Greetings permies! I feel like I may have stumbled upon a community of people that are delightfully abnormal in the same way I am.
After a few decades of hedonistic meandering (fulfilling my patriotic duty as a white male born in late-20th century America), I was struck in the autumn of 2012 with an all-consuming dream to become a farmer. This lightning bolt of purpose was delivered via
Joel Salatin's book "Folks, this ain't normal", which
led to several dozen other
books, volunteering on a
pasture-based raw milk dairy, visiting Polyface farm for a two-day
workshop, and most recently to searching for, finding, and leasing my own slice of
land to partner with. The idea that one could work together with nature to not only produce the finest food, but also end up with a more healthy ecosystem capable of producing even more and better food, is pure magic to me. The additional fact that food is only one of the benefits among many (capturing more
solar energy, encouraging biodiversity, providing a better quality of life, etc.) excites me to the point of giddiness and, at times, the spontaneous dancing of a jig when no one is watching.
In late June 2013 I moved from a <500 square foot studio apartment in Seattle to a drafty old farm house on ~8 acres in Maple Valley, WA (around 35 minutes' drive SE from Seattle). I lead a double life, as I continue to work full time in the software industry in Seattle (which I think of as 'cash farming' to support my dream) and spend the rest of my time/energy on the farm. My first hard lesson in
sustainability has been in expending my energy to the point of exhaustion and illness, things I've generally been lucky
enough through good health and habits to avoid.
Since moving out here, I've created a ~1000 square foot garden, a laying flock of 23 hens, three (no longer so little) pigs, and four goats that were slaughtered at the end of November. These are all firsts for me, and I am having the time of my life learning all about these systems and my relationship with and responsibilities to them. The folks I have met and friends I've made along the way in this odyssey have supported and nurtured my dream in ways that overwhelm me with gratitude. I feel that at each juncture of this journey, the universe delivers just what I need (though perhaps not what I may want) at the perfect time.
I am currently spending time imagining how I want to set up my life to allow me to spend more time towards investing in the land rather than towards making money. I feel that finding this place, which seems to exist largely to cultivate creative thinking specifically in this area, is just the latest in the long line of me finding just what I need at the right time.
I look forward to doing some great and crazy things together.
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A few instructions are linked in the permies 101 thread.
I do have a photo blog on tumblr to help remind me!
