Documentation

Documentation remains one of the most commonly overlooked aspects in permaculture.  It becomes easy to forget in an attempt to come back later, only then to be scratching the backs of our heads.  Now what did I do here and when?

As of 4:31 in the PM on the 22nd of December, 2012 , I:
1) woke up and handed Leta the baby to feed
2) ate breakfast (scrambled eggs w/ carrots,  a bagel (yes w/ cream chz), & coffee)
3) watered seedlings
4) finished knocking out cracked pave-way and added to grey/black water system
5) rocked baby to sleep
6) went to Sandi's Seed & Feed and grabbed cow compost and mushroom compost... roughly $15
7) moved a large amount of the seedlings to the south side of the house next to the brick wall with salvaged wood
8) attempted grunting for worms and failed using bamboo harvested from un-maintained city property
9) mixed up a soil media - 6:2:2:1 (on site sandy media: cow manure: leaves from a neighbor's property: mushroom compost)
10) watered seedlings w/ backpack sprayer
11) planted broccoli in cell packs and onions in a short-round container
12) watered newly panted seedlings w/ bckpck spryr

4:52pm
This serves as practice and as application for documentation, will update more regularly and more efficiently.
I'm sure I forgot some things, would like to include more detailed diet logging.

Transition

When we go from a state of being uninformed to informed, we undergo a transition.  With permaculture and Austrian economics at the forefront of tangible application, we exercise patience.  Although we may be able to see what's possible in the future, it still takes time.

2012

2012 - Ian Xel Lungold

I have yet to watch the 2012 Online Movie, but I understand that it has a lot of my favorite ppl all mashed together, seems interesting.

I do not run into many people that know Ian Xel Lungold either.

Right ON

Noticias

The Daily Paul (@ www.dailypaul.com) has been instrumental in their delivery of Liberty.  I've been following the site for a good bit of time now, and would like to thank them very much.  The articles and videos have been right on point!

Guerilla Compost!

ABONO GUERILLA

I've been scrapping for a little time now, as well as grabbing everybody's fallen leaves. The closer the pile the better; the less I have to spend on energy to get there. If we export our soil we are investing in deserts, if we import our soil we are wasting money, and if we build soil where we stand then we are creating peace.

5K

Yesterday I ran, for the first time, in an officially organized race.  It was a 5K (3.11 miles) and started and ended out of Pier Park.  At one point I was staring at the back of two high schoolers skinny little legs and realized I was not bred for long distance, but I had a lot of fun.  There was so much energy at the start and finish line that I can't wait to do another one, but next time I'm aiming for the half marathon! I finished 8th overall and second for my age group, I am amping!

Collaboration

We each go our own ways, and sometimes we end up back on the same path.  Here is an old buddy of mine who is incubating his permaculture landscape business.  Yesterday we got together and discussed ideas, regurgitated selling points, toured established sites, and visited a nursery.  We looked forward to picking up some momentum.

http://www.greenthumbcalboys.com/

Fear of Failure

    FEAR of FAILURE

      At an early age we were taught in our schools to avoid failure, a big red "F" after a test was the last thing any happy-go-lucky kid wanted to see.  To fail an exam meant we'd have to catch up and do extra work.  To be "left behind" and fail a grade would entail a whole 'nother year of the same thing.  I know that just the thought of such kept my head in the books long enough to make sure something like that never happened.  I can't truly say that I loved school, but I was sure as hell scared to have to do it again.
     The saying goes, "When you point a finger at some one else you're pointing three right back at yourself."  Since the Autumn of 2007, I took off on a personal journey of very deliberate goals.  The Universe had enlightened my path, and with it my purpose.  My new direction didn't come with any "directions."  Sure, I had many guides along the way who helped me make sense of it all, but nonetheless, just like everyone else, I was essentially on my own.  My tasks seemed insurmountable, and pretty much were, but that didn't stop me from trying.  There are many groups and organizations I could blame for what I perceive as the cause of our problems, but I've been wisely informed to avoid the victim-perpetrator-savior complex.  When we apply for a job we usually turn in a resume that displays and lists all of our accomplishments, instead I am going to create a resume of all my failures.  I share many of these failures with other brave and dedicated individuals.

I have not:

1. ended the wars in the Middle East, or removed all American troops from other countries.
2. established a permaculture institute in Northwest Florida, specifically coastal.
3. aided in the release of all non-violent prisoners, including probationary drug felons and specifically labeled drug "offenders."
4. mastered five languages, let alone two. 
5. facilitated in the peaceful and transitional legalization of alternative commodity currencies.
6. memorized native fauna and flora in their entirety.
7. stopped suburban sprawl in my hometown area, or assisted in the relocation of beach-side condominiums.
8. created a permaculture landscaping company focused on design and maintenance.
9. got out of my parents house and/or built my own home with my own hands.
10. developed a diet of mainly local fruits and vegetables accompanied with wild caught local game and fish.
11. totally manufactured an outfit from my own production.
12. halted the airport and roadside construction in exchange for more train/monorail/bike/walking construction. 
13. made a music video and/or album.
14. organized a music and art festival of local artisans.
15. shaped my own surfboard.
16. purchased an ARP (Accelerated Recovery Performance) machine and continued my practice as a technician.
17. completed a marathon.
18. assisted in the allowance and legalization of local spring water harvesting for drinking, or slown the exportation of our local seafood.
19. finished a newly designed workout routine. 
20. drafted a menu of local cuisine for a restaurant.
21. filmed a movie highlighting our natural biodiversity.
22. written a book.
23. directed a surf montage. 
24. setup a booth at our local farmers' market. 
25. integrated an alternative media in the form of a newspaper and youtube channel.  
26. fasted.
27. retreated in silence for an extended time. 
28. spoken completely in an E-prime fashion.

A Healthy Derivative: Compassion

The Dalai Lama comes from an inner space of compassion and has inspired me for several years now.  His teachings resonate heavily. As an Enlightened Being his wisdom has illuminated the path for elevated consciousness and transcends many cultural borders.  I've enjoyed several of his books.  Many thanks!  Here he addresses the issue of health.

Occupy This

IS ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION STEALING FROM THE NINETY-NINE PERCENT OR  IS NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION STEALING FROM THE ONE PERCENT?

The animosity of Occupy Wall Street was directed at the super rich, particularly the ones holding the largest amount of the world's assets. This corporatocracy represents crony capitalism at it's finest, as businesses seek assistance from governments in the form of handouts, subsidies, mandates, and regulations. This perverse relationship facilitates the manipulation of the global economy, skewing the actual demand and supply of informed consumers and producers.

Inflation, the increase in the money supply, punishes the savers in society more than anyone.  The greatest form of capital still remains the idea; more valuable than land, laborers, or machinery.  I do not entertain for a second that these so-called "super-rich" actually have the greatest amount of savings (luminous ideas).  Sure, they have a balance sheet loaded with luxurious amounts of assets, all of which could be liquidated in the forms of cash if necessary.  However, their lavish amount of spending proves they are not saving time, money, or energy.

Who is the ONE percent?  Is it the political class?  Is it the mega-rich CEO's, venture capitalists, or global bankers?  Or is it an unidentifiable select who continue to produce over and over with hardly any dollars, landholdings, or employees?  This theme was covered heavily in Atlas Shrugged as the world's largest producers were looted by the government and citizens until they went off the grid and decided to live in a "sustainable" community out of protest and self survival.  In the book these artists of industry held their ideas close as to protect the world; they went on strike.  This story is very similar to the American hippies back in the day who protested the war and the direction the country was going.  The "free-loaders" dropped out of the system in defiance, and were right to do so.

I find it hard to believe that a small group has figured out a way to steal from everyone in front of everyone without repercussions.  Could all that animosity that was directed in Occupy Wall Street actually be a self-reflection? What if the one percent was incorrectly identified? What if that incorrectly identified one percent was actually part of the ninety-nine percent? What if nearly everyone was stealing from the few people that were still keeping them alive?

It could be easily justified that some one could say, "I am not a thief.  I work hard for my money and have never stolen a thing." The counter point to that would be that a dollar is not a symbol of what you have, but what you owe.  Credit cards are immoral, and you don't own your house, the bank does. The national debt represents indentured servitude on a scale that could never be imagined.  Things this society values as a whole doesn't have any real value, just nominal value. But good luck trying to convince ninety-nine percent of the population that they are thieves. I am sure they are never going to BUY that.

Just Fooling

Make no mistake, Barack Obama was nominated for his anti-war stance.  He claimed "immediate withdrawl" in the first debate before he was elected president, and as he progressed through each phase of the campaign he slowly tweaked his position in accordance to his demographics. 

Had Obama campaigned back then on what he actually did while in office, there would have been no way the anti-war, anti-Bush base would have nominated him.  He fooled his supporters, and he fooled the world.  Lucky for the world some people saw that coming!

Mises (Tom Woods)

Congratulations to the Mises Institute on 30 years.  Tom Woods, a renowned Austrian economist, gives a beautiful assessment below.

Dimension

Bill Mollison... More Layers!

Alpaca

While in California at the beginning of the year we also stopped by a neighboring alpaca farm.  These creatures are absolutely fantastic; animated eyes and individual personalities will make your heart melt.

It was very gracious of Sandra and Dave to give us a show of their property.  Thanks!

The alpaca produces a high quality fiber that can keep us very cozy and warm in the cooler months.  Their manure is also a very prized compost.  I am thinking hooded alpaca vests would do great in North Florida. 

Construction Slideshows

Thanks to Mary, the innkeeper at The Farm, for creating the beautiful slideshows.  As a tool for education, videos and pictures do great!

Permaculture 101... Herb Spiral (above)

Bamboo Chicken Tractor (above) acts as a mobile pest control and fertilization unit.

Here we are displaying the garden at the Ecovillage Training Center about two and a half years ago. A lot has happened since then.

Tipping

I'm really enjoying this guy's talks.  He seems to be very grounded and extremely logical.  His well thought out rationale resonates in terms of energy conservation.  Don Tipping.

Jargon

 Maybe It’s Time We Get Back To the Taproot

A lot of the barriers we come across today seem to be our language barriers, more specifically our professional jargon.  Take for instance the term sustainability.  When most of us think sustainability we are probably picturing solar panels, wind turbines, greenhouses, and electric cars.  Now this is all well and good as this type of movement is in the right direction, but words that are synonymous with sustainable are as follows: endurable, tolerable, and maintainable.  The problem with this kind of speaking is that we can’t endure, tolerate, or maintain our infrastructure anymore.  It is unsustainable in its entirety; as a whole it must be re-designed and retrofitted in extremely creative ways.  So in the “green business,” we need to facilitate the evolution of a name change in our industry.  An expression that I think better capsulizes what we are looking for is regeneration, a word that is being used on a regular by people in the so-called “sustainable” industry.   Reclaim, recreate, and reeducate are words that are synonymous with regeneration.  These terms better exemplify what we are trying to do, which is allowing a space for a new way of life to enter, to emerge.    

In order for this to happen, we have to let go of the things that we selfishly cherish for the short term but know aren’t going to do us any good in the future.  Now what these things are seem to still be up for debate amongst many groups.  I think if we get rid of our largest moral hazard first then all the other connections will link up from there.  I also think we can all agree that our most alluring bait that all us humans face is a lavish and endless amount of money.  The ones who are chasing nothing but the dollar signs are doing so at all costs.  When I imagine what the dollar was supposed to buy I go back to the 1950’s and 60’s even though I wasn’t even born yet.  The American Dream was being sold everywhere and most everyone was all in.  The white picket fence, a two-story house on the outside of town, a sporty car in the driveway, and a freshly manicured lawn in front was the investment.  In its purity the idea was revolutionary for community all over the world, but as time went on something went astray.  Our national debt reflects our unhappiness with our collective venture.  We have lost sight of our dream, and thus it is turning into an American Nightmare. 

It’s time we get back to the taproot!  Most all of us are familiar with the term grass roots, and we associate this word with community, spontaneous organization, and locality.  All of those things are heavily welcomed, but we need to decipher the jargon that is keeping us from transcending our cultural border.  It is a struggle within each and every one of us to move on and welcome the new world.  It’s time we regroup and regenerate. 

The lawn was a symbol of wealth and in its infancy could only be maintained by the richest of the rich with indentured servants.  Everywhere we go we see lawns.  It’s become quite complex, in fact one could say that it has become its own complex.  Prisoners maintain our roadsides and children travel for miles in the minivan in order to arrive at a recreational complex where they can participate in structured games that have very strict rules and guidelines.  The energy that goes into sustaining these public fields remains immense.  Rising gas costs, shrinking freshwater supply, and the time it takes in labor to upkeep these lawns cannot be maintained forever.  Not to mention, most of all, is that lawns suppress nature and deplete land fertility.  The Fertile Crescent at one time was extremely lush, but human developments accompanied with destructive agriculture and infrastructure turned the place into a desert.  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we are doing here.  Old growth forests are begging to thrive again, and will win out in the long run.  Maybe getting back to the grass roots isn’t such a good idea anymore.

The taproot is the main root of a plant that primarily grows straight down in order to get the deepest amount of hydration and minerals.  A more regenerative lifestyle would be one that is rooted deeply into the surrounding environment.  In laymen’s terms we need an environment that is surrounded with more trees, more taproots.  With all that lawn space available maybe we could use it more efficiently as a food forest, a kind of personal Garden of Eden.  Maybe instead of having twenty sport fields all next to each other, we could have one communal field in all neighborhoods that all children could access and participate in random gatherings with other kids without having to pay an umpire or a referee.  Maybe if we just tweaked our dream a little we would dismantle the temptations that are perverting it.  Could it really be as simple as growing food in the spaces that we had pictured as lawns and creating easy to get to communal fields? I think so, and I feel it’s the place to start, the right direction.

So in order to let go of the American Dream that once was we need to let go of the dollar, move on and create new visions.  Just by altering the jargon we use in the green industry a tad we can better illuminate our overall objective.  If we want to sustain the system as is then we need to get back to the grass roots, but if we truly want to regenerate a new system, then we need to get back to the taproots! 

Solar Energy

This kid noticed the pattern in the trees and applied it to his design, very intelligent!

The spiral can be found all throughout nature, and we mimic these patterns in our personal movements daily.  Like our breath we funnel energy in and out.  Below is a low budget commercial advertising solar energy in which I was in.  I would say I was more of a paid apprentice than a "solar expert," but hey that could be up for debate.

You built it!

Give credit where credit is due... ALL OF IT!

"Let's venture out..., We need to downsize..., Let's cut costs!"  No argument here...

The signs are everywhere.

Apalachee

A wise teacher once told me that people name their streets after the trees they cut down... Elm Street, Oak Lane, etc.

The Apalachee were the indigenous people of the region.  This street leads right up to the Florida capitol in Tallahassee.

I still find it hard to believe that no one noticed that this was going to look like a huge penis and testicles... accident???

Bay County Anti-Patterns

An anti-pattern is something that does things wrong, yet is attractive for some reason (profitable or easy in the short term, but dysfunctional, wasteful of resources, unsustainable, unhealthy in the long term). It also keeps re-appearing.

Large scale construction that happened right before, during, or after the real estate bubble should be viewed with a skeptics eye since inflation skews the actual direction of the market and causes poor investments.  The building above (FSU Panama City Campus) exemplifies an anti-pattern.

Deer Point Elementary looks more like a jail than a school, and the surrounding fence is not even in the picture.  I will eventually take a picture on my own that truly captures its punitive facade.

Newly built government buildings make the people entering them feel insignificant.  The Bay County Library and Administration Center look more like the Parthenon.  

Guantanamo of Panama City Beach... The sheer enormity of this building eclipses everything around it.  The design of this condo is all about fitting as many tourists as possible inside of it.  Atrocious!

Above displays the Panama City Beach sprawl right on top of our most precious asset.

Pier Park brought to you by easy credit!  AMERICAN RETAIL...

...currently in distress, I mean progress.  Bought to you by St. Joe Company, Great Northwest, Gulf Power, and Great American Contractors.

Manna Teepee

Below shows a design for a flyer template.

Manna Teepee

Local Movement

While I was working at the Zen Garden some one recorded a short clip of the place.  In the video Joe walks the property and gives a brief explanation on where he sees the place going.

Below is a communal concept of Longleaf preserve north of Grayton Beach.  As of yet the project has been postponed from what I think is due to the banks forestalling on the loans.  I worked on the gardens at both Longleaf and in Ebro.  A lot of soil building took place.

Farmer D acted as the consultant on the farm.

GOT LAND?

The T-Shirt in the beginning of this piece gets the point across. "Got land?" The indigenous in many regions of the world were forced off their land, their livelihoods. As Americans settle in certain areas, a neo-indigenous population is emerging, many of whom are descendants of Anglo-Saxons. But as the natives always said, "You can not kill our spirit. It will remain in the trees and waters around you and shall reappear once again in your children." Just like a clear-cut parcel, it wants to immediately go back to a lush old growth forest.

Tribal roots want to emerge again in new ways, below is an example of a modern family attempting just that.

 

Layers

In this image there are seven layers listed:

The layers have been updated: 1)Overstory 2)Understory 3)Bush 4)Herb 5)Ground Cover 6)Roots 7)Decomposers 8)Climbers

Brief

INFLATION STEALS, REGENERATION HEALS

I've been toiling for some time now with a slogan that could summarize the problem and solution.
This morning while listening to Andrew Faust on the C-Realm I came up with this: "Inflation Steals, Regeneration Heals." My thinking is that our monetary policy is at the forefront of a toxic and pollutant infrastructure, and permaculture is at the forefront of creating a healthy and thriving infrastructure.  Maybe it'll catch on, may be it won't.

Wildcat Garden Photos

Here are some photos at Wildcat Educational Center of the main garden after I rearranged some of the features including: rock terracing on contour, keyhole paths, and hugelkultured swales.

Step 1: Absorb Force

The Key to Movement

1) Absorb Force

2) Create Force

3) Accelerate

4) Endure

This video from reason.tv touches on the insanity of U.S. agricultural practices which skew the global economy as a whole and rewards corporate farms.  This Libertarian perspective identifies the problem, however still denoted remains the permacultural solution.

Market Pics

We have been going to the market in St. Andrews pretty frequently.  We have taken quite a few pictures to document the market, but only decided to post a few.  These vegetables were quite large!

Leta D. looking and talking with the moccasin and basket lady

Checking out local honey

Local, grass-fed Angus

 

Seed & Feed

 (Above) Leta D. at Sandi's Seed & Feed checking out the selection in front

(Above) Some of the organic products offered at Sandi's

Uniform and Background

This morning I found myself watching the mainstream news, as well as updates on youtube.  Today on the news I have taken notice to the backdrop and outfits worn by these diplomats of peace.  One shows green and lushness, while the other seems sterile and cold.  The wardrobe on top looks comfortable, festive, and inviting with what appears to be a wooden heart necklace.  The wardrobe on the bottom looks sharp and rigid and adorned with expensive bling.  My bias may seem obvious, but which picture do you think delivers the message of peace better?

Alas! Olas!

 Regeneration!

(Above) Boomerang 

Mama and Olas Emerald

Experimentation

 Tomatoes, peppers, & okra from the garden

Natural and organic dye setup

Squash in sandy soil

Marigolds used for the dye

The pictures above were taken from a temporary garden space where we fortunate enough to use.  Seed saving has started to take place here.  We have been wisely informed to take the best producers from the worst soils.  Why would some one want to grow purposely in poor soil?

Vagabonding Quote

     "As for the practical challenges of 'reentry' into your home life (moving in, finding a job, starting a routine), confront them all as new adventures.  Rediscover your work, and do it well.  Redeploy your simplicity, and make it pay out in free time.  Emulate the best of people who themselves were at home when you met them on your travels.  Pinpoint what you learned from them- hospitality, fun, reverence, integrity- and incorporate these things into your own life.  Integrate the deliberate pace and fresh perspective that made your travel experience so vivid, and allow for unstructured time in your day-to-day home schedule.  Don't let the vices you conquered on the road -fear, selfishness, vanity, prejudice, envy- creep back into your daily life.  Explore your hometown as if it were a foreign land, and take an interest in your neighbors as if they were exotic tribesman.  Keep things real, and keep on learning.  Be creative, and get into adventures.  Earn your freedom all over again and don't set limits.  Keep things simple, and let your spirit grow.
     But most of all, keep living your life in such a way that allows your dreams room to breathe.
     Because you never know when you'll feel the urge to hit the road again."

-Potts, Rolf

Vagabonding: An Uncommon

Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Lil' Village

The Little Village in St. Andrews has tiki-huts, garden & folk art, paintings, clothing, and smoothies.  Coming soon is Finn's Island Style Grub.  Yummy!  (Above) Casey radiates for the camera inside the cafe. 

Folk Art

Most likely you will have to click on the photo to read the writing on the painting.  This a modern folk painting and representation of permatarian philosophy.

Floridian inspired indigenous dreamland

Private Stroll

Species?

 

 (Top & Bottom-middle) Curb appeal in St. Andrews, (Top middle) Cosmic Bud, (Bottom) Leta D. and the owner of the property who so nicely allowed us to drop in and take a tour of his property.  He went through and identified each of his species individually and gave us a small history on his garden

Leta D. Art

 

(Above) Leta D. Art, sunny day dress in an organic farm patch 

Cowford. Ebro, FL

www.letadart.blogspot.com 

Define Permatarian

Permatarian (noun) - The word permatarian derives from two current schools of thought as a solutional balance point between seemingly polarized intellectual studies; the two being "Austrian economics" and "permaculture."  "Perma-" coined from permaculture and "-tarian" from libertarianism, although all libertarians are not necassarily complete Austrian economists. 

The grandfathers of this neo-philosophical viewpoint would be Bill Mollison (permaculture) and Ron Paul (Austrian economics).  Their successors and the fathers of this study would be, but are not limited to, Geoff Lawton (permaculture) and Tom Woods (Austrian economics).  

I, Garrison, am attempting to be the rational voice of comprimise between what I see to be as complementary and not conflicting theories.  There may be a more accurate and identifiable term to be used in the future, however our unidentified population has neither agreed or truly attempted an alternative label.  Some have requested liberculture.  The title remains trivial to the point.

The compatibility of these subjects were sparked by the book The God Theory by Bernard Haisch where these questions were focused on:

Can you have faith in Einstein, Darwin and God?
Can you have spirituality without religion?
Is there a grand purpose for your life?

Surf Photo

Here is a pic on Andrew Wardlow photography from August 10, 2011.

Overpopulation or Mis-spacialization?

Over-population OR Mis-spacialization?

It seems as though the THEORY of overpopulation continues to make its way through many media outlets...textbooks, the Internet, cable news, etc.  As I ride by the structures in my hometown I see the effects of urban sprawl continually rising...more traffic, more empty commercial buildings, more widespread and isolated businesses and residential units.  Jim Kuntsler refers to this period as the "greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the planet," and I can't really disagree with him on that.  To me, it appears as though we have more than enough space to fit the billions and counting people on this planet as well as feed us at the same time.  Monstrous parking lots, empty crossroads, and one story suburbia has failed in its design.

If there is to be a true economic recovery the people who are so-called in charge of everything will lose the return on their investment.  The debt ridden Ponzi-scheme must continue for big corporate businesses, federal agencies, and non-elected global bureaucracies or else the game is over and the curtains shall be pulled.  As we transfer into the new paradigm of truly living, we must realize that we are suffering from a systemic design problem.  One that starts with our monetary system.  As permaculturists we save energy by tackling the largest problems that we can foresee and heading downstream from there.

The "too big to fail" idiom should be seen as the most violent act ever perpetrated on the human population.  Overpopulation and "too big to fail"-ists go hand in hand.  The solution to overpopulation (misuse of space and time) and "too big to fail" (violent military expansion) remains an issue of design.  The attempts to eradicate the seed of reality will continue, but the energy and resources that it takes to do so is not only failing, but has almost failed to the point where even the largest claims of ignorance shall be futile.  As we end this war story, we transfer into a narrative of peace, understanding, and acceptance.

Man in Overalls

Nathan Ballentine of Tallahassee, FL doing an awesome job in the capitol. (www.maninoveralls.blogspot.com)

The first time I saw this guy on the side of the road I honked and yelled and gave a big thumbs up... ran into him at an organic soil building workshop years later.  His blog is awesome!

Medicine For the Peeps

Ben jammin' on this for a couple of weeks, thanks Phil Osophical