Melissa Silverline

I LOVE THIS!
It's so beautifully done. Very appealing, modern marketing style. Good font selection, flow, and persuasive writing.

Kind of surprised that the total lack of typical outhouse smell isn't mentioned, even in the section at the bottom. Maybe it does smell ripe sometimes? It didn't when I used it, but it was winter.

Thank you for giving this project love. The willow feeder is hands down the best outhouse I've ever come across. I always mention it when I'm telling people about my visit to Weaton Labs - an unexpected highlight. It would be wonderful to see the design spread to more properties.

Looks better using desktop format than on the phone. (Samsung Galaxy) Works ok.

Thank you for this recording. It was clearly a labor of love to read it aloud in it's entirety.

The turtle lot sign is adorable! Nice progress on the fences.

Once again tempted, very very tempted, to sell everything and thumb it up to Montana.

This draft reads a lot like the personal journal ramblings of a very intelligent, ambitious person who is bent on finding an answer. And as a person who loves a good autobiography, I couldn’t put it down. Paul pulls together “bits and bobs” of life experience and research in search of a solution to one of permaculture’s most important spokes: how to create and live in a community without being dicks to each other.

Every time I get a chance to learn more about Paul’s background and thinky-motivations I am more impressed with the guy. The ramblings in Thorns reveal – again – that the projects he takes on have the flavor of lifelong quests. I like to compare finding solutions to picking a path that goes through the woods – sometimes mapping all the trails that don’t lead to your destination end up being as useful to know about as finding the one that does. The experiences with community building documented in this book have value as examples of what doesn’t work; and it’s heartening to follow Paul along as he plots ways to evolve the human relationship aspect of sustainable living [together].

I hope to see this collection of thoughts, trials, and results grow with the real life work. Regardless of format or profit, the contribution this kind of searching brings to humankind is significant. And if by some miracle Paul’s determination results in finding a system that works… talk about a noble cause.

I think it makes a difference that there isn't a "rolling chat" type of option here, where it's somewhat encouraged to reply with a one-liner and/or emoji.
(Though I do wish I could chat with all the lovely permies from time to time.)

I suppose the subject matter makes a difference as well - I kind of assume a level of maturity present in people who want to do things involving labor, study, and betterment of community.

Wow. There were some really important definitions unpacked in this conversation. Glad I listened (thanks to the link in the daily). I will be recommending this to friends.

Please, please cut out the footage of the classroom showing a bunch of bored looking people. Your killing yourself with that.

This string made me laugh.

It's a perfectly great idea, as logical ideas go. Completely the opposite of what I was compelled to do when moving off-grid though, which was throw away all my calendars and clocks. I just kept a journal of weather and blooms and bug populations (etc) to track the yearly cycle.

The interesting bit - which would be the same for the 13 month format - was syncing up with other people.