A study in human entertainment. Not the usual type of ball juggling or itching but rather more along the lines of Coral Castle. You start with a piece of worthless land and turn it into a dream world. Okay my idea is far more practical but it's the same idea. We all need a home a place to call our own even if that is an illusion.
In my case I guess the land is going to be a little mucky. I think the politically correct term is wetland. Pond land or oh what I'd call it swamp land. That's how Walt Disney started out his home. No one wants it because it's too much work. Everyone wants it easy. Easy and dry as cash. Some people will live in a swamp 18 feet below sea level in a hurricane zone and still have the nerve to hand out their hand when something goes wrong.
For me I am certainly holding out my hand hook or crook, beg or borrow. Movies don't get made unless some finances them. Very few people finance their own projects. Project is the word I'd use.
It starts with the crack in the door and them nothing can stop you...save for a zoning board violation from uptight fart freezers who save it for the elevator after they had bacon, eggs and sausage for breakfast. So let's crack open 'dem beans I mean the door.
1/2 acre of land, wet, not cleared. Traditional area of uptight prickdom clinging to their run down ways. It's summer absolutely no one is going to want to hear heavy machinery. They better stick cotton in their ears. The area is cleared, tree trunks shredded. Clean slate.
1st complaint you cut all the trees down! Well that's because I prefer to grow things I can eat. My project is about that....independence. We rely so much upon the assistance of others we are no longer capable of surviving a major catastrophe. It could be natural, manmade, monetary, etc...doesn't matter when the supermarket shelves are bare you'll know what's going on.
This message isn't just for the welfare types. Worse then them are the people who order a lawn service and consider roundup to be the best thing since penicillin are the ones who will really suffer. The welfare reject will riot, loot, steal etc. The guy in the $2 million house is going to starve. His money wont mean anything when no supplies are coming in. He is not used to walking and he's in his mid 50's and his wife turns to him with the what are we going to do. Sorry viagra temporarily fixed the other problem but is not going to fix the next one. You see gangs of rioters from the bad towns are on the march. Suddenly you feel threatened....insecure....so you retreat to your womb....your car. You actually feel naked without it. You are embarrassed to walk to the mail box even. You back the car down to the end of the driveway.
It's like a twilight zone episode. My idea is to turn conventionality on it's head. 1st thing throw away the notion the house meaning the physical structure is the most important thing. The land and the sun are....oh and the water.
So back to the slate. Got to do something about that water. Sand, top soil...dump dump dump....until you can look down your neighbor's blouse. You might have to get a shovel in there and dig you a footing/foundation for a retaining wall. Otherwise I have to imagine a mudslide would be a lot of fun. You got to get that soil up out of the muck where the sun can get at it.
Now you'll need shelter gonna rain. You don't really want to focus so much time on a house and starve because you didn't plant your garden, do you? Exactly. On the North side of the property install a geodesic dome. Quick, easy, affordable groovy structure. You can decorate in November, it's for crashing.
Now you're going to get some manure deliveries to buildup areas to install high tunnels. Yes you will be gardening under the protection of plastic. you'll add months to the growing season and have healthier organic plants and not use any poison. Land gets hot so you'll need water. You did get a well install? no? Oh neighbors wont mind that sound too much.
While the well is being drilled you can be planting seeds, starting seedling in the greenhouse I forgot to mention you installed next to your geo-dome. It's there because you're going to spend a lot of time there.
Since your soil is not developed yet you're going to have to add things to the plants as things grow. I recommend Foxfarm products and Lobster compost from Oceans of Maine. they have other stuff too....think that's their name.
You'll have to work on adjusting the ph too. When it starts to get too cold you'll want to be planting covercrops. before you do that more organic matter like the stuff i mentioned and the compost piles you've been keeping.
Pretty soon the tourists have gone and you're there to strum your guitar and since in your geodesic dome planning for the spring. You did get some wood? coal? oops.....
