What to write on a Sunday?

Yeah, this is supposed to be either your day to goof off, or the day you go to church or maybe both, if you are so inclined.
No clue as to what I'm going to put on here today. But, hey, it's my blog, right? I can do anything here except slander someone, and why would I want to do that. After all,for most folks (especially the famous or the politically inclined) the plain truth about them is slander enough. :)
I know. I'll go on (and on and on most likely) about one of my other passions.
Yes, I have more than one.
There is writing, of course, as it is something I just can't help doing. I have to get those stories out of my head somehow and pouring them out through a pen or a keyboard helps.
One of those other passions has become something called Permaculture. Now, if you don't know already Permaculture is a, well; I guess you'd call it a philosophy of design. It originated in Australia from the mind's of two men. One of whom is Bill Mollison. I can't for the life of me remember who the other guy is at the moment. However if you go to http://forums.permaculture.org.au/ you can probably find out. As well as talk to some very interesting folks from Australia. Another site that can let you know some stuff about Permaculture is http://www.permacultureactivist.com/.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering why you should even bother. Well, one of the basic philosophy's of Permaculture design is that instead of fighting or trying to dominate nature, as we have been doing for ages, is that we should learn from and even, (gasp!) cooperate with nature.
Why should our proud and powerful species do anything so humbling as that, some of you may wonder. Simple.
We may think we are hot stuff. We might even, though there is some argument on the idea, actually be causing a serious (or not so serious, some argue that point as well) climatological change but we are still only one of billions of species on this planet. Sure we have single handledly lowered the number of those species some but still, we are only one life form and Nature, or Gaea (not the Greek Goddess, the interactive system of air, sea, and life that is the biosphere of this planet) is a bit bigger than we are. Not to mention more powerful and, as yet, quite unpredictable save in rather small ways.
So, given that Gaea could, with just a little shrug, wipe out our species or at least set it back so far that we would have to relearn how to invent the wheel, why not cooperate. Especially as cooperation could well lower the impact of our own foolishness, greed and general stupidity on not just the biosphere but on us.
Heck, it might even be a cheaper way to live and mess with the terrorists as well.
I became enamored of Permaculture when I first met up with the concept because it seems to say, and even have real world, usable ideas on how to do things that I have been trying to say, think of, find out for myself for a long time. It is about how to design not just your architecture, but your farmstead, your house, your life, your city, your country, everything.
No. It's not a religion. No gods except the ones you bring with you.
But it does have three ethics: 1) care of the Earth, 2) care of People, and lastly 3)Fair Share.
Then there are the 12 design principles: 1) observe and interact, 2) catch and store energy, 3) obtain a yield, 4) apply self regulation and accept feedback, 5) use and value renewable resources and services, 6) produce no waste, 7) design from patterns to details, 8) integrate rather than segregate, 9) use small and slow solutions, 10) use and value diversity, 11) use edges and value the marginal, and lastly, 12) creatively use and respond to change.
If you want to know more about these ideas there's a web site, http://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics.php ,that goes into greater detail.
I'm presently trying to get my little farmstead set up to mirror these idea's. I just need more ideas on how to do it with less funds and few folks willing to go along with my odd ideas. Though I'm sure a bit more energy and actions on my own part wouldn't hurt.
Seems people are willing to help me do various things but they want to use the old school ways that try to harness and dominate the land or use up resources. I want to nurture, heal, and bring back the diversity of the land I pay taxes to keep ... while I get my food, some of my energy, some of my water and maybe a marginal income off of it. I want to do this as frankly, I really don't trust the government to take care of me as I get older. I only trust them, the 'powers that think they are' to do what ever will keep them in power. I have always looked at this land as my real 'retirement package' not the measly little 401k I had at work or the benefits granted to me (and likely to be whisked away by) the government.
Let me know what you think of this Permaculture thing. Leave a comment or e-mail me if this silly blog won't let you comment. I like talking about Permaculture. And my worms, and goats, and plans for fixing up the place and....and.... well, you get the picture.