I’m at Rec Lab!!

Tags

Rec Lab

This week’s blog post is a review of some Rec Lab 2016 photos.  The theme was Mardi Gras.  Next week, I should have some great photos and stories from Rec Lab 2017.

 

Just had to add some pipeline updates.

While at the same time they are requesting refunds on tax valuation from the state, it appears they are increasing costs the state must pay:

And here’s an interesting letter I got this week regarding the Pipeline…  seems there is a loophole that needed fixed and I commend this Citizen for taking action, though it’s sad that the step is needed:

 

Advertisement

Pipeline Walk & Writer Retreat Dreams

Tags

activism

This past week has been another busy one with a Pipeline Walk, some Public Singing, a Visit to Cass Lake, our first “Writer” at the Harn, a Trip to Alex for U-Group, and more progress at the Harn.

The Pipeline Walk was an event sponsored by Honor the Earth (http://www.honorearth.org/) to give people an exposure to how close the pipelines are in our area.  Cass Lake has multiple pipelines through it and we began the walk at the Rest Stop on U.S. 2.

The day began with Annie Humphrey making a Spirit Plate to begin our lunch.  Anne Dunn offered up the plate and also a song, which she asked me to help her sing for the folks.  This was a transformative experience for me as I am NOT a public singer.  But how could I leave Anne to do it alone?  She had asked me to come up with her as I’d been a part of the group from Mallard Island that developed the song last year.  I didn’t think fast enough to realize that her granddaughter Cedar, also at that retreat, could have joined us as well. So here I was… my first singing engagement.  It worked out fine as no one threw anything. I have to think that maybe the reaction from the group was the same as my reaction when someone sings as a leader.  Namely, “Wow, that is pretty brave of her to get up and sing in front of everyone.” And they must have thought me extra brave as I’m not a good singer!!  Dan says I did OK and it was good that the song was simple so people could jump in right away.  We got through it and then Anne said, “OK, now we know it, let’s sing it for real.”  WHAT?!?!?  And then she also walked away!  So here I am at the front on my own trying to lead this song.  Well it must have been a good experience cause when Sadie asked me to sing the song for her the next evening, I did.  It is a really nice song thanks to Patty Kakac.

Marty Cobenais, long-time and successful pipeline resistor, showed us the pipelines running under Cass Lake (1 & 2) which have been there since 1950.  Spent some time watching Sarah Littleredfeather documenting the event on livestream for Honor the Earth.   Here’s her video on this portion of the day: https://www.facebook.com/WinonaLaDukeHonorTheEarth/?ref=br_rs At about 2 minutes in, Marty talks about the lines running under the lake. We discussed how, if there was a leak on the decades old lines, the lake would be poisoned with the chemicals used to make the sticky stuff flow through the pipelines. Benzene, Toluene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene… nothing you’d want in your water.

We then walked across the road to where three lines ran on the opposite side (67, 4 & 3).  12.5 minutes into the above video, Marty talks about Enbridge providing the parking lot for the public and then the shutdown processes in case of a leak. At 15 minutes in, he talks about Enbridge’s recycling program. And then he discusses the thousands of integrity digs awaiting Enbridge attention (like 6000). While at this stop, Dan happened to notice a white truck so he went down to investigate.  Dan wandered down and the driver got out of the truck.  After noting the chevrons on Dan’s jean jacket, he asked if he was in the Marines and they started a brief conversation. He was wearing a private security uniform. He was watching the group of Water Walkers… for Enbridge (more on how we know that later).

The group headed back across the street to the Rest Area, and from there, to an area across the lake where the pipeline was exposed, even though they are supposed to be buried three feet deep (four feet in agricultural land to prevent the farmer from plowing into them). Dan stayed back at the Rest Area with Anne and Cedar and a few others who didn’t want to make the hike.  This hike was about ¾ mile back through the woods and into a swampy area where the lines are above ground and you can walk on them.  I didn’t opt for a photo, instead watching others walk the line well into the wetlands.  Some examined the exposed pipe and found the protective rubber coating to be spalling, exposing the pipe surface to the elements.  https://www.facebook.com/WinonaLaDukeHonorTheEarth/photos/p.1300132750107171/1300132750107171/?type=3&theater Here’s Sarah’s video for segment 2 of the day: https://www.facebook.com/WinonaLaDukeHonorTheEarth/?ref=br_rs – we reached the site about 18 minutes into the video and you can see the deterioration of the pipeline.

It was a long walk and I enjoyed the conversation with other Water Protectors.  We were gone for quite some time and I worried if Dan was keeping occupied.  Well, he was as I found out later.  While we were at the hike, the Enbridge guard, paid time-and-a-half that day to watch the Water Protectors, had gone back to the Rest Area.  Turns out, when we all headed out to the hike, he thought we’d be going to the Superfund site (our last stop of the day) where they planned to intercept the group with law enforcement.  So as we headed East, he headed in the opposite direction.  After realizing he’d lost us, he went back to the Rest Area where Dan was hanging out waiting for my return.  They had a longer conversation this time. Unfortunately Dan could offer no information to him on “where’d they go?”  The amazing part is that he headed out of the Rest Area moments before we arrived back to take a break and then head to our final stop!  From the below video, it looks like there was almost a half hour before law enforcement was called to intercept these dangerous citizens.

This video is from the last stop which is a Superfund site near Norway Beach. https://www.facebook.com/WinonaLaDukeHonorTheEarth/?ref=br_rs At about 7 minutes, Marty gives an explanation of the 2010 spill near Deer River.  At 9.5 minutes, he mentions the spill nearby whose size is still unknown though 200 cubic yards of waste have been removed thus far.  Spill levels are self-reported so there was some speculation on how accurate they are.  I know in previous jobs I’ve had, we worked hard to minimize the negative information getting to our customers.  I’ve heard dozens of stories of people being paid to lie for their companies and I’d imagine Enbridge is no different.  At 12 minutes, Marty discusses the Mayflower, Arkansas line which was de-commissioned and then re-used.  At 17 minutes in, there is a discussion on what we can do.  At 22 minutes, it’s noted that they are standing on a leak – it’s underground and not visible but it’s there. There was a law enforcement interception at this final stop which I missed as we had another appointment in Cass Lake. But my friend Joshua filmed it here: https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaHWatkins?ref=br_rs (best portion is 1:20-3 minutes, and one great ending at 5:25 where Joshua states the obvious to the oblivious officers). At 1:20, Annie tries to address the Sheriff.  At 2:30, the Sheriff addresses the group and tells them, “The Railroad has called and asked that you please leave.”  REALLY???  The Railroad has some kind of camera on their “right-of-way” and monitors it and then calls the Sheriff to ask people to leave the right-of-way??  Has this EVER happened to you?  I call BULLSHIT.  Probably a good thing I wasn’t there.  I might have been arrested for being belligerent.

Meanwhile, Dan and I were visiting Milt and Jamie Lee, a couple that does the radio show Call of the Wild (LINK) for KAXE/KBXE.  They’d interviewed us for the Harn Edition of the show and having learned of their strawbale homestead, we had to go and see it.  What a treat!  They have been developing their place about as long as we have ours and it was fun to compare stories on the development process.  Jamie is also a local writer and I’d had a workshop with her at Farm by the Lake where I received her book.  Well, I finally took time to open it this week and I couldn’t put it down.  I finished it in one sitting and it has become the third book to make my Top Five Favorite books.  It is a lovely, spiritual, story and the way it came about is pretty magical as well.  I highly recommend you to read Washaka the Bear Dreamer: A Lakota Story Based On Leon Hale’s Dream https://www.amazon.com/Washaka-Bear-Dreamer-Lakota-Story/dp/0972900241

Having met up with Sadie at the Pipeline Walk – she’s working on a thesis related to pipelines – we headed home to the Harn with her after a lovely dinner with the Lees.  Milt is an awesome cook!  Sadie ended up staying a couple nights and while we had loads of good conversation, she also was able to complete some writing.  I realized she could be the seed of the Writer’s Retreat I dream of one day opening.  🙂  Had a lovely time with a bonfire at the full moon.

Once we had our guest on her way, we were back to real work.  We had started clearing the deadwood from the woods surrounding the Harn proper and were able to resume this work.  We pulled small trees, large branches, and sticks it into clear areas, and now have a load of wood to process in a place where we can do so without major tick troubles.  So far, things are pretty quiet on the tick front but they’re coming…

We received our plants from Edible Acres (http://www.edibleacres.org/) this week and began planting our orchard with nut tree guilds.  What are guilds?  In Permaculture, a guild is a grouping a plants, trees, animals, insects, and other components that work together to help ensure their health and productivity.  There’s a quick overview here: http://www.neverendingfood.org/b-what-is-permaculture/permaculture-guilds/ We still have to get the grass covered but we have hazelnut trees, bee balm, black current, and onions planted thus far.  Thanks go to Connie for our bee balm and black currents as we spent a morning splitting plants at her place for the upcoming plant sale and headed home with a truck full of beauties: Asters, Purple and Yellow Coneflowers, Bee Balm, Curly Chives, Day Lily, Oxeye Daisy, Sweet William, Rudbeckia, Perennial Onions, and Mullein.  So we have spent several days planting.  We did:

• 5 hazelnut trees (3 in the Orchard clearing and 2 at the Greenhouse clearing)
• 9 walking onions (some with the hazelnuts and others near the house)
• 9 holes with coneflowers (purple & yellow) Along the wetland at drive curve by Big Rock
• 7 day yellow-orange/rust lilies (divided from one large clump) at front entrance by Big Rock
• Couple dozen perennial onions (near hazels and near house)
• 3 black currants (near hazels)
• 6 holes with bee balm (near hazels)
• 7 holes with asters (at turn north in the drive)
• 4 raspberries (in the zone 2 woods)
• 3 black caps (in the orchard clearing)
• 3 sun chokes (on the garden hugelbed)
• Two plots of rhubarb (heirloom no less – one full sun and one on hugelbed in garden)
• A bunch of curly chives (in hugelbed)

I am amazed at the fun we’re having and the progress we’re making.  I can’t believe we got the Hugelbed done and planted in a single afternoon!!  As I wrote to several people in thank you cards and notes this week, it really seems that the Universe is bringing messages, almost faster than we can read them, that this is a true and good path for Dan and me.

Busy First Week of Homesteading at the Harn

Tags

Freedom

Dan and I have made it through our first week of retirement at the Harn and it seems we’re busier than ever.  I have told many people that once you retire, it’s not about taking it easy.  Instead, life seems to be busier than it’s ever been before!

Dan says he not really retired, he just has a new boss. He claims to be the Head Maintenance Technician and Assistant Grounds Keeper at the Harn (working for me!). You need to be sure to read that as the Technician of Head Maintenance.  So far, it’s going good.  Pretty sweet job as he gets to sleep with the boss AND after a grueling day, health care benefits include shoulder rubs… from that same boss!  I’m pretty sure there will be no sexual harassment claims.

Since we’re still seeing cold temps most mornings, I continue to let him sleep late.  This is a real treat for him after the last few years of O-Dark-Thirty workdays.  Dan is NOT a morning person.  Once the weather warms, I foresee us hitting the bricks, actually the dirt, EARLY more often than not. But time will tell on that one.

Though we’ve had some later starts to the real workdays, we’ve gotten much accomplished.  Since Dan’s retirement we have:

• Hung baskets on the ceiling to free up shelf space in the kitchen.
• Cleared the frost heave at Garage Door and Porch Doors, replacing the pallet at one and adding rocks at the other.
• Spread clover at both Porch Doors and in the Driveway.
• Gathered wood in the forest as we went out to check mail.  [This is a becoming a daily routine.  See below.]
• Built a bonfire and stored a box of wood for inside.
• Moved all the furniture in the living room again to put the sofa back where it was… As Dan says, “We move things at the Harn.”
• Built our humanure station and dumped nine buckets from the last six months.
• Interviewed for a local radio show to talk about the Harn (which is airing in a few weeks so keep your eyes peeled for that blog post).
• Pulled dozens of dead trees from the forest for firewood and kindling.  [Can’t prepare for winter too soon here in the hinterlands.  See above.]
• Walked the property line with our neighbors to the south and everyone is pretty happy with how much space we seem to have.

Oh, and I won the Rewrite Your Life essay contest sponsored by Wellness Retreats for Women!!  My submission, should you want to read it, is here: https://womenwellnessretreats.com/news/2017/3/22/contest-entry-jami-gaither-leaving-the-rat-race The objective was to write a letter to your current self from your future self about the book you’d written.  And I won!  Big thanks to the many people who took the time to vote for my submission.  With my prize money I am Super Stoked to be participating in Jess Lourey’s Rewrite Your Life Online Course.  Ever since I heard about Jessie’s new book on writing your life, I KNEW I’d be getting a copy at Cherry Street Books and I really hoped I would be doing a workshop with her on it as well.  And here it is!  My dream coming true.  If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, or help yourself heal from some life experience, I’m betting this course could help you as well.  Check it out here: http://learnhowtowriteabook.teachable.com/p/rewrite-your-life

I also got a communication from the Editor at Permaculture Design Magazine that there’s potential for me to write some articles about our Homestead experience for them!  Check them out here: https://www.permaculturedesignmagazine.com/  It just may be that my childhood dream to one day be a writer may result in more than just my blog.  Maybe even some income?

Dan’s already helping a friend with electrical work – Char’s new Yarn Basket Shop is in progress and I’m looking forward to its grand opening.  And he has a couple more local people interested in talking with him about their own projects that need done.  Things seem to really be falling in place for us to potentially create some income to help that nest egg last a bit longer.  We’ll see how it all develops.

But I definitely think the Universe is telling us we’re where we’re supposed to be.  🙂

Dan Retires… Harn Life Officially Begins

This week marks the beginning of the Harn Homestead development with both Dan and me on-site full-time at the property.  It’s been a bit longer than originally planned and we’re a LOT further north than we thought we’d be (original plan was for Arizona but the water wars were already starting there in 2003), but we are finally here and ready to try this simpler life.  We are both happy to be free from the Rat Race but a bit nervous about the minimization of income this year.  I’ve been here at the Harn for over 4 months and have some notion of how, when you’re always at the Harn, it’s harder to spend money.  But we also see how much pricier groceries are up here in the Hinterlands and we know some of the gardens and other capital projects will require an influx of cash.

One of the things that has been on my mind is how much of a help Mom and Tom have been to us in this venture.  It’s really impossible to pay back their gift of hospitality and I’m probably most grateful to Tom for putting up with us MUCH longer than he was originally expecting…  More than we were too.  It seemed to us, once we got to Minnesota, we’d be so close to the property compared to Indiana that our progress would prepare the Harn in about a year.  But with taking on so many activities in Alex and me also starting a job, we were hindered in putting in as much time as was needed to get everything done.  In the end it took us 29 months, instead of the hoped for 19 which would have gotten us to the Harn by May 2016 when Tommy graduated from Purdue.  But we also got to meet lots more friends in Alex, take time for a big trip to Tom’s graduation with Mom & Tom, make a big MN-IN-MO-CO-MN road trip to get Tom’s stuff moved to his new job near Denver, and enjoy a lot more local music with Mom and Tom.

We could have lived in an apartment in town and not paid rent for our son in Indiana and been about the same off financially.  However, we didn’t want to create a situation where Tommy incurred the debts that we both had to pay when we were going to school. He was working throughout college and was able to support some of his own needs but rent is a big hitter for most college students.  I remember my co-op job being the only way I could afford to pay for housing and school in the last half of college and I was making darn good money at the GE co-op gig!  I still had a student loan for my senior year ending with $4000 in debt.  Dan had it much deeper than me with about 10X the loan buildup but he spent a lot longer getting his degree and used loans for living expenses for quite some time.

It’s harder growing up now.  Some time back, the presenter at the Senior College opener at ATCC mentioned how his kids were unable to make much headway with savings even though they had lucrative careers – they were putting so much into paying off debt.  We believe we gave Tom a leg up on life by giving him a debt-free start to adulthood after college. He even has a small nest egg of a 529 and his own savings that remain ready to support him when he needs them. This is in large part thanks to grandparents Fran and Ed who paid for part of his schooling and Mom and Tom for supporting his schooling and housing us, so we could support him by paying his rent.  I think that part of the joy for Mom and Tom in helping us was because they knew it also helped their grandson.

And I am so happy that circumstances resulted in Dan and I spending our time with Mom & Tom.  I am glad to have gotten to know my mother better and to have become so close with Tom.  He is a joy.  People in town often came up asking if I was “Tom Obert’s daughter” and it tickled me to no end.  A sweet lady at the book store, a friend of Tom’s from Jefferson High, once told me she could “see my dad in me”.  I loved her for it but had to explain to her that wasn’t really possible… that Tom was not my biological dad, just my favorite dad.  She said it must be the smile.  We are both quite smiley!

And perhaps it’s a good thing I have him as it seems my biological father has decided I am no longer his daughter.  [My brother Rob seems to now be caring for him to an extent with our step-mom having passed last year.]   I guess the Universe has ways of taking care of us that we don’t always comprehend.  And this may likely be a blessing for us all as I’m sure it will be Dan and I who will care for Mom & Tom as they age with us being the closest kids. Perhaps one day they will be living on our land in a cabin of their own.  You never know what life will bring.

But it sure is wonderful having Dan here.  He says it’s not going to hit him until he doesn’t have to pack up the car after the weekend and head back to Alex.  It’s already hitting me as we try to find locations for the last of the stuff moved up from Mom’s.  Thankfully, it’s getting organized to a point where it’s not super cluttered even with the additional influx.  We will keep downsizing and figuring out where things work best, now with both of us using the space.  And we’ll figure out how to live together again after another hiatus.  Lucky is happy to have another warm lap to confiscate.

We did celebrate by toasting with shots of Jim Beam from a small bottle received from the Broker who laughed at our plan to leave the Rat Race.  We’d gone in to have our taxes done with the guy who handled all my investments.  [I’m pretty sure he was aware we were in recovery and didn’t drink so I kind of felt like he was pushing us away with that token gift.]  I think we were small potatoes to him as many of his clients were multi-millionaires. Well, after being laughed at for our dream, I met a Broker on a plane in New York who seemed to have no problem with our plans.  In fact, she thought she could help us make it happen.  And by gosh, she’s had our money ever since and done pretty well by us.  If you’d like some investment help, she’s a real gem.  http://www.nuccifinancial.com/

Here’s our video of the toast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncF9Zbgp9B0