inveniam viam

A couple things I'm thinking about this afternoon:

To be viable, this community needs infrastructure - power, wifi, water, sewer

Inward facing, we are visualizing "neighborhoods" within the forest, groups of four to six families. Each neighborhood would have it's own well and septic/drainage field. A central greathouse would act as community center and town hall, where we'd meet, share weekly meals, plan.

We're looking at wood fired boilers that would bring heat and hot water to the homes. Wifi would have to be satallite. Power would be multi-layered and I think we'll depend on solar, wind, and water, too. We'll have to take a long look at how we use power. More fresh foods, with canning, smoking, and dehydrating instead of freezing. Manually washing clothes and line drying. There are some really good manual washers on the market. This is very different than what we're used to, but doable.

Each of the current adult members of the community have decent jobs. I'm trying to think how we'd structure the community finances. For this to community to be viable, we would need a non-insignificant number of people working on the land. Those people need to be paid, too. And we'd need to have income streams that come from those workers, too. I'm not sure who might take on the job of financial officer. It sounds horribly thankless. But what it comes to is that the people who have outside jobs will have to pay some kind of mortgage that would pay for the land, the taxes, the reserve fund, and paying the people who do the land work.

For example, just pulling a number out of the air, say we need 100 hrs/wk of land work - taking care of orchards, gardens, bees, livestock, and forest management. Let's say each of those hours will cost $20 plus the farm worker gets a pass on having to pay into the mortgage, so free housing. That's $2000/wk that the outside workers would have to pay. If we have 10 community members that have outside jobs, they'd pay $200/wk each, plus another $100/wk for land mortgage/taxes/reserve fund. On top of that, they'd be paying on their building loan, transportation, clothing, healthcare, entertainment. But, let's say I decide to work 10 hours for the community over my days off. Then I also get paid $200, which would offset what I'll owe. This would encourage community members to do the work the land requires, but does not require them to. They can pay someone else to do the work.

If we have four neighborhoods, each of those neighborhoods could have a designated Forest and Farm Manager whose job would be to not only manage the individual neighborhood orchards, gardens, and livestock, but also coordinate with the other managers for big jobs, like harvest time, taking down trees, building and maintenance.

Outward facing, we're looking at developing some type of public venue - camping, retreat, wedding. We'd need to put in water/sewer/power/wifi for this, too. It's possible that we could sell fruit/veg, eggs, meat, milk, butter in some kind of CSA, or rather sell to the local food co-op. There's not much money to be made with that, though. We wouldn't be producing enough volume. Organic honey has possibilities.

Feel free to share and critique. The more ideas I get the better!

This got long. ( Read more... )

I got sick this week with a UTI. I get a lot of UTIs, maybe two times a year. Every year.

Most people know all the little tips about preventing UTIs: drink lots of water and go to the bathroom as soon as you have the urge, wipe front to back and pee before and after sex. But some people might not know that your personal biology might have something to do with it too; in fact, if you get a lot of UTIs like I do, and you're doing all of the right things listed above, then your biology is probably a big reason for recurrent UTIs:

"Additionally, some women have cells that are naturally more receptive to bacteria, meaning the bacteria are less likely to be flushed out by your natural body functions. In a 2009 study of more than 1,200 women who experience recurrent UTIs and kidney infections, researchers determined that a genetic variation in these cell receptors is associated with an increased risk of bladder and kidney infections." Uristat.com

At this point in my life, my immune system is getting sluggish enough that I don't pop a fever until pre' late in the infection game. I tend to realize that I have a UTI when I get pain on urination, but by that time I'm also fatigued (I always blame overworking, which is true) and have brain fog. With those two things going on, I'm slower to act -- this time about a day slower, which is a long time in the life of bacteria.

The evening I started my antibiotics, I got the chills so bad that I could barely walk. I had Mike cover me in two extra quilts and the chills calmed down and finally stopped after an hour or two. Still no fever though. Come on, immune system! Fever is important!

I know that if this UTI had gone on completely untreated, I would have gone into septic shock and died.

As I was lying there shivering, I was thinking that this was why I'd become a nurse in the first place: it was the very first part of The Plan. What was an option for UTI if there's no available antibiotics?

Ive been thinking about this for a couple of days now, and the obvious answer for my little clan will be cranberries. Lots of cranberries. Because the bacteria that cause UTI have these little cilia, hairs on the exterior of the cell, that allow them to cling to the walls of the bladder. Cranberry has a chemical called proanthocyanidin, or PAC, and it was thought that this PAC dissolves the cilia, allowing the bacteria to be flushed away in the urine. Studies are showing that something is going on with the cranberry, but they're not sure what:

"It can be speculated that the increased urinary antiadherence and lower incidence of UTIs are connected to other cranberry constituents apart from PACs, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavonoids and their microbial‐derived metabolites (de Llano et al., 2015). The pentacyclic triterpenoids, mainly ursolic acid, may play a complementary or synergistic role together with polyphenolic constituents in the antiadhesion activity of cranberry fruit (Vasileiou et al., 2013). For example, this compound caused differential gene expression in E. coli and inhibited biofilm formation in several bacterial species (Ren et al., 2005). Ursolic acid has been shown to affect P fimbriae and the curli fibre morphology of uropathogenic E. coli strains and their adhesion to uroepithelial cells (Wojnicz et al., 2013). Also, some metabolites are formed through the action of intestinal microflora, which is unique for each individual (Cardona et al., 2013). This might explain individual sensitivity to the effects of cranberry.

In summary, results of this study showed that intake of 500 mg of cranberry fruit powder containing 2.8 mg of PACs/day for 6 months was associated with a reduction in incidence of recurrent UTIs. The compliance with the study protocol was excellent and no adverse events were recorded. From the results, it is not possible to pinpoint which compound/compounds in CFP protected the epithelium of the urinary tract against the formation of bacterial biofilm. Our data nonetheless provide encouraging evidence for the protective effect of whole cranberry (peel, seeds, pulp) in women with a medical history of rUTIs. This effect is possibly due to the synergy of all cranberry components and/or its metabolites rather than just PACs. However, additional studies are needed to determine which cranberry secondary metabolites in addition to PACs are responsible for the effects found." Vostalova, J, et el. (2015) Are High Proanthocyanidins Key to Cranberry Efficacy in the Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection? Phytotherapy Research, 29(10), 1559-1567.

So, lots of mushed cranberries. The concentrate I'm looking at has 250 grams of dried whole fruit in 50 grams of powder. That's about one cup of whole, fresh cranberries -- unless it was 250 grams after drying? Aarg! I need clarification! Also, I can make my own powder by freeze drying the berries and grinding them. hmmm.

It's all been too much this year. For everyone and for me, too. Personally, I've been working too many hours and overextending myself financially even beyond that. My Plan is coming together, but so slowly!

But as Mike said, the Earth is a big, complex system, and things happen slowly there, too. Here is some of the things that are happening:

1) A warm pool in the Indo-Pacific Ocean has almost doubled in size, changing global rainfall patterns. Mainly, what they're seeing is that this vast area of warmer-than-usual sea is causing a change in weather patterns, making more rain in some places, and less in others. And of course, we need steady weather to grow food. So this isn't one of those We're All Going To Die! things, but certainly some of us are going to die from starvation. But, you know, more than we have been.


2) 2018 was A difficult year for forests, fields and meadows -- this article reports on Physiological response of Swiss ecosystems to 2018 drought across plant types and elevation, research gathered in the summer of 2018, showing overall less development of foliage, and increased plant respiration. "This means that while these systems absorbed more CO2 from the atmosphere, they also released more CO2 back into it." Which is something that's been proven over and over, so nothing really new. The paper also talks about stressed out spruce, compared to less stressed out beech. So, changes of course in what is going to grow where. I would assume that the research gathered here would be easily extrapolated to other forests, fields, and meadow areas.

3) Behold the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich!



This sweetheart was successfully launched Nov. 21: "Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the first of two satellites jointly developed by a group of agencies in the United States and Europe, including NASA, NOAA, the European Space Agency, Eumetsat and the European Commission, to provide precise measurements of rising sea levels." Will having stone-cold scientific proof from satellite data make any difference? No, I don't think it will. Or, rather, it hasn't so far. But Mikey is a pretty little thing, and people have worked their hearts out to have it up there above us, so love to them.

BTW, yeah, the oceans are rising about twice as fast as they did 20 years ago. But no one is going to suddenly drown unless there's a hurricane, and then what do you expect? Sheesh! Hey, remember Mexico Beach, Florida, wiped off the face of the earth in Hurricane Michael? A recent review of the place on Trip Advisor says "Beautiful beach without the crowd! Loved the seclusion of this beach. My family and I were able to set up and enjoy social distancing to the fullest. We did not have anyone near us for as far as we could see down the beach. Nice & clean beach."

4) Methane is seeping from all our very cold places -- the Laptev underwater slope is destabilizing, giant holes continue to appear in the Siberian tundra,


and now the first active leak of methane from the sea floor in Antarctica has been revealed by scientists". But really, whenever I get crazy over methane, I remember what Richard Alley said when I went to see him talk, "The difference between methane and CO2 is hitting a wall at 100 mph or hitting a wall at 60 mph. The 60 mph will do the job."

But with all of this... I have to hope. I have to continue with our Plans. I have to stop being relaxed with my money and funnel all of our resources to the only thing I can imagine has a slim chance of saving some of us. It's pretty nuts, and most of the time I'm just sitting her talking myself into the idea that it might be worth the effort.

We have a verbal deal for the land, and in the second week of June we'll go up, meet the sellers (they live in Wisconsin), walk the perimeter, and sign the paperwork.

What we'll get: 65 acres of land, that includes an old apple orchard, and a small pond and creek. The land slopes gently from northwest to southeast, providing good drainage. It has never had a building put on it, though the area that is now orchard used to be a potato field, and then a strawberry field.

It's bordered by private land on the north, east, and south, and by Mead Paper Corp (a tree farm) on the west. It lies about eight miles from the southern shore of Lake Superior (as the crow flies) and is a ten minute drive from L'Anse, a town of about 1500 residents.

It's 65 miles/105 km to to the house in Negaunee, and 40 miles/65 km to Houghton, where Luke will likely be going to college (Michigan Tech).

Here's what we'll pay: Owner financing with a sale price of $75,000 -- with $6000 down, an interest rate of 5% and payments of $1,000/mo. We'll have it paid off in a little under seven years and pay a total of $12,523 in interest.

My oldest grandchild, Ella, will be 18 years old when the property is paid off.

I won't be able to buy property until I'm out of school, but I should graduate in December of this year. There's several pieces of property I'm looking at, and the one on the top of my list is hilly.

I like hilly for dealing with extreme rains. A flat field will be flooded; a terraced field will drain. If it's dry, you have to water both.

So this morning I was thinking about terracing. One that's appealing for both it's low cost and low tech is cribbing.

This is actually one of the best pics I could find:


Except I'd probably use untreated cedar logs. The "boxs" are filled with dirt until only the front is visible -- finished, it looks like this:


Edit: I've been looking for products that will last a long time buried. Cedar logs should last about 29-30 years. But. PVC will last 100 years. So, pvc pipe filled with sand and with holes drilled every so often for drainage. That should do.

Edit #2: Since Mike really doesn't like the idea of using wood and maybe redoing the terraces every 20 yrs, another option, perhaps a better option, would be poured concrete treated with a non-toxic concrete sealer like Green Building Supply, Penetrating Concrete Sealer. For this project, we'd probably go with a cement/sand/stone volume mix of 1:1½:3. As long as the cement "logs" aren't damaged, they should last a pre' long time. We'd use concrete forms that would look something like Lincoln Logs, and we'd need a small concrete mixer. I can see how we'd do it -- working on site, pour four forms on day one, next day, strip the forms, set the new "logs" on some 2X4s to cure, pour four more. Next day is a repeat of day two, but we'd also be painting the top of the first set will the sealer. Next day, same as previous day, but flip the first set over and paint the bottom of those with the sealer. So each "log" would take 4 days to complete. I figure we'd make them 10'X½'X½.

I just had a thought: would we work from the bottom of the hill up, or from the top, down? Huh.

Here's a map of the land I'm looking at. This is an 80 acre parcel. It consists of two hills with a saddle of swampy ground in between. The northwest corner is at about 46.565295, -87.8385602 and the southeast corner is at around 46.558049, -87.8349354


I'm thinking we'd grow on the south side of the north hill, and on the flat area on the south hilltop. Or something like that.

I have to have something to think about, to plan with, or I'll go a bit crazy. As soon as my tuition is paid (soon!) I'll start saving a hefty amount every month for the down payment. So we'll see if this one is still available in eight months...

I am beginning to seriously look at an off-grid power generating system for the homestead. Reading at HomePower, I find the helpful suggestion:

Off-grid load analysis is more complicated, and involves measuring or estimating each load. The method can also be used to estimate electricity usage for on-grid homes in the design stage or for backup systems (for sizing battery banks and inverters). It’s also very useful to use this method if you’re on grid, to find out where you are using all that energy. Then you can develop strategies to reduce your energy usage, which is typically the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly use of your dollars.

A spreadsheet is the easiest way to gather the necessary information. For each specific load in your home, you’ll need either its wattage and daily hours of use or its daily kWh use.

Measure each load’s power, since rated or sticker wattage may not accurately reflect actual appliance consumption. When in doubt, round up. Measuring 120 VAC loads is easy with meters such as the Kill A Watt, Brand Electronics Digital Power Meter, or Watts Up?. Any 240 VAC loads will be harder to measure, and you may end up relying on rated wattage or estimates.

Soooo, what do we use for power? Um.

Blower motor for furnace/wood stove
refrigeration and freezer
lights
electronics, tv, radio
microwave, coffee pot, toaster (maybe not use these at all)
washer and dryer

Am I missing anything? This is just for the house, not for any outbuildings.

I've had one interview with a job offer of working nights in a nursing home for $23.80/hr. I've had two phone interviews for the correctional job, and will be sending in my background check tomorrow; the interviewer finished the interview by saying "Let's get this show on the road." I haven't been able to connect with the hiring person from the spinal cord/brain injury rehab place yet. So I still haven't decided which job to take, but I know I'll be working somewhere soon for pre'damn good money.

Short range plans: get all the bills under control; get Luke moved into Carl's place; get the upstairs bedroom that's been gutted for two-freaking-years finished so the little boys can have their own room; get myself a new laptop for school.

Mid-range plans: I'm not going to school this September. There are some excellent reasons, and they mostly have to do with money. I will go back next September, and I'll go back with most of my tuition saved up and with some real nursing experience under my belt. I feel extremely comfortable and confident about this.

Long range plans: After graduating with my RN, I'll start saving for the property. Every year that passes gets me more jumpy about the future, and I'm behind by something like five years. Truthfully, I had a tough talk with myself about spending the time/money to get my RN --I'm that freaked out by the incessant ticking of the damn clock. But the knowledge and skills will be just as useful, if not more, than the increased pay and job opportunities.

What is hard for me: I want to spend money that I haven't yet made on things I've been wanting for years. One thing I *am* going to do is go to the Nutcracker this Christmas, and pay for some family to come with me-- whoever wants to come. I also want to fix up this house -- some carpeting, paint, that kind of thing. So I have to set myself a budget within a budget within a budget. Bills/fix-up/fun. I have only ever been able to handle the bills, and when something has come up that had to get fixed, we played catch-up.

I have some thoughts about stress and poverty. I may go a bit crazy for a couple months. Bear with me, eh? A final thought: my interviews went very well and gave me a window-look into what kind of nurse I will be. Do you know what? I will be amazing.

so I don't lose it: Fence River Rd, Michigamme parcel

I like the small wetland, the location is close to perfect (remote but not impossible) and the price is reasonable.

Edit: Heh, it just got bought. Ah, well! There are many other parcels available in the area. Like this 60 acre parcel on CR 601

These are some trips I'm planning in the next year. If I'm going to be near you, I'd love to have coffee or such!

Sept 25-27: Marquette, Michigan. I'm moving my sister down to come live with me. She's in Gwinn, Michigan. I'll be traveling from Lansing, Michigan along US-127 to I-75, across the Mackinaw Bridge, along US-2 and up M-77 to M-28. I'm leaving Friday afternoon, 3pm-ish and arriving at 0'dark-thirty; coming back Sunday afternoon.

Oct 17-18; Charlevoix, Michigan. The Third Annual October Birthday Bash! Wooot! (Two new grandbabies are due in September. Currently among my immediate family, we have birthdays -- Jan/4, Feb/1, March/4, April/0, May/1, June/1, July/1, Aug/1, Sep/1, Oct/7, Nov/0, Dec/4.) Route is I-96 to US-131.

Late December: Negaunee, Michigan. Just a holiday visit to the family, same route through lower Michigan to the UP.

March 11-13, 2016; FOGcon 6, Walnut Creek, California. This is a wish more than a for-sure thing. I'll be in the midst of nursing school, and it'll be expensive, maybe $1500? for plane tickets and hotel and meals and all.... but man I want to go.

May 27-30, 2016; Wiscon, Madison Wisconsin. Definitely going. I'll drive, taking I-94 to Chicago, and then I'll probably take the scenic route that kaffy_r and I took, back in... 2012? Anyway, it was lovely. If you live near the route, feel free to ask me for a ride!

If everything goes well, and I'm expecting it to go middling-well, in March or April we'll be buying that piece of property that I have my eye on. Most likely we'll take a camping trip up in early to mid summer to scope out where we want to put the first cabin. Come camp with us! I would love that.

In May of 2016 I'll be eligible to take my NCLEX-PN and get my license to practice as an LPN. December of 2016 I'll get my ADN and when I pass my NCLEX-RN, I'll be looking for my first job as an RN. Then things might get interesting.