: experienced folks, demonstration projects, comparative assessments, trial & error, disparate fields & oblique situations.  

But I wouldn't let go of it & I revere Mollison for having brought it all together in one conceptual framework & guidebook, even more so for getting the second generation, of Permaculture doers, going whose specific works I was most exposed to.  

Maybe wait for one to come along as a gift & reward for having gotten there along your own path.  

You can eat a seed library - I myself did & would start there!  

I love that attitude and reference frame. And you're 100% correct. You CAN eat a seed library. How awesome. Stephen King still tastes weird. But I'll keep adding more ingredients until something comes of it, I suppose. : D

Thank you for your well-thought response. You're totally right. One will come my way, should Ka will it. I did, in the interim, find TWO really great books that while not directly -- specifically -- permaculture based, they both have what I'm finding to be amazing information, perspective and help to strengthen my understanding of things as a whole.

I'm self-teaching my way through this, and so I'm starting with ecology. And lucky for me, i found a really great book on the subject, by accident, in great shape, that the author communicates and teaches in a way I understand easily. And for 75% off of $0.75... I'd say that's a bargain I couldn't beat. The book is called Nature's Network by Keith Reid. I wonder if any folks might be familiar. The other that I've just begun is called The Vanishing Face of Gaia by James Lovelock.

Anyway, thank you again for your insight. I appreciate you.

Chris Clinton wrote:I am going to assume that you meant the Designer's Manual and not the Introduction to... I wouldn't pay $40 for Intro but that is a great price for the PDM. Can you live without it? I am sure you can. Is it an enlightening keystone text to treasure? Why yes it is.  I'd say trust your gut on this one. Since it was published overseas originally it doesn't really show up used and getting it for less than 3 figures is uncommon BUT anything is possible. I have spent most of my extra money on books over the years and I've dropped some real monies on some things, but when I was in my twenties and discovering permaculture that was not the case. I fiended for this book for years and then one day there it was in front of me at a thrift store. $2.02! (still got the sticker on it) I was dumbstruck. I'd probably squirrel away and pay the $100 nowadays if I had to but back then I was so grateful for it magically showing up like that. I've grown veggies and foraged for a living for a long time now, and a lot (but by no means all) of my learning has been from reading. My library along with my tools has definitely put food in my mouth.
I hope one way or another it finds its way into your hands.

I dig this response! Thank you so much! You've hit a few really great nails right on the head. I have a wonderful adventure ahead of me and in preparation of it, I have to be selective and thoughtful about what I choose to take with me and what I sacrifice to be able to. My list isn't enormous, but that one has made the list. I'll keep at it. I love your thrift store story. I frequent my area's thrift stores on a constant quest for Everybody's Grandma's Donated Linens of Awful Vintage Prints because I turn them into clothes and bags and hairbands and dolls, teddy bears and other toys, all kinds of hideous (lovely) things. It's one of the ways that I do what I find meaningful - I've seen the contribution from the fashion and clothing industries in terms of waste and wanted to stop being a cog in that machine if I could. That made me want to help make it accessible for other people to do the same thing if they wanted to... But with all of the really terrible floral prints and color combinations that the seventies offered. (Or in a unique and looks-handmade-but-not-second-hand kind of way? Not that there's anything at all wrong with second hand. I happen to think of second hand attire in the tune of Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top, you know?) It's so magnificent. To me, at least. Anyway, I overshared all of that to say that you make me hopeful that one day, my dedication to refusing to buy 'new' will point me in the direction I am supposed to go, no matter what the title of the book I'm to read ends up being.

Carla Burke wrote:I've never read it. I highly doubt I ever will. I don't need it, because I can find almost anything I need to know, right here. If I can't find what I'm looking for, I can start a thread, to ask a question in the appropriate forum, and almost without fail, the answers I need just magically appear, in short order.

The Internet Archive (https://archive.org/), especially in conjunction with permies.com, are a formidable resource, period. Throw in the fact that both are FREE, and it suddenly enables my inner bibliophile access to almost anything it desires. No shipping. No leaving my home, if I don't want to. No carrying *a* book with you, to the garden, barn, out on a hike, etc - download it to your phone, and take the whole library with you.

Check into bookbub.com, and goodreads.com for great deals on ebooks, too.

I love that whole idea because the internet allows us the ability to need less 'things'. I dig it.

What I am preparing for won't have the 'instant everything, just add internet' functionality perk. I can see it's great usefulness, and perhaps I'll change my mind after being without it for awhile, who knows? But I very much love your frame of reference. Thank you for sharing!

George Yacus wrote:Faeryn,

Can you confirm, are you trying to get this one:

https://a.co/d/2fDBpqq

or this one...

https://a.co/d/fJCSmjJ

Sorry, I do that often, mix and match my thoughts and words. The second one! I am basing it off of my memory of it's contents, it's been many years since I had access to it. My apologies for the mix up!

J. Juniper wrote:A book lover.

This is branching off from your focus...but I do see a Designer's Guide By Bill Mollison
as an audio book that looks like you can listen to for free on Bookey.

YOU are a genius. I love listening to books! My brain for some reason has never connected the non-fiction to audiobook connection, but of course that's a real thing! I could easily listen over and over and take all kinds of notes! I could just HUG YOU SO BIG. With consent, of course.

THANK YOU!

Keith Odell wrote:A strong vote for worm composting.  A simple tote as-is or a kitchen trash can - set-up like a flow-thru - are very easy to own and operate.
Treat a new worm bin like a baby and you'll be just fine.  Keep it comfortable, not too wet, don't feed it too much and act like you like it.
After a month or so it will mature (they grow up so quick!) and then it will be game on.

The flow-thru with the window was made because I'm an engineer and my wife is an artist.
She said show me.  So after explaining it to her ALL day, I made this.

Good luck with whatever route you go.

Thank you SO much for sharing this. How absolutely cool is that?! I have a couple of questions about your set up if you'd not be too bothered by me asking.

I am really into that. Super stellar.

L&R,
F

Anne Miller wrote:Similar to something Christopher said, years ago I saved all my veggie scraps to make broth.

And then there is scrap cooking:

https://permies.com/t/216892/Scrap-Cooking

Here is another thread with suggestions for those scraps:

https://permies.com/t/157796/composting/Kitchen-scraps-favorite-recycle-method

I am saying this before looking into the idea of broth... But boy, my curiosity is piqued. I have never thought about scraps in this way... I am PUMPED to check this out. THANK YOU!!!

I'm not sure if this belongs here. Please let me know if it's not okay and I'll go sit in the corner. BUT... If I don't let this out I think it might make me cry or something.

I don't operate at a level that has monies beyond what is required to fufill the basic needs for me and my kiddo, so 'extras' are something of a rarity. I'm okay with that, and he's happy... I made a conscious choice a long time ago that doing what is the most meaningful has reward that far outreaches the return of spending my precious earth time in the pursuit of money doing something that would likely counter what is meaningful. If that alone is all that my offspring takes away from my life, I think I'm pretty okay with that.

I'll reiterate that it was, and is, a choice that I made willingly, and would choose again without hesitation. And I am prepared to face the potential consequences of that choice... The pursuit of what is meaningful is that much of a big deal to me.

I am also not a super materialistic person. Sentimental, sure. But not overly materialistic. I do my best to care for what I have so it will last me, and the things I do have I worked very hard for and enjoy, but ultimately if they were all stripped from me, I'd like to think that after some initial shock, I'd be just as okay as I am with them. (It's possible that I may feel a little bit different about my tools... For they are what I use to 'provide'. But that's another matter entirely.)

So here's the problem, or challenge: I finally found a copy of Bill Mollison's Introduction to Permaculture that is not only well under a hundred dollars, but is a beautiful, ready-to-be-loved copy. (It's only $40 plus the shipping fee!) But things are simply too tight, as they are most surely to always be, for me to be able to buy it. And I find it sad.

I have scoured the thrift stores and local buy and sell sites for this book and within a price range or within my abilities to barter for for literally years and I finally found it, so it feels defeating that I can't make it happen. Almost like I'm letting myself down?

I'm going to sacrifice what and where I can and see if by next week when more of that green papered madness comes into my pocket that it is by some miraculous magic still available at this wonderful price, but I'm not holding my breath for that.

So, I'm wondering... Am I being too materialistic? I also wonder what folks have paid for their copy and if my hope to obtain a copy for less than $100-150 is unrealistic. Maybe someone would weigh in for me let me know their thoughts? Again, I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place or not allowed altogether. I just don't know that I've got anybody in my immediate reach to discuss this with that would have any level of understanding that I think folks around here have.

Love and Respect,
Faeryn

Happy Sunday, Friends!

It was about fifteen years ago that I last was involved in the permaculture community. The world has much moved on since then, but I am certain it's not entirely abandoned the city of Tacoma altogether. Does anybody feel like telling their friend Faeryn about Tacoma-area, permaculture related activities, groups, events, etc. so that I can build myself a network of nearby friends and get involved and do some learning, sharing, etc.?

Love & Respect,
Faeryn