Use even LESS energy, no fancy-pants nutrients.

The Window Farms Project has been banging around for a while now... Seems there are a lot of people spending too much time trying to get this to properly work.

When I lived in a second story apartment, I grew 20 Pole Beans, and 5 Cucumber plants out of two window boxes on my balcony. Three more gave me all the Lettuces and Swiss Chard I needed. Another gave me Radishes and Onions, just replanted as I took. Another, all the Oregano, Parsley and Thyme I needed. Three pots on the deck held Tomatoes, and more herbs. Six little window boxes, and three pots.

I can't knock the window farm idea, It just seems like a new-fangled wheel, with square corners. But, if it is all the space one has... DO IT! --mf

Great people, local, not too knowledgeable, but that gave us the impetus to start talking... "What do you do with all these composts and soil ingredients?"

I approached them, Sunday, about volunteering to build a 4' x 8' Square-Foot Garden Demo Bed for them, complete with simple EMT Conduit and string trellis. I told them everything they'll need to provide, like some 2" x 8" x 8' Cedar Lumber, the conduit, and some PVC piping, and I'll talk them through the whole process, and explain why I do this or that.

They will then have the answers to give when all those gardeners in the area, who have been toiling behind the roto-tiller, in deep, nasty clay mud, trying to get a garden bed ready, suddenly have their Epiphany. They said they just need to think the site out. I offered a place right in front, in the sun.

One look, of that productive Square-Foot Raised-Bed Garden sitting there, on the hard gravel, and it will stop and change people's plans then and there.

There is a small Local Lumber store right across the street from the Nursery that sells Cedar 2"x Lumber. I suggested placing it so the Lumber Store is directly behind the bed, and reccoing them for enquiring customers. Next step this week, is to talk to the Lumber Company, and get them to understand. Maybe, I can get the Nursury to supply dirt and starters top the Lumber people, and they can work up a "Raised-Bed package"! I could die that night, and know I'll go to Heaven!

Did I mention I am in Marketing and Advertising at the National level? Here's how you simplify it all for the Sticksville Communities. Six hours of my time may very well help two Local Businesses. I've got Heart.

I've also figured out how I am going to work payment for my surplus eggs. It turns out that my real, best distro center is work. Those folks are all over-paid, with most of them getting retired Military Pensions, on top of salary. Most of them single. I average ~four dozen surplus per week. I can definitely supply six, over-paid, good-hearted co-workers with a dozen eggs, every two weeks.

Here's the plan: "Yes, Co-worker, this dozen of two-day-old Farm-Fresh, Organic Eggs from happy, tractored Chickens is yours free of charge from me, now. If I see within a week, that you have made a sizable donation to Navy-Marine Relief, or the Mid-South Food Bank, or Heifer.org, (or other agreed-up charity), I will put you on the rotation. That position will continue for a period until we need to be nice to others, again, and we've gained a certain "Egg Equity.'" At that point, we'll decide on another good place to send checks.

This way, it's not about me. It's not about a business transaction with a Co-worker... It's a tote-bag goody for helping others in need... Like NPR or PBS.

It ain't much, but it is a start. If I have my friends put "'Monkeyfister's' Nest Egg Fund" in the comment section of the check, it might get the (very) Local Media interested, and in time... might encourage others Locally. Well see!

More mischief about to roll.

Doesn't that sound like more fun than pushing an online petition?

Wanna talk SLOW money and Community Building?

I think I might be able to discuss simple ways of doing good with one's surpluses.

It always starts small.

I make less than $60K a year. Got my share of STULOANs hell, and my share of bills like anyone else. Mortgage is more than I'd like due to PMI Insurance piracy.

Applying Permaculture to all of my yard projects, even though I am probably falling behind inflation with my income, I am making up in food productivity year over year. A bit of Hunting makes up the real difference. These front-loaded expenditures will pay back 10-fold in five or ten years, and in the meantime, I can work it as a small boon for good, needy, mostly Local Organizations.

In discussing the real benefits of Local Relationships and Community, Consider this:

I pay extra per pound to support a Local Angus Beef Farmer. He gives me discounts on Beef because, time to time, he provides me Raw Milk from a Dairy Farmer (whom I've never met, because Raw Milk is illegal in TN) , which I turn into Fresh Mozzarella Cheese for all of us, and provide veggies back to both parties, in Season.

Let's talk about Community Building, and Permaculture, because the more I look at it, the more I realize the benefits from the food-based mischief that I sow. It seems that I have a lot to share... and more Local Networks to connect.

I want to share ideas, and hope that my little journey is helping others, who, like me, seemed trapped in a hopelessly hostile Political set of surroundings.

It is totally possible to be friends with what might be a hopelessly lost Christianist Teabagger. It's possible to pull them from that brink, by choking back the Politics, and simply being a neighbor in the same circumstance. By my methods, my Christianist Family neighbors are some of my best neighbors, and, after three years, they don't even agitate for their Political side, much anymore... like me. They've realized their Leaders have fucked thwem, too. They see me, and our other neighbors, who are being neighbors, as friends now, where we'd otherwise be waving picket signs in each others faces.

We protect each other, pot-luck cook-out together, share the garden bounties together. Planting and building together. Feeding each other in total openness.

What's your Community? How big is it? Where is it? Can you all help feed each other, tend to each others' needs if the Trucks Stop Running and Paypal is no longer there? What's Community? Where are you levels of involvement? Where can you see Entry-Level action? Your apartment balcony? Your back yard? Ol' Widow Peterson's back yard, next door? A deal with your Town to make a Community Garden Plot? Maybe you ARE the Mayor of your Town, or on the Council...

I hope this helps.

Lambert, I deeply thank you for letting spill forth like this. Please correct your spelling of my Nom d'Plume. It is: Monkeyfister.

I really love ya for letting me chat like this, fella. It seems to be helping a lot of good folks as frustrated as ourselves. If our Government won't work as we need it to, as we need it to, then WE have to take up the yoke, and haul it to where we need it to be. I Honestly believe that, eventually, because of the no-Politics nature of Food, we'll get to where we ALL know that America needs to be. Yard by yard, we'll be ready when we need to be. Critical Mass is rising, slowly.

It's not "ignoring this assholes Politics." I'm putting Politics out of the circuit, completely, by just not letting them come up. Because of what I am doing, it is no question that I am not Right Wing. I let those that are come, and I simply try to show them the better way, through relying on those to the Left of them, with no Politics allowed. Trust simply happens, and Hannity and Rush get dumpstered by exposure to Real Life.

That's my experience in the middle of the Mid-South, Bible-Belt, West Tennessee.

I have a really solid feeling on this new path. It's providing Concrete, Material Benefits. It's profoundly American, and provides me endless joy, after so many years of being angry.

Permaculture is endlessly value-added.

Gos, I've written too much, again. --mf

I've found that few things can bridge cultural/social/political gaps like gardening...mostly because they're all moot in the garden. And once common bonds are established, polite discourse is that much easier...along with seeing eye-to-eye even after initial disagreement.

Do you know how to graft? It's not hard, easy enough to teach yourself really. And it can really help with complete pollination in small orchards. Eg, a neighbor only wants one or two trees, but four or more varieties can be grafted onto those two trunks. Experimentation with seed for rootstock is also possible with grafting knowledge.

BTW, love reading these posts and comments and i noted from your blog that you're a former Michigander too.