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  • From: Robert Waldrop <bwaldrop@cox.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Happy birthday?
  • Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:53:42 -0500

I am 57 years old. Every time I am interviewed by the press, I use this line . . . "My retirement plan is a super-energy-efficient house, with passive solar, no mortgage, very low operating costs, and lots of edible landscaping."

Bob Waldrop, Oklahoma City


Michael Pilarski wrote:
Happy Birthday, Keith,

Sorry tale about your father's retirement fund. It could happen to my mother
and father-in-law too.

Some young friends visiting me, are busy turning their parents yard into a food forest and have installed two 1500 gallon tanks for water storage. They are trying to make them prepared in case of an eventuality like your dad's. This sounds like a nice way for children to help their parents prepare for retirement.
Best wishes,

Michael Pilarski

Digging biomass pits in the city. I recently talked to a young couple who live in south Seattle who are converting their one-fifth acre lot to food production. One of their techniques is to dig big holes in the yard and fill them with hunks of wood, wood chips, lawn clippings, lots of produce waste from a nearby grocery store and other available organic matter. Their soil is a heavy clay with a clay pan one foot down. The excavated soil from the big holes provide raised mound areas with a greater depth of aeration and better drainage overall on the site. This aeration increases fertility. They plant fruit trees, berry bushes and useful plants around the edges of the holes. The crop roots have access to the decomposing nutrients. It is taking them a few years in their spare time to gradually fill the yard with pits, fill them with biomass and plant around them. A side benefit of this strategy is that there is more water storage in the soil, there will likely also be increased
infiltration into ground water. This is another good strategy for a specific
soil type. They have also bought two 1500-gallon tanks for roof water
storage and are conducting many mushroom projects.


--- On Thu, 4/1/10, Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com> wrote:

From: Keith Johnson <keithdj@mindspring.com>
Subject: [permaculture] Happy birthday?
To: "Permaculture ibiblio" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, "openpermaculture"
<permaculture@openpermaculture.org>, "PcAList" <permacultureactivist@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010, 10:10 AM


I just turned 58. One of the "gifts" I received was the news that
my parents' retirement fund of $100,000 just evaporated as it was
misspent by an investment broker who has now gone bankrupt. My 86
year old father is now looking for work to pay their rent, food
and medical expenses.


I fear this kind of story will be repeated by someone near and
dear to you or you yourself. I cannot urge strongly enough that
you work to relocalize your food and economic security and join
(or start) a local Transition Town group. If you have not yet done
so, let this be the year you start growing your food or hire a
farmer to do it for you (a la CSA, Community Supported Agriculture).


The best time to plant an apple tree is five years ago. Don't
wait. I'm serious. Get the books and information you need to
survive and thrive. Preserve and store food! The government WILL
NOT TAKE CARE OF YOU!!! We must take care of us. Earth Care,
People Care, Fair Share. I will gratefully receive advice for help
in caring for my parents. Thanks. Keith






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