Joseph Lofthouse

The intentional communities I respect the most create clear pathways both for joining and for leaving. They protect members, both temporary and long-term, and compensate them fairly when life gets in the way. That matters just as much as the original vision.

Many durable communities use some form of share structure where people gradually acquire equity—through money invested upfront, incremental payments, labor contributions, infrastructure building, or some combination of those. Sweat equity matters deeply in land-based projects, because years of labor can transform raw land into a functioning ecosystem and home.

The strongest models include a buyout mechanism if someone leaves. The community buys back the shares according to a pre-agreed formula. That protects individuals from losing years of labor or investment if circumstances change. It also protects the community from rogue shareholders, absentee owners, divorces, inheritances, personality conflicts, or ideological schisms destabilizing the whole project.

I trust communities more when they openly design for failure modes instead of pretending harmony will last forever. Humans survive because we build systems that expect storms, injuries, disagreements, burnout, death, breakups, economic downturns, and changing priorities. Redundancy, exit routes, and conflict procedures do not weaken a community. They allow it to survive reality.

A transitional phase makes practical sense. A lease, trial residency, tiny house arrangement, temporary stewardship agreement, or incremental buy-in allows everyone to test compatibility before land titles and finances become deeply entangled. Emotional enthusiasm routinely outruns structural clarity. Good contracts slow people down enough to see each other clearly.

I also respect models that balance collective responsibility with meaningful personal autonomy. Shared kitchens, tools, water systems, governance, orchards, workshops, or agricultural infrastructure can coexist with privately stewarded homes, gardens, businesses, and creative spaces. People cooperate better when they retain meaningful sovereignty over part of their lives.

To me, resilient community design resembles ecological design. Diverse systems survive disturbance better than rigid systems. Healthy structures expect turnover, adaptation, and succession from the beginning. The goal does not center on building a system that never changes. The goal centers on building a system that can survive change without tearing itself apart.

I estimate about 4 years from seedling to mature plant, and even then, the mature plants keep getting more and more robust.

At least in my climate, they seem to like lots of water, and partial shade. I grow them under my grape vineyard.

I owned a very old caravan, with purely mechanical appliances. I loved it. Simple, reliable, toasty in winter. I added a coat of sealant to the roof about once every 5 years. Attached a solar panel to it to charge a battery for lighting.

Consider limiting foods with lots of fiber that ferment in the gut like onions, garlic, fruits, legumes, & wheat.

Consider going full carnivore (zero carbohydrates/fiber) during fare ups.

If tolerated, consider increasing foods containing microbial diversity, such as yogurt, kefir, sour cream, sauerkraut, kimchi, & lacto-fermented vegetables.

Minimize use of antibiotics.

Chron's seems to have a strong mind/body connection, so things we can do to slow down, and de-stress can go a long way towards relief from symptoms. Things like pausing to eat intentionally instead of eating on the run. Relaxing with a cup of herbal tea before a meal (chamomile,  lemon balm, linden, lavender, tulsi).  Taking a walk after meals. Not eating just before sleep, so the stomach can empty before sleep. Ashwaganda for a different type of stress relief. Other stress relief activities such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness.

As a child, we used to drive our trash up the hill, and toss it over the edge of a cliff—city landfill. A few wild feral peaches grew from the face of the cliff—northern Utah.

I don't have any expectations one way or the other for the paw-paw and persimmons. I hope they survive and thrive, but if not, then I will plant something else. I live in the desert. They come from the humid east.

The profoundly promiscuous and totally tasty tomatoes project thrives so far this year.

I planted potato onions today which we harvested 1.5 years ago.

We had a severe frost a few days ago, which eliminated any tree fruits this year. It even damaged the rhubarb.

When first learning guitar, I followed a similar path as suggested by Elleen. No lessons, no chords, no notes. Just making noise.

I really liked tuning the guitar to "Open G". Then I could press a finger, all the way across any particular fret, and play a chord where every note sounded perfect. Then, to play the music shown above, I played all strings open (I), or I pressed on the 4th fret or the 5th for the IV or V chords. Super simple way to get started immediately.

My [Universal Tuner] app has an "Open G" setting for tuning—D4, B3, G3, D3, G2, D2

I grew lots of potatoes from true seeds.

I selected first for varieties capable of making seeds.
Then for productivity of first year tubers.
I consistently selected against bad flavors.

Then if I found any I really liked, I grew them as clones.