Hibernating Before the Storm

Yesterday I managed to get started on the meat of that article I described in my last post. The article I'm titling Power to the People. I've found it expanding into a brief primer on the subject of Peak Oil in order to give the reasoning, rationale and need to undertake the formation of an energy cooperative.

While all these ideas are floating around in my head and things are taking shape there, I've found myself oddly paralyzed lately. I've been unable to muster the energy to go out of the house and accomplish much of anything. I've been sequestering myself in my home, alternately watching movies, checking e-mail, playing computer solitaire or listening to the radio news. Oh, and I mustn't forget to mention sleeping. I've been doing a fair amount of that as well. Splattered in there among the idleness is some reading as well, not forgetting that I did, in fact, get some writing done last night - and tonight (you're reading it!)

I'm feeling quite overloaded lately. I wonder whether I have what it takes to create this place I have in mind; this homestead, this energy cooperative, this connection to community.

On top of it all, I'm still here in New Orleans and working at my existing job hoping that the work holds on long enough for me to get the closing done on the house and be able to secure the property on to myself. It's a tricky gamble at this point and I'm not entirely assured of the outcome...

In any event, tomorrow is another day. Another Monday. I'll return to the job that's been providing me these opportunities for the past three years to become nearly debt-free and has paved the way for me to return to my home, to my family and to the place I want to live out the balance of my life. How fortunate am I?!? There is this amazing abundance of blessings that have been showered on me. I've, thus far, lived a life that only kings could have imagined years past. I have been given opportunities to see and do things that only a thimble's worth of people in the vast expanse of humanity have been afforded. What a ride!

I have the distinct feeling, should I be granted the chance to continue being here, that I'll witness some incredible changes. The old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. I am increasingly certain of the proximity of those times. We are in a place of converging consequences that will probably lack any of the Hollywood instantaneousness and blow 'em up glitz. Instead, it will be a convulsive peeling away of all that was previously considered unassailably permanent. Permanence of the things we've come to expect as reliable and always there when we flip a switch or turn a key or pick up a phone or turn a thermostat or... These things we've taken for granted will falter and fail in fits and starts, grinding down an erratic staircase toward de-centralization. Complexity will give way to generalized systems. Centralized energy distribution will become decidedly de-centralized and disparate in its availability. Food as we've come to know it - with it's perverse, many-fold removal from the natural state it was grown and distributed, prepared and eaten as recently as 50 or 60 years ago will, once again, become this precious commodity that is central to our waking lives. How we get about on the landscape, moving ourselves and our goods will be thrown into a drastic state of reconfiguration. We are about to witness some dire interruptions in this aspect of our lives that we'd once thought of as dependable as the air that fills our lungs when we inhale. Breath in and there's a car with gas in it to take you where you want or need to go. Breath in again and there are trucks plying the highways laden with all the goods we've become addictively dependent on for just-in-time survival. Breath in once more and there is an ambulance or fire truck or police car there to attend to your needs in an emergency. All of it is delicately balancing, either directly or indirectly, on the reliable availability of OIL.

I haven't even broached the subject of money. Interestingly enough, one of my collapse gurus, Dmitri Orlov, just gave a talk in Ireland on this subject in general and spoke of the importance and preference that ought to be given to barter as a way of trade. He emphasized how we've been fed this notion that barter is an ineffective way of transacting and that money was a far better tender of exchange. Isn't it -money - just another rude form of barter, though? You're forced to go to some job, in most instances, in order to obtain money only to find that it can only buy you the limited quantities of crap that the system is programmed to produce for your consumption. Insidiously, the real purpose of the money system and the universality of the dollar as tender of currency is to control the means by which the taxes can be collected and the interest due the banks that control our money can be paid.

Increasingly, we have come to learn the true nature of the money system. That it is a fabrication of a consortium - a cabal - of private banks that have systematically sucked the wealth of this and many other nations onto themselves. The money they issue and replicate ad naseum through the fractional reserve system is a fiction that is wholly detached from the actual wealth of the Earth that can be SUSTAINABLY gleaned without harm to our sacred Home. That system is lumbering to it's horrible end and I fear that they will do everything in their power to ensure it remains in place despite its increasing dysfunction. With the banking rulers that control this system will come the multitudes of people who are so entirely inured by, so inextricably tied to it, that they will fight to their deaths and the deaths of many, many others to ensure it remains in place while an alternative way of being and doing things struggles to emerge from beneath the shedding, rotting skin.

I've readily intoned that that which can emerge in its place can be something constructive, humane and based on a relocalized harmony with Nature and integrity of community or it can be in the form of violent, totalitarian concentrations of power into the hands of those that wield fear and subjugation in their control of people and the resources around them. The former comes through thoughtful fore-sight and planning; preparedness with compassion. It is rooted in Love.

The latter is a state that erupts out of desperation and fear. People grasping for anything that will ensure their formerly secure privileges are returned or retained. As the oft quoted Benjamin Franklin saying goes: They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security.

But that is the way of it.

I, for one, will be in the former camp as much as I can persuade circumstances. I want to be among those who see the storm that comes for what it is and does what is necessary to fortify our community against the vagaries and potential brutalities that can be swept up on our shores by it.

But for now, I'm tired in my Heart and my mind. I have retreated into a sort of cocoon that has trepidation all about it. I'm not certain I have the strength to do this. All I know is that I want dearly to be part of this community. This house and it's property are now a major part of that picture. I simply feel the need to constantly recognize the fragility of that arrangement and how quickly and easily the game may change because of the ocean of forces that I have absolutely no control over. Fearlessness is one thing. Paralysis is another. On these weekends I feel as though I'm convolescing from something; hibernating a bit. I need to rouse myself and get out of my torpor. Engage.

Let's pray on that for a time and move forward with strength and gratitude.

Until next time, in Peace,
Raven

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!

I'll keep this brief.

A fair amount has happened in the past couple weeks. I've managed to travel back home and take a close look at this property in Trumansburg to see for myself whether I was comfortable with the value of the property. At the time, I'd accompanied a structural inspector I hired for the work. I walked the land at the rear of the lot and looked closely at the little house. Frankly, there weren't any big surprises. It's a frumpy little house that would be a waste to renovate and the land it rests on is, in my opinion, perfect for a homestead.

I have basically three LIFE objectives for this little patch of Earth:
1. Build a beautiful, energy efficient, comfortable home that welcomes people and is constructed in harmony with Nature.
2. Create a working homestead around that house that allows for a high degree of self-sufficiency and sustainability - and connection to Community. Planting fruit and nut orchards, building greenhouses, chickens, open (communal?) gardens, water catchment systems, composting areas for all "waste" (I always put that word in quotation marks anymore since I don't believe in waste; only the unidentified use for things that have been left over from an activity or process), graywater re-use, on-site solar electric and solar thermal/heat generating, etc. and
3. A small demonstration and practical use distillation operation for making alcohol fuel. A truly production sized facility can not be located on this property, but it will allow for meaningful, if restricted volume, production of ethanol.

These are the main goals in my life for this land.

This property will afford me the opportunity to make it real. With this land, I have a canvas on which to paint. :)

On another front, I awoke at about 2:15 this morning and briefly had some interesting ideas rolling around in my head. Principally, that I should, at first, pursue the writing of an article about case studies for Alcohol/Biofuel Energy Cooperatives. This same article should be the foundation for a book that would elaborate on the subject. This is what I jotted down in the middle of the night:

Title: POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Case Studies in Community Supported Energy Cooperatives
Possible chapters:
- The Model: the structure of the cooperative
- The Operation: Buildings, Fueling Stations, Stills, Fermenters
- Feedstocks: wild, farmed, "waste", cattails!
- Members: who are they, how do they participate
- Operators: who is involved in the operation from beginning to end
- Corrollary Enterprises for Co-Products: alcohol is not the only product and fuel is not the only objective

As of this morning, I've written to two people already delving even further into this subject. A woman named Peggy Korth who's written a couple books on this very subject and, I believe, will be a great ally and source of wisdom/information. Likewise, through her website, contacted a water remediation/treatment professor at Univ. of Texas, College Station who's involved with the use of cattails. I'm very interested in learning the feasibility/potential of this plant as a reliable, naturally regenerating feedstock for an operation like this.

The idea is simply to go around to different people and organizations in the U.S. and other parts of the world who are actually doing this effectively and elaborating on their methods of success. This will be instructive for me in building my own and will allow me to go teach others how it is done.

Well, I guess I wasn't all that brief!!

I'm leaving you with this short video that has had a great deal of impact on me. It's a short speech given by a veteran from the Iraq war. He's truly speaking TRUTH to POWER. It's moving and it made me weep with gratitude for his eloquence and honesty. I hope it speaks to you, as well.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/187010/detail/

Peace,
Raven

Here I'll Make My Stand

A couple of weeks have past since last posting and it hasn't been for a lack of things going on that I've been absent. In fact, I've had a number of things of significance transpire in the past few days. Namely, having placed an offer on a piece of property in Trumansburg, NY and having that offer accepted (after a little haggling back and forth). In brief, it's a modest and not entirely attractive or well kept house that is on an exceptional piece of property in the very middle of town. Unlike the majority of properties around it on its block, this lot extends beyond the typical long narrow 1/4 to 1/3 acre space and connects to an additional 1-3/4 acre parcel at the center of the block. Imagine a square wheel with lots that are like spokes - this lot is effectively the hub attached to one of the spokes.

The property, as mentioned has a small house that I strongly suspect was the original carriage house (aka garage) of house that no longer stands. It sits toward the back of that long, narrow front lot portion of the property; leaving a very large open lawn at the front (more on that in a bit). The drive leading from Strowbridge St. to the house is newly paved and goes past east side of the house up to and around one side of a large concrete floored two-car-wide pole barn. The barn is approximately 60 ft. long by my reckoning. This barn effectively sits at the very center of the large rear lot.

As for the house, it's this gambrel-roofed affair with a shallow pitched roof addition attached to the east and north sides. From the descriptions by my friends Michael and Jan and photos they've sent, the interior is quite liveable, although nothing particularly fancy and the ceilings are low. It has a large master bedroom on the first floor with an attached dayhead. The full bath (small) is on the first floor as well. The only thing on the second floor of what is the original building are two bedrooms at either end - east and west sides. There's a coal fired stove in the front room that I call the sun room since it has an abundance of windows (located on the east side). It also has a furnace of indeterminant age (although appears to be in reasonably good shape and of higher performance since it has a PVC exhaust). Furnace is located in a small walk-through utility space with the 30 gallon DHW heater. Both are gas fired. Beyond that utility space is another larger mud room/wash room located on the northwest corner (front) of the house that leads out to the large front yard beyond.

There are some issues with this property that have given me pause. There is a "seasonable" (sic) flooding/standing water issue admitted by the seller on the disclosure papers. I suspect, strongly, that this area is prone to getting quite soggy during the wetter months. Frankly, I plan to make that an attribute. As my plans include using/reclaiming/recycling as much water as possible, the installation of water detention/retention pond(s) or full-on cisterns is probably in the cards in the near future. We'll see how this plays out.

The other issue raised by my brother Anthony during a recent, quick drive-by, is that the house's roof is very old (moss is growing on it). He's scheduled a walk-through with Havana Jorrin, my realtor (who happens to be the daughter/step-daughter of Jan and Michael). He'll take a look inside with her on Tuesday. He's being apprehensive and isn't entirely sold on the place. I told him that I'd like to hear him out and weigh the decision to go further or bale on the offer.

As mentioned before, I am not entirely concerned with the house. I am most concerned with and interested in the property. The reasons are generally straight-forward and have everything to do with have a functional piece of land on which I can do a great many activities (such as food growing, alcohol distillation, aqua-culture, raise chickens, etc) that effectively mean I'm homesteading right in the middle of a town that is primed and ready and aware of the impending need to re-localize and behave as a community that can endure what I am convinced are going to be very trying times in the coming decades.

Let me be clear: This is a time of urgent, deliberate and thoughtful preparation for times that will be convulsive in terms of the reliability of things we have grown accustomed to over the years - electricity, fuel supply, food, "money" and social order are the headings that come to mind first. I am building a life boat but that life boat will be much more "water proof" if I build it in proximity to community. I have to be willing to let others climb aboard and ensure that we are all 'high and dry' as it were.

In the midst of writing this, I placed a call to my brother John. We were discussing much of the issues that surround the prudence of my decision to buy this particular property and, eventually, I just blurted out something that's been stifled and difficult to articulate - I've been too afraid, too fearful, of saying it but it just came out as a declaration to him. Dammit, this has been a dream of mine for too many years and I'm not going to postpone it any longer. I'm going to create an urban homestead. I'm going to make this enduring creation and this property - with its shortfalls will be the palette I create that Beauty on. Period. Discussion is now over on the subject.

On other fronts, the subject of alcohol fuel (I've been consciously avoiding the word ethanol since it has so many damned negative connotations) has burgeoned with new folds.

I've begun to congeal my estimations on how to proceed with this cooperative when I get to town. There are tangible actions to take when I first arrive. They're as follows:

1. Produce a publishable article with all the necessary substantiating proof that outlines the viability of alcohol fuel production based on local, organic (or sustainably harvested, wild) crop feedstock and the outlines of what a fuel cooperative will look like. This activity will organize my thoughts and provide me the education I require to ward off ill-informed/erroneous criticism. On the positive side, it will help to focus my efforts in the organization of the cooperative.

2. Make contact with at least 2, preferably 3 sources of ethanol (specifically, E85 - 85% alcohol, 15% gasoline) and negotiate quotes for alcohol supply. Leveraging supply of tanks with hoses, etc. will be an advantage that can be discussed - possibly adding the leasing to purchase options into the alcohol sale contracts, for instance. Thus far, the only nearby source identified is Western New York Energy in Medina, NY (between Batavia and Buffalo).

3. Identify the nearest municipal wastewater treatment facility that is using cattail as a filtration plant. Harvesting this plant may prove a very effective "free" feedstock.

4. Make a solid connection with John Kresser in Syracuse. John is looking to establish a similar cooperative in Onondaga County and our efforts can be collaborative.

Finally, speaking of collaborations, I've been on the phone a bit more with my good friend Rob and his business plans for his solar electric design/supply/installation business are gel'ing up and I'm pretty excited about the prospect of being on the ground floor with him as he builds this business with alot of strong, positive energy. He's got a lot of integrity and hard-nosed enough to be a real success at whatever he gets his horns into. And he's got big horns, that boy. Hard headed. :) He's in the middle of project with others right now doing good works to help others. When he's done with that, he and I are planning to discuss his business plan in greater detail.

Generally, in regard to my current state of mind/Heart, I'm trying to avoid this holding pattern sense of being while at the same time maintaining a mixture of fear, exuberance, sorrow, regret, giddy anticipation. Ultimately, it's one more chance to be present with my mind and my intentions. Plan for the future while being here. Now. Having no possessiveness of things that are yet to be and not holding onto things that have never been yours to possess in the first place.

I'm working hard to be present with this boat as I finish it. It's really turning out to be a wonderful piece of craftsmanship. If we continue to have a conscientious attitude about getting the many variables strung together as needed, it will deliver in a timely way, make everyone happy and be a good mark for all the men who've contributed to its creation. That would be a great last, image at my departure from New Orleans on my way back Home. Where I belong.