To the best of my knowledge this ingenious idea originated with my friend Red Elk – whose mind is always thinking “outside the box”.  He named it the “Walking RV”.  Would be great for someone walking across country, for sure.

A single baby jogger with 3 wheels or a double “twin” baby jogger may be used to become an excellent carrier for anything from your “bug-out” bag, your camping equipment, small loads of firewood, or bags of animal feed.   The older you get the smarter you need to be about carrying heavy loads.  Carrying tools from site-to-site, like in fencing, would also work.

The single size can carry all the camping gear needed for one or two people including tent and sleeping pads.   Even with gear, radio, fold-up fishing rod, and slingshot there’s still plenty of room to add food, water, soap, toilet paper, etc.

The twin size, which we have, has two huge sleeping bags, a fairly large tent, packed bags, tools, water carriers, and more.  At probably 75 to 100 lbs.,  it turns on a dime.  On a smooth surface, it will turn with one finger on the handle to spin it.   Plenty of room for all camping gear for 3, maybe 4, people.

Yes, it is way OVER-LOADED, but I just had to do it, and see just how much stuff I could get on this thing.  It was FUN to just keep on packing it with things    Then, see how easily it could be moved over gravel, down the hill, and through the garage — all loaded up like that.  Cover with a small tarp and you are ready for the weather. 

Cabela’s just came out with a baby jogger to carry guns and hunting equipment, which they named the Do-All Gun Buggy.  See it here http://www.cabelas.com Item # IK-230756.  The price for this single size at $149 is a bit high to me, and could be done cheaper with a used buggy.

These baby joggers can be found easily on www.craigslist.org at a much better price with most in excellent condition.  We found ours on CraigsList, a twin double jogger, for about $75 and a second one locally for less than $100 deluxe model.  There are also models which can be used like a cart pulled behind a bicycle.  We also looked at Thrift Stores locally.

You will want one with the big wheels around 16” in order to roll easily over rough ground.  Red Elk likes the front wheel stationary, but I like our swivel front wheel better.  We have one of each.

Red Elk says about his first walk with the jogger “Anyway, having fun.  Took this on a very short try-out.  (Mere yards).  This over large stones / gravel / dirt and side road. LIKE PUSHING N O T H I N G !!!  HAS to be a full 40 lb. load aboard! In short – a “Dream” to use.  BACK SAVER!”   He also brought out the idea of pulling these with a dog or large goat.  To see his full article on this with all his photos go to http://redelkspeaks.com/category/photos-2/

A soft small solar panel can also be attached on top to gather power from the sun for radio, cell phone, or lap-top.  Red Elk calls this the “Walking RV”, great for campers, people who are living portably, or just taking a long walk.  Fishing in ponds or streams where you walk in, it would also be handy for hauling your cooler, lunch and all the tackle needed.

Whatever your needs are, think about it….Would a baby jogger help lighten your load?

BLIND FARMER AT WORK

The first written section is NOT a joke, but a humorous LOVING, LONGING,  look at “Country Churches”.  After this one, it’s just funny stuff.

YOU WOULD BE IN A COUNTRY CHURCH IF…

1. The doors are never locked.
2. The Call to Worship is , “Y’all come on in!”
3. People grumble about Noah letting coyotes on the Ark.
4. The Preacher says, “I’d like to ask Bubba to help take up the
offering”-and five guys stand up.
5. The restrooms are outside.
6. Opening day of deer hunting season is recognized as an
official church holiday.
7. A member requests to be buried in his four-wheel drive truck
because, “I ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get me out
of.”
8. In the annual stewardship drive there is at least one pledge
of “two calves.”
9. Never in its entire 100-year history has one of its pastors
had to buy any meat or vegetables.
10. When it rains, everybody’s smiling.
11. Prayers regarding the weather are a standard part
of every worship service.
12. A singing group is known as “The O.K. Chorale.”
13. The church directory doesn’t have last names.
14. The pastor wears boots.
15. Four generations of one family set together in worship every
Sunday.
16. The only time people lock their cars in the parking lot is
during the summer and then only so their neighbors can’t leave
them a bag of squash.
17. There is no such thing as a “secret” sin.
18. Baptism is referred to as “branding.”
19. There is a special fund-raiser for a new septic tank.
20. Finding and returning lost sheep is not just a parable.
21. You miss worship one Sunday morning and by 2 o’clock that
afternoon you have had a dozen phone calls inquiring about your
health and 3 visitors with pies!
22. High notes on the organ set dogs in the parking lot to
howling.
23. People wonder when Jesus fed the 5,000 whether the two fish
were bass or catfish.
24. It’s not heaven, but you can see heaven from there.
25. The final words of the benediction are, “Y’all come on back
now, ya hear!”

**************************************************************************

Rancher John

Old ranch owner John farmed a small ranch in Montana.  The Montana Wage and Hour Department claimed he was not paying proper wages to his workers and sent an agent out to interview him.

‘I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them,’ demanded the agent.

‘Well,’ replied old John, ‘There’s my ranch hand who’s been with me for 3 years. I pay him $250 a week plus free room and board. The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $250 a week plus free room and board. Then, there’s the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night.’

‘That’s the guy I want to talk to, the half-wit,’ says the agent.

‘That would be me,’ replied old rancher John.

The Farmer and The City Slicker

The driver, a young man in a Bryony suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, “If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?”

The farmer looks at the man, obviously a city slicker, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, “Sure, Why not?”  The farmer thinks it over, it’s a huge herd so he accepts the bet.

The city slicker parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location.  From there he feeds the data to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

Within seconds he receives an email on his Smart phone that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his phone and, after a few minutes, receives a response.  Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the farmer and says, ‘You have exactly 1,423 cows’.

The farmer is astonished because the city slicker’s figure is exactly correct.  He says, ‘OK, I’m a man of my word, take a cow.’  The investment city slicker selects one of the animals and begins to walk away.

‘Wait,’ yells the farmer, ‘Let me have a chance to get even.  Double or nothing that I can guess your exact occupation.’ The city slicker agrees readily.

‘You are a Congressman for the U.S. Government,’ says the farmer.

‘Good grief!’ splutters the city slicker, ‘You are exactly right, tell me, how did you deduce that?’

‘Easy,’ says the farmer, ‘give me back my dog, and I will tell you.’

“No guessing required.’ answered the farmer. ‘You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don’t know a thing about cows.

COWBOY WIT

That man is so crooked he kin hide behind a cork screw !

That ole dawg won’t hunt! – means it won’t work.

“He’s studying to be a half-wit”  -  “If you had a brain, you’d be half-witted”

That guy’s so full of it – it’s like Puttin 10 lbs of cow patties in a 5 pound bag

If you can’t hang with the big dawgs, get off the porch!

He’s so windy he could blow up an onion sack.

He’s so useless – if he had a third hand, he would need another pocket to put it in!

But, Slim, over there — he’s as handy as a pocket on a shirt!

Slow Joe – They call him “blister” because he doesn’t show up until the work is finished.

Man with his pet rooster:

Backwoodsman Magazine is one of my very favorite reads.   http://www.backwoodsmanmag.com/  One of the recent letters to the editor shared this amazing old timey kettle that works even better in storms than it does under normal conditions.  You don’t have to spend a lot of time hunting for fire fuel, or pack anything big and heavy to have almost instant hot water for tea, coffee, soups, or whatever.  It is a self-contained pot and stove all in one.

It uses a small amount of wood, or tinder to bring water to boil.  This is a great survival kettle to add to your list.  Really handy for waterside cooking, backwoods, or sagebrush.

The following material is from the Kelly Kettle website where you can see stories, pictures, and testimonials of this amazing, useful piece of excellent survival – camping equipment.   Many, like myself, prefer stainless steel over aluminum.  So, for a bit more, you can have stainless steel.

The tradition of using the kettle as a method of boiling water at lunchtime, goes back to the 1890′s in the West Coast of Ireland and the design has changed little since it was first introduced.

Lough Conn is famous for its free rising brown trout and fresh run Salmon from the River Moy system. The lake provided (and still provides) ample fuel for use in the kettle, where washed up twigs, sticks and dried grass were easily available. On wet & stormy days, the local angling guides would keep watch for the small pillar of smoke on the lake shore which indicated that a colleague already had a ‘brew’ on! A hot cup of tea or soup awaited anyone who landed and the Kettle would be repeatedly boiled as additional boats laden with anglers arrived. Tradition dictates that both the angling guide (Ghillie) and his guests (usually 2 anglers to his boat) together would gather dry tinder for the kettle from the lake shore. Then, the Ghillie will set about boiling up the kettle which always amazed guests as it works even in the height of a storm! The Anglers will then be offered their fresh tea from the Kelly Kettle and in return for his hospitality, the Ghillie received lunch and perhaps a drop of whiskey from the anglers.

The Kelly family still provide a Boat Hire & Ghillie service on Lough Conn. Visiting anglers are as intrigued today as they were some hundred years ago with the speed at which the water can be boiled and through word of mouth, these anglers have spread word about the kettles worldwide. To this day, the Kelly-Kettle / Volcano-Kettle is still the centerpiece in any campsite. If you have seen one in action, you will understand why!

At not quite 2 ½ lbs. this is one handy thing campers, and survivialist are raving about .  For those of us who prefer the stainless steel over aluminum, the steel one is available also at the www.Kellykettleusa.com website.

This Kelly Kettle boils approximately 9.5 – 6 oz. Mugs of water at a time and is the size traditionally used by Irish Anglers. Suitable for Base Camps, Car Camping, Scout Camps, Picnics, Hunters, Outfitters Outposts, Emergency Preparedness Kits, Humanitarian Aid Stations, or anyone working in the Forests or the Great Outdoors.

The Kelly Kettle works in harsh weather conditions bringing water to boil within a matter of minutes using whatever solid fuel is naturally occuring in the area – sticks, grass, pine cones, bark etc. No need to carry fuel.  Ever !

The Cookset includes the cooking pot, pot support, grill, pot gripper/handle. Cost-Free, Carbon-Neutral, Eco Friendly Camping at its Very Best!

You can also add Pot-Support and Cook Set to cook small amounts of food (Noodles, Rice, Oatmeal, Re-hydrated food, Soup, etc.) over the Kelly Kettle while your water boils.

The two men featured in this story had a job to do on top of the mountains, and after careful consideration, they knew the best way for them was a Tipi.   Keeping them warm and comfortable for six months.  Here’s their condensed story …

“Most folks will probably be surprised—as I was—to learn that the best movable shelter ever devised was perfected hundreds of years ago by the Plains Indians of the American Southwest. But the more I looked into the subject, the more convinced I became that—although they look like uncomplicated structures—tipis are actually more precisely designed than most of the “high technology” houses that are being built today!

As Caleb Clark, the old trapper in Ernest Thompson Seton’s Two Little Savages, said: “Ye kin live in it forty below zero and fifty ‘bove suffocation an’ still be happy. It’s the changeablest kind of a layout for livin’ in.” And Caleb wasn’t talking majority, either. A tipi can be snugged down to endure subfreezing winters or—with its skirts lifted—will keep its residents cool in roasting summer weather. Its conical shape sheds rain … and withstands hurricane winds that would dislodge any tent (and a good many stone or brick homes!). And the Indian dwelling will hold the heat, but not the smoke, of a toasty fire (if done correctly).

I was also surprised to discover how spacious the cone-shaped homes are. My companion and I found we had plenty of room in our 16-foot-diameter shelter. In fact, on occasion we had five people bedded down ’round the fire without a single crowding problem.

And these practical accommodations have another, more subtle, advantage: Living in a tipi provides a unique, at-one-with-nature experience. A cone dweller is in touch with—and yet shielded from—all the changing whims of weather. Tipi walls let the sun illuminate the interior by day … and provide a curved screen for firelit shadow dances at night.  Chipmunks may perch on the shelter’s poles, violets sprout from its floor, or moonlight streams through the smoke hole—mixing with the glow of a fading fire—and form a sight too beautiful for words. Little wonder the Indians (who revered nature) considered a tipi a temple as well as a home.

The definitive tipi book – Reginald and Gladys Laubin’s The Indian Tipi—is readily available and should be consulted by anyone who wants to learn more about this sort of shelter.

My assistant and I encountered one major—and aggravating—problem, however – our fire.

We dealt with our smoke problem by employing a modern Indian trick … we buried a tin-can pipeline from the mouth of the fireplace to the outside of the tipi. That air intake made the blaze draw more strongly and helped clear out the haze.  (These guys eventually went to a small stainless steel woodstove for which you need a special area using fire retardant material to pipe outside.)

I probably shouldn’t gripe about our fire problems, though. After all, we were able to stay warm on the peak of a snowed-in mountain at very high altitudes of over 8,600 ft. !

The Laubins’ (author of the book) native American friends had a lot of winter-warming tricks. They added an extra lining, stuffed the first liner-to-cover gap with hay insulation, built a 12-foot-tall windbreak around the tipi, and even added an ozan … an interior “raincoat” that was almost like a tipi within a tipi. But I’ll bet every one those traditional cone-dwellers was burning hardwood!”

End of this exerpt, but to read the entire 5 pages at Mother Earth News, go here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/1979-05-01/Building-A-Tipi.aspx

The Lakota fire pit, similar to the one described in the article, is well-worth learning about. http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/the-dakota-fire-hole

The story of this Scotsman Chic and his partner living in a rural area of Wales is excellent also.  They have been living the Tipi life for 18 years loving their tipi home. It’s set in an idyllic spot hidden in a Welsh valley, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  From the tipi dwellers, I learned that tipis must be moved every six months in order for the earth to regain its life-force energy.   http://www.zacstipis.com/article.htm 

Because of the Sacred Circle shape of tipis, they are excellent for enhancing the spiritual life of the dweller, boosting meditation abilities and deep inner QUIET.

Many of the tipi dwellers make and sell tipis, including the following people.  For an 18’ tipi you would pay an average of $1,000 for the outer skin, plus any extras such as liners.  TIP: Find one on Craig’s List at a good price and try the lifestyle out before you make “leap”.

For a survival wilderness tipi community http://ourtipilife.wordpress.com/

Located in Ashland Oregon, see their ad at the directory here… http://directory.ic.org/22946/Tipi_Village

For a $1 per day, guests are welcomed to come and visit.

Hogans, another Native Dwelling, can also be winter proofed. They are an alternative to tipis.  However, the lack of portability must be weighed.  http://www.native-languages.org/houses.htm  REALLY GOOD PHOTOS.

In the far frozen north near Canada, one man in his mid-30’s found shelter in his old Dodge Power-Wagon during deep snow season.  Temperatures that winter (maybe 3 years ago), were down to 20 BELOW.  This young man found himself homeless and jobless.  How he survived in his old Power-Wagon is a testimony to the indomitable spirit of a true survivor.

Mr. “B” (we’ll call him) set up his small inverter to run TV, VCR, and laptop.  Using cans of sterno, cheap hand warmers from the dollar store, extra clothing, and occasionally his car heater he managed to stay warm enough.

In the back of his wagon he set up a tent for extra warmth, laying down two old “down-filled” sleeping bags from the army surplus store.  I do not recommend using a can of sterno to warm the tent before bed, because I can’t officially recommend that….But, it kept him warm.

Since I happened to have a small inexpensive 2000 Watt Inverter handy, I asked Mr. B to show us how to rig it up to run such nice extras in a vehicle.  His inverter had cables similar to battery cables attached to the place on the back of the inverter marked with a red cap, and a black cap.  Stripping one end of his battery cables, he attached red cable cord to red on the inverter – then, black cable cord to black on the inverter.  The clamps were run through the firewall of the dashboard, and clamped onto the battery carefully – again, black to black (negative) and red to red (positive).  He slid the inverter out of sight underneath the driver’s seat.

On the inverter is a gauge to indicate the charge level of your car-truck battery.  If it begins to get low the beeping sound goes off to warn you to stop using it.  This is most necessary if the vehicle is not running, of course.  While the wagon was running along the road, it was no problem.

There are 110 plugs on the side of the inverter where he plugged in his 19” TV, and his VCR.  After a movie, he simply turned it all off and readied himself for bed.  It also easily ran his laptop.

This was a very simple process that could easily run also an inhaler/breathing machine for an asthmatic.  Any number of items could be utilized with this system.  If done while the engine is running, with the vehicle moving along the road, this did not affect his battery in any way.

In answer to where he parked, he grinned at me.  Then, he named several places.  “Churches in our small town don’t usually mind a few nights, or at least a night.”  Mr. “B” also slept in wooded areas where no one ever came by.  He found secluded wooded areas in warmer weather where he could set up his camp outside the vehicle.  Often, obtaining permission from a farmer or rancher to camp somewhere on his property.  Obtaining permission is essential to avoiding trouble.  Courtesy, politeness, and good manners go a long way.

This information is useful to know; and the cost of equipment depends on new or used, would only run about $130 to $160 for the inverter, plus a set of battery cables which can be purchased for as little as $14.

Hope you enjoy this story of our “Survivor Man” friend.  He has lots of stories to tell.

Here are additional tips:

There is a fantastic website with a blog http://vandwellers.org/

Car – Van – and Campervan Living.  They cover every imaginable topic like bathing, communicating, lighting, and cooking.  The electric shower unit was interesting and here’s a clip below.  The full article is at http://vandwellers.org/bathing.htm

Excerpt follows:

Electric shower unit – Saw these selling on eBay some time ago and figured for the $30 or so they were selling for, it was worth a try. So I brought one. Basically it is consists of a length of plastic hose with an inlet nozzle at one end, a shower head at the other and a small water pump in the middle. The pump plugs in to a 12 volt outlet. You dip the inlet into a container of warm water, stick your body over a container to catch the water and have a shower. I gave it a try and it works fine. Through some experimentation I would suggest the following:

*  If you live in a rural area have a shower outside of your vehicle. Heat up some water, plug the unit in, dip the intake in to the warm water and have a shower outside. Wear a bathing suit if required.

*  In urban areas you can buy a plastic storage box large enough to stand or squat in. This can allow you to reuse the water as you shower.

*  If you have a transformer with a cigarette lighter outlet you can plug this unit in to a power outlet in a bathroom and get warm water from a sink and have a shower in a toilet room, wash room, laundry, any place with power and warm water.  http://vandwellers.org/bathing.htm

PEOPLE ARE ON THE MOVE BACK TO THE COUNTRY LIFE – Most of them by choice, but a growing number of them by necessity.  When homes are lost, money is gone, jobs cannot be found, there are a lot of people being forced to choose where to go.  BE PREPARED JUST IN CASE. 

The ads today on CraigsList indicate people who are looking for supplies to move off-the-grid, as well as one ad for “items needed to move to Alaska Wilderness”.

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” Sláinte

 

Just received a private email from someone who has to move with her entire family of four, because of the economy, and the fact that their home was foreclosed on by the bank.  A sad story – all too common these days and getting more so.  So, I wanted to share a few of her remarks, and some of  our answers.

My inquiring person just happens to be largely Native American, but one who has never had to live the more rustic life style.  Therefore, she was sending out questions to those who have at least lived “primitive” for a while.  I will change some facts to preserve her anonymity.

Please remember, FOOD, WATER, SHELTER, and COMMUNITY

She writes… “We called all the people we knew.   A close friend from (she named a state far away) called us back to tell us his family member would let us live on his land rent free to help him take care of property. We have a 35 ft. travel trailer, which we would be living in there.  It needs some fixing up. 

There is no electricity and the only water is from a creek somewhere (?) on the property.  So we will live off grid, which is new for us. We are trying to gain insight from anyone that can share any information that might benefit us. Or maybe connect us with those that have some knowledge. I’ve been getting what I can from the library but its limited. We’ve bought a small solar unit for the top of our RV, and we have propane. So we are completely starting from scratch until we can save to buy our own piece of land.

This is really going to be a test of our traditional teachings of the old ways of living.”

 Her questions were basically “WHAT DO WE DO NOW?”

Her information base appears to be small, and supplies seem to be few.   

MY FIRST BIG ADVICE WOULD BE – FIND A COMMUNITY TO LIVE IN.  Doing this on your own in an area you don’t know anything about, can get you into BIG PROBLEMS.  Trust me, please, we’ve done “Portable Living” and it takes courage, guts, and a lot of prayer – plus, a great “we-can-do” attitude.  Go to the Intentional Community Directory and search by state, country, or type of community. http://www.ic.org/resources/

Many communities will accept persons who have their own trailer, or tent, in a work exchange program.  Some want as little as 16 hrs. per month, but most want 12 hrs. per week.  Make yourself useful, keep a good attitude, and help others all you can.  You become indispensable.

Now to start from the ground up would take quite a lot of articles, a series of them, which I may do.  But, for now, with their shelter provided, the advice began on the subject of WATER.

For hauling water:  Get some 5 gal. buckets and lids. Minimum of 4-5. Usually about $7 w/lids, or go to deli/produce dept. at big grocery stores for their cast-offs, dirty but hose & clean them out. Sometimes really cheap, maybe free, always less $ than new.  Check Thrift Stores, and get to know the people who work there!

Collect an empty milk jug for each family member.  Put their name on theirs and assign 1 gal. per day for washing & sponge bath.  Allow 1 gal. per day for drinking ea. person.

Our local small town fairgrounds has pay-showers and they are great.  Nice hot water.

Make sure you have a woodsmen’s saw that folds up and packs on belt loop.  Ragged teeth and stout. Don’t go too cheap.  Axes, and hatchets.  Can’t do without those, and good all-purpose woodsmen knives.

Make an outhouse in warm weather. Use a tarp all around for privacy and put a toilet seat on a 5 gal. bucket.  Pick up a hanging shower, even if its a cheapy – maybe Coleman.

We lived in a much smaller RV in winters with 3 grown ups, plus 2 dogs.  We stacked straw bales around the perimeter, maybe 2 high.  Got lumber wrap for free at lumber place and hung all over the trailer.  If there is just the right branches/trees, you can lean poles up against the stoutest limbs, and extend over the trailer, and then tarp it.  Get free pallets out of alleys for walkways, side panels, wood boxes, and tons of other things.

Hit the Thrift Stores, and grab a few tents, blankets, plastic containers & tubs.  I got two really good complete tents, one medium, one very small, for about $10 to $12 this past summer.  They were priced cheap because no one had time to check them out, so they offered them “as is”.  I gambled and won.  Both perfect, one like new.

Haul water if you must, or get a tank fairly cheap, and hire someone to deliver some water for you.  We couldn’t afford that.  We warmed our water outside in summer for bathing.

Kerosene lamps are ok, but not all that bright.  Have 3 or 4 anyhow, but make sure the bottom tank is big enough, not a tiny tank.  Keep wicks, and fuel on hand.

Preferred light of ours is D-light with a solar panel.  Has several light settings, and charges by the solar.  Just love it. Paid about $50 on Amazon.

Gotta be careful with lamps and candles, etc. Make sure you watch out for kids, pets, and accidents.  Keep a small fire extinguisher on hand at one end and in the middle of the RV.  Really prefer cheap solar lights, even the outdoor type for $20 from Northern Tools.

Have a good supply of games!  A real life-saver, along with good books, magazines.  Hobbies too.  Again, the Thrift Stores.

KNOW YOUR AREA – Plan on growing your food.  Know the growing season of where you are going, the laws about it, and WHAT KIND OF SOIL IS THERE?  If you can’t grow food, and the nearest town is an hour away, you’re in trouble.

Last tip:  Better pray good and hard BEFORE MOVING TO “certain unnamed State”.  To know why I say this, research each state on survival and freedom issues.  Idaho, or west. MT is best choice.  And NE wash.  Great analysis at  http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html   Also, he has a survival real estate section and occasionally see cheap.  Not often. But, they’re there. Look by state.

Which would you rather be in — the first picture, or the second picture of community living at Ekone Ranch?  One of many, many communities.    http://ekone.org/

It is my desire to feature Community Living locations both inside and outside of this country to benefit the readers with knowledge of how they look, operate, and function — what their intention is.  We can all gain by seeing how others are building retreats.

There is more information and a slide show presentation located at Dr. Sircus’ blog http://imva.info/sanctuary/

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In his own words… “Life does not get any better! I can hardly imagine ever leaving this paradise. Sanctuary is hidden behind two rivers that surround us on three sides. Behind us on the fourth side is a mountain, so we feel and actually are protected. When it rains the rivers rise and we are trapped in our heaven and I love that. Right behind and below the house are our Healing Gardens where we swim in the river and soak up the sun as we watch the water go by. I am still at least six months away from opening Sanctuary to the public because there is much to finish and debts to be paid. Right now I have the place to myself for the holidays so at this moment it’s my fortress of solitude. Actually I consider it as my fortress of light and castle of love. Sanctuary is a place where we will take care of hearts and souls. It is where my wife Luciana and I will attend to the deeper needs of people. Yes it will be a place for detoxification for it is pristine and a perfect place for retreat.”

His Requirements:  “Please only the most serious inquires are invited and we will carefully screen applications because we need to be extremely careful who we invite into our hidden valley. Translation – only heart-centered people will be considered!”

“Caring for people’s souls is usually relegated to the priests and pastors of the world but there is a tradition of Pastoral Medicine, which is defined as a system of health care that incorporates and attends the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects while only using natural substances for the treatment of disease in the body. I am a doctor of Pastoral Medicine.”

This is the featured place this time.  It is beautiful, obviously tranquil, and far “from the maddening crowd”.

We are “hardwired” by our Creator to deeply respond to animals.  There’s a deep-rooted reason why we humans surround ourselves with dogs and cats and other animals. New research finds we are hardwired to respond to other critters.  The secret is buried deep in a very old part of the brain, called the amygdala, long recognized as the seat of emotional reaction. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California at Los Angeles were able to measure brain activity in 41 persons on a cell-by-cell level and found that neurons in the amygdala became extremely active when participants were shown pictures of animals.

In addition, it’s not just humans that show their affection for each other – animals do it too!  We have personally experienced the full range of emotions around animals.  Strong grief, great love, smiles, humor, affection….all of them.

Gotta tell you something so funny. Our bird “Joe” was watching a movie with us, but we didn’t know he was watching at first. It was a spy spoof type movie, and the hero is on a motorcycle with his girlfriend – being chased by the herd of bulls going running along the streets in Spain. So, our bird gets a better view by hanging on the side of his cage, and starts yelling really loud at the screen where the bulls are running.  Joe is yelling “cha,-cha, cha, cha” ad infinitum as loud as he could.  You could clearly see he was hanging there facing the screen and getting all excited.  When we turned and saw him we just laughed and laughed so hard. It was hilarious. First time we’ve noticed he watches movies.

It is erroneously taught that animals do not have souls — with the churches, and religion, giving no comfort to those who have suffered the grief over the loss of a greatly beloved animal.  Without hope, the people who have been heartbroken over the loss of their animal companion are devastated with sorrow.  How cruel, and how false!

IS IT FOUND IN THE BIBLE?  YES IT IS…

TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK HERE:  http://walkingwithyahshua.wordpress.com/

So, here is TWO RECIPES from Michael Smith, who also has an INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY “Emerald Earth” at www.emeraldearth.org   Being knowledgable and experienced all forms of eco-building using all natural flowing means possible, he offers a work-trade experience to people between the months of April through September.  They also offer classes on cob-building, building with straw, earthen floors, earthbag foundations, and much more.

Paints are one of the biggest sources of VOCs- Volatile Organic Compounds- inside the home and their synthetic ingredients have been linked to many carcinogens.

It’s fairly easy to make your own paint for any wall surface. This can be an inexpensive way to create your own non-toxic alternative to a conventional paint.

Two common natural paint recipes are clay-based and milk-based. For visuals of clay paint, we have a video with natural building expert Michael Smith where he shows us a sample wall of natural paints.

The basic elements in natural paints  To make a paint- synthetic or natural- you need:

* Binder- the main ingredient of the paint. Natural options include: lime, clay, chalk, casein (non-fat milk curds), oil and flour paste.

* Pigment- the color. Natural options include: clay, nuts, berries, herbs, charcoal, bark and soot.

* Filler/stabilizer (*optional)- for texture. Natural options include: chalk, clay and talcum.

Recipe for a clay paint

Starch Paste:

1. Add 1 part white flour to 2 parts cold water & set aside.

2. Add above mix to 1 1/2 parts boiling water.

3. Cook mixture on low heat until thickened.

Paint mix:

1. Dilute 1 part starch paste with 2 parts water.

2. Add clay (bought as a clay powder or it can be found naturally near a riverbed– though needs to be cleaned and strained before use). Mix enough clay into the paste so that it becomes like a thick cream.

3. Add pigment (optional: if you like the color of the paint this is not necessary). You can find natural pigments, in powder form, at art supply stores.

Use a brush to apply to wall. When paint is nearly dry (but still moist), it can be polished with a damp tile sponge.

Recipe for milk paint -  Ingredients:

* 8 parts skim milk

* 1 part hydrated lime (AKA builders lime). Avoid quick lime.

* 2 parts linseed oil ( boiled type )

* 1/4 part salt

* Pigment

Mix ingredients, strain through cheese cloth, use right away or keep cool.  Can be refrigerated a few days.

Homemade stains can also be made using leaves.

You can also find other videos featuring Michael Smith on the site www.faircompanies.com

One of the things we have thought about in connection with the return to older-style ways, is how to get in enough hay for our animals.  You may decide to store diesel, buy an older tractor that is non-electronic, and use that when the time comes.  Eventually, however, the time will come when there is no fuel unless you know how to make your own.  But, for the sake of super simple, let’s go for a DIY SIMPLE HOMEMADE HAY BALER like the one in this article from Backwoods Home Magazine.

BWH magazine has been around a long time, putting out a wide variety of ideas, plans, and methods of doing things often in a more primitive way common to our pioneer ancestors.  This article can be seen in full at http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/hooker82.html

The needs of the couple in the article were to supply 120 to 150 bales to their goats.  With hay available they simply wanted an easy, inexpensive was to mow and bale hay — becoming entirely self-sufficient in this area was their goal — without spending a bundle of money.

The first winter they used plain old hay stacks covered down with plastic and weighted.  This was ok, but they went further designing basically a cheap wooden box on skids to do the baling job.  This method enabled them to bale about a third of an acre on a summer afternoon with their children jumping up and down on the bales, which they seemed to love doing.

The entire “baler” can be put together in just a couple of hours, using only a single 4×8 sheet of 3/4″ plywood, a couple of six-foot 2x4s, some 1-1/2″ wood screws, and a tube of construction adhesive. If you keep it painted or varnished for protection from the elements, it should hold up to at least a lifetime of use.

Steve simply flips the baler upside down, using the 2×4 handles as sled runners, then tows the baler behind their Gravely’s riding surrey to where he’ll be using it.

To use the baler, cut two pieces of baling twine, each roughly 8-1/2’ or 9’ long. Fashion a loop in one end of each piece of twine, and slip it over one of the protruding screw heads. Then you can sort of drape each length of twine loosely in place in the baler, with a couple of wraps around each of the opposite screw heads to keep them in place.

Once the baler has been packed as full as possible with hay, using your feet to stomp it in tightly, remove the twine from the screws, slip each of the loose ends through its corresponding loop, pull it tight, and knot it securely.

FULL INSTRUCTIONS ALONG WITH DIAGRAM can be found at the link shown above in an article by J.D. Hooker