All this talk of preparing for senior years leads me to think of
permaculture. Design your homestead in a purposeful manner, that each
utility, structure, plant and animal fits into a circle of life.
Employ minimal human inventions and maximal natural conditions. Let
Nature do as much work as possible. Use gravity to move water and
nutrients to where they are optimally used. Plant fruit trees where
poultry feed on and clean up spoiled fruit, thereby diminishing disease.
A specific example I have written about before: At Heartwood, the Taj
Mahen is located uphill from the main garden area. It is at the
southwest corner of a good-sized run built of dog-pen wire and
extends down to the northwest corner of the garden. Kitchen scraps,
rotten garden goodies, and weeds are tossed into the run at the high
corner. Hens eat and scratch. And peck and scratch. And scratch and
scratch. By gravity, each scratch moves poop and dirt downhill toward
the garden where is a gate. I open the gate and shovel out very rich
soil which is then moved into a compost pile very close by or
directly onto garden beds. If I really had my act together, said
poopy dirt would fall by gravity into a compost heap. Hm.
Re: [Homestead] Aging lists and listmates?!
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