personal column

  From

Jules Dervaes

 Then two years ago, because of this alien threat to the very seeds of life of our home, I turned radical, declaring: 'Let's go for broke!  Let's put it all on the table!"  I aimed to get as much food for our dinner table as we could possibly grow ourselves.  We were, indeed,  very fortunate to have a decent size yard in a warm climate and to be a family of five adults (vegetarians) in fairly good health to do the physical work.  Our one-fifth acre lot would now become our ALAMO.

 With lines drawn in the dirt, we would proceed to fanatically plant, trying to use every available space--high and low--to the four corners of our small world. And, after the first year in 2001 of gardening for real, were we ever shocked when the final tally showed the harvest coming in at over 2,300 pounds.

 Was this a fluke?  Had we just gotten lucky and hit a once-in-a-blue-moon jackpot harvest? Yet, I knew we could do more; for we had only scratched the surface of our anemic, worm challenged soil.  And, as I began to look around, something incredible was happening.  My small place was growing larger right before my eyes, as they searched more intensely for secret, desolate spaces in which to tuck novel plants.

Today, we are continuing to be blessed with good results.  Of course, it's a jungle out there; so we also continue to face daily difficulties which keep us always on our toes. And, the weather extremes should always keep us on our knees.  (Interesting, isn't it, that the predominant position of gardeners will forever be kneeling, whereas that of modern farmers is sitting?)

This will be the third year of our real reality 'show'--trying to be true survivors and to overcome all sorts of cultural fear factors.  Our amazing race is towards the unheralded finish line of self-sufficiency.  To us, singing and dancing for fame belong to a world of  idle make-believe.  What we face every day is the age-old warrior challenge of conquering ourselves in the hope of being one with the creation.  In so doing, the practice of dog-eat-dog will get scrubbed.

There is no harder feat which we have had to tackle than that of planning. At first it was a matter of looking ahead to the next day.  Soon we were having to figure out what to do for the next season. That was a serious brain strainer but nothing compared to having to think through a plan for the next year. Now that hurts.  Too bad there is no kind of Gatorade for a sweaty brain.  One day I hope to see clearly a year down the road.  Next, I'll go for two, and then for three, ...

Right now, as a far-sighted planner, I'm not yet able to cut the mustard.  But I know what I've got to do and  that is to keep plodding along, putting one feat in front of the other.  For, if I plan to stay on this path, I must plan to stay on the path. 

To be continued... 

DiY Corner

In this issue...

Carless & Carefree - It's The Grass Man! - Homemade Sunscreen -  A Kitchen In The Sun - Creating A Backyard Wildlife Habitat - Using Fabric Scraps - Save Pineapple Tops  and more!

  Interested in doing things yourself instead of relying on outside sources for basic necessities? We are personally not as self-sufficient as we would like to be, but we believe that many are on  the same path, some further along than others. 

  We hope this newsletter will be a source of inspiration and information to those who want to break free from the modern, artificial environment and culture that we are captive of. 

 See you along the path...

Words of Wisdom

And Finally...

NEW ARRIVALS!    PTF is thrilled to announce six new members to the family...   They are female Khaki Campbell's duckys.  We'll only be keeping two for egg production and bad insect control.   Check out the new "quackers" at RAISING DUCKS IN THE CITY.

ramblings...

Wed 5/21

It's hard to believe that we are almost

half-way through 2003. The year is whizzing by so fast!

   So, what's new?  Well, quite a lot really.  We have  many projects waiting in line and  we are trying to tackle them one at a time -- or rather, as many as we can at once!

   After getting a handle on growing as much food as we can, now it's time to take the next steps on the path to freedom: energy and waste. 

   With that said, this year we are hoping, God willing, to install a solar panel system and a composting toilet.  In addition, we'd like to build an outdoor solar shower.   

    Beside the major projects we have in the works, there are still the everyday chores and continuous planning that go into keeping this urban homestead up and running.

    And, last but not least, are the dreams and goals that we'd like to accomplish.  One thing we'd like to build and implement is a pedal- power device that would hook up to our grain mill.  Or  build a cart to attach to our bikes that would allow us to deliver our produce to the local restaurants and caterers without having to use our old '76 VW van. 

    Anyhow, enough day-dreaming for now... back to the present! 

  With the hot weather we've been having lately, the growth in the garden has exploded.  Living here everyday, it's hard to see the slight changes; but, when we have friends over, they tell us how much things have grown. 

    The first major wave of plantings is over for the time being and now it's maintaining and caring for the plants.  However, we need to keep a watchful eye on the first signs of disease to fight it  with natural solutions.

    The guys are building a large solar/sun dryer from a large aluminum rack that was being thrown out by one of the restaurants that we deliver to.... love salvaging!

    Yikes, I've run out of space. ;-)  Till next time...

Editor of PTF

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