How has Permaculture Affected your Personal Life?

How has permaculture affected your life?

At one time, my life was filled with working a fulltime job, taking kids to their social events and other community events. I never realized how my life would change once I left all those things behind. Now I am free to do the things that I like to do.  I can take long walks, watch the butterflies and other wildlife.

We usually have a pan of water for the birds on our patio though this year we have been putting out some bird seed for them.  I never knew we had so many beautiful birds.

We have a lot of the same birds that most of you are familiar with, like cardinals, bluejays, hummingbirds, mourning doves, and robins.  We have many colorful songbirds and other colorful birds that probably migrate here.

Here are some of the birds I see almost every day:



Source

The painted bunting (Passerina ciris) is a species of bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America. The bright plumage of the male only comes in the second year of life; in the first year they can only be distinguished from the female by close inspection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_bunting

The golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) is a North American woodpecker. Its preferred habitat is mesquite, riparian woodlands, and tropical rainforest. It is distributed from Texas and Oklahoma in the United States through Mexico to Honduras and northern Nicaragua.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden-fronted_woodpecker




Source

Western scrub-jays have long tails and small bills. The head, wings, and tail are blue, the back is brown, the underside is gray to tan, and the throat is white. Unlike Steller’s jays and blue jays, they do not have a crest. Western scrub-jays include several subspecies that live along the Pacific coast and in the interior West. The Pacific coastal group has a distinct blue collar and is brighter in color than those of the interior West.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Western-Scrub-Jay




Source

The roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, usually in the desert. Some have been clocked at 32 km/h (20 mph) while a few have also been clocked up to 43 km/h (27 mph).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadrunner


This link is a pdf for the birds of Texas:

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_1673a.pdf


I find it really amazing that we get to see these beautiful birds in our permaculture zone one. And birds are not the only wildlife we see in this zone.

At any given time the deer will stop to sell hello.  They keep their distance, maybe 50 feet.  I assume these were babies when we moved here so they are used to seeing us go about our daily routine.

So many beautiful butterflies too. My milkweed died so I only see Monarch Butterflies as they head off to the milkweed that grows in my forest. We have pipevine swallowtails, gulf fritillary, queen, to name a few.

This is how I feel permaculture has affected my life.  

How has it affected your life?

I feel more liberated. I'm surrounded by people with similar interests. We're not all the same in every way, but it's really nice to be able to gush about things that interest me without having to curb myself or bend myself to conversation topics that I'm not interested in. And, my friends are no longer people who just talk about the world's problems, they actively work to make things better. It's really been a big load off my shoulders.

I quit smoking and drinking, lost 20 kg, look better after myself, learn new amazing stuff everyday, learn how to get more done with less effort, learn to time well to be more efficient, learn to propagate plants by cuttings etc, save seeds, learned to cook healthier fresher food, learn to plant trees and herbs and mushrooms, learned about soils and weather and much more. Knowing the knowledge will only deepen and being able to share it with anyone who feels it might benefit them is deeply gratifying. I feel much richer, calmer, in control and a more complete human being, which attracts a different more diverse kind of people, but it hasn't made me rich financially, although we all live like kings if we compare it to a hundred years ago.
. I used to go more often on walks when i didn't garden. It's obsessive. A healthy addiction i call it. I travel through time and space in the garden, observing the symbioses and change of the stages of plant life in awe and gratitude.

I planted an apple tree guild last fall with six apple saplings. This spring I planted around them a smattering of leftover things. A few strawberry plants, a couple of asparagus roots, some horseradish, different perennial herbs and pollinator plants, etc. I hadn't paid much attention to it until I recently walked past a butterfly weed and was shocked to find it covered with Monarch caterpillars. This has been a game changer for me! I'm planting a ton of it next year and more pollinator plants in general. The caterpillars seem to have all crawled away and I've only found four chrysalis but I'm sure more are hiding somewhere.

Off course everyone has a different experience. So mine is different from others.
Throughout all of my life nature was very important. Both of my parents were real nature-lovers. As a teenager I was member of a youth organisation for studying nature, in which group also protecting the environment was very important. Even healthy food, vegetarian eating and organic products were things we than thought and talked about (as teenagers in the 1970s).
But then I became an adult, and a parent. Society demanded certain things of me ... And I found out this was very difficult! I often had the feeling I couldn't live that life ... Maybe something was wrong with me ...

To make a long story short: when I got to know about permaculture, started reading about the experiences of others, saw videos of how they lived ... and when a local group started with a community garden here ... it felt so good. It wasn't me that was wrong ... something else was wrong!

I stopped fretting if the lawn didn't get cut. I've always cut it much longer than was considered "normal" (when larger wheels didn't get the mower high enough, Hubby drilled new holes for me). This year I've been trying to get some garden beds and new compost bins built, so I decided to see what would happen if I just let the lawns do their thing. The important thing is that permaculture lets me be "messy" in the lawn and garden - I could dead-head those flowers, but maybe a LBB (little brown bird) will want those seeds - or maybe I could spread those seeds for Mother Nature - or maybe I could pick some of those weeds for my chicken friends or the soup pot (learning how many of the plants are edible has also affected my life!)

Permaculture has definitely shifted my perspective. I've always been reasonably "environmentally conscious", but permaculture is a whole new level of seeing myself in the picture.

My land is isolated in a county with a low population.  I did see the Fed x guy yesterday.  Frankly, over 1/2  of my life has been in isolated settings.  So, the impact this life style has had is mostly pease and quiet. Although I have spoken with a neighbor sometime this summer, it was only once, and I really can't remember when.

Practically everything. It has led me to human rewilding philosophies, shaped the way I perceive medicine,  has motivated me to use naturally nontoxic shampoo, toothpaste,etc.
Its added to the foundation of future life plans and my decision making paradigm to consider impact on nature. I now see humans as part of nature, not separate. It has given me a way to honor God with all parts of my life, not just a few.

In summary: it has played a major part in shaping who I am.

Huxley Harter wrote:Practically everything. It has led me to human rewilding philosophies, shaped the way I perceive medicine,  has motivated me to use naturally nontoxic shampoo, toothpaste,etc.
Its added to the foundation of future life plans and my decision making paradigm to consider impact on nature. I now see humans as part of nature, not separate. It has given me a way to honor God with all parts of my life, not just a few.

In summary: it has played a major part in shaping who I am.

Life is a wonderful experience in spite of all it is happening now ... Seeing the wonders of Nature, sharing time, walking and observing its beauty, ... help this path to go threw difficulties and ... help one to reach serenity. Thanks for the great pictures

It's very hard to decide what has been the best about it, experiences in the food forest or the amazing people sharing amazing ideas and plants with me.  The later this whole site is a great example of, the former I will use the walk I just came in from as an example.  I take care of a 2 year old on weekends while her parents work.  She asked me to go for a walk so we looped around the forest and yard and then into the food forest's maze of paths.  At that point the 2 year old was guiding me as she moved through every path sniffing flowers, pointing out frogs, toads and insects and eating fruit and a few vegetables (I stayed very close and ok'ed everything before she would take a bite.  She was interested in eating the wine cap mushrooms and acorns both of which I explained we'd have to cook.  We brought some wine caps in to cook and eat, left the acorns for another weekend when we'll process them one weekend to make some fantastic cookies with the next.  Really, we both had so much to eat that we were too full to really want to do more with food.  I wish I had taken a video with the food forest surrounding her as she worked her way deliberately through it as it was a very dear moment now locked in my memory, but we were just in the moment.  She's taking a nap now.  Life should always be this rich and interesting, challenging our senses to try and keep up.  I just can't imagine life without permaculture.  It has fully become ingrained in me and I think being in the food forest is becoming more of a home than the house that I live in a few steps away from it.

It gave me a purpose really, especially during the pandemic.
I never worked so much physically, and it only makes me stronger. I do all the gardening myself.

I live in a city which is definitely too big to my taste, but permaculture helps me transition to a more rural life, if I ever get to have one. For others, if they ever follow what I do, I think it helps reconnect with the sources of their food. What I like about permaculture, is that it sees the human as a positive element of the environment. We change our surroundings for the better, allowing for more biodiversity, cleaner soil, air and water.

It definitely changed my relationship with food. When I started eating only local, I thought that it will be a boring diet; but my food was never so diverse, and tasty! I grow fruits and veggies in my garden, and I buy everything else from local farmers.

Sometimes it's annoying; I see "permaculture patterns" everywhere, and I always think how I would redesign a certain garden, or some architecture. When I buy or build new stuff, I try to find something that will serve more than one purpose and be durable... I try not to let it become an obsession ;)

First of all, it keeps me busy all the time, really I always have something interesting to do. Or to learn.

And I never knew so many plants, species and breeds of domestic animals!

Most of my relatives think we are crazy and lazy. We don't have the conventional lawn they have.  We have raised beds everywhere we can.  Nut trees planted, fruit trees, berry bushes together.   It looks like an animal sanctuary, birds, bees, insects every where. You can hear wild turkeys, see deer from our front yard. I couldn't wait to retire , a little(a lot) cash poor but  I love this. It creates a sense of security in some ways.  We will always have enough to eat,We have lots of perennials planted along with our food forest. Thank you Geoffrey, Elliott, Joel and Ira. And God.

An octave higher ... one can get stock to "hearth care" and it is ok 👌 yet the two other Permaculture's éthiques are amazing also to investigate...and to apply.... the guide we wrote "Human Permaculture " is meant to open upon another demention to our quest for sense ... in this difficult time we are facing

Bernard ALONSO

Permaculture has affected my personal life in some fundamental ways. Much has to do with the extra time I have in light of COVID-19 to practice these; nevertheless regardless of what the future holds I am determined to continue them.

I have a garden, and although I’ve had them before, this year has been the best one. Obviously that would inspire a desire to do more; ”Hey, I’m successful! Let’s do MORE of this!” Easy, when things are going well and are fun. But, despite that, the garden has been better integrated into my life. It had been moved from its previous location, isolated from the house to one that is closer. I actually spend time out there in it... NOT EVEN GARDENING, just ‘being.’ I pray and meditate, or just read, or just....am. It is a part of my life now, rather than something out there that I have to find the time for and do.

To me, that is a part of a definition of permaculture, ”a design approach to arrive at solutions,” I think I read somewhere. My life has been redesigned by COVID-19, I’ve adapted to that redesign and managed to optimize that. I am unemployed but am working on developing work-at-home opportunities, such as freelance writing and other ‘gig’ work. (To that end, I am beginning to make use of the ‘monies’ forums here on Permies.com on revenue streams. To me, it is more sustainable to have multiple sources of income rather than one. (I am not disparaging anyone who has a ‘regular job,’ to each their own and as long as you are doing well and managing, cool beans.) But from my own self-referential perspective, it is better for me to not depend upon a single source of income. And Permies.com is helping me conceptualize that.

Given the ”design approach to arrive at solutions” definition, there are problems in my life that need solving, and permaculture is enabling me to see how to design a systematic approach to solve them. It also has me consider non-traditional (”outside the 9-5 rat race grind box”) methods to achieve what I hope to accomplish. This is liberating!

Permaculture also is helping me to better integrate other beliefs that I have into the whole solution. Before, I had a well-defined dichotomy between work-life and home-life. (To the detailed point where I wore different undershorts on workdays than on evenings or weekends.) Now, I am seeing that a ”work-life balance” can mean something different from the amount of time off you have from work to be at home or whatever other benefits are handed to you to manage that. I have more time for prayer and meditation. But, the point I am trying to make is that the principles of Permaculture are encouraging me to take a look at the material that I have on hand (my surroundings, materials, talents, abilities, and beliefs) and in order to construct a sustainable life.

Pre-permaculture I had an 'episode' or two of being outside and just feeling claustrophobic because of the sky of all things! Rationally, I knew it made no sense... the sky is so expansive and does not even limit man from flying. And yet, I felt like I was in a cage and the sky was the lock keeping me in.

Since finding permaculture and spending much more time outside, I have found myself thinking of our yard as an extension of the house, a place to be enjoyed just as much if not more than inside. Rather than feeling limited and caged in by the sky, I find freedom from it.

Rebecca, I can understand how you feel.

This reminds me of when our kids were little and we would go camping.

Over the years we have had many different kinds of camping vehicles though the one I like the most was our first popup camper.

We spent so much more time outside doing things like cooking over a campfire or just sitting around talking.

These days, it's hard to answer this question without sounding political, so allow me to simply say that we have groceries when not everyone does.

That out of the way, let me broaden the answer a bit: We moved to our present home with two objects in mind: 1) We needed a place to live, and 2) I needed enough land to play with the ideas I've been gathering since somewhere around the seventh grade. That's well over a half century in the rearview, including a decade of formal education and years spent foraging, stealth composting and guerrilla gardening in and around apartment complexes, office blocks, and neglected neighborhood spaces. All of these gardening adventures offered food, exercise, and the chance to experiment, testing book-learned theory in real-world environments. All allowed me to improve our immediate environment, turning some very ugly places into productive garden spots.  The plan worked as far as it went, but every one of these projects risked being swept away by anxious landlords, surprised lot owners, curious neighbors or unsympathetic city mangers. Not anymore.

That part pleases the Missus more than anything else, I believe. It doesn't hurt my feelings, either: I plant what I want, where I want, making changes according to principles that matter to me. No longer will I wake up to find my gardens sprayed, mowed, or turned under, and my workplace gone. Instead, we get to see this little patch of ground in a state of constant improvement, which directly and positively affects the lives of the beings who inhabit it - including us.

"I got this new gym membership called 40 acres and a wife," said someone important on the interwebs today. Okay, maybe mine's only half an acre, but tell that to my sore, tired, healthier-than-they-used-to-be muscles. I tried, but it's hard to talk with this big smile plastered on my face.

When I asked this question back in 2020, Covid was probably on my mind.

In Jan 2020, I developed a balance problem and wanted to talk about pretty things rather than depressing stuff.

Birds, bees and butterflies.

Sunflowers, firewheels and other pretty flowers.

I think of permaculture as a clean way of growing pretty flowers and good food.

Four years ago, we took in a baby kitten.  This changed things because we no longer feed birds and we missed the enjoyment of viewing them.

We still offer wildlife water in several locations.

I still enjoy learning about permaculture so I guess all this is how permaculture has affected my life since 2020.

Time flies when you are having fun.

The most direct effect is that most weekends, my partner D & I invest a few hours together pottering in the garden gently nudging the biosphere towards meeting our needs.

I've also become far more aware of just how many people are actively prevented from having access to good, safe green space by greedy urbanisation and systemic impoverishment whilst the few consume away the abundance of our shared biosphere.

So permaculture has fueled both my anger, and my drive to learn and do better to help people reconnect with sustainable foodways and lifeways.  That's all inspired by our ancestors, for whom that was their birthright, and the Indigenous communities renewing and reconnecting to their own permanent cultures.

I've made great new friends that way!