I'm about 20 miles north of St. Louis in Illinois to get that out of the way straight off.
Hello permies. Let me introduce myself. I’ve been lurking around about a year or so. Like many of you I just embraced
permaculture whole heartedly, although I’ve been into healthy growies as long as I can remember. Last spring I sold all my possessions except necessities and tools of my trades. Moved to the country and established several gardens although not quite
permie enough as I would like. The summer before I moved, I had a veggie garden in my front
yard. I got nothing but compliments from neighbors and passersby. Well, as it turns out I didn’t quite get rid of all my possessions. Due to strange set of circumstances, I ended up keeping the house and turning it into a rental. Things went ok for a while, and then my downstairs renters’ true nature came out and I got burned. I have a young couple in the upstairs apartment and couldn’t be happier with them. I have now decided to come out of my
retirement and work towards my next
retirement. All
permaculture all the time. I am reestablishing my Internet Consulting business to finance my goals. The following is a work in progress and don’t think I can get everything typed out here in one session, so stay tuned for updates. I am open for suggestions criticism if you like.
Phase one:
I need an urban permie for a roommate. The vision is to turn this house into a demonstration site to spread the word and work out into the neighborhood. I would like the house to also be an example of low cost living and self-sufficiency. Roommate does not need to be down with all the things I’m interested in nor initially be required to do any work on the
project. Although general upkeep would
be nice as I plan to only be at the house to do permie projects and when I need to be in town for my consulting work. I plan to spend the majority of my time in the country, so the house will be all yours for most of the time. To be clear, this is not a job, or woofer type deal to start. You will need to be in a position to pay some rent. Plenty of crappy jobs around
should you need to get one of those.
Phase two:
Hopefully above roommate shares passion for learning, teaching, sharing, and getting hands dirty and has the vision to be a part of something bigger. Hopefully this will turn into a partnership to prove to the world that
permaculture can be a
sustainable way of life. There are empty lots all around the neighborhood. The
city has been knocking down houses and is looking to rebuild the community. Did I mention I grew up just a few houses down the street and have lifelong connection to the town and key players. I intend to get my hands on these open parcels of
land and develop them. Some will be community gardens. Some will be market gardens. Some may be one of these and then later be developed with houses built the sustainable way. This is what the village will want to hear as I’m sure they really want to collect their precious taxes. This type of house will also attract the type of resident that will be good for the village. Actually this last part belongs way down the list of phases, but this is the direction it’s headed.
Phase three:
I would like the house to be a showcase for all things permie and then some. I will replace the couple in the upstairs apartment with two more permies to join the effort. By this time we should be sustainable with permie jobs, workshops, market garden and whatever else presents its self. If the financials aren’t quite there, I’ll support the operation. My coming out of retirement isn’t a money thing. I live ridiculously simple and my goal is to give back. I’m pledging 50% of my consulting business earnings to support the permie vision. The goal is to establish a formula that is repeatable so the lifestyle should support itself and I will establish more of the same setups in other locations.
Phase four:
The end part of phase two. I’m tired of typing. I’ll just leave it there for now.
Details:
Me = Divorced male 47 with one daughter and grandchild. Computer genius. Ha ha Oh, I have a dog. More like a four legged kid…..
You = devoted permie
House = I’m refreshing house after bad renter
experience. No damage, just needs spruced up. Some long term things need done, but it’s a nice house. Probably 1000 sq ft or so. 6000sq ft lot. Used to be the biggest nicest house on the block. It will be again. Everything needed is within walking distance. Bus stops down the street. Known many neighbors my whole life. No real
permaculture things done on site yet, so it’s a blank slate. I have some nice ornamentals though. I’m open for anything that won’t get me in trouble, but I’m willing to push the envelope. I want to do veggies in contoured beds in front yard. Bushes and whatnot in the shady side and backyard. Shade is the enemy here. I’m open to
chickens, quail,
rabbits, fish in the basement, whatever you can dream up really. This is where I need a partner more than just a roommate because like I said, I don’t plan on being here much, so you’d have to keep everything alive.
More details:
Rent is $325 a month plus utilities. Utilities should come in around a hundred a month with spikes in mid summer and winter depending on how warm and cool you like it. The only frill I have is internet. I’m not opposed to more services, but all people under the roof must be offered usage for a share of the bill.
Long term the plan is to employ or partner with you to make your living. If you have computer or creative skills I might have some work for you fairly quickly since my regular consulting gig is looking promising right out of the gate.
I know it’s a long shot posting this on here, but I’m looking for the right person and don’t think I’ll have much luck running this elsewhere.
That’s all I can think of right now. Will update soon to elaborate on this rough outline.
Farmer John
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