After taking a slide down the stairs on my tailbone just a few moments ago, this is a great reason for a smile and a way to ignore the resulting bruise. So, thank you again.
---What Parts do you find fun?
I'm a dreamer, and a teacher. I like learning about permaculture in general, and I like being out in nature.
---What parts would you have a genie do, and what would you do?
The legal research and paperwork is something that mostly just frustrates me. Regulatory research is also entirely new for me.
If I could, I would spend my time teaching, chasing
chickens, harvesting, planting, and spending time with my chosen family.
---What are you good at?
I've been told I have a knack for teaching to my audience, instead of simply repeating source materials. I have a very easy time understanding what I learn, be it from an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic source. I grew up the daughter of an analyst, so I was taught early on to work smarter instead of working harder - one of the reasons permaculture agroforestry calls to me so strongly. I have a fairly easy time talking to folks when on equal ground with them, or when teaching, but I tend to get nervous and shy when cold-calling for information or help.
When asking my fiance, these are the (edited) responses he gave me:
baking, listening, creative solutions to potential money problems, general money management, reading people, and my force of personality is nothing to neglect -serene and matronly, not controlling or overpowering.
---How many people on board, what do they enjoy and what are they good at?
Chris: Enjoys being outside, is supportive, and is the muscle man of the operation.
V: A little bit of marketing experience from being part of a street team, serve safe certification, cooking experience and skill, and possible contacts from her school days in fitchburg, tyngsborough, and Worcester.
You, John: asking good questions so I can pull the ideas out of my head and give them form. XD
---Research:
Right this moment I have a honking pile of handwritten papers (loose leaf) that are covered in all the everything that I've been pouring out of my head. This week's project is typing them up and, with the help of Google's
free spreadsheet software, making some sense of it all. I like spreadsheets, all neat and organized, easy to edit and easy to read.
--Gardening and Homesteading Experience:
ATM, I have a shaky container garden that didn't fair well across my last move. Managed a good crop of tai bird's eye chili, and a couple
tomatoes. I have grand
plans for my parent's back
yard where they live in the next town, but that involves convincing my parents that growing food will not have them overrun with skunks and other furry annoyances more than the wild 'woods' did. Maybe local 'ornamentals' that are actually food worthy? Convincing your parents that you know better than them is always an uphill battle...in the snow.
Despite apartment living, we buy as little processed food as we can get away with. The dehydrator gets regular use in the summer and fall, and the stand alone freezer, coupled with a second hand vacuum sealer, is a godsend. I bake a good majority of our bread at home, although our roommates refuse to let me start a
sourdough culture because of the 'smell'. V cooks most nights, and two meals a day are always home made, while the third is most often covered by leftovers. Breakfast cereals are a treat we have a hard time dropping, though. A home canning set up is next on the list, but horror stories of steam powered explosions are a bit off-putting.
---Marketing and Fundraising Experience:
I was involved in the marketing campaigns of a couple events in college, and V was an integral part of her activities board Street Team. We have a friend who is planning to major in Graphic Design, and will be willing to help us out as a portfolio builder. This is an area where we need help.
---Land Financing:
I hope to be able to crowd fund for a down payment, or possibly the whole cost depending on my success. This is a very serious weak point in my plan, as it stands.
The permie community is huge, and things like the ability to name gardens within the forest have the potential to attract businesses, and lifetime discount admission passes may attract schools or 'friends of the library' groups. Individual donors tend to be interested in memorial bricks and the like on property, or a year or two of 'membership admission'
free from the date of their first visit. I am also willing to put my hobby skills to use, and offer things like custom hand made hats/scarves/gloves.
---How many would this place support:
Initially, I intend to continue working at my Day (night) job to pay for things like taxes and utilities.
As food production begins in earnest, I intend to be able to support, materially, my family and a handful of on-site helpers. Excess harvest will be used to supplement income, in the form of fresh produce and materials, to pay for more improvements onsite (an inspected kitchen for production of value added product tiers at the top of the list).
When doors open and income begins coming in regularly, I intend to no longer work off-site.
As more land area matures and is opened to visitors, outside paid help and live/work interns will find a place in the workings.
When well established, excess monies will allow for donation to similar causes, and excess produce will allow for donations to local food kitchens and pantries.
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Keep 'em coming! Anyone is welcome to poke holes in my logic, or point out gaps in my knowledge! I really can't hope to do this all by myself!