Wow. I'm so glad this came up on my Daily email. . . soooo:
I switched to Crochet (which is a yarn hog) because my time is more valuable than *most* yarns, and I save knitting for 1) Sweaters, 2) fancy wool, for those times when the yarn is more expensive than my time =)
SO: it never occurred to me that knitting could be made more efficient than crochet. I have seen so many looms (including a 400 year old design for knitting stockings by hand crank) that I thought that knitting was mechanistic in large-scale. I never knew human hands could do 200+ stictch-per-minute.
I was wildly disappointed that there were no blogs, links, or techniques posted to show HOW to get up to 200 stitches per minute. I would love to learn HOW to do this!!! Do you have any such links, instead of just products, to show us how to use aforementioned products? I would willing get a courtier/loved one to make me a metal-tipped knitting stick, if I knew how one was used. . .
To be more clear: I guess, yes, stating that there are solutions for smaller scale and lighter-weight options. People like me - something around 3-4 on Paul's Permaculture scale - who have aspirations to move on and just enough knowledge to feel limited won't go any further thinking our home cannot encorporate Rocketry. We seriously bought the book 18 months ago intending to make a homeschool project based on it, only to learn that we couldn't. I have yet to find something we CAN use - especially frustrating with the $100 LNG bill (double our previous highest) with a full cord of split Alder >.<
Can someone create a "which one is right for me?" FAQ - Time is a valuable resource and most people search only about half a minute for an answer. I did not see one that even looked like it would work where I live (flood plains).
The thing bugging me is that the "free heat" says the only requirement is knowledge - but that's false. It requires a foundation stronger than what my - and many - houses have. No where on the front page is this mentioned. We bought Wisner's book and that is when we learned we CANNOT build a RMH without compromising our foundation, or hiring experts for thousands of dollars to rebuild.
This is frustrating bait-and-switch that I would hope Paul/Permies would be more upfront about. Until such corrections are made to the "requirements" on the main website, I cannot in good conscience share it with my local peeps knowing they will have the same sinking-foundation issues.
Joseph Lofthouse wrote:My experience is that the best foragers, and most resistant to predation, are chicks that are raised by a broody hen.
I agree. But we have found that chickens who are raised by hens are NOT good at coming when called, and less friendly around my kids. We have done both. We don't have a rooster now, so need to buy chicks again and have decided to hand-raise these ones in a brooder.
Ideally I'd find a local breeder, but I am not finding the quality that I did 8 years ago.
I want to start a new flock of about a dozen chickens, raising them from chicks. Someone is offering to pay me to start them in the next month, but I have had mixed luck with store/hatchery chicks. I spent an hour on Permies/Critters/Chickens and lots of advice on how to but nothing on WHERE to Start!
SO: Where did you get your best layers that are good foragers from? =)
"that there seems to be a surplus of cats"
I don't believe that's accurate. It depends on how many you think is reasonable. They provide an extremely effective rodent deterent that survives better with local predators.
We own 2 cats; when we went to Wheaton Labs, we saw several cats (a couple of kittens who were very playful, a couple who kept a far distance). No cat food - my son managed to catch a grasshopper and feed if to a kitten. One cat slept in his tent one day. Cats love him.
If your allergies prevent you from visiting people who have cats, the Boot's Lodge won't work for you but there are other ways to stay - tent, build your own place, or SEPPER.
Kudos to you and your staff who have kept this page on-topic and bot-free. I imagine it is getting harder. Being relatively single-topic and with a Benevolent Dictator/Duke at the helm certainly helps! (I feel qualified to say this as I've BEEN to Wheaton Labs - I mean it as a compliment!) This page is like a Fuedal Lord in a world of Robber Barrons. (My husband is a history-geek, with a degree in linguistics he has studies histories in multiple languages. So we have some intense conversations nightly. I trust him far more than any media (social or network) and he does a great job of explaining things and answering my "what if" and "how did" questions.)
BASICALLY: We are in a period similar to the break-up of the Roman Empire. The political powers have a lot of power and are no longer worried about being discovered using it - and we are seeing propaganda at an immense rate. Everything is propaganda - trying to push a narrative. The problem is technology is allowing 'spies' in to cause dissension in weird places. The influencer game is bizarre. I'm glad we don't play it - but raising kids to recognize it is an immense challenge!
Hi! I hope I'm not "crashing" the party, as I am only barely beginning to read about Rocket Mass Heaters. The problem I have, is I'd love to use Rocket Stove type efficiency as a retrofit for an existing house - one with a foundation that cannot support RMH. My husband bought me the book without understanding that we cannot utilize any of the designs in our current home.
Is there a "small" rocket stove design that can be used to efficiently dump a lot of heat, rapidly, into a "typical" living area, for those of us trying to move from 3 to 4 on the Permies Scale? =)
I went to visit Guy's property. FWIW: I am a 40 y/o female, brought my pistol packing husband with me "just in case" and it was totally unnecessary. Guy and his wife are genuine, polite, kind, good people. The property is EVERYTHING he said it is!!! There is an amazing field just south of the home that would permit livestock or a second home being built. The property is amazing. The house is probably 85% done - meaning if you are 40-something and not ready to start-over, this place is PERFECT because it has everything you need in place to function.
If we had an extra year, I wouldn't be posting this because I would be buying it =) But our family dynamics are such that Guy wants this property sold before we are ready to move 11 hours away from our aging parents.
Hello! I may be relatively "neighborly" to you - I am in Skagit County. Feel free to send me a message - I have dehydrator and stove and if you have produce, I will gladly help preserve items for half of the stores =) I have done this before within my previous community, it's how I learned to can (I would go and help harvest, and then help process and can). If you are willing to travel to Skagit County, we can work something out. I am pretty close to I-5.
The description needs more details about the class - did you have an outline or syllabus? Maybe include that so we know what we are getting (12 weeks of one hour sessions; 4 8-hour days?) I haven't taken the Master Gardener class because of all the pesticides and junk, and would seriously spend $50 on this. I think if you drop the edited version to less than $100 (like $80?) You may get better investment. That mental barrier at three-digits is hurting a lot of us right now.
As in - I really want to drop a Benny on this, I have done so on other KS, but cannot this year.
Hi! I haven't seen you respond to any of the prior posts, so I am wondering if this is still up as an offer. I am a homeschooling mom and I have four kids, including a teen who likes to do woodworking. I am wondering if we could stay, not permanently but occasionally. Please let me know if you are still offering this land for use!
Rob Teeter wrote:Just curious if anyone has tried to vermicompost their poo before it gets to the willow feeder?
Worms are NOT anaerobic nor hot compost - it will not break down any pathogens. Human Poo generally needs 3-5 years in a sealed container before it is considered 'safe'
"leaves and grass clippings are readily available" - they actually aren't! We have a shortage of both because so much of our "yard" is growing food and trees and chickens!
We do have composting going. And we have a TON Of wood chips now that we had a tree cut down. I have stuff to build a new hugel bed - I have to find time and energy :-/
Mike Barkley wrote:What state or USDA zone are you in? How much soil do you have available?
I am in Western Washington, Zone 8, and we have excess soil I have been 'borrowing' from the front lawn, it is very sandy and needs LOTS of amending which is what usually holds me up - we don't produce enough compost waste ourselves =)
TL/DR: My chickens got to my new hugelkultur bed and I don't know what to do before I lose this growing season, too!
I have been here for almost four years and worked my way up to a Hugelkultur bed, I tried to make mine 3' tall (using only woman power here!) BUT, as you'll see, I had a hard time getting enough soil and the chickens loved digging out all the worms and critters out of the compost layer. In September 2021 I almost died - literally - spending 6 weeks on bedrest as our hospitals were overwhelmed and my husband was providing round-the-clock care. 4 weeks in PT to be able to walk out of my house. It was January before I could "clean up" my chickens' coop and the fall garden chores didn't get done. My hens went from rotating patches to free range - and destroyed my new, true hugelkultur bed. Somehow, my volunteer peach tree (that I found in the chicken run last year!) is surviving! We recently had an Alder tree cut down and I want to make REAL 4' hugelkultur beds this year. . . and I have already lost much of the starting season!
My Dilemma: Do I dig up this bed and start over with my new alder logs, transplanting the peach tree? Do I make it longer, with the peach-tree in the middle? Do I just leave it as-is and 'redo' the chips/compost/soil?
I am third-year hugelkultur gardener =) My 2 cents is probably worth about that much, but I will address one question: what to plant where? Well, that depends on how you orient your beds! Mine run north/south, being in Washington State that means I put tall plants on the north end (rosemary and Lovage), squash plants on the south side (they run downhill), lettuces on the east/morning sun side and beans/peas on the west/sunset side to help shelter the other plants from the scorching afternoon sun. Other than that, it's not really vertical gardening - it's sloped gardening. Radishes go on the top. I still grow carrots and potatoes in the ground.
I found that something like thyme creeps its way down,
Watching on YouTube, shared (twice) on Facebook, and commented on YouTube. Having seen the berm shed in person, I have to say, the massiveness is lost on video =)
Hey, to make things easier for y'all sorting through the data, maybe we should all make our first name "BugTest" so you can easily sort through who the bug testing new accounts are (and potentially remove them after 30 days or something)
Apparently "BugTest" is a realistic enough first name.
Shaun Darbonne wrote:I work at an oilfield mancamp in New Mexico and would like to go for a week during one of my breaks( I work 6 weeks and off 2 weeks at a time). I paid 100 already to get on the list, but I'd enjoy just taking a trip and going spend some time checking it out if it's any possibility. I have a van conversion and can buy or bring my own food if that's any concern.
That is all going to depend on if Boots are needed. October through March, probably; in the summer, maybe not. But I did go for 1.5 weeks last year - it was lovely, we camped in our van, and I brought my own food (and chocolates to share with the resident boots.)
I was wondering if Paul would let me come back in March for 2 weeks if a bunk is available =D
Melissa Ferrin wrote:Is boot camp family friendly?
Melissa- I posted some of my experiences from August 2020, when I went with my 15 and 4 year olds (oldest and youngest of 4 boys.) They treated us as a total "one" boot, we car-camped and provided most of our own food. It was an AWESOME experience.
We plan to send that oldest kid back for a "Gap Year" and he is already on the waitlist =D
At 15 - an active Boyscout who lettered in swimming - it was mentally a bit much for him. He would fall asleep after lunch and miss the afternoon shift, which was fine because we were each a "half" of a boot. It was the physicality of the work - and tracking the toddler - that wore me down, but I would go back in a heartbeat! Going during a sabbatical would be great, but your kiddo wouldn't really be a full boot, that is something you can work out with [Lara?] =)
Keyword Searches!
Few people know the word "permaculture", they are searching things like "organic farming" and "sustainability" - knowing the word permaculture is almost automatically a "level 2" or "3" on your scale, but most boots are coming in level 1, right?
If the goal is "young people" (those who are going to find out about this who are NOT already on permies.com) then Instagram is more popular than facebook.
I agree with Mike. Get rid of the "Who is it for" section, moving the "Why" section up (so it appears on the screen first.
Given all the uncertainty in the world, people may be nervous to try something this different. (Especially something like going to Montana in December/January!) The ideal Boots are those without kids, but everyone I know learnt about permaculture while raising children.
I am surprised that "preventing waste" isn't mentioned yet. Composting is a big CO diverter, especially with so much food waste in the US. Many homes throw food in the garbage. We have bought and built worm bins and chickens to ensure no food ever goes to waste. Then, their "waste" goes back in the garden.
I remember my dad saying "The first R is reduce. Bthe second is reuse. Recycling is a last-ditch effort, it was never supposed to be the default."
Paul mentions an Electric Car, but what about motorcycles, or bicycles?
I tried to place an order: it is asking for the coupon code, the link is not sufficient to get the order.
It is also limiting orders to ONE book, so you cannot order another for a friend =(
I would say that 95% of Boots spend 95% of their time working on things that directly benefit Boots. Because: it depends on the Boot =)
When I visited (it was very short-term but I wanted anything I could get!) there were woofers there, too. I got to see both sides and learned more than my brain could process. Boots were assigned to work on the Wofati Greenhouse, and boots were occasionally helping with the Abby (which, if I remember correctly, is NOT a boot benefit). Then again, the lessons working on the Abby and making Cob were beneficial in an educational sense but not in a 'this project will benefit me directly' sense.
I could never fully enjoy the Boot Benes because of my medically required diet- I cannot eat the plant-based diet and live well. So while I worked I was learning, but was relying on outside resources. As much as I want to spend 6-12 months being a boot, I would have to provide a lot of my own food (and take the time to prepare it separately, daily- leaving me with far less time to actually enjoy being a boot).
As a more outside-observer, I had issue with lost productivity (i.e. re-working the patio, too many Heugel Beds not producing well, planting with poor pest management.) Reflection has provided insight in that this is part of the design of Wheaton Lab: Boots have choices in what they do, so choose what they enjoy and what gets short-term "PEP" badges, sometimes over what is most beneficial and productive; which is another way of saying they do what benefits the individual whether or not it most benefits the whole Boot Camp. Much is learned making mistakes =)
I love the idea of having a woman (boot or staff or volunteer) be the point-of-contact for your women guests! Paul, you are right it is a little more awkward asking a man for "How does this work?" and having a woman who is already there ready to answer/explain is a much better experience for everyone. After all, the goal is to help move us towards sustainability. If someone who lives there has more experience to share, that is amazing!
Even just emailing ALL participants both of those docs before they come would help prepare them mentally for that shift in thinking. It wasn't something I thought about when I came last year, only staying for a week.
Now I am over here rethinking our bathroom usage again. . . .
First, I am curious as to why you want to shorten it. As a visitor last year, it wasn't too long of a read for me =) Is it for others?
Maybe put the "Pee outside" part outside, on the door? It can be split in two that way.
I still think it is very helpful to have a boot give the visitors a tour, including a brief tutorial on how the willow bank works.
As a woman: the Shark Week paper looks fine. It is very helpful to know that it's okay to dump the moon cups into the cans.
I will say, that the little sink I remember would be insufficient to rinse out cloth pads well. In my 20s, I would have been very insecure about using the outdoor sink and drying lines, but now I'm 40 I would be fine with it =)
