permaculture bootcamp - learn permaculture through a little hard work

Power tools!!!

2019 June boots group (missing Robbie)


Check out flowers with the group

Howdy Paul,

im interested in coming up to missoula to work in the bootcamp for a little while, i dont know exactly when id be able to come up, maybe more like august at this point. im aware of the no-shows and the inability of being able to hold a spot so far out, so before then i was hoping to ask a few questions and get a rundown on your requirements and pet peeves with respect to boots.

id probably end up driving up from texas, i read something about you guys not liking cars running a lot up there. can i store it there while im at the bootcamp and use it from time to time as needed?

is there a podcast listening requirement for incoming boots? i saw something about that for potential ants, but nothing for boots.

how are you guys about firearms and hunting? id be bringing up most of my stuff and have a few guns id be lugging around with me, if its a problem can I just keep em locked in my car or in a safe you may have?

i like horses and mules, do you have any, and if so, can boots ride them?


thanks!

A,

Some parts are really easy to clear up ...

Drive your rig here and park at basecamp.  No probs.  The lab is a different story - I hope that the lab will someday become a place where people just don't feel like crossing the gate much.

There is no podcast requirement for bootcamp.  

Ant villiage is something for people that listen to the podcasts.  And village is not something for people that tolerate the podcasts.  

firearms:  i don't care.   Montana loves em.

Zero horses or mules here at this time.

Thanks!

that about clears it up for me. ill let you guys know if and when im about to make it up there if theres slots available at that time. and one last question, when you say no tobacco products, i assume you do mean ALL tobacco products, including snus and e cigs.

i hope i can make it out there, id love to learn more about natural farming and permaculture, you guys have a good one.

No vapes.  No chew.  No tobacco.

ah okay, thanks

Fred talking to Mud at the first day of the ATC.

Fun photo of the boots and me

Learning how to put up junkpole fence with the ATC in the Boots.

Jennifer from the ATC showing some of our boots how to polish a coat hook.

Coco Newlon wrote: Jennifer from the ATC showing some of our boots how to polish a coat hook.

Fine and good Polishing that coat hook, but I'd prefer to Czech it. I was just looking for the coat Czech.

Tom Condon wrote:

Coco Newlon wrote: Jennifer from the ATC showing some of our boots how to polish a coat hook.

Fine and good Polishing that coat hook, but I'd prefer to Czech it. I was just looking for the coat Czech.

Your right! Couldn’t remember what it was called Czech. Yes! Thank-you.

wasn't sure to post in "deep roots - an alternative to buying land at wheaton labs" or here, but regarding the idea from this thread...

COIN-10: When you have a plot to play with, you can build a fence and some gardens and a structure.   And then you can sell those improvements to somebody else.

... ?has there been any thought around a "Habitat for Humanity" model to attract even/especially youth and college-aged people to volunteer, and more than just build a (less environmentally friendly) house for a poor family, setup a more healthy, balanced homestead in community like you all know about.  Probably inspired by this thread (and the "deep roots" way to own land), I wrote this homestead flipping exchange idea recently.

Coco Newlon wrote:

I think that the boots asked for natural paints stuff during the ATC, so uncle mud showed them how to make whitewash.

Id still like to come up at the beginning of august, should I purchase a slot now? and id like to formally initiate any screening process that may be necessary.

Thank you,
A Flan

Hi, I was talking to my brother who would like to come out with me. What is the website again to set it up?

The info on registering is at the beginning of this thread.  Here's a link if that's easier: https://permies.com/wiki/bootcamp

A Flan wrote:Id still like to come up at the beginning of august, should I purchase a slot now? and id like to formally initiate any screening process that may be necessary.

Yes, let's get everything moving forward.  

The bootcamp program is managed by Fred.   Fred arrived for four weeks and has been here ever since.  That was four years ago.   A lot of people have come here to be here forever and they are not here - some of those people left after an hour or two.  

Currently in the bootcamp is:

robbie
jaqi
taylor
zach

And then there is one person who is gonna show up in a week or so.   There are about five or six that were going to come out last year and could come out.  And there are two people currently attending the ATC that intend to join the bootcamp starting monday "for a while."

At the same time, I have talked to robbie and fred about an idea of robbie leading a second bootcamp, on an as needed basis.    So one group of boots, led by fred, would be monday through friday, and a second (smaller) group, led by robbie, would be friday through tuesday.   This way, the bootcamp is running seven days a week and if we went over six boots for a week or two, that would be okay.

This is an experimental idea.  But it has a lot of potential benefits.   The most important being that if a person buys a plane ticket when there are four boots, and then the bootcamp hits six people before they arrive - they can still come.    Once we have six people here - and they seem keen on being here long term, then we can announce "we're full!" and if there are a few people en route, we can roll with that.  And if we have six people here and a couple are saying "for just a couple of weeks" then we can continue to say that we have openings.

Smooth?

I love that idea Paul!  I'm guessing the uncertainty of if you'll be to the lab in time to catch that last spot could be a barrier to many folks.  Especially those who have to travel a ways to get to you.

When a boot has been here for a month, they get to pick out their plot.  They get to do ant-like things on the evenings and weekends.   Jaqi gets to pick out her plot this weekend and Taylor and Zach pick two plots the weekend after that.

Robbie has already picked his plot.  

If a boot leaves six months later, they could choose to sell their improvements (gotta get a timely buyer).  

Mud and the boots working on cob at the allerton abbey wofati

A good topic for, "Newbie Permies," boots, ants, seemingly unlimited nomenclature. Is there a document to read to understand all this? Also, a written-out protocol. For instance, a "boot' picks out a plot after 4 weeks, is that rented? Owned? So many details. Immersed in the culture, I would learn the language; I'm just looking for the dictionary.

Maybe try this link: https://permies.com/t/labs-summary? It's a summary of all things Wheaton Labs

Another place to look for links is the very top of the Wheaton Labs forum https://permies.com/f/102/labs. There's some links there, just under the words: "WHEATON LABORATORIES:This forum is dedicated to the experiments done on and in Paul's hollowed out volcano with good submarine access near Missoula, Montana"

Tom Condon wrote:a "boot' picks out a plot after 4 weeks, is that rented? Owned?

When a boot has been here a month, they can pick out an ant village plot to be a sort of play space for the evenings and weekends.  Maybe they will do PEP stuff there.  Maybe a bit of gardening.  Maybe there are already some structures there and they will stay in the structures.  

It is not rented or owned by the boot.

My guess is that if they stay in the bootcamp for two years, this will end up as their "deep roots".  Or maybe while they spend more time on the lab, they will pick a different spot.   Or maybe they will do some improvements to that plot and sell the improvements.

It's theirs as long as they are a boot.

paul wheaton wrote:

A Flan wrote:Id still like to come up at the beginning of august, should I purchase a slot now? and id like to formally initiate any screening process that may be necessary.

Yes, let's get everything moving forward.  

I sent the payment on PayPal. Feel free to PM me when you get the chance.

A. F.

A Flan wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:

A Flan wrote:Id still like to come up at the beginning of august, should I purchase a slot now? and id like to formally initiate any screening process that may be necessary.

Yes, let's get everything moving forward.  

I sent the payment on PayPal. Feel free to PM me when you get the chance.

A. F.

I let coco know that the monies arrived.  She will probably get you sorted tonight or tomorrow morning.

I let coco know that the monies arrived.  She will probably get you sorted tonight or tomorrow morning.



Sounds good, looking forward to it.

Jaqi moving the tractor.