Rachel Lindsay

Learning about Permaculture, and then trying some simple things for my urban scenario these last five years has made me feel gloriously more connected to my everyday life. I could go on and on about each of these items I have felt a difference in: more connected to natural cycles, connected to my ecosystem, to many kinds of traditional knowledge, to myself, to local farmers and local businesses, and of course, to the optimistic and ingenious folks around here! "Connection" has overall been the main theme of my explorations into Permaculture so far, and I am so grateful that I found its trail.

I wanted to get a list started of the many ways that embracing Permaculture, at any scale, in any place, can fill a void--connect the dots--bring out the best in a situation--because I can't be the only one who feels so much more goodness in life from taking this path.

From my viewpoint, living in Permaculture can provide:

connection

knowledge

hope

friends

beauty

personal growth

financial savings

peace

gifts to share

mindset shifts

joy

I just wish I could give everyone in the world Permaculture somehow!

   The late, great Permaculturist Toby Hemenway left his rural acreage to move back to the city. Then he wrote a book called "Permaculture City" to show the many benefits that living in the city provides to those with a self-sufficiency mindset. I read that book a couple years ago so that I could find out that it's not crazy, in fact it's very doable to "homestead" at the urban scale. A city lot is all I've got, probably for a long time.

   After reading, I realized that the first thing I had to do was to mentally stop fighting the situation. I'm still kind of working on that acceptance, actually, but it's much better now than it was at first. After a couple years now of growing a few things in the front yard, and getting more in touch with the rhythm of the flow of the seasons and the patterns that exist in my ecosystem, I felt a shift flow through my mindset. Today I feel comfortingly aware of and connected to that giant rhythm around me that I am a part of, even if I don't have my "three acres and cow." It's all bigger than I am, and I am a part of it wherever I live, and it will go on and on. That just feels good to me.  

  Related to this, I also have challenged myself to some interesting experiments in order to say, "Bleep you!" to my feelings of limitation in a city scenario. I raised 12 chicks in my bathtub last year just to feel like I could be a farmer. That was hard, and also it was really good for my outlook on life. I don't think I would have tried this experiment if I didn't want to challenge my limited mindset in order to expand it.

  I have many more thoughts, but right now I have to run and help my mother with her chicken coop roof on her acreage!

I just heard, two hours ago, from someone whose doctor says her diabetes is likely caused by a parasitic amoeba in her pancreas. This amoeba is known to eventually destroy the whole organ, yikes! She has done a parasite detox and will see if she can stay off insulin now.  I hope so!

Looks like one of my favorite publishers is no longer employee-owned, as I was so proud of it for being. In fact, it seems to be corporation-owned now:
https://www.chelseagreen.com/about/chelsea-green/

In 2019 Chelsea Green became a 100% employee-owned company through its ESOP plan until May 2024 when the company was purchased by Rizzoli International Publications, the preeminent publisher of high-quality illustrated books, based in New York and part of the leading Italian publisher Mondadori Group.  

And if I try to preorder something, it gives me a "cart.penguinrandomhouse.com/prhcart" url.

Wow.

This introvert learned from a kind person today that, if you just ask a few questions that let people talk about what they love to do--while working on a chore together or something--that can lift everyone's spirits. It was a kind of gift, I realized afterwards.

Thank you again for all this input! I just LOVE talking to Permie-folks.

So far, one way of making one kind of garment is all that I know how to make, but I intend to learn more. If I am able to finish them to custom sizes in a few minutes while the customer waits, I think that will be notable--and I am hoping that fact will cause word to spread.

I do think it is wise, as has been mentioned, to display objects at full-view, if possible. That makes sense, and it's also probably the hard part, ha!

Are you getting paid in any way for this? If not in cash, could you work out some kind of bartering scheme, a quid pro quo for your time on the machine?

In such a scenario, I would be looking to turn this time into some way to better my knowledge and/or skills, via audiobooks/presentations/podcasts as mentioned above (--oh, how many of the Permies Podcasts you could probably get through in one season!).

I would also bring a notepad and pen in a back pocket, and use mowing time for structured thinking time: addressing problems I wanted to solve, and generating ideas for stuff to do.

I have also used garbage time to try to memorize stuff. (I had flash cards next to the monogramming machine I worked for one of my college jobs, for example.) I might try to do that type of thing on the mower too--great poems and such.    

So I have one side-hustle right now, teaching Latin a little, via Zoom. And, as I mentioned in a recent thread, I also want to start selling handmade skirts this summer. Currently trying to design a logo and perfect my sewing machine skills, I am having even more fun thinking of all this "starting-a-business" business from the Permie perspective.

Some initial thoughts:

Start small and build from there.

My beloved dad is of the old school "write a complete 4-page business plan before doing anything else!" variety, and that has always scared the living daylights out of me. Notions like this have stalled or stopped many ideas I have had before. Maybe I don't need even a logo yet--just a business card and a nice display of garments at the Farmer's Market.

Look for a way to integrate the cottage industry with the community.  

The purpose of this little side-hustle will not be to make money. I have other desires for this endeavor, including to give back to my community to help it flourish more.  I feel like Permaculture helps me not be apologetic about that.
fact. Ahhh!

Consciously design all practices, systems, and products.

If there is one brilliant thing I have learned from Permaculture, it is that "random" things are not so random, and they can often work brilliantly together. I want to put together my materials and processes in ways that work together for the good of the whole, including the Farmers' Market and the town.

All those ideas about different racks are so good! I will have to get at least one rack. I certainly do not want to fold forever, as I did, in my youth, as an employee in clothing emporia. I saw one photo online of someone with a back to a tent. They rigged up ropes somehow and could hang stuff behind them. I would love to figure that way out, too.

For right now, I am going to start with making just skirts, in both women's and girls' sizes. I am hoping to be able to construct 95% of them beforehand, and then custom-finish the pieces as the customers shop for their strawberries.  

Is $50 a good price for a display mannequin?  I found one today, supposedly marked down, at a chain craft store. It happens to have exactly my petite waist size, so I could display my own skirts I've already made.

I am looking for y'all's  good ideas on booth design.

I'd like to start selling hand-made clothes at our Farmers' Market this summer. I don't have a small tent yet, but I do have just one foldable table so far. I would be there for about three hours once a week. Part of it (maybe one table) would need to be a workstation to sew some on-site, the rest of the booth can be sales and display.

Ideas?