Note: This post is a big one and picture heavy. Click any of the photos to enter into a full screen slideshow.
Three years ago, we started digging in our front yard. We pulled out dozens of old shoes, thousands of corn cobs, hundreds of plastic bags, more than a few metal files, and to the great delight of neighbor kids, at two or three marbles per day shining out of the dirt like the egg of some feral window . What was once an abandoned lot slowly yielded to machete, hoe, pick, and shovel. Within a few months, the community dump had transformed into a productive garden. The work that began three years ago has not stopped evolving into a more sustainable form of living. One that is finally arriving to the level of what I would call a permaculture homestead.
The homestead in Las Lomitas continues to be a
popular place for in the evenings for games and good times. The kids have gone
through their phases of favorite games that we’ve either had or have been given
to us by family members.
Average rainfall in Las Lomitas is somewhere in the
120”/year zone. That is QUITE A BIT OF AGUA. Anyone who has visited can attest
to the incredible benefits and detriments of having this much rain. It means
near constant, magical irrigation for crops, but serious also erosion issues.
We always have rainwater in the cistern, but the dirt roads always have ruts in
them. Rut is the political term, baby canyons might be more accurate at some
times. The variation in the condition of the road in Las Lomitas is based primarily
on how strong the storms are at any given time and when the last time the
municipality passed the machina over the surface. When our road is at its very
best and capable of rally-level autocrossing, I can be home in 7 minutes flat.
When our sorry excuse for a road hasn’t been resurfaced in a couple of years,
it can take up to 25 minutes to pull into the house and let the shocks and
first gear take a break.
A common question over the past few years has been
“What’s an average day like for you guys?” The easiest (and most accurate)
answer is that there is no regular day. Weekly activities change more often
than Alida’s dirty diapers. Chores are the most consistent thing, but are
different for Stacey and I. Since Alida’s birth, our roles have changed some,
so with this overview, I’ll try give you a sample of what life looks like for
Kaleb now… This was my Monday, July 6.
