john pannacciulli

Wow Paul had no idea you were dealing with all this!  Don't take offence, I will send prayers.
I spent last eight years as full-time caregiver to my wonderful parents.
Both passed last year.  a Humbling experience to watch parents who   brought me into the world leave the world.

I just Turned 66 this year.  I now need to focus on my heath and spiritual being.
After navigating the minefields of last 4 years, I came to realize that institutions I once trusted seemed to serve a different Master ($$).
All my doctors were unusually aggressive that I receive my latest J -abby.   I was labeled all sorts of things, most polite being Axe Hesitant.

My Own family was split over this, and I tried to warn.  Now almost everyone who complied are seriously immune compromised.
I know as we get older, we should expect to lose people we care about but now it is getting ridiculous.  

Right now, I will take Paul's advice and seek help of our community and choose more holistic and organic approach to my health.    

Sorry, just noticed that this is a 2 year old Zombi thread.   I built a house with a post and beam and super insulated stress skin panels using 8 inch thick blocks of polystyrene skinned with plywood and gypsum board.  the house achieved all objectives in esthetics and function.
Now years later I will admit some serious shortcomings.  

1. Critters of all kind make their home in it.  so don't use it as insulation unless completely sealed and periodically treated.
2. Water vapor will diffuse into pores of material and stay permanently wet leading to rot of adjacent materials such as sheathing windows and doors and siding and roofing.   This was from indoor humidity not from outside.
3. when cutting panels lots of plastic beads from sawing enters environment.
4  Left over cutouts such as windows doors cost a lot to dispose. I was lucky at time to pay for dumpster disposal, but the material is very bulky.   Reviewing disposal services today,  many here locally no longer accept this material just like tires.
5. plastic Legacy.  I mistakenly buried one in yard and upon re landscaping, had to deal will  more now dirt contaminated material to later dispose of.
6.  Today I cringe at adoption of even more of this plastic in nearly everything from packaging to home building.   Thankfully this stuff is not inherently toxic.  
7. There is still the issue of microplastics which permeate even our food chains and soil despite  the spin from paid scientist that stuff
breaks down.    I agree with Paul Wheaton-  when need less not more of this TOXIC GICK!

I have same issues with Poly tarps.    Also noticed after using those instant shelters my earlier $650 Cover-it brand shelter lasted close to 7 years until two back-to-back massive snowstorms did it in.   Later I purchased another from Cover-it but fabric was distinctly a lighter gauge poly tarp style without the heavy two-layer silver under and in my case tan top layer.  I did not get 5 years this time as Sun did its damage.

I have bought three more, this time Shelter Logic which I believe was formerly the Cover it Brand as all google searches redirect to shelter logic brand. The other thing I noticed was that the pipe gauge was considerably lighter.  To purchase a heavy longer lasting model is now 4 times price as my original 7 year cover it.    I had waited for sales on Garage-In-a-Box ($350) at my Local Trac(Farm Supply).
 Although I don't keep chickens, too many coincidences of late regarding feed and supply chain issues, I hesitate to patronize companies under influence of political expediency .  I also stopped buying cheap blue tarps because I simply don't get 6 months out of them.  I go straight for extra heavy-duty tarps and use older ones to go over tops just to keep damaging sun at bay.    I also purchase about three to four tarps each season to cover my camper and boats.

I met a fellow at local truck farm who has success using used vinyl sign fabric like the preprinted ones used on massive billboards along the highways.
He simply finds used heavy duty tent frames which can be obtained nearly free just for hauling away and covers it with one or more billboard vinyls.  He keeps his 16-wheeler dump truck inside it.  Oh and he turns his white side out and graphic looks cool from inside.

  I am posting this because  I just recieved the Ebook by James Juczak.   Wished I saw this earlier.   I really enjoy James' honest from the heart style of delivery.  It is refreshing to see someone actually sharing thoughts on a somewhat taboo subject.   As James says, it is all because of our matrix(societal) conditioning.

I spent many years a slave to the system,  making good money and not lacking or wanting.   Don't get me wrong I was always thinking about some new shiny car or gadget.  I found  that to continue to do so would come at a cost.

Life took a hard turn south when out of the blue I suffered a major brainstem swelling , presumably with undiagnosed encephalitis,  with immune system dysfunction which attacked random organs.  It attacked my skin,  which felt like burns from hives so painful, an actual attack by hundred bees would be better.   I had  lost  much of my  short term memory (bodies'way of self preservation?).   None of this helped as I happened to own  businesses that relied on my wearing many hats.  

I had no idea what was happening to me,  and struggled with simple tasks.   My health issues coincided with tragedy of a key employee's family member.   I gave whatever time she needed to heal and settle affairs.

I prayed for healing and very slowly,  over a couple years, I recovered my health and memory.  

While all this was happenning, Tax and legal troubles loomed.  A ruling making all tax debts personal and not business was financially devastating,  and would take another ten years to resolve.

These events ultimately cost me my marriage, my businesses and my dream custom post and beam house.  I now understand when someone says you need to loose everything to be free.  It is a strange concept until you have lived it.

Sometime after,  I discover Paul Wheaton and Friends at Permies.com/ Richsoil.com.    What I  learned appealed to me.  I discovered I could live a permaculture lifestyle.  

Even if I no longer have a 'homestead' to call home,  all I needed was to live a 'permie life' mindset.    I accepted frugality,  the pleasure in most smallest of things and now I feel very fulfilled.  I have been blessed   so much.   I can now  re-gift to others in knowledge and or things I no longer need.

Amazing...what other simple technologies have we actually lost to time?

Just got a Ping from Permies on this thread activity.  Surprised this Right to Repair issue has been on peoples radar here.   It seems the price we pay for squeezing every ounce of milage or clean emissions, is system complexity spiral thus necessitating computers and sensors and ever more complex software.

Since society  has no opt out provision in our social contract with regards to participation,  I practice  a concept of DE- volution.   Years of being plugged in to this matrix I discovered is no longer for me.
I learned to do without,  now  I am I blessed so much more since living a Permaculture life- I  just didn't have a name for it before.   I gotta say  it feels like freedom.  My heath has improved in both physical and Mental.  
I can tell you this: there is no going back to the slave matrix.

indeed it is timely, looks like progress but time will tell.  Devil loves to hide in the details.

Sister talked Dad into buying a 2010 Subaru Forrester.   Aside from the sideways Boxer four engine.  the car seems solid, great in snow and plenty roomy.     Working on engine is different but doable.  Definitely not like 90s ,2000s Toyotas.  Thanks to Y*T*be I was able to change Timing belt successfully.  See MR Subaru ? for Tips.   Very happy I did the repair before the Parts distribution Issues of late.
Also hearing states not backing right to repair legislation is sending message to aftermarket suppliers that its time to dump products and move in another direction.   At least for not too old vehicles. it might pay to get afew extra parts like gaskets, filters and commom replacement parts  while you can.   If you can still buy gas I expect at least 15 more years before we are forced into electric cars.  

I recieved Raven Ranson's Homegrown Linen book a couple months back.
Flax Linen  fascinates me,  but not sure why since it surely looks like work.  It may  be due to an interest in all things colonial life - kind of like YouTube's The Townsends.  
Colonial living may seem quaint to those of us living now, I am learning we have largely forgotten the vast survival skills needed in surviving in the new world.
Somehow this notion of a simple life is turning out not so simple.  
I Commend Raven Ranson for  sharing her knowledge and wisdom on a subject nearly lost to the world.

Thankyou Thomas for posting the article on fruit walls!

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/12/fruit-walls-urban-farming.html

Had to subscribe after reading this article.