HANDLING THE HOUSE 

BACKGROUND: In 2011, I inherited a 20-acre parcel in Central Illinois. I did not want to grow GMO corn and soybeans, so lived in Urbana for 2 years while detoxifying the soil with alfalfa. In October 2013, I put a Riley modular home (3 bedrooms, 2 bath, 1300 sq ft) on the property. The acreage had NO trees! [See photo in blog #14] When I moved to Florida, I rented out the house. 

Mid 2019 I sold the farm to my mentor; however, the house was not included in the sale. The third tenant turned out to be “undesirable.” I gave him a 60-day notice to move, but then the COVID “scamdemic” hit, and Illinois did not allow evictions. Thus he was there another 2 years, during which he let weeds in the west yard grow to 5+ feet and “trash” trees to grow to 8+ feet—a veritable jungle!!  

Notice the cable dish buried in the weeds and trees!  

There was lots of trash all over the place. Willow trees surrounded the solar lamp on the corner. Chad FINALLY moved out in July 2022. Good riddance! It was very hard on me to know that my property was an eyesore. Even though my sister had sent me some photos, I knew I needed to GO there, figure out what needed to be done, and get the place fixed up and put on the market. The estimate was around $6,000. Miraculously, a friend who had sung in my L.A. Choir for over 20 years and had recently moved to Clearwater loaned me the money! 

I replaced my perpetually flat tire and left Clearwater at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept 2^nd. I usually stay with my friends Scott and Silvia in Atlanta, but ironically they were in Clearwater for services. Fortunately, they connected me with Charles, who is renting a room there. Amazingly, he did not display upset when I arrived at 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Nice guy! 

Saturday's drive took me through Chattanooga, Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, and finally to my house--only to find the door jammed! Jane let me sleep on her living room floor. (She didn't want me to stay there due to the difficulties she has handling her husband, who has Alzheimers.) 

You know how when you take off on a trip, you spend the first 20 minutes or so wondering what you might have forgotten. Well, when I went to put on my work clothes, I realized what I forgot—my work bra! Sister Jane came to the rescue and loaned me a black lace bra that she never wore. So for a week a worked and sweated in a black lace bra. How funny is that?! (Sorry, no photo—in the bra, or in my work clothes, camo cap, no makeup.) 

Matt, who I hired to do repairs, unjammed the door Sunday morning, at which point I moved my stuff in—sorta like “camping out.” It took a few days for me to realize the HVC system was not working. Was in the 80's when I arrived; but a few mornings later I woke up and it was 55 degrees! Brrrrrr!

I met Duke (a retired biology teacher and prepper) in 2012. Gave him a “mayday” call. He came right over with his chainsaw, started cutting down the “trash” trees, and got a burn pile going. Then we got rained out. Meanwhile my old rain boots fell apart (literally!), so I drove the 15 miles to Urbana and purchased some work boots--and light bulbs, which I then installed—thanks to Jane's loan of a ladder. 

My house did not have wi fi! Yikes! Felt like a teenager whose parents took away his cell phone. It's hard to remember a time in my adult life when I had no source of music or news (alternative media, of course). Maybe when traveling through the mountains of Bolivia with my college orchestra and the bus broke down! 

Next day I continued feeding trees, branches and weeds onto the burn pile and splashing diesel fuel ($120 worth!) onto it to keep it going... not easy. Duke brought over a tractor with front bucket and back mower (“bush hog?”). Picture the guy with the big toys, and the old lady with the Japanese hand sickle. 

People kept stopping by—mostly neighbors noticing the smoke, but happy to see the place getting cleaned up. Randy and his daughter brought me 4 apples from their trees. He then originated that he wanted to talk to me … got into a bit about how he's not happy with either of the 2 major political parties. I of course promoted the Libertarian party and he was receptive. :-) 

On Tuesday Matt, Josh and I picked up tons of junk from the yard and they hauled it away. Plus I had to keep the burn pile going. On Wednesday I went to Rich's Restaurant (2 miles away in Ogden) for a Country Omelette, plus email. Took photos of the damage done by Chad, e.g. holes in doors. He told me initially that he didn't do drugs, but I think he was lying.   

On Thursday Matt and Josh trimmed the front bushes and power washed the house, which removed the mold. Looks so much better! Around 5:30 I was out front clearing the vegetation off the pavers I put there years ago when a black pickup pulled up. Kent DeMay introduced himself and asked about the house. He seemed very interested, but after thinking about it for a few days decided against buying it.

On Friday neighbor Andy said for $60 he'd come over with his chain saw and take out the willows that had engulfed my solar lamp.  He arrived with his 2 grandsons who hauled the trees and branches over to the burn pile. They're being home schooled which somehow made me more willing to pay them.  

One of the goals of the Savanna Institute is to return the land to its natural savanna. Bur oaks are native trees, but most have been destroyed by the farmers. A past president of the University of Illinois started a legacy program to give out free bur oak saplings in exchange for the recipient making and turning in a map of where they were planted. Bob and I planted a dozen in 2014, but I could only find two that survived. :-(  The one by the solar lamp is over 8' tall! Hurrah! 

Duke helped me uncover part of the septic area. I'm worried, however, that there are some trees growing over the leach field pipes. We finally found the two big compost bins Bob built out of pallets, and I filled with weeds and mulch. The pallets were all moldy, so we burned them. Duke agreed that there was some good composted soil left—which I'd been wondering about. (I love “growing soil!”)

I spent till dark clearing vegetation off the front pavers. After 6 years dealing with Florida's sand “soil,” it was wonderful to see the rich black Illinois soil! 

For my 79^th (eeeeeek!) birthday on 10 September, I decided to do NO manual labor. Had my first good night's sleep since arriving. (Note that I was sleeping on three 1” foam pads, which still wasn't enough to prevent hip pain when I slept on my side. Think “Princess and the Pea”!) Note that to get up in the morning, I had to roll off the mats, crawl over to a chair and use that to raise myself to a standing position. Made me feel old. :-( Managed to wash my hair despite having no shower curtain!. Bacon and eggs at Rich's, plus a free birthday treat--chocolate cake with mousse and a candle. 

Received a theta birthday email from daughter Ashley with a bunch of photos. Grandson Atlas is 2 now and VERY cute! Big bedroom eyes. Ashley says he sings all the time. Are we surprised?  

My good friend Paul Schneider, who runs the Champaign-Urbana Mission, treated me to lunch—2-1/2 hours to catch up! Then off to the store to buy myself a $5 pair of gardening/work gloves for my birthday. (The three pairs I brought were full of burs!)

Sister Jane (one year older) and I grew up playing piano duets and Scrabble. We both get great pleasure from this. When I got to Jane's, she said Don had been very problematical all day and she didn't think he would let us have our fun. I exuded as much theta as possible, comm'd with him as best I could, and we ended up getting to play quite a few duets and TWO games of Scrabble! Theta win! 

One very good thing that happened was the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth, which ends the period of suppressive British Admiralty Rule and allows the U.S. to return to being a Constitutional Republic. Three Huzzahs!!!

I worked on the yard by myself (endless weeds, endless work!) all day Sunday. Duke and I did more work on the west yard on Monday. 

  Created a second burn pile. Burn, baby, burn!! 

A realtor, came over on Tuesday and spent a couple of hours discussing the house/property and filling out the listing contract. 

Then Duke and I finished up the west yard.  

 He then needed to drive the tractor/mower to his home 6 miles away. “Can you drive my truck?” he asked. Hmmm... I suppose if in 2011 on my way to Illinois I drove the big U-Haul truck for a bit, I could probably drive his pickup—which I did. Well, okay, I was following him so only going 20 mph.  

It was hard to find the words to thank him for all his help without which I would have been in deep doo-doo! I'm going to write a really good commendation for him. (He didn't even know about commendations!)

 I then spent till dark uncovering all the pavers in front.  

By now my body was saying, “That's it! Enough is enough! Leave now before you twist your ankle on a tree stump, or fall face first into the fire while heaving a big tree branch like a javelin!” Having lined up who was going to do what to get the house listed, I decided I could return home. (Would you believe it's costing me $3400 to get the interior of the house mudded, primed and painted?! And another $660 to fix the HVC. Oi vey!)

Wednesday morning I returned the stuff Jane loaned to me; then relieved her of 6 boxes of my stuff that she was storing in her attic. Packed the car—challenging, but I did it. Then stopped back at Jane's for a few duets and a final Scrabble game. She told me that Don threatens, nearly every day, to jump off the bridge in front of a big truck. It's understandable to me that he's suicidal. Jane thinks if she put him in a facility, it “would kill him.” They are both trapped! Sad. Collateral damage from the unconventional war which includes chem trails, GMO food, etc. 

Headed off around 4. Stayed all night at a somewhat rundown EconoLodge in Franklin (So. Indiana). I was surprised that the lady quoted me $70. I inquired about a senior discount, and she got it down to $60. The lights in the room were very weird in that there were not standard light switches—so I got in bed thinking I'd have to try and sleep with the light on; but some 5 min later, the light went off. How did it know? Or was it a poltergeist? 

It was a treat to shower and wash my hair—with a shower curtain. Crossed the Ohio river into Louisville. Then lunched in Elizabeth Town. [Note that my mother's name was Elizabeth Franklin Loeffler Swengel—so slept in Franklin and lunched in Elizabeth Town—in memoriam to Mom!] Then Nashville, Chattanooga. Made it to Atlanta around 10. 

Left around 8 Friday morning. Note here that to prevent leg pain, I stop at nearly all of the rest stops, do my pilates exercise, and “PP” (Preventive Peeing”) so as not to have to pee when I'm driving. Passed Macon. Lunch at Shoney's (salmon teriyaki) north of Valdosta. Cheered when I passed into Florida! Dinner at Cracker Barrel south of Ocala. Arrived home around 8:30 in heavy rain. Whew! 

What a joy to be back in my own comfy bed, and back to my organic food, keto diet, and life routines. So there, my friends. Hope I didn't bore you—too much! 

Love, Marcia        (818) 552-2211          marpo3344@gmail.com          Clearwater, FL 

LIFE IN FLORIDA

LIFE IN FLORIDA 

As many of you know, I was blogging 3 or 4 times a year during my 4-year period in Illinois. My last blog of November 2015 explains why I decided to move to Clearwater, Florida. I hit the ground running, and still am not able to keep up with all my activities. I wanted to find a better blog site, but ran into technical difficulties, so finally decided to go back to my old one so you all won't think I've disappeared off the face of the earth!

Fortunately my long-time L.A. friend, Shellah, had her Clearwater house come up for rent. I grabbed it and moved in! I have one long-term roommate (Linda from Wisconsin), and have had a few different people in the other bedroom.  

I haven't had the time and money to do much “farming” in the yard, but have dug a couple of holes for compost, put in a moringa tree, lemon tree, a few aloe vera plants, some veggie plants in containers, plus a few decorative plants. Grabbed an old tire curbside, “planted” it in my line of sight when I sit at my computer and look out the window, and put some colorful plants in it. My friend Sioux showed me how to plant creeping peanut ground cover between the sidewalk and the street—a work in progress.

Daughter Ashley married her longtime sweetheart, Ethan Pierce, this last July. I flew to Portland for the wedding, which was lovely. Shortly after, they bought a house, so I'm very happy for her/them. Ethan's mother has moved to Portland, so they now have some family there.  

You'll not be surprised to hear that I connected up right away with the Libertarian party affiliate here in Pinellas County. In 2016 I attended the state convention in West Palm Beach and the national convention in Orlando; then the 2018 national convention in New Orleans. I'm getting to know more and more of the “players,” both state and national. Tom Woods is one of my favorites!

My church volunteer activity is, of course, directing the choir. It's not as big here as it was in L.A., and fewer prestigious gigs, but we're growing. Cousin Eric recently sent me the following link (1 minute) of a 3-year-old girl standing behind a choir in rehearsal and directing away. You just KNOW that she was a choral director in her past life! So cute! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5-CiG0XmoI

After having very short hair for the last 15 years or so, I decided to let it grow out and see what the natural curl would be like in a humid climate (it's not much in a dry climate). It's going through various stages, but at least I'm saving money (I'm not coloring it either!).  

A friend recommended usingwww.thumbtack.comto get more piano students, and it is indeed doing a good job of sending prospects my way. However, they tend to make an initial reach, to which I respond, but then they do not respond back! I'm having to get ever more clever at what to say to get them to connect. Fortunately I'm a persistent cuss! I have about ten now and need to double that! 

Between teaching, my Scientology courses and spiritual counseling, the choir, Libertarian activities, and a little R&R thrown in, life goes on at a breathtaking pace. I apologize for being so out of touch and very much look forward to hearing from you all!

May the rest of your holidays be wonderful!

Love, Marcia

(818) 552-2211 marpo3344@gmail.com

812 Grand Central St, Clearwater, FL 33756

P.S. By the way, there is now a Scientology TV station—accessible on DirectTV 320, or on your computer at scientology.tv. Lots of interesting and uplifting content.

Leaving the Farm

I want to let everyone know that I am planning to move to Clearwater in early January.  I'll let you all know when the move has occurred.  I thought I was in Illinois to stay, but various factors came together that caused me to change my mind.  Following are my reasons to move:

The next phase of creation to make Lockie Farm a demonstration site for restoration agriculture (ala what Mark Shepard, author of “Restoration Agriculture” is doing) is to add in livestock (cattle, pigs, chickens, etc.) grazing between rows of woody perennial polyculture (chestnut trees, fruit trees, hazelnut shrubs, grapes, and various kinds of berries). I do not have the resources for this next step, but, more importantly, I do not have the interest to do it myself. My basic purpose is more to bring sanity to government.

I recently attended, as did 320 others, an awards dinner for the Prairie Rivers organization where Mark Shepard was the keynote speaker.  During the cocktail hour before the dinner, I managed to speak with Mark for over five minutes.  When I told him I was Case Study #1 with the Savanna Institute, he shook my hand and gave me a great acknowledgement--and then acknowledged me publicly during his speech!  Cool to now personally know "The Man"! 

I have found a young couple who are passionate about restoration agriculture and interested in furthering the creation of Lockie Farm.  Therin and Abby (see photo) will rent the house and continue to nurture the 5 rows of Woody Perennial Polyculture and 323 hazelnut shrubs around the perimeter.  They will be growing lots of food on the 1/2 acre around the house, including planting into the hugelkultur beds.  They'll likely get chickens going in spring. 

I will be leasing the remaining 20 acres to Kevin, my mentor, who will plant more rows of trees/shrubs/berries leading to the creation of silvopasture, with livestock grazing between the rows. 

The next courses (many) I need to do in Scientology are only offered in Clearwater, Florida, so it makes sense to move there. 

I'd like to work more closely with the computer person for The Affinity Exchange, who lives in Clearwater; plus there are more chances for expanding that business by living there. 

When I was in Clearwater in 2011, I started the Scientology Choir there. I would probably pick up the directorship again, which would be enjoyable. 

The Libertarian Party is pretty strong in Florida, so I would volunteer with them to further my interest in bringing sanity to government. 

Hopefully, it will be easier for me to find a “mate” while in Clearwater. 

AND... it'll be easier to stay in touch with all my friends from everywhere since so many people go to Clearwater! 

To my Clearwater friends:  I'm looking to rent a room, or share a house, ideally in a house with a yard that has, or could have, a garden.  If you have any leads, let me know.

 

Love to all, Marcia Powell
(818) 552-2211   (cell)

Growing Season #2 on Lockie Farm

MARCIA POWELL -- Blog article (#18) – October 16, 2015 –

“Growing Season #2 on Lockie Farm”

My last blog was April 12^th—the beginning of spring. For those of you who remember reading about last year's battle with the superweeds, I am happy to inform you that my plan worked, i.e. cutting them at ground level if I couldn't pull them out by the roots and then dumping 3-4” of wood chips on the stumps. That did kill most of them. The ones I had to pull up this year were in the areas where some flooding had occurred, and some patches out in the adjoining alfalfa.

In May I purchased two beehives and packages of bees. Had to shout out a HELP! To the Central Illinois Beekeeper Club page on Facebook, resulting in an amazing beekeeper named Mike coming to my rescue. The bees are for the plants and the environment, so I'm happy for him to do the work and sell the honey for his exchange. He gives me my percentage of yummy honey for my personal use.

As food for the bees, in late March I scattered Dutch white clover seeds all over my yard and some into the WPP (Woody Perennial Polyculture) rows, praying they would make their way through the mulch, take root, and grow. Some made it; some didn't. But, as you can see from the photo, the green clover beautifies my front yard. (Remember, I chose not to have a grass lawn.) I've earmarked a section of my property to plant native/pollinator plants next spring. Doing my bit for the bees! :-)

The son of an L.A. friend, who visited me for 9 days in May, helped me plant strawberries on the septic lines, but they all died. :-( We also took down the four [ugly] raised beds, and use the dirt for some vegetable garden rows. Then we created a little patio of bricks on the west side of the house. Bought an antique red pump from my bro-in-law as a decoration, and added an arbor vitae tree and some shrubs as the “necklace” for that side of the house.

June was unusually wet. One day/night we got 6”! The irrigation ditch rose so high it reached the bridge I-beam, which stopped the corn husks, beer cans, whiskey bottles, styrofoam, and other junk. To prevent this stuff from ending up in the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, I recruited my friend Tracy and we pulled some up with rakes; then I braved the wicked current, waded in and got more. Felt so righteous! But the bad news was that the 6” rain took out the seeds I had just planted into my new square foot garden. :-(

Another downside of all the June rain was that my farmer was not able to do the first cutting of the alfalfa/grass. It grew so tall it both shaded the WPP and pulled nutrients away. Once he did cut it, I had to go out with my newly purchased weedwacker (you should/ve seen lil ol me trying handle that baby!) and take down the “fringe.”

Met a fellow, Brent, in August who was good enough to come out many evenings and lend a hand in exchange for some home-cooked organic dinners—plus my delicious blackberries. Together we rescued the poor struggling hazelnuts from the tall alfalfa/grass all around the property. Brent also dug up a lot of grass clumps which were close to the WPP plants, which we put over in the rows of poplar trees as some extra mulch. Plus we together managed to get the dried up paint (and big spiders!) out of the (ugly) 300-gallon bin in front of the garage; put it in the pickle buckets I've been getting for free from Burger King and used them to create a border on the SW side of my yard. We used lead pipes to roll the still heavy bin over to where the others are along the road. What a win to then be able to put a beautiful big pot of geraniums where the bin had been. It's been interesting to find out just how important aesthetics are to me.

In September I hosted my first Savanna Institute Field Day. Was misty-moisty, so glad that all 20 attendees were able to fit into chairs in my garage. Told them what all I was doing, especially about the Woody Perennial Polyculture and restoration agriculture, and then did a quick tour, followed by refreshments.

The Field Day motivated me (well, Pete Havranek) to create a website for the farm: http://www.LockieFarm.com

As I think you know, I have long been concerned that GMO food causes adverse health effects. There is a new book entitled “Altered Genes Twisted Truth” by Steven M. Druker that is probably the definitive work on the issue.

While we're on the subject of health, I have just watched the first four episodes (of 9) of “The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest” created by Ty Bollinger. I highly highly recommend watching the series. A couple of years ago I made the decision to NOT do chemo/radiation were I to be diagnosed with cancer. This data corroborates this decision.

Drove to the Outer Banks in North Carolina at the end of June to spend a week with family at a lovely beach house. Ashley and Ethan flew out from Portland. Ashley's leg was in a cast from an accident she had (walking down stone stairs in the dark!)--broke the tibia, fibula, and ankle—not good, especially since she is a massage therapist! She is finally now out of the boot and able to walk with a cane—and drive. Yea!

Sister Jane and I continue our lifetime Scrabble tournament (she's ahead), and we can play a ton of piano duets from half a dozen different books. Also enjoyed some family get-togethers at the pond.

Attended the Illinois Libertarian Convention in August—always informative and enjoyable. Had a booth at a couple of local festivals and garnered 50 new names. More and more people these days are turning to the Libertarian party.

Am still on a quest for a “mate.” There was a fellow in Lincoln, Nebraska... we needed to meet, so each drove halfway and had a long lunch in Williamsburg, Iowa. Not a match, but a new friend made.

And, of course, people continue to match up through the Affinity Exchange. See success stories on home page: www.affinity-exchange.com. Please refer your friends!

Hope you all are flourishing and prospering (thriving)!

Please write and give me an update on your adventures.

Love to all, Marcia (217) 582-2112 home (818) 552-2211 cell

Marcia@affinity-exchange.com or marpo3344@gmail.com http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/ and http://www.LockieFarm.com

The Winter of Less Cold and Less Ugly

MARCIA POWELL -- Blog article (#17) – April 12, 2015 –

“The Winter of Less Cold and Less Ugly”

A year ago I titled my blog “The Winter of Cold and Ugly.” Fortunately this winter was less severe, and, thanks to last summer's efforts to beautify the property, a little less ugly.

Never has the arrival of spring meant so much to me. For the first time (this lifetime), I planted some bulbs in the fall, and now they are just starting to flower! So exciting! 

 

In my last blog of November 17, I had spent the summer pulling and mulching the dreaded “superweeds.” Throughout the winter, as I received more truckloads of wood chips, I would “suit up” and spread the mulch over the ½ acre around the house—my personal “playground.” Got inspired one day while mulching and wrote a 3-page humorous essay on the art and science of mulching relating to my B.A. and M.S. degrees. Let me know if you'd like to read it. I'm told it is funny...

One very cold day, a new horse-owning friend brought me a trailer load of horse manure. Had to wait a few weeks until the compost in my two big compost bins unfroze enough to add the manure. Manure is like gold to a farmer!

How's my WPP (Woody Perennial Polyculture)? Looks like most of the plants survived the winter. There are some berry rootstocks that are iffy—I'm waiting to see if some root suckers show up. Last Tuesday, I paid a professional to graft scions (a detached shoot or twig containing buds from a woody plant, used in grafting) onto the fruit trees so that they will bear edible fruit. He then instructed me to pull the mulch away from the rootstocks to prevent fire blight. Yikes! (The pic is of a grafted apple rootstock, with budding berry plants in the background.) 

 

I donated $15 to the Arbor Foundation and received 10 blue spruce seedlings. Sister Jane and grand-niece Katie helped me plant them down at the pond where they will be sheltered for a year or so; then I will transplant them to my property.

The friendship with Dave Christian did not evolve into a relationship, but we parted good friends. I posted a local ad and currently have a very nice married man renting the master bedroom for 4 nights a week to lessen his commute. I AM now looking for a more permanent companion—either gender—who would enjoy sharing a lifestyle such as mine. If you know anyone, please have them contact me.

Mid March I drove to Clearwater to receive a few days of counseling. Managed to arrive just in time to catch the end of the choir rehearsal. Good to connect with them again. Was able to attend an inspiring graduation event—heard Kelly Preston speak, no less! I'm now set up for the rundowns re survival, which I plan to do next January.

A friend had told me about the book “The Fight for Immortality” by Peter Arthur. I was able to read most of it while in Clearwater, and found it VERY good, especially the way he works truth into it. One of my on-going policies is to support our artists; so I highly recommend you buy it, read it, and then encourage others to as well. Similary with Neal Fox's new DVD and CD entitled “Conspiracy”--truth delivered on the aesthetic wavelength via his songs and art.

Politically, I was one of nine Libertarians in the state who ran for an office in the local elections held on April 7^th. Living out in the country, my only option was to run for the Ogden grade school board. My campaigning was pretty low-key--made up my own flyers and delivered them to the houses in Ogden (850) and Royal (350). Introduced myself at the Ogden Village board meeting, and spoke to a dozen people at the seniors' luncheon. Didn't win (only got 9.44% of the votes), but it was a good learning experience and earned me some name recognition in the community. Will probably give it another shot two years from now.

Note that I consider the presidential elections to be pretty much a “dog and pony show,” with the outcome being determined ahead of time by the global elite. Thus I encourage people to concentrate on political matters in their state, county, and city. Strengthening the Libertarian party these days gives those disenchanted with the D's and R's an alternative. The party IS growing, which growth also can influence the platforms of the main parties. Blah-blah... soapbox... blah-blah... :-)

A few months ago I sent some messages to retirement homes about performing, but got no responses—until the end of Feb, when the Windsor of Savoy contacted me about doing an hour's show. I had finally connected with a very good singer only 3 miles away from me, and we worked up some songs. However, at the last moment her back went out. It's an older audience, so I gathered up a bunch of popular songs from earlier eras and played “Name that Tune”--including some back and forth communication between them and me. Fun all around, and the feedback was such that they plan to book me again. Yea!

And, of course, people continue to match up through the Affinity Exchange. See success stories (e.g. Holly and Mike below) on home page: www.affinity-exchange.com. Please refer your friends! 

 

Hope you all are flourishing and prospering (thriving)!

Please write and give me an update on your adventures.

Love to all, Marcia (217) 582-2112 home (818) 552-2211 cell

Marcia@affinity-exchange.com or marpo3344@gmail.com

www.Message-from-Marcia.com http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/

The Summer of Superweed Hell!

MARCIA POWELL -- Blog article (#16) – November 17, 2014 –

“The Summer of Superweed Hell!”

My last blog was July 5th, two months after planting the WPP (Woody Perennial Polyculture). My mentor, Kevin, came to visit, checked the plants and informed me that they were being stunted by the weeds. Furthermore, the weeds happened to be “superweeds”--weeds that have become resistant to Roundup. Turns out these plants (the species I have is waterhemp) can grow 1-2 inches A DAY (!) and each plant has some 500,000 seeds per plant!! Eeeeeeek! Conventional farmers are indeed freaking out about them because Monsanto's herbicides do not kill them. 

 

The war started by my paying a couple of guys to come in with their weedwackers and fell the majority; but they could not get to the ones right in the rows of plants. These I had to pull up by hand, or, if they were too big to pull, sickle them off at ground level. Then I had to smother the ground with 4-5” of wood chips to (hopefully) smother the stalk root and kill it. Plus, I found that a few weeks after the weeds had been “wacked” (instead of pulled), they grew new sprouts and so needed to be sickled. Thus from the 2^nd week in July up until yesterday when it snowed, I spent from 2 to 4 hours a day weeding and mulching! (One positive by-product: I've lost some 10 lbs and am really buff!) 

 

While I battled the superweeds, my garden did its thang, producing a bumper crop of cucumbers, squash, lettuce, kale, kohl rabi, carrots, beans. Somehow I went through life not realizing that pickles come from cucumbers. Duh. Anyway, I got a recipe for breaded pickles, which Bob made, along with some relish. Now I like eating pickles. Ended up giving away a fair amount of produce to some local food banks, as well as getting ideas on how to market next year's produce. 

 

Meanwhile, in September I attended the Illinois Libertarian Party convention in Chicago. Turns out I was #6 in the state in terms of collecting ballot access signatures (540) (deliver what is needed and wanted...). At the final meeting, going over some bylaw changes, I noted an error in grammar. So they voted me in as Deputy Secretary for the state party. Okay... why not?

We fought a major battle to get our seven candidates for state offices on the ballot. It was such a pleasure to be able to vote for them on Nov. 4^th. The percentage of people in Illlinois who voted Libertarian was way up from previous years. I perceive a groundswell occurring towards Libertarian viewpoints and candidates. Will continue working with my county chapter to grow the party.

Readers of my earlier blogs know that Bob Lawrason, a permaculture designer, came to stay with me last December to help create Lockie Farm—rain bins, hugelkultur, compost tea, worm compost, biochar, bone salve, etc. I learned a lot! Both of us being single, we checked each other out, but in the end determined that we were not a match. So I checked out a great online dating service—the Affinity Exchange :-)-- and sent out a message to Dave Christian.

Although originally from St. Louis, he was at the time in the Philippines working with his son. Thus began an online courtship—challenging, as the normal sequence is to connect online, then meet asap to see if the “chemistry” is there enough to pursue a courtship. Anyway, we finally met on Oct 10^th when he returned to St. Louis. That meeting went well enough that we decided he should move in with me so we could continue the courtship—again, backwards, as the norm is to pursue the courtship to the point that you determine that you should live together. Oh, well—I've always been an adventurous spirit. Meanwhile Bob moved to Michigan where he can continue his career as a permaculturist. Dave started learning how to weed and mulch waterhemp. 

 

One day, working at my computer, I noticed a black sedan slowly backing up down my road, which is a dead end … strange... FBI? CIA? Come to get me...?? So I dashed out and spoke with the driver. Turns out he's a local farmer who was really curious about what I was doing. I got his number so I can invite him to my open house next summer. Anyway, that prompted me to get a little sign made with my phone number so curious people can call me and stop by. Knowing that little sign would not survive the winter winds, Dave helped me attach it to a board and some posts. I transplanted a couple of ornamental grass plants my mortgage broker had given me and then purchased some fake red berries and “planted” them in pots to add a splash of color. I've come to realize how important it is to me to create beauty as well as a sustainable farm. 

 

The Affinity Exchange continues to help people match up. (Please do refer your single friends.) And I'm up to four regular piano students (need more).

My advice: continue your spiritual growth; donate to the people who are fighting the chemtrails; eat organic/local and avoid GMOs; avoid flouride and vaccines; invest in hard assets; be politically active; know your neighbors and help build community.  I continue to recommend www.ThriveMovement.com as an excellent source of information and advice.

Hope you all are flourishing and thriving in these challenging times.

Please write and give me an update on your adventures.

Oh, and it would be great if you could subscribe to my blog so I could take you off the email list. http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/

Love to all, Marcia (217) 582-2112 home (818) 552-2211 cell

Marcia@affinity-exchange.com or marpo3344@gmail.com

www.Message-from-Marcia.com http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/

The Winter of Cold and Ugly

MARCIA POWELL -- Blog article (#14) – April 6, 2014 –

“The Winter of Cold and Ugly”

In my last blog of Dec. 5, I had just moved into my new house on my 20 acres of alfalfa. But first, regarding the title of this blog, it came from “The Winter of Our Discontent,” title of a novel by John Steinbeck, from a quote by Shakespeare. Anyway, my plan was to ride my bicycle from the house in Urbana to the new house, but from November to now, there has not been a day warm enough to do that! I'm sure you all heard the term “Artic Vortex” to describe the weather in the Midwest and Northeast. It was indeed non-stop cold and wind and snow. So that's the “cold” part. The “ugly” part

refers to not having been able to do any landscaping, so there's this poor little house surrounded by ugly dirt and mud—no trees, no flowers, no green. 

 

Bob Lawrason, a permaculture designer,

arrived on December 12—a cold (5 degrees!) snowy day. He spent the last 20 years in Florida, so probably the only thing that saved him was that he grew up in Michigan. The day he arrived he put together a cabinet for my bathroom, and then attended an orchestra concert with me in the evening! Immediate points. :-) We then got 6” of snow—I HAD to make a snowman!

Thus came about “Corky,” a poor drunk leaning against the “DEAD END” sign by the driveway.

Bob fit right in with the family at Christmas, playing Bananagrams and napping with the dogs.

Not being able to work outside, I/we spent many, many hours creating the inside of the house.  Here's a photo of the "island"--the piano and futon couch back to back with a drop-leaf table on the north and a wine-rack table on the south.

Spent many hours sorting 50 years of music and putting it in a kitchen pantry cabinet I bought and converted; also many hours spent gathering, framing, and putting up a Family Photo Wall.

Hosted our first dinner party—Tom, Sue and Jake Smith, the people who have been farming the alfalfa. Please remember that I'm not a cook. However, I had purchased a book of vegan desserts, so chose the brownie recipe. I swear EVERY ingredient was “exotic”! And I used a blender instead of a food processor. Miraculously, they turned out good. Bob roasted the pasture-fed chicken from our friend David who runs the Bane Family [organic] Farm nearby. It was so enjoyable to be able to sit, eat, talk (Jake even played the piano) in a lovely quiet ambiance with no feeling of being rushed.

A book I read recently advised eating organic liver twice a week (!). Bob has never liked liver, but I bought some from David, who also passed along a recipe which calls for soaking it in milk first. Result: Bob liked it! So did I. I'm at twice a month now.

Although one's tendency is to hibernate when it's artic cold, Bob and I braved the weather to attend seminars, forums, meetings and such in order to meet more people who are actually doing something to improve the environment. We are now official “River Rats,” having attended the Prairie Rivers Network's workshop on how to lobby.

I started the winter with a Californian's viewpoint that the weather would not stop me from doing what I wanted to do, but I had to “eat crow.” On Sunday nights I would drive 1-1/2 miles to my sister Jane's house to watch “Downton Abbey” (yes, I am addicted). But one Sunday there was a mighty blizzard. I called her up and told her I was going to make some snowshoes and walk over. She laughed and said “Don't you dare!” Hard to do, but I finally gave up. Another instance was an orchestra concert—Bob and I got dressed up, got in the car, drove the mile to the freeway entrance, and then Bob refused to go further. He has done racecar driving in the past, and I saw him handle the car weeks earlier when we did a full spin-and-a-half on an icy street in Urbana, so I capitulated and we went home. Sigh. Then there was the time I drove to town for a Lady Landowners meeting at the Farm Bureau. It started snowing heavily just as I arrived, plus there was lightning and thunder (in the middle of a blizzard??!!), so I bade them farewell and got my tushie home pronto.

Since we have no trees, there is NO windbreak for the house. We've had winds up to 55 mph, which have resulted in many shingles blowing off. Plus these high winds create all kinds of odd noises that make it hard to sleep.

I read somewhere recently that a weather expert said “There is no normal weather anymore.” See www.aircrap.org for some data. I missed a global protest day against chemtrails last January, but have vowed not to miss the next one.

Bob spent a lot of time doing a design for Lockie Farm.

(Lockie is a family name—my grandmother, sister, and niece are all Lockie's). I am Case Study #1 (see www.SavannaInstitute.org, Lockie Farm), for Woody Perennial Polyculture. I've paid for 2 acres ($5000 per acre, on credit cards, gulp!) of trees/shrubs/berries. Roundup was used last October to kill the alfalfa, as I was led to believe there was no other way to kill it. Bob freaked, so we're now remedying the situation by digging up the top 3” and then putting purchased compost in. Bob set up and is making “bio-char” which he will add to the soil to bring microbes and such to enrich it. The planting will be done at the end of April.

The other day he came in from many hours of moving dirt in 40-degree weather and said something about the “… alfalfa-treated Roundup...” Of course, he meant to say “Roundup-treated alfalfa” --anyway, the verbal typo tickled my funnybone; took me awhile to stop laughing.

There were a couple of days recently that were above 50 degrees, so I took the opportunity to start going door-to-door with my music teaching flyers. Have a new student starting tomorrow.

Ogden is a small town of 850. Between Ogden and Urbana is the town of St. Joseph, which is around 4000. A friend invited us to attend meetings of the new “Love Your Neighbor” group that has started up there. That's what we're all about, so we're enjoying interacting with this group.

We're also starting to meet some of the local farmers. “Restoration Agriculture” by Mark Shepard is an brilliant book published last year about how agriculture should be done. We're on a mission to get farmers enlightened and inspired to start transitioning to this method of farming. Thus I gambled and purchased a case (28 books) so that I could get them into people's hands at a lower price. Have sold 10 already!

We've found that the parcel of land just south of us is owned by the Sadler Family Trust, along with more parcels elsewhere in the area—290 acres in all. That trust terminates next March, and the beneficiaries (my relatives!!) want to sell. Well, guess what's percolatin' in Marcia's little head—yup! Put together a consortium of some kind that will result in that land being owned by people who will use restoration agriculture methods! Let me know if any of you are interested. And, let me add, if you know if any young people who are still trying to figure out what to do with their lives, please let them know about sustainable farming. It is sooooo needed and wanted!

Of course I continue to run The Affinity Exchange. There are now twenty success stories

on the home page, http://www.affinity-exchange.com. Anyone can go there and read them.

Overall, even though there are still numerous threats to our survival, I'm feeling more and more optimistic about the good things that are happening to bring down the “bad guys” and allow us to create a better world.

Hope you all are flourishing and prospering (thriving)!

Please write and give me an update on your adventures.

Oh, and it would be great if you could subscribe to my blog so I could take you off the email list. http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/

Love to all, Marcia (217) 582-2112 home (818) 552-2211 cell

Marcia@affinity-exchange.com or marpo3344@gmail.com

www.Message-from-Marcia.com http://messagesfrommarcia.blogspot.com/