Pete Grego

not so much a poem, but a poetic form of wisdom:

circumstances don't matter, only your state of being matters -bashar

as in, the circumstance doesn't materialize something into reality, it is only your choice about the event that 'materializes' your choice about it, into reality. try this koan on the next time you want to get mad at something, and see the magic flow!

hi folks, seeking any advice or ideas for this client interview for the permies PDC
my ideas are inserted after the ***
currently looking to focus on a reliable zone 1 systems that will be the backbone, later creating a more intensive zone 2 and 3 food forest, with harmonious livestock systems that will help manage the existing small herd of cattle.

south west western australia

warm and temperate Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers.  The average annual temperature is 15.5°C (59.9°F), with annual precipitation of approximately 675–700 mm (26.6–27.6 inches).

1 Goals and Vision for the property
self sufficient with food, w as many things as possible, a variety of food systems
and energy, water, everything for self sufficiency, transport systems

***investigate easiest most productive and fastest to build food production systems around zone 1
#1. high nutrient easy to grow- herbs, rosemary,nasturtium, rocket, chives, dandelion, salad greens; potatoes, sweet potatoes, raised beds, near house to keep pests managed. #2 easiest to manage protein and meat sources; chickens, rabbits, hardy fish like catfish

2 Time Available, for management.
preference would be for someone else to do cooking and cleaning, and I do the fun permaculture stuff
***find automated systems for cooking and cleaning, solar ovens? robo vacuums? auto washers and dryers?

cooking and cleaning; 20 hours a week. equivalent to half a full time job  
self reliant for cooking. investigate sustainable cooking, washing and heating systems.
even more so when visitors; 40 hrs a week, several days getting ready, several days cleaning up

***the guests must be able to assist in or help out with the cooking and cleaning

3 budget, completely self sufficient, not to need external investment, keep it bootstrap as low cost as possible, where it
can fund itself. as self reliant as possible. make it a community based project rather than bear the burden. already the
big costs have been the off grid solar, big expense, and the biggest expense has been cottage up and running

***how can the community fund itself and work towards a self funding

4 skills and experience
- mother of 4 children, did a lot of moving around, adaptable. science degree; physics and biology. helps understand
from a more scientific/practical point of view. established own native garden. gotten in touch w nature. volunteered for an
aboriginal women's refuge for 10 years. understanding aboriginal culture.
Most needed- Gardening, Physical strength; She is struggling with. Farming experience. Growing fruits and foods. Community
garden has been a great blessing and health. Gardeners and Mechanics/Mechanical-fixing machinery.
***

5 Desired Aesthetic
Relaxed natural look, Working with Natural things that occur here. Not trying to change it.

6 Wish List
Regular meat production, smaller animal meat production. Chickens, Ducks, Guinea pigs for biodiversity.?

Explore possibility with food forest for the orchard that's in a sorry state.  
Id like to grow some crops; oats, human consumption spelt, potatoes, sweet potatoes.

fully self sustaining, a variety of systems.
Don't know what I want specifically yet.
Accommodation side is pretty good; ideally to make added rooms and bathroom downstairs.

thanks!

apple cider vinegar (ACV)
its an excellent all round topic, and i believe its as important as putting oil in your car. Jim Humble of MMS fame would often state that most people have a low acid level int heir stomachs, leading to all kinds of pathogens and health issues, not to mention a lack of acidity not being available to destroy pathogens in the body. It also makes a great base for salad dressings, and predigests proteins like red meat to make them easier to digest in the stomach, and help kill parasites too. Its also one of the worlds best apparent hair tonics and shampoos when diluted. I cant praise it enough

garlic for a strong immune system and an unbeatable savory taste that gives you italian mario plumber vitaltity

organic herb powder collection. always a great way to boost the nutrition and medicinal power of every meal. from cinamon and nutmeg in hot cacao, to cayenne and chinese 5 spice powder in food w mustard seeds and a bit of fresh parsley, rocket and nasturtium from the garden, its probably why i never get sick

despite being fair skinned and living in one of hottest parts of world ( australia ) i never use sunblock and never get burned, i wear dark brimmed tennis hats to help the eyes avoid squinting and keep the slightly thinning hair on the noggin exposed to life giving sunshine, ( also great for stimulating hair growth, fun fact- beats a multi thousand dollar red light machine ) and generally avoid sunglasses unless im working on a roof /getting glare, because that can block the bodies natural way of staying aligned with the amount of sun being received by the body and naturally adjusting. i think long sleeved white cotton clothing or linen is optimal and will handle 90 percent of most sun exposure issues, and its great the awareness of how toxic normal sunblocks are is getting out there. ive found a bit of coco oil works good on the forearms too.

if you feel you definitely have to use sunscreen, id definitely look at making your own, as i think like a lot of things, folks underestimate how harmful these things can be, especially the nano particulates that penetrate the skin barrier and toxic additives that ironically have been linked to cancers themselves. not to mention they have a horrible chemical smell that is a massive turn off, and are expensive, and also can poison marine life when swimming. there are some natural zinc based brands but well worth making it, even if using above methods and then use clothes to shield yourself

one of the best is master mineral supplement ( MMS ) also called sodium chlorite /chlorine dioxide. you put it on neat at the normal concentrations that are sold in liquid at health food stores etc, and it can remove about 1 quarter of the sunburn due it reacting w the acidity of the sunburn. After that if the sunburn is still severe id apply a mix of aloe vera with raw honey, cucumber juice or slices, and possibly a part of ones own urine, which is one of the most tested and added ingredients to moisturizer funny enough, but also acts as a great tonic.

i do like the feel of an african clay floor in a mudhut. if i had clay nearby that would be my preference, or one could do a cement subfloor in the video, add a nice oxide or tint to the mix to color it to ones preference, then keep a nice thick wool rug or carpet over the floor to keep your feet warm. id definitely insulate and damp proof it from the bottom of course, and perhaps run some underfloor heating, and combine that with a solar or compost heating system, youd get toasty room temperature. the great  thing about cement is you can also acid stain it to look like marble or all kinds of high end stone finish  

i had a big ant issue in my kitchen, and tried an assortment of things from vinegar to essential oils to dilute boric acid

a fairly benign way to stop them is to spray them with a water dilution of bicarb soda in water. insects seem to absolutely hate it, as i think the strong alkalinity of the bicarb effects them and bicarb is like an abrasive like DE but not as harsh, and i know its also effective against fleas and have even used it to stop the most horrible bugs in cheap hostels-bed bugs! i believe its a benign substance for other species too. you could also try experimenting with trace amounts of pyrethrin which i believe comes from daisies, which i put on the sill of the wall to stop the trail of ants because the spray wasnt enough . im not sure if you could make your own concoction by soaking the right kind of daisy in cheap cooking alcohol etc to make the concoction, and make your own pyrethrin tincture

just give it a knock and its got a harder shell....also, its possibly preaching to the choir here, but spread the word that seedless watermelons are an abomination not to mention seedless dont have the full flavor and taste of a delicious seed watermelon

i mean the seeds in watermelon kill tapeworms apparently, ( which is so amazing ) so we definitely want to propagate seeded watermelons as the status quo

i pickup up about a half dozen free extuingishers after their strict use by finished up. oftentimes they are listed for free and great to have around the place, and i think would get a few more years out of them?

there are a few points id make here;

sometimes you just have to tell crazy people what they want to hear just to avoid any conflict with them as a last resort, after keeping ones mouth zipped. As with many things there may be a positive intent but its misused for malicious intentions and a control agenda which is simply outrageous and appears wildly unconstitutional.

if it comes to it id just admit defeat and if it gets escalated just say you only use it for gardening, and if they keep harassing launch a suit against them for harassment and violating your religious freedoms etc. it might seem drastic but these statist/narcissistic types feed off apathy and usually flee from offensives. sometimes you have to go on the offensive with these nosy stickybeak types and dont tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment which was unprovoked. i dont know the context or thinking in your area but if you are strategic you can find a good way to position this in your favor, which is where it should be anyway, not to mention a waste of time and possibly criminal malfeasance when they are ignoring actual serious health and safety violations and environmental disasters. just be careful though as ive heard arkansas has had a lot of corruption and good ol boy networks which you also dont want to get on the wrong side of, but at the same time play it smart and strategic but asserting your basic right to water!