Elizabeth,
Sure you can copy thread, that would be fine - it is public after all.... and for all the others, and you Elizabeth(you can copy and read this as well... it is a snippett of Melanie's and my life:
Hello fellow Permies!
My wife and I were married in June of 2009, and living in a small 2nd floor apartment in the city. Trying to save money (as many newly married couples do). We owned a Boxer named Titus who was very much loved and taken to every park we could find. As we grew tomatoes on the neighbors’ fire escape, and had our landlord put window planter boxes so we could grow parsley, basil and others….. We found out that our beloved 3 year old Boxer was wrecked with cancer. The veterinarian hospitals with their doses and double doses of prednisone – and countless tests, did nothing.
Except, what it did do was start a revolution in how we treated our bodies and our lifestyle. We had found that most of the tests and drugs given to dogs, animals, humans, and well as the food, hair products, and 80% of the consumer products were harmful. I was a steel worker at the time and worked sun-up to sun-down… I came home after work to find my normal soap, shampoo, and conditioner were not in the shower. “Babe, where’s all my soap and stuff,?” I yelled as I was already in the shower. My wife came in to the bathroom and handed me a jar of yellowish stuff, and told me I am using that from now on. I put on a fuss because I had not known of all the research my wife Melanie had actually done. Also, I did not believe in the cleaning capabilities of this handmade substance. I smelled it, and gave it a try… it was …. Satisfactory. I didn’t give the green light then, but as the months progressed, Melanie, with my warmest compliments started her own business.
“Nat-ural-ishis.” Which stood for Natural and Delicious. Melanie’s sisters, mom, and I stayed up late for months cranking out organic face scrubs, lip balms, and lotions. All from our 2 room, 2nd floor apartment.
We could pay for the ingredients, and a few weeks come out ahead. We even had a web designer help us with the webpage. At our dismay, the world was not ready for our all-natural, organic products. Even those closest to us would not completely make a change to living healthier. Shortly after the closing of Nat-ural-ishis, we put Titus to sleep. Though saddened, we strove even harder to save money and move out of the city to a place where we could grow our own food, and make the transition from being dependent consumers to becoming responsible producers.
On December 31st 2014 we moved into a wonderful cedar and stone home in the mountains(zone 6a). What a blessed Christmas and New Year’s gift!! It is a smaller home inside, but it has an awesome 2.3 acres! We get our water from a well, and burn coal for warmth. As we live in coal country, many people are unaware, or uncommitted to a lifestyle change, or even what “GMO” is. If you mention Monsanto, then you will think we just asked them what is the molecular structure of Loamy Soil… well, they won’t know what Loamy Soil is anyway… You get the meaning. We have found that much of the people in America are this way. Sickeningly sheltered by the media, government, and consumerism.
Okay, off my tangent. This world is in a crisis, not another one of my mashing’s - Melanie and I whole-heartedly believe we can help change the community and the world. Life is precious, and we know that the Earth with its landscape, can and will prove to be better than all the ways North America and the world strive to be.
At this time I would like I thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Such things like us burning coal, which is wrecking the mountains here due to fracking and strip mining – use of a “Rocket Mass Heater” instead would be exceptional. An in-ground greenhouse, Hügelkultur mounds, and swales. These are the things which are needed, wanted, but not excluded to only those things. My wife and I are willing, to have all of our property used for a teaching and a learning tool for any classes on how to build or make a self-sustaining property for us and the future communities to learn from.
Sincerely, Mr. and Mrs. Adam and Melanie Gamble
