Summer, '09 June

Dameron Drive Update
6/22/09

Pix:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippiegypsy/sets/72157620223318098/
Slideshow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippiegypsy/sets/72157620223318098/show/
Blog:http://prescottecohood.blogspot.com/

…people want a newsletter update…here it goes:
• The addition: nearly complete…we have left, install the bathroom fixtures and exterior lime finish.
• Agriculture: we have corn, beans, squash, potatoes, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, beets, carrots, cantaloupe, and cucumbers growing. With the gardens 10-times larger this year, it’s been challenging.
• Construction: we started finishing the exterior in lime plaster. We covered the gable ends in wood pine board and baton. We also need to install a brick floor from recycled bricks I saved from the old chimney I removed three years ago.
• Tomorrow: we start the demolition on the main house. As some of you know, three years ago I started recycling the main house. I removed as much wood, metal, wire, screws, hinges, glass, and fixtures as I possibly could. Now, all we have left is the four standing walls, lathe and stucco, gable ends, a floor and foundation to remove.

After the addition and demolition, I plan to take a two-week break to focus on farming: providing local food to local people. After that, I want to complete our design and start building a 1000 square-foot greenhouse.

Additional projects:
• rainwater collection
• solar hot water & electric

Happenings in Prescott:
• Local Food: You can get a lot of local food around the neighborhood this summer. We have several food stands offering locally grown vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, teas, and other fresh stuff.
• Community Dinners and tours still happen here each Wednesday: tours at 6pm, dinner at 6:30. We may change dates to accommodate a summer vegetable stand…stay tuned, e-mail me, or stop by and read the board for more info.
• Karma Farm: to create and run subsistence urban farms, lead by volunteers, for the growth and free distribution of vegetables to the community…yes folks, free, barter, or trade.

You can look at the pictures on the web and/or see these notes:
• poured floors with earth and straw
• watched a hailstorm, bugs, and chickens tear-up young plants
• finished a board & baton gable end finish
• placed wood pine trunks & elm tree branches as window and door trim
• built squash mounds
• weeded beds constantly
• planted 440 corn & 40 squash plants
• Kelly planted and moved tons of plants
• Mark helped with electric and plumbing
• Cassandra and others worked on earth plastering the walls and floor
• Gregory and Sean worked on framing and roofing

…why do I do this, because it feels right. In the people, place, and endless work, I find peace…and in this peace I try to give an example of sustainability…how we can operate within a larger group while providing for ourselves, our families, and the community we live in.