the tree

The tree that started it all

the treeI drove past this tree almost daily during the growing season for 3 years.  The tree and its house are located right next to the community garden where I had my plot.  I saw the tree, but never really looked at it carefully until one day after I returned from a Permaculture educators class.  There was THE tree– the tree that David Holmgren included in Design Principle #1– Observe and Interact

 Pc-Icons-Principle-1

How could I have missed this for so long?  I clearly was not following the observe part of this design principle.  At least not until I was ready, and the tree was ready and the house and property were ready.  So on the day I drove by and saw the realtor’s sign and really looked, it was clear to me that this was the homestead I had been hoping for for so long.

Most of my life I have been rather a gypsy.  Moving from place to place, not staying too long in one house.  From my childhood on, I always longed to live in the country.  I have done that several times, but never on an acre.  It has taken all these years to build the skills I will need to turn this neglected little spot into an energy efficient, food-producing homestead.  Join me on this exciting journey.

Welcome to Sunflower Permaculture

Today is exactly one month before my 60th birthday.  So it is time to get this project underway.  About a month ago I purchased a project.  A small utilitarian, cinder-block house on an acre of bottom land both of which have been sorely neglected for some time.  Remaining true to the spirit of my misspent youth, I moved in.  This makes the BONE house of the late ’70’s seem palatial.  I do love challenges, and projects.  Here is the plan in very broad strokes.

1. ) Turn the plain-Jane single-pain no insulation cinder block into a Passiv Haus energy efficient beauty.

2.) Create a food forest using Permaculture design principals.

3.:Teach other people how to do some of these things here in my Sunflower Permaculture Classroom.