Howdy

I was going down the forum list the other day and realized I hadn't posted an Introduction, even though I have already started posting.

I found this place from hearing Paul speak on The Survival Summit put on by the PrepperProject in Spokane. He hooked me by talking my kind of thinking - sustainable living.

I'm a retired Marine who grew up in the Flathead and returned in 2000 with my Bride (who I went to high school with), our kids and critters. I'm currently wage slaving as a traveling engineer in the semi-conductor industry. I grew up as a Cold War Kid, and a lot of my view of the world and things is colored by that experience as well as my travels to lots of different places on this interesting globe. I've been a dirt worker for as long as I can remember, always having a fascination with the way things grow, where they grow and what's good to eat. I started practicing survival bushcraft as a pre-teen and we hunt and fish, raise some pigs for meat, raise some chickens for eggs and we've been square plot gardeners forever. I heard of "permaculture" a while back and it has been part of my thinking for a long time, then I heard Paul talking about Rocket Mass Heaters, HugulKultur and Wofatis - yowza! I heard an audible 'click' when the 100 watt light bulb went on over my head. I'm hooked.

I've been thinking about the various acreages the Bride and I have scattered in and around this beautiful Valley we call home, and ways to bring this permaculture stuff to life. Since we are coming out of the usual late winter deep freeze, now I just have to be patient enough to wait for the last killing frost at Memorial Day to get started. I've had a hole in the ground on one of our properties in the mountains for ten years - the "cabin" was going to go there, now I'm thinking it will be a wofati. I've been working on making better habitat for our native fruit trees and bushes all along, but now I have more ideas on how to make this happen.

I appreciate the work that has gone into this place and hope that I will continue to provide positive inputs and show my own experimental results from the ideas that I gain here. It is always better to do something with a chance of success and fail, than it is to just sit there and fail. Learning is life.

Howdy Bill, welcome to permies!

Thanks for the Welcome, Miles.

Hi Bill!

Thanks for my welcome, I found your introduction as well.

My son and I also pursue survival techniques and bushcraft.
He's a bit more outfitted than I, but I have fun buying him presents.

Montana was my first choice, long ago, when I knew I was leaving CA. I'm glad you got there. It's a truly beautiful place.

God bless!

Hey, welcome to Permies. Veteran myself, respect.

Thanks Natalie and Amedean! I am enjoying this place and the folks here a lot. Learning stuff, sharing stuff and all that. I like to think that the bushcraft and survival things I've picked up over the years have helped me to learn a good way to look at nature and our place in it.

Amedean, you'll have to tell me the story of your name one of these days. One of our former associate pastors had a name that was very similar and it was a combination of her parents' first names. She has continued this tradition with her daughters as well. My oldest daughter gave her son a unique first name, and then combined the two grandpa's first names to make his middle name. It makes one unique in familial tradition, and yet carries it on. I like that. And respect back to you for your service, we are the 0.45% (actual statistic).

Hi there Bill,
It is always nice to see others from up in the area show up on the site.We sneak in more occasionally these days to read and write since we have cut our online time down so we can be out enjoying life.
We also have not in the time we have been on the Permies group dropped an intro..Probably should take the time to do that some time.We are a couple of farm kids born and raised in MT with a very diverse background..LOL going to admit we are probably the confused Permie posters. LOL just mean that in the lines of how sometimes it is confusing to us to read old time methods being pumped into something new.LOL We have taught alternative gardening and other life skills for years although this year will be our first year of no longer doing that and working hard toward our new beginning. James does not make it in often either his speciality has been masonry and alternative construction,lol at least until leeds and the official green building stuff took off....He is one of the few people in the Flathead who has built russian furnace or two had them tested and given talks on them..Wish he would come in and chat more here on the forums.Any how nice to see another from our area in here posting

Mary,
Howdy back and all that. I've been a bit busy with work and family stuff of late and haven't been here in a bit. And it being spring - stuff needs to get done and then when it gets to dark to see, the bed calls. Rollins is really nice area and my little brother used to butcher at M&S Meats until he passed away back in '97. That was a tough time right before Christmas.

Anyhow, lots of good stuff here and I am picking up a lot of things and sharing what I can, and a whole lot of the old time stuff really works well. Just need to build a better balance and bridge to make things easier to get at for folks. Good on James and his efforts, too. Hopefully we'll run across each other one of these days in person.