Goats, Guests, Garlic and Chaos
Sharon July 24th, 2009
Sorry for the low-content site this week – got back from Pax Christi with a new project in mind, but I’ve not had time to even begin to write it up and organize my thoughts. What’s keeping me so busy?
Well, I got back to my life on Monday, and Eric was closing down his summer course, which meant a fair bit of time online. I taught Tuesday, and Tuesday afternoon, we got three new goats, Mina, Jessie and little Bast. The new goats are sweeties (a two month old nigerian dwarf goat is just a little bigger than a cat, and about the cutest thing that ever walked the earth), and quite wonderful, but they’ve had the usual sorts of trouble adapting to the new place (ie, it isn’t home yet), and Jessie hadn’t been milked much yet, so it is taking them a while to settle in.
They are wonderful and we’re enjoying ourselves a lot, though. We’re in the process of drying Maia off, since we might be expecting kids from her (Selene is definitely pregnant, Maia I’m less certain of), so we’ve got really only 2.5 goats in milk right now, but more coming, when Selene kids. We also had a lovely time with our friends Jamey and Carol, who have tirelessly put up with our constant calls upon them for new information about bits of goat care we haven’t yet experienced.
Wednesday, Eric’s grades were due, and Thursday my mother and step-mother arrived to spend a few days with us. My step-mother, Sue, is a wonder – she runs about our home fixing things that need it desperately. Does anyone remember the toilet I swore I was going to replace myself as part of my competence project? Well, I still intended to, but let’s just say with the composting set up and two other flush toilets in the house, it didn’t really draw our attention. Right now Susie and my Uncle David are replacing my toilet 
– I don’t think I win any prizes for competence. We’re paying them back in chicken dinners, when we butcher the meat birds. And after lunch, they are headed up to the barn to work on repairing the old barn, so we can move the chickens up there for the winter, as we will need the space in the barn near the house for the goats. There’s also some yard saling planned.
They are departing after lunch tomorrow, while my honorary aunt and uncle are arriving – they’ve taken up gardening seriously and are coming to hang out and also get scything lessons, since they are part-owners of a horse stable (despite living on the edge of Spanish Harlem), and have planted millet and oats for the horses. So they are coming here for some berrying and a chance to cut things down with pointy sharp death-blades .
In the midst of all of this, Aaron was forced to withdraw from the AIP book project – he’s got a 40 person CSA in its first season, and the book is just too much for him. I’m very sympathetic – when it came time for me to write books, I gave up the CSA, knowing I could never do both. So now I’m going ahead and writing the book solo, which is leading me into all sorts of reconsiderations – we need a new proposal, new plan and new contract. Oh, and I’m supposed to have proof-read _Independence Days_ gack!
Oh, and there’s a half-bushel of peaches waiting not-very-patiently for me on the porch, the currants need picking, the giant mutant summer squash are trying to devour the planet and need to be taught a lesson in manners, and there’s a toilet on my front porch, waiting to be turned into a planter (raising the bar in the new “tackiest home decoration” contest, which we were probably winning anyway – hey, I can’t throw it out! Besides, the great thing about 27 acres and agricultural zoning is that you can have a toilet planter ;-).
All of which is a long way of my saying that I’m swamped, and things will probably be quiet through next week, as I attempt to get out from under the big whomping pile of stuff I need to deal with.
I did want to add that I still have spots in the Adapting In Place Course that begins on August 6 (where did July go, I want to know?). As I’ve said before, this is by far my favorite of the classes I offer – and the most fascinating. The goal is to come out of it with a plan for adapting your home (owned, rented, whatever) to the times that are coming, within your resources. I have had a number of students say the class is genuinely life changing, and I learn new things with each class.
The class, like all my courses, is online and asynchronous – that is, you don’t have to be online at any particular time of day or during the week. Aaron and I put new material up on Thursdays, but otherwise, there’s no particular schedule. The course will run for six weeks between August 6 and September 10.
Here’s the syllabus – if you are interested in joining the class, please email me at jewishfarmer@gmail.com. The cost of the class is $180, and we also will consider barter arrangements.
Week 1 - How to evaluate what you have. We’re going to concentrate on figuring out what the major concerns are for your place and your community. We’ll talk about your region and its climate, culture and resources, your house itself, your community and neighborhood – the challenges you forsee and maybe ones you haven’t thought about yet, and your personal circumstances – how much money, time and energy you have to deal with it. How does the definition of home change when we do this? We’ll also talk about when adapting in place is not an option, or when you should consider relocating, and what your options are if you do need to leave or move.
Week 2 – This week will focus on your house itself – we’ll talk primarily about low energy infrastructure for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, washing, etc… About costs and options and choices for both private homes and for communities. We will also cover some renewable, especially low cost options.
Week 3 – We’re going to go into the walls of your building and into other mysterious home infrastructure- water, plumbing and toileting, insulation, keeping warm and cool and all the other things that your shelter does or could do for you. We’ll also talk a bit about what’s in your soil and on your property (this won’t get heavy emphasis in this class since we teach a whole class, garden design, on just this subject).
Week 4 We’ll focus on Family Issues – Sharing resources with both immediate and extended family (and chosen family), dealing with people who aren’t on board, Building collective infrastructure, cannibalizing what you have, dealing with the brother-in-law on the couch, helping kids adapt, disability, aging, college
Week 5 - We’ll talk about Finances, money, employment, making do, getting along on a shoestring, thrift, subsistence labor, starting cottage industries and businesses and community economics. This is also when we’ll talk about transportation of all sorts. We’ll also begin discussing building a set of plans – 1 year, 5 year – to adapt to different scenarios.
Week 6 – We’ll talk about Community at every level, about how to build it, what to bring to it, how to get your neighbors to help, even if they are weird. How to get along with them even if you are weird , about models and ideas for bringing resilience and community to every level from the neighborhood to the state. We’ll also talk about security, dealing with unrest or violence, and try and get those plans finished.
I hope some of you will consider joining us for the class – it is both fascinating and fun.
As for the blog, I have tons of things I can’t wait to write about and expose to the useful scrutiny, advice and thought of my readership, but I’m afraid you’re stuck bearing with me for a week or so while I put it all together. Thanks for your patience,
Sharon