Let's meet up!

Does anyone in the Pacific Northwest feel like getting together and getting acquainted? I'm in King County right now, trying to move to Pierce County where I have a property to build on. Anyone interested?

Hey, I literally just found this forum. I live in Bend; I'm not a permy nor do I really have much to work on (college student living with their dad in an HOA neigbourhood; not exactly much land to plant on), but I am definitely interested in the topic and I am looking into making the grass around my dad's house to be much more natural to the area, which is why I stumbled onto this forum. (I.O.W., replace the unnatural, heavily watered, fertilised, controlled grass with stuff that actually grows here in Central Oregon). If you want to reach out to me just text me at +1 541 639 6018

Alex Nieva wrote:Hey, I literally just found this forum. I live in Bend; I'm not a permy nor do I really have much to work on (college student living with their dad in an HOA neigbourhood; not exactly much land to plant on), but I am definitely interested in the topic and I am looking into making the grass around my dad's house to be much more natural to the area, which is why I stumbled onto this forum. (I.O.W., replace the unnatural, heavily watered, fertilised, controlled grass with stuff that actually grows here in Central Oregon). If you want to reach out to me just text me at +1 541 639 6018

There is still a lot you can do to reduce the waste produced by typical US citizens, even if you can't have much of a garden. Also, many food producing plants can double as ornamentals in landscaping. Then there's foraging. Hopefully you have somewhere nearby to get out of town and into nature. Just making the change from plastic (polyester, nylon, etc.) clothes to natural fibers is a good start.

Me and my family were in a similar situation to yours. We lived in KC for a long time. We bought a place in Lewis county but I am still working (online) for a company back in KC.
You can try to create a meetup or maybe we can meet at Olympia farmer's market? That is the only permie place that is still going, I think.

Triton Nomad wrote:Me and my family were in a similar situation to yours. We lived in KC for a long time. We bought a place in Lewis county but I am still working (online) for a company back in KC.
You can try to create a meetup or maybe we can meet at Olympia farmer's market? That is the only permie place that is still going, I think.

That sounds good but I'm a long ways from Olympia. What day is the farmer's market on and how much longer does it go? Wish I could work remotely. I was just reading about residual income and think I must begin to consider what skills I have that I could use to create some - not internet! That seems to be 99% of the residual income suggestions. I do make some pretty fair crochet and sewing patterns. Anyone know where I could submit those?

I don't know anything about crochet :(
About the farmer's market in Olympia - see https://www.olympiafarmersmarket.com/.
Like I said, it seems to be the only permies friendly event that I know of in the whole WA state. How is that for depressing?

Triton Nomad wrote:I don't know anything about crochet :(
About the farmer's market in Olympia - see https://www.olympiafarmersmarket.com/.
Like I said, it seems to be the only permies friendly event that I know of in the whole WA state. How is that for depressing?

Well, then, it's time to change that! I've noticed that most homestead/permie/back-to-the-land events are held back east or at least in the midwest, very few in the west. I'd sure like to see that trend change. The west coast is made up of a whole lot more rural area than LA, San Francisco and Seattle.

I'd love to find some permies in the South Surrey / White Rock area. When the border opens I will have the chance to visit some of the wonderful looking projects in Washington State, but for now I guess I'm limited to nerding out with fellow Canadians.

I'm in north Seattle, currently buying in Kitsap County. The sellers have accepted my offer, but there's an easement through the property that has to be formally removed from county records, and the sale is contingent upon them getting it done. The wheels of bureaucracy turn with excruciating slowness, but, fingers crossed, I should be able to take possession before the end of January. The property is exactly what I wanted, and is worth the wait.

In some ways, I'm amazed that there isn't more of a permaculture community here in Western Washington. I've met so many people over the 26 years I've lived here who have known what permaculture is, and expressed interest in it. And yhey don't seem to come together like they do in other places.

Then again, there is the infamous "Seattle Freeze," which extends far beyond Seattle (I first encountered it after moving from San Francisco to Bellingham). People here may be surface-level nice, but they're not genuinely friendly or sociable, and they tend not to be joiners. Getting a group together for anything is bafflingly difficult; people express interest, then simply don't show up, and it takes dogged persistence to get a small core group established.

Go to the Midwest, or much of the South, and people are really friendly--it's kind of a shock when I leave the Nortwest and other humans in the places I visit actually want to have conversations with me! I have to remind myself that they are exhibiting normal and appropriate social behavior, and that I come from a deeply weird and stand-offish place.

As an introvert, I'm generally okay with it, but it does get frustrating at times when I recognize that having a thriving, active, close-knit community of fellow enthusiasts would make things so much better for everybody involved--and there simply isn't one.

Melissa Bee wrote:I'm in north Seattle, currently buying in Kitsap County. The sellers have accepted my offer, but there's an easement through the property that has to be formally removed from county records, and the sale is contingent upon them getting it done. The wheels of bureaucracy turn with excruciating slowness, but, fingers crossed, I should be able to take possession before the end of January. The property is exactly what I wanted, and is worth the wait.

In some ways, I'm amazed that there isn't more of a permaculture community here in Western Washington. I've met so many people over the 26 years I've lived here who have known what permaculture is, and expressed interest in it. And yhey don't seem to come together like they do in other places.

Then again, there is the infamous "Seattle Freeze," which extends far beyond Seattle (I first encountered it after moving from San Francisco to Bellingham). People here may be surface-level nice, but they're not genuinely friendly or sociable, and they tend not to be joiners. Getting a group together for anything is bafflingly difficult; people express interest, then simply don't show up, and it takes dogged persistence to get a small core group established.

Go to the Midwest, or much of the South, and people are really friendly--it's kind of a shock when I leave the Nortwest and other humans in the places I visit actually want to have conversations with me! I have to remind myself that they are exhibiting normal and appropriate social behavior, and that I come from a deeply weird and stand-offish place.

As an introvert, I'm generally okay with it, but it does get frustrating at times when I recognize that having a thriving, active, close-knit community of fellow enthusiasts would make things so much better for everybody involved--and there simply isn't one.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear of your experiences here. I grew up here, moved away for 40 years, and am back 'home' now. Maybe the Seattle Freeze is a product of big corporations coming in recent years. So, yes, I see what you see in the city but I haven't found it in the country. In my experience people tend to be more reserved in the beginning but warm up once they find out you're nice folk. Anyway, I want some events! :) My son lives in Bremerton but he's not permie minded at all. I do go that way about once a month for a visit, though, so maybe we can meet up and explore possibilities.

[Hi. I've never been on this forum. Have you ever been up near Bellingham, WA? I THINK people in Whatcom County would be more your style. They are mostly nice, friendly, and talk to you. I would love be to see more off-grid communities here, because my son converted a mini bus to live in, and is interested in a shared community. I read about one from 2018.
quote=Melissa Bee]I'm in north Seattle, currently buying in Kitsap County. The sellers have accepted my offer, but there's an easement through the property that has to be formally removed from county records, and the sale is contingent upon them getting it done. The wheels of bureaucracy turn with excruciating slowness, but, fingers crossed, I should be able to take possession before the end of January. The property is exactly what I wanted, and is worth the wait.

In some ways, I'm amazed that there isn't more of a permaculture community here in Western Washington. I've met so many people over the 26 years I've lived here who have known what permaculture is, and expressed interest in it. And yhey don't seem to come together like they do in other places.

Then again, there is the infamous "Seattle Freeze," which extends far beyond Seattle (I first encountered it after moving from San Francisco to Bellingham). People here may be surface-level nice, but they're not genuinely friendly or sociable, and they tend not to be joiners. Getting a group together for anything is bafflingly difficult; people express interest, then simply don't show up, and it takes dogged persistence to get a small core group established.

Go to the Midwest, or much of the South, and people are really friendly--it's kind of a shock when I leave the Nortwest and other humans in the places I visit actually want to have conversations with me! I have to remind myself that they are exhibiting normal and appropriate social behavior, and that I come from a deeply weird and stand-offish place.

As an introvert, I'm generally okay with it, but it does get frustrating at times when I recognize that having a thriving, active, close-knit community of fellow enthusiasts would make things so much better for everybody involved--and there simply isn't one.