Monday, March 02, 2015

Spring Updates

Hectic!  That has been the last few weeks for me.  Between travelling up to Seattle to see friends and family, sickness, celebrations, and some personal matters, I haven't had much time or energy to work in the yard or update this blog.

But, things have finally settled down enough for a few other developments to become worth writing about.  Work in the yard is slowly starting up again, and I think I'm finally starting to see a good holistic design for our 1.5 acres.  With spring seemingly here already, it's time to really get started with implementing some systems on my land.

Chickens, I think, will be the first priority.  I'm planning a lot of garden space in our front yard, and getting chickens first will allow me to enlist their help with prepping the garden areas I'm planning.  I'm also planning on slowly but surely adding some food hedges around the border of our property, so that I can occasionally free-range the chickens, add a little more privacy to our property, and utilize the edge as well as possible to produce edible perennial fruits, berries, nuts, and groundcover.

Lastly, and perhaps most excitingly, I interviewed for a job almost 2 weeks ago that I think will help out with my homesteading projects quite a bit, and I begin work today.  It is essentially a feed store and nursery like any other, but it is also unique in that the owner is a permaculture designer, and seemingly everything the store does is geared towards the values that permaculturists hold rather than the traditional small-scale ag model that most feed stores follow.  Since being offered the job there, I've been thinking about it a lot and I think it'll be the perfect opportunity to get my hands dirty and really start learning and experiencing the application side of permaculture, and not just the theory.  My co-workers sound like they will be amazing resources that I can learn quite a lot from.  I think working there and getting to interact with so many like minded customers and co-workers will benefit me in a way that is far more valuable than just a paycheck.  That said, having a little extra cash to offset the cost of what I'll be spending in the same store doesn't hurt either.  Overall, it's a strategic decision for me.  It doesn't pay much at all (for now), but what I'll gain in connections, knowledge, and experience will be far more valuable in the long run that what I'd earn in wages.  Also in the long run, I think this company could end up being a long-term career for me.  As I gain knowledge and experience there, and synthesize it with my retail experience, I think I'll be able to benefit the company quite a lot, perhaps to the point where they are able to offer me a more lucrative position sometime down the road.

My ultimate life goal is and always has been to create and live on a sustainable permaculture homestead.  Whether or not this company turns out to offer a long-term career, it will benefit the projects I'm working on at home thanks to increased knowledge, experience, and cash flow (with a small discount to boot!).  If I'm able to help grow their business the way I think I can, that will also benefit the local food growers in my area, which benefits me and the community as a whole as well.  All in all, I think working there will be an awesome win-win situation, and I look forward to the opportunity if it is offered to me.

I'll keep everyone posted about my projects and job opportunities as I can.  I'll also try to make sure one of my next few posts is something meaty that can help you accomplish a project of your own, and not just an update about what's going on with my Permie Homestead.  Thanks for reading!