Well love lights-blessings on this day! As the Sacred Wheel of the Year turns many millions of folks of Nature based religions celebrate a time of garden bounty and Earth abudance!
I am an Appalachian Medicine Woman and worship both Great Spirit /Creator and Mother Earth!
I am harvesting herbs today-setting the intention for healing, abundance and nurturance! From these herbs I use both culinary and medicinally- I make soups and teas- spice up our foods and stir in all my hearts love to my family,friends and healing clients!
Today I harvest to dry upstairs -beesbalm, lemon verbena,lemon thyme,oregano,blue sage,rosemary,parsley ,chives (I chop these and freeze and do in the dehydrator-don't like them to turn brown-plus my cat eats them up when I lay out to dry ) lavender leaf -got flowers earlier, spearmint..hmmm-I believe that is all- oh yes and some raspberry leaves for tea .
As we work around our garden together-My husband and I are going to do a simple gratitude blessing today -thanking Great Spirit and Mother Earth and all the angels and spirits of nature!
we are also putting up a litle fenced in area around our tomato patch to keep yon deers OUT- now we have some they are welcomed to out in the big garden(big flop really-lol)
Our plans for the big garden are to have it plowed this week and plant 1/2 acre of greens to share freey w neighbors- both human and animal.. I would like to can and freeze quite abit too! Turnips,mustard greens and kale mixed .
As I as walking this morning on my favorite nature trail - Puffer had a great time-I went earlier than usual to be able to do our outside work in the cool of the morning- I had time to let my mind wander over to the homestead we plan to build in NC and some of the steps to being completely financially and food independent in a years time...
Our plan is- I am going down ahead of him to find some land and set up a camp-he will be working up near the Canadian border on a road building project for about a year. During that time we will likely rent out our house -he can stay in a hotel near his work -room provided - nice thing is they work so many hours he will get 4 and 5 days off at a time and when he does he will come down to spend time with me on our homestead- also at times I will fly up to see him or we can meet at the beach-heehee-Folly Beach is not far to drive from me when I get to WNC and he can fly into Charleston SC !
The idea is to find 5 acres of land- at least an acre or 2 cleared and mostly wooded - that has a trailer space already there-because you have -driveway cut in, a well, septic and temporary power pole (when visiting he will be building outbuildings so using power tools will be a time saver!)
I am going to be living in a ompletely off grid tiny 1 room cabin for most of the year-but once he is moved down we will build a 4 room cabin and knowing him he will want electricity with back ups if the grid goes down.
My cabin will be heated with a small woodstove-used as well for winter cooking- I plan to haul water from the well ,do rainwater collection and for healthy healing drinking water-collect from a nearby artesian spring. As far as clothes washing I will go to a local laundromat till I get my wash house set up... and rinse undies out during my daily sponge bath...yeah I know it is very Crocodile Dundee but I have lived this way before and actually preefer the simplicity!
To start I will have a larger sized 2 room tent- a camping shower shelter w solar shower- another of those for a private potty area- dig a hole put a bucket w toilet seat on that- when one does their business they put a scoop of the dirt or saw dust over -I will also have a camp potty in the tent for nightime use (OK I am sorta scared of bears, skunks and snakes at night)I will have a little tent heater and lamps .I will have one of those covered gazebo rooms and set up an outside fire ring w stumps for seats and have a wood pile(gonna have that delivered already busted up and just stack-I will have a set up to cut the kindling. I plan to use a coleman camp stove -and also have a few rocket stoves made as well-
So basically to startI will have a nicely set up regular camping area -then begin working on homestead bulilding projects .
1st one I am thinking is a covered Summer kitchen area - nice sized - Charlie is a mason so have him build a really nice outside grill and fire area -also I want a brick fireplace oven build in -on one end I will stack wood to keep it nice and dry and as a wind barrier -on the other end a outdoor kitchen - have some work space out there and figure out a way to have an attached smoke shed for curing meat ..
I want a tin roof on the picnic area and rain barrels for water collection.- be great to have a series run together and have about 6 or 8 barrels going! Nice thing about WNC Mtns-they are a temperate rain forrest so you usually have no issues w drought or lack of rain-it happens but it is really rare!
Next building will be a traditional outhouse -moon cut out and all!!
Goat house and lot
Rabbit and chicken tractors
garden shed
Shower and Wash House - still using solar heated water but a more attractive and stable building w room to change in as well- maybe even availablilty to put in a rocket stove heater for winter-whattta luxury huh!!??
12 by 12 ft. Greenhouse - black barrel filled w water to heat- and also a rocket stove heater for REALLY cold nights! Once again rain water collection to water plants .. when I 1st get there I will build raised beds for gardening and do the plastic sheeting hoop beds to be able to grow my greens year round- but those are pretty homely and in the end we want a beautiful homestead(I am an artist and I like things purty- plus a Virgo so I like tidy and orderly!!)
THEN- we build the 1 room cabin- lol...I plan to have the kitchen on the far left wall-small wood table w 2 chairs - when you come in the door straight ahead will be the woodstove w a nice old rocker on 1 side and an overstuffed chair and ottoman on the other-on the far right wall I plan to have a built in bed and nice sized closet/changing room -there will be a space for a small roll top desk to do my writing and I want a big bookshelf!I will have a front porch all the way cross for a swing and 2 rockers-back porch I want screened in and covered for firewood and a place to do work bug free!
Once we build the 4 room cain this will be used for my art studio and where I see clients for Appalachian Folk Healing.
I will put the link here for my Appalachian Folk Medicine Meetup- we will be having monthly Folk Medicine Gatherings till I move -then weekly! Look for upcoming blogs to describe them and youtube videos to show them!! www.meetup.com/appalachian-folk-medicine
Love n Ligt ya'll-be blessed and a blessing!
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