These are links to friends, mentors and those we admire.
(Note: All links are here by the webmaster’s choosing and are indeed an endorsement of those who run the businesses noted below and provide the services we admire. They may or may not endorse what we do, but we don’t know about that and we don’t really care. These folks are awesome people, teaching other people about their awesomeness; maybe they have something for you as well.)
Jah bless.
Natural Builders
The masters. Those who wrote the words which became books which became the teaching known as “Oregon Cob.” Ianto Evans, his beautiful bride Linda Smiley and their knowledgeable cohort Michael Smith wrote the book “The Hand Sculpted House,” which is essentially the handbook to build your own fairytale house, hobbit dwelling or something that looks like what all your neighbors live in but is made of dirt. The Cob Cottage Company makes its home outside Coquille, not from from the coast in Oregon. They offer workshops, apprenticeships and wonderful publications. Pay them a visit at www.cobcottage.com
Ziggy! He says his name is Brian Liloia, but I can never remember that – I only remember Ziggy. He built this contraption out in Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (in northeastern Missouri, www.dancingrabbit.org) that he called the Gobcobatron. It’s a cob house with a living roof and an awesome garden out front. Apparently he has now moved on to the Strawtron, a timber frame and straw bale house. His blog is full of insight for the natural builder on many levels – especially for those who love to dive in to the work and find out later how the work works out. (Hey, the best results only come from constant experimentation.) Join him on his journey through his blog, Year of Mud.
The Colorado Cob Company provides cob building services and workshops throughout Colorado with a focus on transforming the common mindset of how our houses are meant to be built. By building a new structure using “waste” products and the Earth beneath your feet, the possibility of bypassing the need for a bank’s mortgage (which roughly translates to “death note” in French) dances happily into your mindspace. Get in touch for an afternoon or a weekend of natural building activities and philosophical banter by sending a note to the Colorado Cobber.
Homesteader Stores
Buckley’s Homestead Supply is a relatively new establishment to the West Side of Colorado Springs. Located at 1501 West Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904, Buckley’s is THE local source for the needs of urban homesteaders. They have a fine supply of feed for chickens, goats and rabbits, with organic blends on hand. Buckley’s also stocks canning supplies, soap-making supplies, kitchen items, a full bookshelf of words dealing with homesteader needs and good conversation. If you’re in the area, drop on by, otherwise, check them out online at www.BuckleysHomesteadSupply.com. (Whether you go in person or online, I bet you’ll make a new friend while you’re there!)
Farmers (Our Heroes)
Joel Salatin is the famous face of Polyface Farms, nestled in the lush Shenandoah Valley near the town of Swope, Virginia. Mr. Salatin has written numerous books on the most common-sense methods of farming (for which he has been called a lunatic and other unsavory terms), though you may have first met him in the film “Food, Inc.” (He was the happy farmer cleaning up chickens in a beautiful open-air “slaughterhouse” at one point; another moment I recall was his visual description of the natural salad bar his cattle enjoyed every day.) “Everything I Want to do is Illegal,” “The Sheer Ecstacy of Being a Lunatic Farmer” and “You Can Farm” are a few of his titles. Every word he writes is worth reading. Polyface Farms also offers internships, apprenticeships and dang fine meat products. Stop by at Polyface Farms.
Jenna Woginrich is Brandi’s hero. (For real, I can’t make this stuff up. If the two of them don’t become friends soon, I got a feeling I’m gonna have to make some kind of pre-emptive interventionary introduction. But with all those made up words now behind me, I’m pretty sure I won’t have to.) Anyway, Jenna is Awesome. She went from being a “stuck in a rut renter” to a “renter with a farm in my back yard” to being a farmer on her own land. (All documented in well-written books.) She coined the term “Barnheart” (also a book title). Apparently “barnheart” is a disease (that this family suffers from as well) where, no matter what you do, you can’t stop farming. You can’t stop that longing to be better at being here on Earth, you can’t stop the desire to live in a way that doesn’t depend on all that other stuff that’s madly thrust upon us. You just have to move in the direction of being closer to the land, closer to your food, closer to what really matters. (The last few sentences were Niko’s thoughts, to read Jenna’s own words -) Please visit Cold Antler Farm’s blog and read Jenna’s books.
Alternative Energy Resources
Solar Energy International (SEI) makes its home in Paonia and Carbondale, Colorado. SEI offers a wide range of workshops with a specialization on photovoltaic systems. Whether you wish to add some solar power to your home, become a professional photovoltaic installer or just expand your knowledge of what is possible, SEI has a program for you. Courses are offered online and in person, with venues in Colorado, Washington, Costa Rica and who-knows-where-they’ll-go-next. Learn more and sign up for workshops at www.solarenergy.org.
Fairs and Events
The Celebration Metaphysical Fair has been producing events since 1978 that promote conscious living, holistic lifestyles, metaphysical exploration and the development of community. Learn about upcoming events or how to become a vendor at www.celebrationfair.com.
The Sustainable Living Fair has been educating people and communities to make healthy and sustainable choices since 2000. The fair is produced by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the Sustainable Living Association, who also promotes workshops in the realm of alternative energy, sustainable building, self-reliance and anything else that equates with living the natural life we’re meant to experience. Learn more at www.celebrationstore.com
Metaphysical & Conscious Living Stores
Sacred Space metaphysical store is located in downtown Durango, Colorado. Proprietress and Oracle of Gaia, Crystal Andasola provides enlightening products and services in person, by phone or online. If you are seeking guidance from Mother Earth herself, Crystal can connect Gaia, the soul of Mother Earth, to the one now walking in your body. You can’t help but see faeries when Crystal’s around.
Celebration Metaphysical Center in Colorado Springs is the city’s oldest metaphysical store. Founded in 1978 by Coreen and Shanti Toll as the Celebration New Age Store, transformed into the Celebration Conscious Living Store, in 2012 she became the Celebration Metaphysical Center and offers a wide variety of products and services including a fine reading room, psychic and intuitive readers every day, classes and workshops in the adjacent building and smiles to all who walk in the door.
More links be a’coming. Check back soon!
Comments
Links & Resources — No Comments