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Ranch vs Farm? Anyway, here updates

2010-01-02 20:59:31
 Well, Happy New Year. We spent NYE sleeping. Drove back in the rain to LA on NY Day. I'm starting to use the photo albums at Facebook, and will be UL most pics there, because it's so much easier. This weeks trip was getting the Hazel nut orchard location anchored, Future House placement, covering up some washouts in the pond, planning location for the Pecan trees, Lister Generator checkout, and some of the solar gear delivered. The shop is mostly watertight, but condensation from the skylights is troubling. Maybe after the slab dries out, this will cease. Pictures with captions here http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Updates

The State of Graywater in California

2009-10-21 00:15:42
 From the Holy H2O site As of August 4, 2009, the CA Plumbing Code, Chapter 16, Part A has been adopted. This allows unpermitted laundry to landscape graywater use and single fixture to landscape graywater use (clothes washer, bathroom sink) in single and double occupancy homes with total water use under 250 gallons per day in the state of California. Visit the site, or if it's hung, text below. Due to the importance of the current legislative activity for graywater in CA, we are including this temporary informational page, so you can be knowledgeable in your participation of the graywater code rewrites. As of August 4, 2009, the CA Plumbing Code, Chapter 16, Part A has been adopted. This allows unpermitted laundry to landscape graywater use and single fixture to landscape graywater use (clothes washer, bathroom sink) in single and double occupancy homes with total water use under 250 gallons per day in the state of California. The second part of the CA Plumbing Code, Chapter 16, Part B, which determines the (re)use of graywater inside the home is open for comment at the BSC web site Oct. 8-19th, 2009. CA Greywater Code, Chapter 16, Part B: Accepting Public Comments You can mail the form to the CA BSC at: cbs.dgs.ca.gov You can save the BCS trouble by ccing HCD at: jrowland@hcd.ca.gov You can see other people?s comments at: http://www.bsc.ca.gov/prpsd_chngs/pc_09_comment.htm Please utilize the resources listed below to learn how to start using graywater in your home?s landscape or to engage in process for determining the second part of the CA plumbing code. CA Greywater Code, Chapter 16, Part A: Approved and Adopted CA Greywater Code, Chapter 16, Part B: Accepting Public Comments Greywater Policy Center Greywater Code Listserve Oasis Design Laundry to Landscape DVD Oasis Design?s 5th Edition of Create an Oasis with Greywater CA Greywater Code, Chapter 16, Part B: Accepting Public Comments http://www.owue.water.ca.gov/recycle/plumb/plumb.cfm Greywater Guerrillas http://www.greywaterguerrillas.com/

Food co-op manager & family held at gunpoint by SWAT while all food & computers removed.

2009-10-19 02:01:31
 This is part of a story that's been on-going for a year now, since the initial raid, conducted in a manner of a high level "Drug Ring Raid". SWAT raid on food storehouse Arising when a food co-op did not kowtow to the local government who could cite no code other then themselves, SWAT held family while warehouse was raided, and carted away. No charges or code violations ever brought forth. Family now suing local gvmt for damages and civil rights. excerpt The confrontation began developing several years ago when local health officials demanded the family hold a retail food license to run their co-op. Thompson said the family wrote a letter questioning the requirement and asking for evidence that would indicate they were operating a food store. The Stowers family members simply "take orders from (co-op) members ? then divide up the food," Thompson explained. "The health inspector didn't like the tone of the letter," Thompson said, and the result was that law enforcement officials planned, staged and carried out the raid on the family's home.

Are Flu vaccines the greatest quackery (seasonal & H1N1) ?

2009-10-15 14:56:40
 Just a couple short links to articles, and a word to look up : http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_vaccines_flu_vaccine_.html http://www.naturalnews.com/vaccination.html Squalene - http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx or http://www.prisonplanet.com/squalene-the-swine-flu-vaccine%E2%80%99s-dirty-little-secret-exposed.html or http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18846.cfm

Cap & Trade Bill - ready to loose your house?

2009-07-04 23:59:36
 Marketable title for our homes will be taken without compensation - certainly a gross violation of the fifth amendment, though not without precedent. "Under Cap and Trade you must "retrofit" your home or you can't sell (goodbye real estate market)... ?The Administrator shall develop and implement, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, standards for a national energy and environmental building retrofit policy for single-family and multi-family residences,? have a nice day citizen. excerpted from http://urbansurvival.com/week.htm 7/4/2009

HR 2749 - The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (6/2009)

2009-06-22 14:24:28
 It's baccckkkk While "The food police" lost on HR 875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, they is a new bill to register and regulate All Farms and the Transport of food. The 2 following links have linkage to the actual bill. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund: http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-15june2009.htm & http://www.infowars.com/hr-2749-totalitarian-control-of-the-food-supply/ * HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any ?facility? that holds, processes, or manufactures food. [isn't this every home in the US, every garden?] * HR 2749 would empower FDA to regulate how crops are raised and harvested. It puts the federal government right on the farm, dictating to our farmers. * HR 2749 would empower FDA to make random warrantless searches of the business records of small farmers and local food producers, without any evidence whatsoever that there has been a violation. and so on.

Larry Desmond - KZYX essential water program

2009-05-20 03:27:24
 ?Recorded in LA via internet.? My IP address is "floating" and as it gets re-assigned, the audio stream stops, and while I re-establish connection, I loose 30 seconds or so.? Enjoy. (sorry, WP makes me split these to very small files.) water1_via-kzyx water2a water2b water2c water3a water3b water3c water4a water4b ?

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (as done by/to Mike)

2009-04-21 21:10:42

Article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPPP click the [read more] button below for graphic photos and text Anyway, here's the pix, inside my throat. And let's see you get a auto-focus cam to work in there!

I saw my Doc this AM, had to have Lila drive me, I don't want to take on LA rush hour traffic on an empty stomach. Been taking me about 30 minutes to eat 1/4 cup of plain yogurt or apple sauce. Tiny bites, just dipping the spoon in, and pulling it out. I will savor the day I can fill my mouth with water from a bottle, and take a gulp, currently, I have to manage with the smallest possible sips/swallows, as anything more is too much for the throat. A couple of the stitches have come out, and the Doc says things still look good, and to "do as I feel comfortable." Right! I looked inside (w/spelunking gear) and discovered the stitches are nearly made of twine, no little monofilament dainties here. It looks like I used cable harness lacing cord from work. .12 days after surg !2days after surg. Oh - Eric "What happened to the little punching bag "barf button"?", it's still there, just folded up at the very peak of the throat/soft palate. (I think that's it in there) The whole back of the throat gets re-sculpted to increase the airway, so as to cut back on snoring and sleep apnea.????? Mike the complete history story as to why/how: 1) Lila was concerned about my stopping breathing while snoring, so the Dr sent me to a sleep study: Sleep study: good description, pics http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-basics/viewasleepstudy.htm My results were ?bad? but correctible with 9cm of pressure. (moderate) Lots of apnea episodes, and blood O2 drops to 67 (real low) CPAP machine: set to the pressure discovered in the sleep study, that keeps the airway opened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPAP_machine and it?s face mask. I didn?t take to that too well, so after a year, Obama getting elected and likely to muck up the medical system, decided to try the surgery: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty Concerned that med insurance would degrade, and I?d loose the option for the surgery. Also, don?t want to be tied to the CPAP machine for 80 years. Washing masks daily, hoses, filters, all the stuff that goes with it. (rest of my life) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPPP I was told by my cousin, that he had 3 weeks of the worst imaginable pain, but while I bypassed the pain, I?ve got the swallowing problem. At least I did not have to have a trach tube afterwards. Sometimes the swelling is that severe. My wife says I?m already driving her loony hanging around here. Surg +1.5 weeks It?s amazing what a simple thing, such as eating a cheese sandwich, can do to make one feel better. Took a while, and a lot of milk, but I was able to eat it. I?m amazed how fast a 3lb jar of applesauce disappears, when used as food, not a condiment. No more Ensure I think, but getting more applesauce again today. Tonight, I plan on well cooked pasta w/cheese sauce. (no weight loss observed) Surg +2.5 weeks Feeling much better now, most of the stitches have dissolved, but there are some stubborn ones hanging in there, just to tickle the back of my throat. Snoring and apnea are reduced, but not gone. Doc says about 6-8 weeks after surg, the scar tissue starts to stiffen up, and aid in holding the airway open. I had parts of the ?Stanford Protocol? done, the UPPP, some stiffener rods placed in the soft palate, and RF ablation of the base of the tongue. I did not mess with the jaw alignment, I?ll try the dentist for a mouthpiece to wear at night. ? http://www.doctorhoffman.com/wwuppp.htm How painful is it, and how long is the recovery? This is a tough thing to predict. I am constantly surprised by my patients? reactions to this operation. On one occasion I may remove just a thin strip of soft palate along with the uvula, only to have a patient that remains on strong pain medications for two or three weeks; on another occasion, I may have to remove the tonsils along with a very fat strip of soft palate (and the uvula), and the patient is refusing pain medications after 3 days! When I am asked this question, I usually err on the side of making the procedure sound worse than it is. ?You are going to have a VERY sore throat, the worst sore throat of your life, for at least 10 days to 2 weeks. It will probably be one month before you feel close to normal.? You can figure on taking 2 weeks off from work, and you will probably want to take it easy for the first month (no rigorous exercise or athletics; get plenty of sleep; avoid foods that have hard edges, are hot or spicy). Another tale: http://www.everything2.com/title/uvulopalatopharyngoplasty At least for me, the ?Cardinal Mistake?, was not a mistake, maybe I should have been a Dr. I?ve got a set of some wacky photos of the back of my throat, here at home. ?First Night: Pain shows up, with teeth. Wet, gleaming ones.? Glad I missed it. http://homepage.mac.com/changcy/uppp.htm neat snore recordings, GOOD sketches of work and descriptions ?Recovery takes about 3 weeks. During this recovery period, the patient has a pretty horrific sore throat and it is not unusual for an adult patient to lose 10-20 pounds given how bad the pain is. ? Hey, an upside! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschar

Planning

2009-04-14 19:21:48
 Came across this, and wondered if I can be so responsible: "Think of the oak beams in the ceiling of College Hall at New College, Oxford. Last century, when the beams needed replacing, carpenters used oak trees that had been planted in 1386 when the dining hall was first built. The 14th-century builder had planted the trees in anticipation of the time, hundreds of years in the future, when the beams would need replacing. Did the carpenters plant new trees to replace the beams again a few hundred years from now?"? -Danny Hillis

four rows of peas

2009-03-15 17:15:54
 from a gardening list: Plant three rows of peas: Peace of mind Peace of heart Peace of soul Plant four rows of squash: Squash gossip Squash indifference Squash grumbling Squash selfishness Plant four rows of lettuce: Lettuce be faithful Lettuce be kind Lettuce be happy Lettuce really love one another No garden should be without turnips: Turnip for service when needed Turnip to help one another Turnip the music and dance Water freely with patience and Cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden Because you reap what you sow. To conclude our garden We must have thyme: Thyme for fun Thyme for rest Thyme for ourselves author unknown

The food police - criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener

2009-03-14 17:42:50

HR 875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

I have a little more info about this, from several small farm groups, and nobody is really in favor of it, beyond it's title. other opinions: Small scale/backyard chicken farming: http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=142272&p=1 Some pro & con viewpoints Organic Consumers Association (OCA): http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob165.htm#LETTER.BLOCK6 (and they have other nifty stuff there too) This being said, OCA does not support HR 875 in its present form, given the fact that, if the Bill's regulations were applied in a one-size-fits-all manner to certified organic and farm-to-consumer operations, it could have a devastating impact on small farmers OpenEd News: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Goodbye-farmers-markets-C-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090303-287.html http://tinyurl.com/dx4p5j The "food safety" bills in Congress were written by Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, ADM, etc. All are associated with the opposite of food safety. What is this all about then? In the simplest terms, organic food and a rebirth of farming were winning. Not in absolute numbers but in a deep and growing shift by the public toward understanding the connection between their food and their health, between good food and true social pleasures, between their own involvement in food and the improvement in their lives in general, between local food and a burgeoning local economy. .... We need millions to be fighting this. Contact Eli Pariser at MoveOn moveon-help@list.moveon.org to tell him MoveOn is badly needed. The scary part: (14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ?food production facility? means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. So now you have tools to read and decide for yourselves. Mike For those who like tinfoil hats: http://www.cheeseslave.com/2009/03/02/joel-salatin-on-spermicides-in-genetically-modified-crops/ http://tinyurl.com/bvlgd6 GMO Corn Makes Men Sterile Spermicidal Breakfast Cereal Not from your local farmer ! Addendum: Stop Federal Takeover of Food Regulation in H.R. 875 http://www.naturalnews.com/025824.html "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people." -Henry Kissinger, 1970 (who was quoting Stalin after the ;!) original post: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671 H.R.875 Title: To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] (introduced 2/4/2009) Cosponsors (39) Latest Major Action: 2/4/2009 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00875: excerpt: I have no doubt that this legislation was heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. Pay special attention to * Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety. * section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety. _________ http://www.naturalnews.com/025824.html http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_15270.cfm Government's Drug War Test Kits Give False Positives on Organic and Natural Products Healthy Counterculture Lifestyles Profiled and Targeted Press Release Organic Consumers Association, October 9, 2008 excerpt - Further investigation by Dr. Bronner?s found that any natural soap, including brands such as Tom?s of Maine and Neutrogena, will falsely test-positive for GHB using the field drug test. Read about the incident at http://www.drbronner.com/punk_rock_soap_opera.html. Dr. Bronner?s is also covering Mr. Obadia and Ms. Artemis?s attorney costs going forward. ?We are alarmed by the growing number of people who have been taken to jail for simply possessing organic products,? says Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA). ?This is an attack on people who have adopted an organic natural lifestyle, whether it?s the food they eat, the soap they clean with or the perfumes they use.

Between Storms (Feb 2009)

2009-02-09 00:56:59
 The humming birds are happy to have a meal, and we're happy to supply it. I was outside soaking up some sun myself, and Zooommm Buuuzzzzzzz here they come, two at a time, "It's MY flower, I saw it first, you can't have any". So I sat with Elbob's camera around my neck, waiting ... with itchy trigger finger, and SNAP!! Got One , Got Two. Ah the joy of bright light and high speed lens. (click to enlarge photos) So, we have this feeder from the Bird Society, and it's supposed to keep out wasps, bees, ants and such, and it seems to do the job. Hung just outside our kitchen window, so it's easy to see the hummers as they fly up for a meal. And if we don't see them, we hear them. http://www.aspectsinc.com/153_HZMINI.html The mix is 4parts water:1 part sugar. I've heard they like cane sugar better. Prima Donnas! The mix must be sterilized, or else it will ferment and kill the hummers. I use leftover hot water from the coffeepot, add the sugar (sugar from a bag has all sorts of nasties that will sour the mix) and hope the hot water pasteurizes the mix. I'm trying not to nuke it in the microwave.

Last* sunset of 2008, over Catalina Island, from South Bay, Los Angeles, CA

2009-01-01 02:18:46

Last* sunset of 2008, over Catalina Island, from South Bay, Los Angeles, CA

Goodnight 2008, hello 2009

2009-01-01 02:20:36
 Got this email from a friend who shoots a LOT of photos, this is a low res version of her 6MB photo. kitchen window'ed sunset o'er catalina island.

FlowChart stuff

2009-01-01 02:05:58
 So, Lila wanted to do up some flowcharts, and was looking around for some software. This is some of the freeware I found, some web based http://godiagram.lastdownload.com/ reviews: http://www.alvit.de/blog/article/nifty-tools-and-tutorials-for-creating-diagrams-charts-and-chart-flows http://www.davidtan.org/uml-flowchart-and-mind-mapping-software-tools/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/devflowcharter http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Why don't you use FreeMind? You have a tool at hand that remarkably resembles the tray slips of Robert Pirsig, described in his sequel to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance called Lila. On line: http://draw.labs.autodesk.com/ADDraw/draw.html paper cards: http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/2006/05/five-minute-flowchart/

Biochar

2008-12-08 01:11:410
 Add this word to your gardening dictionary! Biochar

Scientist says ancient technique cuts greenhouse gas excerpt: POZNAN, Poland, Dec. 5, 2008 (Reuters) - An ancient technique of plowing charred plants into the ground to revive soil may also trap greenhouse gases for thousands of years and forestall global warming, scientists said on Friday. Many studies are being done, studying biochar in the Amazon rain forest, and other locations. It both improves the fertility of the soil (carbon holding material in it's pores) and sequestering the free carbon from the environment (atmosphere).

That land grows WHAT ?

2008-12-06 01:16:44
 Yes, Thanks to the USDA, they have made a detailed soil map of the Mendo area. We can relax, and with much ease, see what the soil type is. The benefit of living in LA, is we have the BIG librarys, that have the Big Books Of Maps. So that, and $10 bucks at Kinkos, gets you a hi-res scan, of which I have an the Willits Valley posted http://www.mike-burgess.org/images/SoilMap_MedRes.jpg USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-sw1.html Elbob has a link to the USDA site that explains all the different types: September 27, 2008 Dear dirt lovers, I checked out the USDA Soil Survey of Mendocino County, Eastern Part, and Trinity County, Southwestern Part, from the UCLA Geology Library (how cool is that!) Then Mike and I realized it wasn't really practical to tote all 15 pounds of it around Willits when we come up, so we started looking for it on line. We thought we'd share. This is a bit of a pain to get started with, but once you've got it going it has detailed soil information for EVERYWHERE! http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/ Mike had copied the the soil map for Little Lake Valley out of the printed version and put it at http://www.mike-burgess.org/images/SoilMap_MedRes.jpg for your convenience. Attached is the secret decoder. Find the number on the map, look up the corresponding name in the attached excel sheet, go to the web address at the top http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi-bin/osd/osdnamequery.cgi and enter the first part of the name ( e.g. "pinole", "bearwallow") for more than you ever wanted to know about your backyard. -- almost at the bottom, what can be grown on it. There are about 50 detailed maps in the printed version. If there are any other areas anyone wants to see, let us know. Elbob

Los Angeles Decompression - Oct 4 2008

2008-10-06 01:43:20
 http://la-burningman.org/, http://burningman.com/ An "after party", local get together for the Los Angeles folks. The Alternative Energy Zone (the Village Lila and I associate with - see http://www.mike-burgess.org/PVinfo_1.html for more info) was invited to help present alternative energy information. There are only 3 of us in the LA area with gear to showcase how solar power can be used, so we confirmed that we would go, and participate in the Show & Tell. Too bad only 0.5% of the attendees express any interest in Solar or alternate energy. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, or add links to more info about some of the artwork shown. Takes place at the freshly completed Los Angeles Historical State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22272 between Chinatown and Union Station Anyway, I'm going to add a bunch of photos and a couple of videos. (note to self, do not turn the video cam 90 deg - makes for goofy publishing, and hard editing) [gallery]

When things go right (computers)

2008-08-15 05:48:33

Had a good computer week this week First a friend called with an XP laptop that would not boot. She'd spent hours on the phone with sony, and their best suggestion was format and reinstall. Phoey on that, I did a quick disk test with Spinright6, to see if the disk was healthy, and then, on a lucky guess, ran chkdsk. It booted just fine, and the battery is fine too. Where in the troubleshooting script does it say the battery keeps it from booting? Updated zone alarm and windows updates too. Then a quick job, a little tutoring for OpenOffice and the toolbars. Then the scary job. Wifes computer, with 2, 4 year old hard drives. And the VPN to UCLA where she retired from. Win2K. I don't dare foul this up. Got a new drive, will split it into 4 partitions, to match the existing ones, only larger. Decided to use Clonezilla http://www.clonezilla.org/ for this one, had about 100GB of data to move, and it's a "Live Boot" unix base CD, that's supposed to know how to enable the speedy DMA transfers. Shut down, add drives, reboot and format the new drive with my licensed version of BootIt NG. http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-next-generation.htm Swap CD's and boot with Clonezilla Live. The Clonezilla manual is only a cover page, but it seemed pretty straight forward, and I started on in. Knowing the low level drive designations helps, because they are not labeled C: D: E: , but by the unix sda1, sdb2... Copy partition to partition... wait 5 min watch Olympics, next partition/Olympics and so on. Took about an hour. Used Bootit again, to set active partition, pulled old drives, installed new one, thanked the Gods, and it booted right into Win2K. Success ! I love it when a plan works out ! And if it was fouled up, I'd be blasting the lame software, instead of praising it.

Welcome Villagers, log in, create a account

2008-08-12 00:41:22

we'll bump you right up there to be a near deity so you can post all sorts of Village related stuff. Lila & I want to get to know you as much as possible, Roger is kind of the driving force of getting the herd of cats moving. Stuck here in LA as we are, this is the best we could come up with to get some interaction going. Mike

Who's Mike ?

2008-08-10 20:11:16

Since I'm not up in Willits at the moment, I'd wanted to give you some background about me. This fall (2008) I'll be 52, and still have a few more years to put in before I can retire, unless they offer a Golden Parachute. Silver would be good too. Not lead. I'm employed as an electronics engineer, and work in the exotic satellite industry. Nighttime, I turn into a loud buzz saw. In between, I pursue several hobbies, gardening, photography (film & digital), assist hosting potlucks at our house, Head BBQ chef, computer maintenance and fancy tricks, Alternative Energy studies (I had installed a large PV system before getting the bug to move to Willits). I manage a couple websites, moderate a couple of mail lists, and semi-participate in Burning Man.

For our new digs in Willits, I want a LARGE greenhouse or conservatory, I have several blooming Ginger and Plumeria plants to bring and have to get a new Avocado tree, to go along with the citrus.

I may add to this later, but now I have to get some limes for this afternoons Margaritas & Guacamole.

So anyway, here's my home page, and it's got all sort of wacky links in, around, and through it. Enjoy, and I hope to see ya soon.

Mike

Who the heck is Elbob?

2008-08-10 08:23:45
 It just seemed like time for a new name --Lila isn't doing it for me any more. Lila aka Elbob

Epiphany with Dick and Jane

2008-08-10 08:21:06
 Prior to our June visit to Willits, I think Mike and I both were envisioning the village as a physical place we'd live with other people. Roger and Anna, and probably lots of visitors, some who'd visit a lot more than others. It's all a little fuzzy now. But whatever I thought before, sitting in Jane's house, talking with Dickie, another vision of it came to me with happy force. I started thinking that while it's important to be close enough to be together frequently, it's not necessary to "live together". So I imagine the villagers as living around Willits (where else would a sane person want to be, except maybe, Eugene!), being, if you will, embedded in the larger community. Contributing and influencing what goes on in that larger community. Bringing something to it in exchange for using its infrastructure. Because I'm too old to want to build infrastructure! The big question for me (this is so hard to do from a distance, how I want to be there!) is what I bring, and how it intersects with what's needed. Of course, I have a professional being. I bring that, and certain skills. But there's something else. And here's how I think of it at this moment, from so far away. When I bought this house in LA it was for the backyard, more than anything else. Because it could be, and did become, a space where something special happens. I'll let Roger and Anna tell you about that, if they chose. I think there's something in my karma/horoscope/blood/fate/etc that requires me to provide space. The impulse that led me (with Mike) to talk to Roger and Anna in the first place was built on a vision of a place we could be and people could come dance, or pick apples, or something! Still fuzzy. So NOW, here's what I'm feeling. I want (I'll let Mike speak for himself) -- I'd like some acreage, in the valley, flat enough to till, and two houses on it. One for Mike and me, one for those visitors. And I'll be planting a pretty good size orchard, and some nut trees. And I'll be pleased if someone from the village wants to come over and grow some wheat and oats, and such. That's me providing space. And at certain times of year, we have big old parties to celebrate how wonderful it is to be doing this. And that's all I have to say tonight, because it's 4 hours past my bed time. Except to say that I think Jane and Dick are exactly the kind of people I would like to be in a village with. Lovely! Bright! I send them a big hug. love, Elbob

Mike at work, When Glasses aren't enough !

2008-08-10 19:42:15

Mike - captured in Lab

Mikes Musings pt 1

2008-07-03 15:30:45

I'd been making the journey Northward from Lost Angeles since the early 90's, to a wonderful, rustic, enchanted parcel of land (currently under Fire Threat 6-2008, Ukiah) in a religious context. Then I met Lila and drug her along to visit the land of magics. Some time after that, we snared Roger and Anna, went camping for a weekend, and they nearly signed up to be caretakers of that little spot of enchantment. My only defect, I still need to work a few more years to secure my retirement. Now [ 6-2008 ], my former house is sold, and the cash is stewing, waiting to be used to secure some land We can work our own magic on.

About

2008-07-03 03:11:34
 Some of us can't BE there yet, but really want to be in on the conversation.  So we thought this might help.  Mike and I haven't done this sort of thing (keeping a blog), so it will take us a while to pretty things up.  That's not what's really important though.  We just offer this as a soft net to catch and hold the important, unimportant, lovely and hardworking communiques that are helping to create the village.  We hope the name we picked to start with is happy enough for the time being.

Thinking about a Village, Part 2

2008-07-03 15:29:17
 So ? the right place. What would that be? When Mike and I started looking at properties around Willits, we were looking at BIG places, 80 acres plus, generally. Our fantasy (can more than one person really share a fantasy in toto?) was to find a place that was big enough that we and the Wilsons could live there with some privacy, that lots of friends or even strangers (stranger than whom??) could come and visit, and we could have different sorts of interesting things going on so people would WANT to visit. Speaking for myself only, now, I envisioned Mike and me living in a smallish house with all the best energy efficiencies, and our personal gardens right nearby, with the Wilsons over yonder so we could just about see them, with trees all around, and some chickens here and there. Out among the trees there would be camping spots and some little cabins, or yurts! yeah, yurts! and down there would be a big barn with a dance floor, right near the big orchard. And we could have dances, and anything else people might want to do in a great space like our barn ? blah blah blah. So then we started trying to BUY a piece of property that would be amenable to all that. Well, I thought "This is truly a one of a kind ranch site. Level valley floor along Broaddus Creek, a salmon spawning stream. Rolling hills w/ gentle ridges and steep canyons." sounded GREAT and it was just west of Willits, so off we go. Of course, what this really is, is 8 acres of meadow, and 152 acres of nearly straight up and down, on the other side of a creek that needs a 150 thousand dollar bridge to get across, and then you build the roads to get up to where the house might be, and when you get there, you can hear every vehicle that goes in or out of Willits on Hwy 20, and there's no developed water on the property. So we'd be into it for over a million before starting the house! Hmmm... Then there's 1000 PERFECT acres for 3.75 million - see me rubbing my lottery tickets to encourage them? Here, kiss them, all of you, for luck! There was the place at Fish Rock, there were a few horse properties, places with gigantic green houses, there have been places at the end of long long roads, places with half finished houses, places with unbelievable views, little farms as flat as a pancakes, and there was the Pink House. I loved the Pink House. Although it was very different from what I'd originally imagined. But now, Roger and Anna were already living in their own place in Willits. And although the Pink House had only 10 acres, they were extremely well located and well configured acres and ready to go NOW, and about a half mile from the Wilsons. I could really see all the excellent things we could do with that place: the gardens, orchard, houses, and all. Damn! we did try hard to buy that place, DAMN! I'll spare you the details. But while we were in Willits trying to buy the Pink House, and looking all around for alternatives, Roger and Anna introduced us to some of their old and new friends there. And it was while we were sitting with Dick and Jane one evening, that I had an epiphany, and my own VISION OF THE VILLAGE changed in a radical way. And I guess that gets its own post?..

Thinking about a Village, Part 1

2008-07-03 15:25:32
 Greetings people, The first few years I knew Mike we went to visit a very special place in Mendocino county a couple of times a year, at different seasons (first of May, last of October), so we saw how beautiful it was, coming and going. A couple of years ago we started actively looking for property in Willits. Now, I've known Roger since Morgan was a baby in a basket, so that must be about 17 years. Almost the whole time I've lived in LA. I consider him, and now Anna, as family. So, knowing that Roger and Anna were thinking of a future that didn't look very LA-ish, Mike and I said to them, "How about we find some land up Willits way. We could build a couple houses on it, plant some fruit trees, and have a nice place!" Little did we know that they already had one foot out the door, and their eyes pointed north. Oh, I miss them at holidays! Oh, I envy them being there, where I want so badly to be! Oh, these frustrating trips back and forth from LA to Willits to "find the right place", as we eagerly await Mike's escape from his work commitment in 2011 (He's getting out early as it is, but he's a young 'un!). Uh, the right place? What would that be? You'll have to see Part 2. And maybe you'll have some ideas about what the right place might be that will help us (big us and little us) get some clarity. Meanwhile, Roger's on fire with Village Vision. I had a real epiphany during our last visit there in mid-June, so my wheels are turning too, but maybe in a little different direction than Roger's are. As for this blog, Mike and I thought it would be a good thing to have a place to bat some of this around. Mike's been moderating lists for a long time, and I do a bit of web stuff, but neither of us have managed a blog before, so please bear with us, as we pretty this up, and get the kinks out and the categories straight. Hope to hear from you. Elbob

Elbob defines her terms

2008-07-03 14:59:24
 OK, before we get too far, let me offer a couple definitions. Subculture:
1) A self-defining group within a society which holds different values and norms to those of the majority?
That would be us. A next step would be to look closely at our values and see whether we're really on the same page. More about values soon. Co-creation:
1) The act of creating from a state of full awareness in partnership with humankind, the living Earth, or God [this is the one I was familiar with already]
2) A new form of value creation, in which value is not created in the firm and then exchanged with the customer, but in which value is co-created by the firm and the customer [I had not been aware that co-creation is a big concept in business]
The following comes from 12manage.com a management methods website. I think it is extremely interesting and eminently applicable to our process, but it may take some mental flexibility to wrap around the business lingo. Each of us could sometimes be in the role of 'consumer', sometimes in the role of 'firm/corporation/company'. In any case, it seems to me the steps and limitations outlined below are directly relevant.
Steps in Co-Creation. Process
Typical steps involved in co-creating value include:
1. Defining clear objectives for the project.
2. Figuring out who are the right customers to involve in the process?The customers of today might be different than the customers of tomorrow.
3. Working with customers to find out what they really want to include in a product or service.
4. Designing products or systems jointly to meet those customers' needs. This includes selecting the partners to be included in your network.
5. Deciding how to share the value.
And of course this,
Limitations of Co-Creation. Disadvantages
* Markets and industries and companies and systems and people do not change quickly. So it may take quite some time before the whole world is co-creating.
* Collaboration is a lot harder than competition.
* The concept challenges many of the habits of managers. To change the mind-set of people within a company into the way that an external customer thinks, is not easy.
* Accounting rules that are based on what a company 'owns', are also challenged. Accounting laws are also notoriously hard to change.
6. Overcoming internal resistance to change - within seller, buyer and partner organizations. This is a critical step in ensuring that you control the channel.