Tennessee Mountain Land

by

Prepper’s Top Ten Necessities for Life in Troubled Times

  1. Relationships: Positive, mutually supportive with capable, skilled people
  2. Spiritual & Mental Health: The foundation for all positive action.
  3. Physical Health: Sustainable, natural health care to supplement a healthy lifestyle.
  4. Water: Reliable, secure source of pure water
  5. Food: Natural food from a source you trust and control (yourself)
  6. Shelter: An energy efficient dwelling
  7. Energy: Redundant, reliable, private sources of storable energy.
  8. Reserve: Store and rotate a backup supply of everything you use (water, food, medicine, tools, fuel, clothing & other consumables)
  9. Trade: Prepare to trade for everything else (Cash, Non-Depreciating Assets, Barter-Valuable Supplies, Practical, marketable Skills)
  10. Knowledge & Skills: True self-sufficiency comes from experience – knowing how to do it yourself.

Take a good look at this list.  If this were a report card, what would your grade be on each of these important subjects? For the past 50 years, the developed world has lived in a pampered, complex, yet socially dysfunctional style that values:

  • Entertainment & Entitlement over productive Work
  • Self-Indulgence over Selfless Service
  • Pleasure over Moral Integrity
  • Intellectual Prowess over Practical Skills
  • Dependence on complex systems over Independent Self-Sufficiency
  • Conspicuous Consumption over Provident Preparation.

Is it any surprise that most people lack the skills, preparation, and resources to confidently face a troubled future? Is it any wonder that people feel helpless and out of control? Is there any way you can become confidently competent and provisioned for these ten essential items all by yourself? It’s a daunting task.  But, with help, you CAN do it.

That’s why relationships are at the top of the list. That’s why we are building a community of self-sufficient people at the beautiful Village on Sewanee Creek. If your values are the inverse of the above list, If you want to become more confident, more self-sufficient, and more at peace with your neighbors and in harmony with nature, If you desire close, trusting relationships in a like-minded community, but aren’t ready for a religious or hippie commune, give us a call.

by

We have fun learning from each other

At the Village, we encourage intelligent, open interaction about things that matter in life.  We encourage a diversity of opinions, seasoned with a good measure of humility as we seek to learn from one another.  We have a private website called “friends of Sewanee Creek”  where Villagers, prospective villagers and other like-minded people exchange information on many topics and build relationships.  Here is a sampling of a recent exchange.
======================================================================================================================
Study Links GM Corn to Organ Damage
Not to jump on the food scare band wagon, but I coincidentally just ran across this article. It says studies are now linking Monsanto genetically modified corn to organ damage in rats (liver, kidney, heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells).
Naturally, Monsanto claims the studies are bogus. Given the pervasive use of GM seeds in the US, I suspect it will be a long time before conclusive evidence comes to light or anything major is done about it. I’m thinking how long did it take for tobacco usage to be effectively challenged?
Read the article in Food Safety News at http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/01/study-links-gm-corn-to-organ-damage/?CFID=1479691&CFTOKEN=49241182

Digging a little deeper on this site I also found an article reporting that Monsanto has withdrawn its application for approval of GM corn in Europe. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2009/11/gm-corn-pulled-due-to-food-safety-concerns/

Right now I’m feeling good that we drink 100% chemical free water from the sky and have a freezer full of home grown GMO free corn.

Added By:   Grant Miller On Mon, 01/25/2010 04:49:23 am

Villager 1 – 01/25/2010 08:22:54 am
While I wouldn’t doubt that GM foods have their own problems, I also believe that humanity in general has chosen to go down food paths that are not appropriate to our body chemistry for millenia now.
In fact, all grains (corn, wheat, etc.) cause mild to severe inflammation in the bodies of ALL people. In other words, our bodies are not intended to consume grains in large quantities, let alone as dietary staples. In fact, there is a growing consensus that a grain based diet is the leading culprit behind heart disease and several common cancers.
This problem is magnified by various myths propagated within our culture. The idea that all fats are bad. The idea that body fat is caused by consuming animal fats. The idea that a vegetarian diet (which almost always includes grains) is healthier than a more primitive meat and *true* vegetable diet.
At the end of the day, once a society has sacrificed its allegiances to the alter of convenience and cheapness, its food supply is going to go to hell. GM foods are just one step along the path of a food supply that’s divorced from a natural and optimized state.

Grant Miller – 01/26/2010 11:03:22 am
Politics and Religion are the taboo subjects we are warned never to discuss openly. Ahhh, but then there’s food. Nothing strikes closer to the stomach or the taste buds.  So, I thought I would have a little fun with this one. Here’s my best shot for now.
I think it would be fun to hear your ideas about food in the form of a fun limerick.

“We are what we eat” they all say
and make such political hay.
We debate about diet
till we wish they’d be quiet
and leave us quite out of the fray

Some choose to only have meat
While others claim life’s staff is wheat.
Empty carbs make me draggy
my spare tire gets saggy
but then, without bread where will I put my butter?!!!

Now meat, when taken to excess
puts my bowels in utter distress
A constipated grouch,
I lie on the couch
But good meat is simply the best!

No dairy? that’s out of my loop
Ice Cream’s my favorite food group
But milk makes me swollen
down deep in my colon
with gas, but I’ll have one more scoop!

Then come the social elite
when choosing a diet to eat,
say, “let them eat cake”
Oh!, goodness sake
Few things are as good as a sweet.

Others say fruits, nuts and sprouts
will make you most healthy, no doubt
But, Some get quite edgy
while touting their veggies
and leaving the meats fully out

And when it comes down to fat,
I’ll testify, “that’s where it’s at.”
For if you want flavors
that everyone savors
Nothing even comes close to that.

But, as for me and my house,
we mostly just try not to grouse
at the food placed before us
cause Dad always warned us
to clean up our plates or get out.

So, after it’s all said and done
There are few foods I’m likely to shun.
Without rhyme or reason
In any old season,
Moderation is rule number one.

Except for Ice Cream, Butter, fat of all kinds, fresh home baked bread, fresh strawberries or raspberries or peaches right out of the garden, a thick, juicy grilled steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered yams with brown sugar and pecans, corn pudding, fresh steamed, buttered broccoli or pretty much anything that makes my mouth feel exquisitely happy and reveals no immediately discernable cataclysmic side effects.       smile

Villager #2 – 01/26/2010 09:14:04 pm
..Love your poem, Grant. Right on!!

Friend #1 – 01/26/2010 10:13:03 pm
I am no expert, but I think we need to remember that almost all the food we eat today has been “genetically modified” in some way. Even non-hybrid seeds are the result of centuries of genetically crossing to emphasize desirable characteristics. One can argue that this is different than the modern GM process; but how much really?
And whether corn, wheat, rice, oats, rye, etc is best eaten fermented, I think there is much biased research out there to stake too much in it. You can find a study that supports just about any point of view.
Inuits can survive on mostly meat, fat, and fish. But, they have many many generations of adaptation. Not sure we could do the same. Does that really mean that grains are bad for us? Like so many foods today, perhaps grains are misunderstood. Perhaps it’s not the grain, but the refining that gives it less-desirable qualities. Breaking a grain apart, throwing away the germ, bran, or other components, destroys the complex interactive ‘wholeness.’
I’ve done research on raw milk. Milk has a bad reputation–many people are stricken with significant stomach ailments after consuming milk products. Raw milk is illegal to sell in most states. In some of those states, a person can arrange with a dairy farm to become a part owner of a cow (cow shares) and consume raw milk from ‘their’ cow. So what is wrong with raw milk? The US Government says it killed people and made many sick at the turn of the 20th Century. Further study, many years later, suggest that most if not all of these incidents were due to improperly stored raw milk. However, the ban on raw milk stands. So what is the big deal? Studies (yep, those darned studies) suggest that lactose intolerance and it’s accompaning stomach ailments in many people, comes from the pasteurization of milk; it kills the good bacteria that aid digestion;It breaks apart the whole, and destroys the interactive complexities. As with meat, if milk is not properly handled, it will make you sick, but most food is that way!
So perhaps the same type of issue exists with grains; breaking them down and refining them takes away the good compounds. Food is wonderfully complex. It’s probably why we can’t duplicate the health benefits of an apple, orange, or broccoli. There exist many supplements on the market, claiming to give the benefits, but they all seem to fall short; they can’t duplicate the complexity of the raw or whole food they derive from.

Grant Miller – 01/27/2010 06:47:15 am
I like your take on this, Clayton. One thing I know for sure is that I don’t know much. In my short life I couldn’t possibly count the number of fad diets, supposedly well-founded on studies, that were quickly superceded by an opposing view. That’s not to say that we should throw all the babies out with the bathwater. Rather, take a long-term, skeptical view. Live carefully, eating moderately, the foods you perceive to be natural, as the gifts from God that they are, and enjoying food to its fullest.
As we explore and test what works well for each of us, share it. I love xxxx‘s conviction about a diet that obviously works well for him and I am grateful to learn this perspective. I’m not quite ready to go there for my own reasons, some of which may be peculiar to my own body or belief systems. Yet, I am enriched to learn more of another perspective and encouraged to trust that more meat could be a healthy way to re-balance what I consume now. Thank you, xxxx, for having the courage to share your beliefs and experience with conviction, yet with the humility that accepts other’s experience and beliefs.

=============================================================================================

If you like this kind of sharing with like-minded people, you can request an invitation to the Friends of Sewanee Creek at info@sewaneecreek.com.  Please note the reasons for your interest.

by

How One Top Executive Left the Rat Race for a Self-Sufficient Community in the Mountains

How One Top Executive..

How One Top Executive Left the Rat Race for a Self-Sufficient Community in the Mountains

Posted using ShareThis

by

Child’s Play – Sand Box or Sand Mountain?

In our quest to build community at the Village, we don’t think just about the physical facilities that are needed, but how they must come into being.  Often the best way to assure that common structures don’t become neglected mausoleums (like so many planned gated community clubhouses) is to involve the community in their conception and construction.

Today, I’ve been thinking about building facilities that bring people together, including a playground for kids, a man-cave common shop for building projects and tinkering and a place for female activities like scrap booking or quilting.  But we must start from the point of creating activities rather than creating buildings.

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a day of play with two families who visited with their nine young children.  As the adults were preparing hobo dinners in the fire pit, we noticed that the kids had gathered at a large mound of dirt near the stage.  They were busily digging caves, leveling pads for imaginary structures, playing king of the hill and any number of other great, creative games.

So, this morning we were noodling about building a kid’s playground.  We were reaching into our childhood memories for hints of what will make it the coolest, most fun, most awesome place for kids to hang out and play. I remarked that the first thing we need is a good sand box for the creativity it brings out.  Then it struck me.  The traditional sand box simply won’t do.  It’s too two-dimensional.  We need a sand mountain. And what better way to build it than to involve Village parents and their kids in its conception, placement, and construction?

We have all the materials we need right here at the Village.  I’m thinking rather than use pressure treated lumber for the box, why not use some of the huge logs that have already been cut?  Discarded tires make great barriers or climbing structures too.  Build three sides tall and fill it with sand.  When the sand goes flat from a lot of play, I can bring my tractor in to re-pile it into a mountain.  Maybe put a climbing wall on the back side of the logs.

But then, what do I know?  My most important work is to get the Villagers involved in a way cooler solution.  Who knows?  It might be so cool that the adults will rediscover how much fun it is to play in the sand and we will have to expand it.

Anyone up for a sand sculpture contest?

by

Becoming a Self-Reliant Asset to your Community

Today, build something useful & beautiful that will outlast you.
Make a habit of building and sharing every day.
You will be a self-reliant asset to your community.

And….. you will love yourself more!

by

Self-Reliant Living: Alternative Energy

We keep pushing the envelope, learning how to live independently.  I love the sense of freedom and peace of mind that gives me.  Water and food were our first focus.  That foundation is feeling pretty solid now.

Our next focus has been energy.  We have been seriously researching lots of alternatives for reliable, low cost electricity generation.  Most people think of solar PV, wind and, to a lesser extent, micro-hydro for green power. But there are problems with each.

Solar Photo Voltaics are expensive.  The costs are beginning to come down, but aren’t there yet.  Probably won’t be for some time.  I want to power my house without bankrupting the occupants.  And I don’t want to have to sacrifice so much on consumption that I give up all the conveniences.  Then there are the cloudy days, requiring big battery backup.  PV cost per KWh is just way too high.

Wind is nice.  Lots of new innovations, especially with vertical axis turbines.  They are primarily designed to make wind power acceptable in an urban environment by putting the turbine close to the ground.  But that’s where there isn’t much wind.  Oh, well.  We’re rural, so that’s no advantage.  Wind’s disadvantage for me?  You need really strong, consistent wind to produce a lot of electricity – like on the plains of Nebraska.  We are on a plateau at 2,000 feet with nice breezes, but not gale force winds.  We could still do it, but would need multiple windmills to make enough electricity for our needs.  Again, the costs become too high relative to the output.  Plus, you only get electricity when the wind blows.

Then there’s hydro power.  It’s the lowest cost per KWh alternative, but you need either a big river or a perennial creek with lots of head (drop in elevation). We have the latter, but flow varies a lot depending on recent rainfall.  Summer flow isn’t enough.

It all comes down to cost and continuous reliability.

We discovered a little-known, low-cost, low-tech and proven alternative.  It’s called wood gasification.  Surprisingly, over a million cars in Europe were powered with wood during World War II when gas was short.  Unlike the other green power sources, we have an abundance of fast growing, renewable, free wood here.  So, we are installing a system that converts wood into a gas that can run an internal combustion engine with plenty of horse power to drive a generator.  We can run it any time, in any season, independent of the weather.  And, best news of all, the cost is competitive with the big utilities on a cost per KWh basis.

The founder of the company that has brought this technology into the 21st century will be here a week from next Saturday installing our new system.    Give me a call if you would like to see it or any of our other self-sufficiency systems in action.

by

Learning from Chickens

A chicken may just be one of the dumbest animals on the planet. Yet, today I found that there is much to learn from them.

I spent a good part of my Sunday afternoon relaxing in a lounge chair just observing our new chicken yard. Here’s some background to my story.

About 6 weeks ago, we took delivery of 30 Guinea Hen Chicks. We nurtured them in a cardboard box on our back porch till they outgrew it. A couple weeks ago Joe and I built a chicken coop. As soon as it was ready we moved the Guineas to the new coop while we finished off the fence around the chicken yard.

Guineas are originally from Africa. They are self-sufficient, extremely hardy, voraciously eat bugs (particularly ticks) and are great watch “dogs”. Pretty good neighbors by all my criteria.

Joe has been raising some laying hens and a rooster that he offered to give us. A couple days after completing the fenced yard, we moved the chickens in after dark while they slept. That was Friday night. We put them on their roosts so that when they awoke the next morning they would find themselves in their new home. Joe even brought a box for a nest and a golf ball as a placebo egg. The ball is a cue to where they are supposed to lay. Sure enough, the next day we had 4 beautiful eggs next to the golf ball. That was Saturday and we had a repeat performance today. Nothing like truly fresh eggs.

The first day the chickens and guineas mostly ignored each other. Their second night together I found them snuggled up tightly on the roost. One chicken even had a guinea under her wing.

Today, I noticed that they had become much more segregated. One of the red hens has taken to intimidation, chasing the guineas all over the yard and out of the chicken house. But when it gets dark, they all end up in the house on the roost again, although this evening, at a greater distance. They seem to have noticed a difference. The guineas are about half the size of the chickens, but growing rapidly. When mature, they should be roughly the same size. It will be interesting to see who intimidates whom when size is no longer a differentiator, the chickens are outnumbered about six to one and the guineas have a tactical flight advantage.

The behavior I found most interesting today was guinean. Guinea hens are extremely social animals, running in a tightly packed flock. In this case, I thought they were acting quite human. I had laid out some straw in one corner of the yard. There was plenty there for all the guineas, but it was mostly ignored. One guinea chick randomly took an interest, plucked a single piece of straw from the pile and sprinted for the opposite end of the yard, shaking the straw violently in its beak. Suddenly, that piece of straw became highly desirable to the whole flock, improved as it was in form and function by the shaking. As many chicks as could get near the first guinea began trying to take it away, while continuing to ignore the straw pile. There ensued a mighty chase until the first guinea finally dropped the straw. On the ground, it immediately lost its appeal and the flock’s attention returned to scratching randomly in the dirt.

How similar are people who must have the latest chic’ (pun intended) gadget just because someone else has it. How they scurry frantically about until it it is either acquired or becomes unfashionably passe’. How quickly the cycle spends itself and we rush off in hot pursuit of some new object in a different direction!

Aah, the vanity, avarice and covetousness of men, guineas and chickens. Also, like the red hen, how quickly we seek to intimidate or exercise authority over others just because we can.

Observing chickens may be at the peril of your pride in the human species. You might conclude that we aren’t much smarter than they. On the other hand, maybe we could all learn from watching chickens and stop running around like,  uhhhh……
a chicken with its head cut off?

by

Community -The Value of People

I get calls all the time from people saying they are looking for a community of “like-minded people”.  It seems that has become a cliche’.  Like most buzz words, it’s worth digging a little deeper to find out what it means to the person using it.   A wise man said, “the map is not the territory”.

The Village is all about making a place to live where people share similar, bedrock values especially caring about and being able to depend on their neighbors.  That takes a lot of work.  It means I have to explore their map of reality below the surface cliche’s.  Fortunately, by the time most people call me they are pre-screened.  They have found us by searching on some important key words.  They know they want a self-sufficient lifestyle and they want community.  They aren’t very interested in a superficial country club lifestyle where everybody wants to flaunt their wealth.  Most of the time, they are busy professionals, intelligent, successful folks with solid values who want to simplify.  They have usually read my blog, so the field has already been narrowed to a select few with a pretty good fit – compatible values.  But even then, I’m not shy about telling people who wouldn’t fit that they might be happier with a different kind of community.  Why?  Because I live here and I’m building the kind of place where I want to live for the rest of my life.  Great relationships with people are more important than money.  People are more important than things.

In hard times especially, people need to draw together.  Trusting relationships are everything.  This message seems to be resonating with people more and more as the economy looks ever more shaky and the government looks ever more out of control.  At a time when most luxury resort type communities haven’t sold anything for a year and are going bust, we are growing rapidly.

If you call or visit, there is no high pressure sales pitch.  Even before we show you around, we like to sit and chat for a while – explore your “map”, your values, your goals and aspirations.  Before you fall in love with the land we want to know that you will love the kind of people who are here.

We offer a private website where villagers, prospective villagers, contractors, and even neighbors from outside our “non-exclusive” development can get to know one another and share their views, ask each other candid questions and make sure this is where they want to be.  I have even offered to set up conference calls between prospective and current villagers to explore the fit.  It’s a slow process and it risks killing sales, but I think it’s worth it.  After all, making a move like this is a big change for most people.  There’s more to a happy life than a nice secluded house nestled in nature’s beauty.  You’re not buying dirt and trees, you’re hoping to buy a happy life.  We do everything we can to assure that will happen for our Villagers … and for ourselves.

by

3rd Annual Independence Day Celebration @ the Village

An independent, self-sufficient lifestyle is one element that defines the Village.  So, Independence Day is OUR day, our 3rd annual.

We will start celebrating on Friday the 3rd with a double feature on the big screen under the stars in our amphitheater.  Call for an invitation to join us.  You might even consider bringing a tent or RV to camp out near by.

The 4th will start out with an early flag ceremony.  Bring a flag to plant in a field of flags.  Celebrate the freedom and independence promised by our constitution.  At the amphitheater stage, we plan to have bluegrass and country music with some free form jamming.  I’ll bring my sax.  You’re welcome to join in.  You can hike and explore our 500 acre nature preserve.  In the evening, villagers will share a potluck dinner and fireworks.

If you would like to join us, please RSVP us at (931) 442-1444.

by

Tiny Homes – Big Life

Some time ago a Realtor suggested to me that the formula for calculating the cost of building a home should be a large multiple of the cost of the lot.  At the time it struck me as a bit odd.  The more I have considered it, the more out of step that thinking seems.  It reminded me of advice I received as a young man.   I was contemplating marriage and buying an engagement ring.  The jeweler informed me that I should budget a certain percent of my annual salary for that ring.  There was no consideration for any of my personal values, economic circumstances, nor of my future bride, only custom and fashion.  A thinking person holds neither fashion nor custom in very high regard.  It seemed that someone concocted these  formulas more for the benefit of the salesman than for the happiness and well-being of the buyer.

For a person who values nature, if there is to be such a formula, shouldn’t the numerator and denominator be flipped?  Shouldn’t the land value be a multiple of the house?  Which is the more durable, the more valuable over time?  What does REAL in Real Estate refer to?  Great architects will invariably assert that good architecture is molded to the character of the land, not the other way round.  The most famous example of the principle is “Falling Water” designed by our most lauded architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.  But I hold that the true spirit of the principle was best illustrated by my favorite philosopher, Henry David Thoreau.  He found his greatest joy living in about a 150 square foot house of his own construction beside a lovely pond in the woods.

Today, it has become quite fashionable to downsize to small, even tiny houses.  How good it would be if behavior were driven by wisdom not fashion, but what a happy coincidence we find ourselves in!  The unforeseen benefits of a small home are substantial.  When the land one lives on is of greater value than the house, the true proportional value emerges between things made by man and those made by God.

This conflict of interest has reached absurd proportions as American suburbs filled with McMansions that people can neither afford nor use.  Huge spaces that only require the owner to fill them with furniture that they can also not afford.  Possessions own us.  Thankfully, current economic hardships have brought a degree of common sense back to at least some.

In the Village, it’s really ok to own a small house rather than be owned by a huge, wasteful one.  There is no minimum house size here. We are blessed with a mild climate and stunningly beautiful land filled with plants and animals in their natural state.  A small home invites one to be outside and enjoy all that nature has to offer.  The Village lifestyle is the antidote for the cocooning generation, holed up with TV’s, video games in cavernous mansions, full of things and yet empty of life.

How full one’s life becomes when the great out-of-doors becomes the boundaries of our habitation, not the walls of our house.

For some ideas on living small, check this out:   http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/

by

Spring Green and Peace is in the Air

It’s that beautiful time of year when the new green is fresh and delicate.  Recent rains have filled the creeks to overflowing and the waterfalls roar.  At our elevation, the dogwoods, wild azaleas, wildflowers and mountain laurel are about a month behind Atlanta – now in full bloom.

Spring brings out the best in us.  While the dark clouds of the economy and world events are still with us, people are breaking free of fear and indecision.  In the past couple of weeks we have sold seven lots and our new Villagers are a cut above.  Intelligent, hard working, concerned about having and being good neighbors, there is a sense of excitement, energy and cooperation awakening in the Village community underlying a sense of well-being and deep calm.

New owners are voluntarily working together to share information, green construction ideas and purchasing power as they build their homes.  It’s a good place to be.  This year promises to be the best ever.

by

Sustainable Living Progress Report

Progress Update

OK, so I have been really bad about posting updates lately. That’s because I’ve been working hard on projects and I’m dog-tired at the end of each day.  The good news is that we’re moving forward with lots of cool stuff here.

Thanks to my wife, the greenhouse is planted and lots of little sprouts are poking their heads up. The weather has gotten warm enough to shut down the greenhouse furnace for now. Daytime temps are in the 70’s and greenhouse temp’s are in the 80’s and 90’s. We still need to install the shade cloth for the summer. Should be arriving this week.

We have engaged a land company on several projects. A huge track-hoe is now sitting on the property ready to begin work this week expanding the retention pond where we plan to raise cattails to be distilled for alcohol fuel and retain water for irrigation.

Chuck is making good progress on the wood gasifier that will also make fuel for the stationary generator installation. This green electricity generating system will also become an economic mainstay for producing a valuable product in the Village.  Chuck is part of the larger community web of folks dedicated to being self-sufficient. When you visit, you should make time to meet him. He’s an amazing resource and an amazing guy!

We have finished grading a large pad for a workshop / storage building. I’m excited about this prototype project because we will be using 40′ X 8′ shipping containers as the green building blocks. These large steel containers are built for ocean shipping conditions. Therefore, strong enough to handle hurricanes but inexpensive because there are millions of these things piled up at sea ports needing to be salvaged. I plan to face the sides of them with oak slab paneling – a FREE byproduct of local saw mills and insulate them with recycled insulation from the many commercial chicken houses that have closed near here. We will install roof trusses with a pitched steel roof and, once again install tanks to collect rainwater for irrigation. The shop will be heated in winter from the same outdoor wood furnace that will heat the greenhouse and two other homes. So, when we’re done, we’ll have a state-of-the-art green facility that costs not a lot more than our sweat equity and has an attractive, rustic look to boot.

Now for the part that really gets my creative juices going. We have purchased three of these containers – two for the shop and a third one that will be used to hosue the screen and backstage at the amphitheater. By this year’s third annual July 4th event we hope the amphitheater will be fully and permanently functional. The stage container will also house electronic sound equipment, a small kitchen and serve as a multipurpose community center.

My brother has been here for the past month working on his house and helping with all these projects. It’s great to have like-minded people who you love focused together on the same goals and having fun at it.

It seems that the worse the economy gets the better it is for the people in the Village.

We look forward to seeing all of you soon.

by

Yes, You Can … be free and independent… and we can help

A recent visitor shared with us his desire to make a break from dependence on an unstable world… quickly followed by a confession of fear of plunging into the unknown.  Is it just an illusion for old hippies who live in communes?

We took a walk past our thundering waterfall, then to our garden that provided about 80% of all our food last summer.  I showed him our newly planted orchard and  greenhouse that will easily quadruple our growing capacity and our 7,500 gallon cistern that provides water security.  I showed him several projects I’m working on to make us energy self-sufficient.  Then we talked numbers, how all of this plus our modest, sustainable home (built for less than $80 per square foot) were all completed at minimal cost and how being debt free and self-sustaining on our family plot of land has brought us such peace of mind.

Like most white collar workers from a corporate background, I lacked the backwoods skills necessary to be truly self-sustaining.  So, like most people, I was afraid of the unknown.  Was it really possible to live well outside the tenuous infrastructure that is crumbling around us?  Could I do it?  After two years of joyful work, learning and doing, I can answer unequivocally, YES !!!

Still dreaming but afraid to make the leap?  Our concept is of a community where intelligent people with a strong work ethic and family values independently own their own property but work and play together to build solid relationships on top of an unconquerable desire to be free and self-sufficient.

Having proved that it is possible, we’re here to help you achieve the same peace of mind.  Come take a look.  Like they say at Home Depot,

YOU CAN DO IT.  WE CAN HELP!

by

An Abundant, Low-Impact Christmas

Back again after a relaxing Christmas holiday. This was perhaps our most low-impact Christmas ever. We just vegged in our cozy home with the sounds of the babbling brook just outside our back door while we worked together assembling a big puzzle. I’m not usually one for puzzles as they seem like a waste of potentially productive time. But sometimes that’s just what we need as background to slow-flowing, deep conversation with those we love most.

Our absence of focus on things commercial was periodically interrupted all Christmas morning as we took turns asking each other,
“well, should we take a break to open presents?”
Followed quickly by, “Naah, there’s no hurry”.
I think that puzzle strangely resembled our compost pile in that it slowly created rich soil for discussion with our teen-age daughter. I had no time left for blogging, gardening or anything else. Without a doubt, it was the highest and best use of my time for the holidays.

I want to recommend some of the gifts I received, particularly two sets of wonderful books. This morning I’ve been absorbed in Bill Mollison’s seminal work, Permaculture Design Manual. I’m also looking forward to consuming Dave Jacke’s Edible Forest Gardens (both for knowledge and the fruits). Both are huge repositories of knowledge on sustainable living. These are the gifts that truly keep giving for a lifetime.

I just got a call from a new friend who flew in to Nashville last night and is on her way for a visit to the Village. We have carried on a delightful correspondence and are looking forward to welcoming her into our family for a couple of days.

We hope your Christmas has been as relaxing and peaceful as ours. God has surely blessed us with all we need and much much more. We live in marvelous times.

by

Neighborhood Rules for a Sustainable Lifestyle

From time to time I receive an email with lots of great questions. This one needs to be shared.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grant,
Thanks for the information on the lots and prices. There are a lot of things we like about your development – it’s clear you’ve put a lot of time and thought into it.

We have in common some concerns about the economy and what will happen over the next few years, and we’re very interested in finding a community which has some of these concerns in common and a commitment to a degree of sustainability and self-reliance. Separately, I’ll email you a couple articles on the economy / future predictions which you may find interesting.

My wife and I have a few questions – I’ve numbered them for reference, the number does not signify a priority:

1. What is the threshold to quality for the “Green” discount?   That is, is there a list of specific things one must do to a home?
Currently there are three types of green installation that would qualify. They are Wind power, Solar power and Rain Water Collection System. One of my objectives in offering this rebate is that our efforts in this direction be very visible as an example to educate and encourage others. Hence the choice of these. From a quality perspective, they must function for their intended purpose. Proof that electricity is generated in the projected amounts and stored in a manner to provide a meaningful contribution to your sustainability. You may either contract with an approved professional for installation, in which case the rebate may be applied against the total installed cost or do the work yourself, in which case the rebate will apply only against materials. The project must be completed within one year of purchase.

2. Is there a build deadline – a date by which one must build, after you’ve purchased a lot?
There is no build deadline, only Green Rebate deadline.

3. I see there is a common garden area, but it appears that all forms of fencing is prohibited on an individual lot. We’d like a place where we can have our herb garden for the kitchen and a small vegetable garden on our own lot … and that would mean fencing of some type to keep the rabbits and deer out. Is that a possibility, or is the no-fencing rule absolute?
I need to clarify the covenants. The no-fence rule is meant to apply only to opaque privacy fences. We want to have an open community that invites interaction between neighbors and minimizes barriers. Fences for other purposes (pet or livestock containment, garden protection, etc) are fine.  You will find that anything that makes good common sense for the establishment of a sustainable lifestyle will be encouraged here. The primary principle that will govern all rules is the golden rule with an emphasis on personal liberty to use your land in the most productive manner for the pursuit of happiness and your well being.

4. Similar to fencing question above and related to the goals of sustainability and self-reliance, we’d also like a place that would allow a small chicken coop … I can understand that on lots of an acre or two, neighbors may object to a rooster – that’s the one that creates the early morning noise, but not so the hens. Recently, even large communities like Raleigh and Durham have affirmed that homes with small yards can have – in Durham up to 10 hens, but no rooster … I don’t recall for sure what the Raleigh rule was. What are your thoughts on this?
We encourage small-scale farm production of all types. I keep rabbits on my property. I intend to build a chicken coop as well. Just haven’t gotten to that project yet. There are many small farmers in the extended community who raise chickens, beef, pigs, bees, etc., so as yet, I have relied on my neighbors for these commodities. Personally, I have no problem with roosters either since I am usually up before the roosters are. I think we will leave that up to the vote of the community as to whether we should impose a rooster rule in the future.   At this point there is none.

5. Also, our southern woods are infested with ticks … we’d like to have the freedom to have a few guinea hens to run loose during the day and gobble up the ticks … they are far better at tick control than any other creature – – and that also fits with our mutual dislike of chemicals and sprays.
Guinea hens are not only great for controlling ticks, they are excellent watch “dogs” as well. Highly encouraged.

6. The annual HOA fee is set at $600 … what additional fees / assessment do you envision (i.e., amount and frequency)? From heading a couple HOAs in the past, I can understand that you can’t be precise about predicting the future, but what’s your best guess at this point in time?
We have actually reduced the HOA fee to $300 and as yet have not collected it from any homeowners. At this point, we do not maintain expensive improvements like a lodge or a pool, so our costs are minimal. The trails that connect each lot and the 500 acre nature preserve and the entry sign area do require maintenance, but so far I have carried those costs either from my own pocket or my own labor. The future will be, as you say, difficult to predict. However, I believe there will be sustainability projects that the HOA will want to take on where it will make sense to share the costs as opposed to tackling them as individual families. For example, it might make sense for the HOA to own a tractor to cultivate the community garden and to purchase fuel for it. Some of us have also talked about how much fun it might be to have a zip line system for access and enhanced appreciation of the canyon nature preserve. These commitments will be taken on by common vote of the community. I am careful not to impose costs that reduce sustainability or become a burden to Villagers.

7. How many total lots do you expect to put on the market (i.e., how many neighboring families will be in this community when fully populated)?
There are 30 lots in phase 1. Approximately the same in phase 2. Several families have purchased two adjoining lots. I encourage people to build multiple homes on their lots for extended family where they have enough land, as I plan to do for my children and aging mother. So the total population is difficult to predict. This said, we carefully chose this area for the quality of people who surround the village. They tend to be hard-working, resourceful, honest, open people. I view them as an extension and a vital part of our sustainable community.  We differ from many gated, closed communities in that we strive to maintain excellent, close relationships with our indigenous neighbors. We hope to be of great value to them as they are to us.

by

Discussing Alcohol as Fuel leads to THANKSGIVING

Today, I am thankful for many things, including my friends, both at the village and my online friends.   Below is an excerpt from a discussion on our private website, “The Friends of Sewanee Creek”.

ALCOHOL AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Added By:     Jeanne On Fri, 11/21/2008 11:59:22 am
Category:     Sustainability, Sustainable Energy
Share Your Thoughts *      (See attachments)

Clayton – Mon, 11/24/2008 09:09:32 am
It is already used as an additive in some gasoline brands. Usually about 10%. Currently, it requires more gallons of alcohol to get the same mileage as gasoline

Clayton – Mon, 11/24/2008 09:20:16 am
“Top Fuel” dragsters have used methanol for many years!

Chuck – Mon, 11/24/2008 09:45:45 am
The IRL indy cars have used it for 35/40 years

Steven – Tue, 11/25/2008 10:09:43 am
I have been reading about using alcohol as a fuel a lot lately.I used to be into racing and was around some vehicles that used it. The fuel system had to be heavily modified and the best I remember there had to be considerably more fuel “dumped” into the engine as compared to gasoline.

Chuck – Tue, 11/25/2008 12:26:43 pm
You are so right

Clayton – Wed, 11/26/2008 09:51:03 am
Let’s face it, gasoline is still the most efficient fuel for cars and trucks. It provides the most energy per volume than any other fuels that are mass produced and widely available. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep looking for and exploring alternatives. It does mean that gas is the best we have for now.

Grant Miller – Wed, 11/26/2008 11:40:30 am
Yes, that’s true of pretty much all the conveniences we take for granted. After two years of focusing on becoming self-sufficient, I can attest that it sure is a lot easier to breeze through Publix for convenience foods than to raise it yourself. It’s easier to flip a switch to use electricity from the grid than to make your own (no matter how you do it). It’s easier and more efficient to depend on the water utility than to collect your own water. As simple a task as it is, keeping my gutters clean (so the water in my cistern is pure) requires continuous awareness and vigilance. That goes for virtually everything necessary to live independently.

Our life style, up to now, has been blessed with unprecedented ease and efficiency. Our world has been on a never ending quest for the holy grail of ultimate convenience. My entire career in food service and convenience retailing at 7-Eleven has been all about that quest. Everything we take for granted has been refined and automated to the nth degree. A fragile consumptive market founded on luxury and greed has assured that efficiency rules.

One can literally pass through life without any thought at all, dependent on the work, inventiveness and thought of others. Perhaps that is why children are so addicted to mind-numbing video games that require no work or thought, only quick digital reflexes, and people struggle to find meaning in life.

My wife and I have reached a deep appreciation for our pioneer ancestors who had to make everything they used. Yet we aren’t even close to what they had to do just to survive. We still enjoy many wonderful modern conveniences they lacked that make our lives incomparably easy. Living as we do now is still a choice.

After all that, I can echo your comment, Clay.  “It is worth it“.   I know how panicky I would be right now if it weren’t for the work we have done over the past couple of years and continue to do. The feeling of peace, knowing that come-what-may, you can cope comfortably is truly priceless. The pure joy of total freedom to wake up every day and do what I want to do because I am independent is heady stuff.

As I approach the thanksgiving holiday, I can’t remember a time in my life when I have felt a deeper sense of gratitude for my blessings than right now. Perhaps that’s because the self-sufficient lifestyle, like no other, requires a level of mindfulness and work that gifts one with a true understanding of the value of one’s blessings. Living close to nature assures that one also understands the true source. I am grateful to God for everything He has blessed us with. I stand on His shoulders for EVERYTHING that I have, starting with the very dirt I work in to raise my food. It is ALL a free gift from Him. My cup runneth over. I am blessed beyond measure.

May you all have a truly blessed thanksgiving.

by

Top 9 Antidotes for hard times

While there is some really good news happening at grass-roots levels with thinking people, there is plenty to be concerned about and to prepare for. I always try to stay positive in my communications.  Sometimes, that is only possible because I’m feeling well prepared and getting more independent every day.

Prepared for what? Read the articles in the link below.
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/BreakingNews.html

So, how have I prepared?  My private website, “the friends of Sewanee Creek” chronicles that preparation over the past two years. A long time ago, on our forum, I outlined what I consider to be the key elements of preparedness.

Recently I was told by a prospective Villager that what attracted him to the Village is our “authentic” marketing. I think anyone who visits and witnesses how we have focused our resources will plainly see that our interests are in sustainability over green window-dressing. That’s intentional.

We want neighbors who are intelligent, aware, resourceful and ready to contribute within a community that is ready to roll up their shirtsleeves and create real value – together. I don’t think that happens with slick marketing that glosses over the challenges with an appeal to a cushy, yuppie-luxury lifestyle. We have found from experience that our marketing message doesn’t appeal to the masses whose primary objective is ease and comfort and are in denial about what has already happened in our world. That’s a good thing.

Authentic? You bet. Here’s what my family have accomplished over the past two years:
I started with the absolute essentials to sustain life.
1. WATER:
Secured an independent and renewable water supply using rain water catchment.
2. FOOD:
Secured our independent year-round food supply. We set up an intensive garden, improved the soil, began organic composting, implemented a renewable, independent irrigation system, planted, worked and learned how. Built rabbit hutches and began raising rabbits. Bottom line, we raised about 80% of what we ate this summer in addition to canning and preserving a substantial amount for the winter. We are now completing a greenhouse, roughly twice the size of our garden. This winter, our objective is to learn how to raise all the food we need to sustain our family year round.
3. SHELTER:
Built a comfortable, sustainable home right-sized for our needs that incorporates passive solar heating, good insulation, multiple redundant heat sources and potable, independent water supply.
4. FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE:
Financially secured our home and personal land and all personal assets, free and clear of all debt.  Paid off all bank debt on personal property.
5. ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION
Secured renewable transportation. Purchased an all-electric plug-in vehicle that provides adequate transportation between our home and Tracy City.
6. ENERGY / HEAT & ELECTRICITY
Planning to build and implement low-cost renewable, energy solutions for home and greenhouse heat and electricity generation.
7. COMMUNITY / EXTENDED FAMILY:
Educated my extended family about impending failures of global finance, energy and food supply, social disintegration and opportunities of sustainable living. This resulted in a commitment to gathering of family and co-investment in renewable assets and permaculture living.
8. COMMUNITY / THE MOUNTAIN:
Developed relationships with resourceful people who live a sustainable life style in the larger community to provide opportunities for trade of skills, information and other critical resources.
9. COMMUNITY / THE VILLAGE:
Planned, developed and facilitated government planning approvals for the Village. Built key facilities to promote Villager interaction and appreciation of natural assets – the amphitheater, community garden and trails.

Reduced costs on property and slashed prices to attract the right kind of self-sufficient, independent and responsible people to our community at the lowest possible, sustainable cost.

My family and I are at peace with our preparedness and action plans for the future. It has taken more than two years of concentrated effort to achieve that. Most days if you visit, you will find my wife and I personally on the land working with our own hands, learning, building and growing. It’s a big change in lifestyle from that of a senior executive. It is not without its challenges, but we love it. We have a sense of personal connection and accomplishment with what we are building, not to mention the thrill of living in close connection with the beauty and rhythms of nature.

Are you comfortable about your future? If you are one of the intelligent, resourceful and aware people, not in denial, ready to go to work, aware that it will take time, work and the help of other like-minded people, but confident of your own ability and drive to live sustainably, please don’t delay another day. The time to prepare is now.

Having made the transition, having done it, we can confidently help you make the transition too.

by

Finding Peace in the midst of Turmoil

In my last post, I struck an upbeat note in anticipation of impending turmoil.  Since then, as expected, global financial markets have commenced melt-down in earnest.  Jobs are evaporating quickly and the news is filled with panicked people.
The short-term good news is the relief we are seeing in commodity prices including food, oil and even precious metals like gold.  Longer term, anyone who understands economics can see that we are headed for hyper-inflation.  Our dollar will buy less and less and prices will increase rapidly.  Many think we have already entered an unannounced depression.
Meanwhile, we are enjoying a continued sense of peace and joy in the Village.  How can that be so?  It comes from knowing that no matter what else is happening in the rest of the world, we live in a natural paradise with all of our needs provided for.  We continue to work towards complete self-sustainability within a community of people who are committed to working and playing together.

It’s not too late to find peace in the mountains at the Village on Sewanee Creek.

by

Arts and the University at Sewanee

University of the South

Sewanee Cathedral

Here’s a link to an article posted in today’s The Tennesseean, Nashville’s paper.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/FEATURES0502/804270306

It highlights how wonderful it is to have the University (locals call it simply “Sewanee” or as it says in the article, the domain) nearby.

Several of you have mentioned the importance of a local arts community like the one around Asheville, NC. The article alludes to several artists in and around the domain, but there are many more tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the larger “mountain community” that includes the towns of Sewanee, Monteagle and Tracy City where we are located.

In case you are wondering about the connection with our name, the Village on Sewanee Creek is some 20 minutes drive from the town and campus of Sewanee. We derive our name from Sewanee Creek that flows through our Village. I added “the Village” to our name completely unaware of the use of the term as it applies to the domain. I just wanted to capture in our name my intense interest in building a strong local, integrated and self-sustaining community. I think the word village best expresses this ideal.

by

Tennessee Mountain Community

I’m intensely committed to BUILDING a close-knit, self-sustaining community of like-minded, intelligent and resourceful people within the Village on Sewanee Creek.

But there is a sustainable mountain community surrounding the Village proper already in existence.  It is filled with highly resourceful people who already know how to live joyfully in good times and hard times in harmony with nature and people.  Let me tick off just some of the resources that surround us here.
– Band Saw Mill within 1/2 mile.
– Free Range Cattle within 1 mile.
– Free Range Chickens within 1/4 mile producing free range eggs.
– Bees that produce local honey
– Worm Farm (one of 3 largest in the US) produces worm casting compost for organic gardening (not to mention fishing worms)
– Many small and medium acreage farmers and a well-organized web based farmers market selling everything from organic soap to indigenous herbs and ornamental shrubs to organically grown vegetables and delivering them to your door.
– Greenhouse within 1.5 miles producing sprouts for flowers and vegetables.
– Many skilled craftsmen in masonry, timber frame and traditional construction.  Strong Mennonite community in nearby Altamont.
– An artist community within about 2 miles that features experts in welding, glass blowing and pottery.
– Two mid-sized supermarkets, 2 dollar stores and a home improvement center 5 minutes away for every day shopping.
– Outstanding educational and cultural institutions that span Kindergarten to University within 20 minutes.

As we build the Village, it’s good to know that a larger wonderful village already envelops us.  There is a certain peace of mind being anchored in such a community.  We are truly blessed to be in this part of the Tennessee Mountains.