permaculture

["Trudie Redding" <tredding@mail.utexas.edu>]

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
SArjuna@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 1:39 PM
Subject: [permaculture] Time to pick up our hats?

Dear all,

     When I read the article pasted on below, I was moved to also share
the 
following.     When we share about our plans to move to SW Wisconsin and
create a permaculture farm where we and others can live as sustainably
as possible, some people comment that they believe one should never move
out of fear,
Hats quote...
     When ...when the assumption that even 
basic preparedness makes you a wacko is so prevalent. The story struck
me, 
long before I discovered peak oil or climate change, because I wondered
how it is 
one knows that *now* is the time to pick up one's hat.......... 

Hi Sarjuna, I like your email and also the hats clip you sent.

        I try to enjoy life today and incorporate changes to help me
become more independent, Ive been no good at growing edible food but
damn if I don't have a flourishing garden for the first time in 20
years, I collect rainwater about 5 years now, I have a grey water line,
I do my laundry by hand and line dry and have done this for so long it
is so good for my health! I finally acquired solar panels after taking
some classes and going to some meetings, I gave up my car, I got back on
a bike after 30 years, I gave up buying any NEW clothes (only used and
not often) and made payments on a piece of land instead:(this habit
became permanently habitual after 3 yrs of pymts and it has now become a
part of my way of living.) I have to invent and alter or ask someone
else. I hadn't thought of shoes but way back when learned how to make
mocassins in a crafts class so since I have time, I may have to look
into that! I covered old kitchen towels and hotpads with old sheets and
hemmed by hand and they are very sturdy and denim blue! These are all
gradual and can be quite fun and yes it's hard to see people not paying
attention to some things I consider to be emergencies, I just try to
make a smaller footprint. I think it's exciting to coax more out of my
money, its less stress to own less, I work hard and I'm not really
thinking about next year, we could all be refugees by then and I don't
necessarily want to be a survivor if others don't but while I'm here
living in a city, I'll do my best to live frugally and try to expend my
own energy for the pleasures I get and enjoy planning for plannings
sake.
I take seriously what you say about gradual change.
The phrase sticker shock could apply to many who have not altered their
lifestyle even a little. The best people show us by example and if we
are 3 or 4 years behind them in action they never say a word. I feel
lucky to have seen others before me living frugally or permaculturally
I guess to some degree that I live under the assumption that my set of
dwellings will house double the amount of people at least some time soon
in the future. We live in one unit and rent out the other. I don't know
what we will do for food so I'm trying to focus on that issue. When I
really think about it, I am amazed how much it takes to feed one human
for one year, but hoarding, I hope it never comes to that. Our naborhood
has green talks and documentaries every few weeks and hopefully more
people are seeing that sharing can be a good thing. 
In addition there are people who are unable to be independent, employed
etc and I have a family member I support. If I go under he goes under so
this spurs me on. I think if every person could help one more person it
would take the burden off of all of us as the shockwave of the homeless
and hungry would not hit us unaware. We would have been getting in the
habit of each helping one person. 

As for your 
"some people comment that they believe one should never move out of
fear,"
I do think I move out of fear-just slower than out of true fear.
Trudie