leila hamaya

Ken Poythress wrote:Leila Hamaya.......

thanks for the introduction to "Headphone Silence"

its a good one. =)

i really like ane brun, she's great, thats a really great remix of her song tho...
people love to remix her stuff, her voice is so incredible and the songs are well written musically


also her --

Sue Marie wrote:
Each time I find a magical property that isn’t bedded between these toxic waste sites, it’s unfeasible for some other reason (deep in the flooding mountains of Appalachia, poised to be covered in smoke from wildfires, actually going to be on fire soon, etc).

this is becoming the weird reality for the west. i laughed out loud when i read this, but a dark laugh. i tried so much to ground out in the klamath knot, and i miss it all the time. but being in a place where its like you sit there and think someday this will all be on FIRE! its...a very unsettling vibe. its this mostly that keeps me from returning to nor cal and trying to manifest there.

Sue Marie wrote:
What are the REALLY important qualities of a property and what can be compromised?

I know about checking on zoning and all that, which of course is an entirely different obstacle, and an enormous one. But how much am I worrying too much about all these things that no one else (in regular America) seems to care about?

I’m sorry if this question is offensive or ignorant. I need some help. I’m truly at my wits’ end.

this is definitely an individual thing, so maybe you need to do some brainstorming and refining, write it all out on a piece of paper (or like ten pieces of paper- do it several times) - whats the list of things that are priority to you, whats the secondary things that would be nice as a bonus.

i've travelled around a lot, and explored a lot. i get restless too, i know i moved a ton in my life. so looking for land it gets to be if i go for this one thing, then what other better possibilities am i excluding...ah idk how to explain but its tough if you get to ahead of yourself with too much pressure to find a forever place. find a place you like now, try it out see how far you get if you do really like it. its intimidating though to think about making that long term commitment to one place, but i try not to think of it that way. you can always shift later or sell it or whatever else/ share it rent it out etc.
i dont know if thats relevant to you, but it is for me - i dont have to figure out the next 50 years. just get a plan for the now and the next 2-5 years. see what happens. it makes it a bit easier to settle on one area and not feel too overwhelmed with the hugeness of the rest of my life or whatever.
anywho from my travels and exploring i think the best areas of the country are
- the whole west coast (really rural parts to have your no toxic city stuff) but its so darn expensive and over priced, and then theres the whole this could be catching on fire soon thing!

the northeast, thats where i have settled on - new england, which is also where i am from so thats an obvious one for me. theres a lot of good cheap old farm lands and homestead and raw land at a good price. you gotta be able to deal with winter.

and appalaichia as you mention, the ozarks, north carolina has some cool stuff, cheap land and a mostly ok climate except for how hot it can get.

idk as i said its so individual though with what you want, and what you can tolerate, and what your climate needs are. i would rather live in a warmer place than new england but idk...thats like the only real big downside, imo. i like everything else about it, and thats what i settled on. for now -anyway =)

yes i suppose it may be seen as a bit weird. i havent been able to do it either. mostly i just think they wont likely respond.

i did just hang out, talk to people, try to have some natural meetings, and you know some success in that and did get a couple of good leads on places, but nothing that was the thing.
met some people though and keep putting out feelers when i met people. that probably all is a better strategy, of course you cant plan that out, you just gotta go there and look around and be open to people.

i am not a particularly social person in a lot of ways, so i dont know how much i can schmooze people =P but i just am my little weirdo self and i manage to already make a few networks of connections.  small towns are usually receptive to new people, you know you are pretty noticeable =), and get some more info on like whats the deal with how much they enforce the codes and whats the deal of the local ways.
i do think that could be a way, just keep going there, and maybe my miracle deal is meeting just the right person who knows the right deal.  theres a lot of really old fallen down houses, that were cheap even before they fell down! or whatever. ah idk...i keep looking.

it is a little bit weird to be like internet stalking people. but i am not doing it with any weird intent, just do a little searching the person and that gives me info if like...they dont live there or if it seems like they might sell off something. actually some of the people i looked up seemd interesting, one seemed really neat and like someone i might actually cross paths with, like just an interesting person. but then i just....havent brought myself to try to  write a letter or try to email, where i looked up their emails.

i've also been doing this, i have been looking for a miracle deal in western mass/the berkshires this way.  

mass has the massgis, and its really helpful and some of the towns i am looking in also maintain their own versions, which are usually more accurate and up to date if the land changes hands. you can find out so much information this way. theres deeper layers of such maps that i would like to unlock, where you can really get into some specifics on the land, more than just basics of elevation, water nearby etc...but just the basics are super helpful. you will get the current owners info, the structures, how much they paid and when.

so i got into looking for plots where i couldnt see cars in the aerial views, overgrown lots where you can barely see the driveways...ah idk how to explain but i got a mental list of certain combos of factors that point me to something thats looking uninhabited, where like the owner got it for 0 or 10k or some ridiculously low price (inheritance or just distressed properties) and then even scoping them out and getting current mailing address and contact info.
i can admit though, i have been super shy to actually follow up with hand written letter...although theres some i have a little file of places that i narrowed down to that i think might be worth a try.
but it definitely gave me a deeper look at whats what, going out there and driving around, coming back for a few days and sort of "driving" around virtually on the massgis website...going back and forth is how i spent my summer. i think theres a few i am going to send an unsolicated letter to the worst that can happen is no response, which would be the possible outcome, but hey -- worth a try.

i really dont have much saved but i have been saving for so long, and now its getting much harder to save. but there are many areas in the berkshires with super cheap fixers, lots of abandoned old houses. the real bonus in that is that even if the house is beyond salvage- theres a well, some clearings and more flat/cleared lands. there are actually old fixers out there for 20k-50k and so thats what i have been trying to manifest. or raw land but at least some cleaered - old homesteads and such. and doing the driving around virtually on the mass gis site, and even following up by going to google and looking at that too, i can get a lot of information about places...and you can kinda tell which ones would be in the super cheap rock bottom price category...or at least potentially.

yes LSC is light straw clay, which is a very useful building method with like ten different names, but then again also at least  ten distinct ways of using it to build.

slip straw, light clay straw, light straw clay, slip form with straw, these are also common names for this.
it is also related to slip form masonry, wattle and daub, or some people have experimented with using wood chips, wood, or smaller gravel and stone, using the basic slip form method of building.

in light straw clay building, you use plywood boards as a movable form, generally on either side of framed in wall, interior walls, or between posts...and then stuff in straw covered with some slip clay, tamped down real good. after some time to dry, you remove the form and continue upwards and along...

more info ---> https://www.greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/cob/strawclay.htm
or -> https://theyearofmud.com/2016/09/28/light-clay-straw-wall-building/

one of the best you tube rabbit holes i have ever been down =)

this is definitely the trains of thoughts i have been on lately, and its nice to hear someone vocalizing my thoughts back at me, but more eloquently (and with a nice elegant accent even =)
i've ranted this rant, anyway, many of these rants here, i've stumbled around to try to vocalize.

thought i would share.

i agree OP, society has become extremely toxic, and this is the unfortunate reality of many / most / at least in terms of so called "first world" type people, living in these extremely toxic cultures and subcultures.
we are taught badly and the default programming is extremely unhealthy, you have to steal your mind back and unlearn a lot of this -- and this will make you maladjusted to the current whirl.

the saddest part of it is -- people are so used to these sociopathic/toxic/disempowering/downright abusive type dynamics - this passes for normal. so the normalization of this type of stuff, thats what really scary. people are so immeshed in these unhealthy paradigms of abuse/exploitation/ commodification of everyone each other -- they can't imagine what it would be like to live in a healthy society, to not be treated abusively, to be respected and to work things out reasonably and without drama.

people are so normalized to the dysfunction and mental illness and toxic paradigms of our culture, they cant even see something else. it is either get over on someone or they get over on you, dog eat dog, extreme types of thinking. obviously theres so much more in the plurality of experiences -- but people get stuck on those abusive power dynamics and toxic behavior.

my additions are already mentioned -- i have used borax to clean laundry...or baking soda and borax. they both work quite well, are cheap and usually on hand for when i run out of laundry detergent.

i've definitely used some hand soap, castile soap, soft soap or even a small amount of body wash or shampoo in a pinch, just a tiny bit....but that was more in a pinch and not a long term plan.
dr bronners make a nice laundry soap, a little goes a long way, and bonus best bottle ever for reading as you shower =)

i really would consider making the switch to just small amount of borax, or borax and baking soda and/ or castile soap... my motivations with laundry soap is usually cheap and easily available but borax and baking soda are things i like to stock up on big amounts, definitely cheap and available. there have been some times when i did just use these primarily for months, having a nice stash of both.

using dr bronners all the time would get a bit pricey. i have been a bit curious to see what it takes to make Castile Soap from oils... and also dipping my toe into making natural body products and such, soap making is a new craft i am dabbling in. i recently purchased a bulk order with some unscented plain simple castile soap, it was much cheaper to buy that way. unsure though if this will be as good for clothes as it is for body washing.

well, still at it. =)

have recently been taking a bit of a break from over working! and traveling a lot in the nice weather, but have made a few dozen baskets in the last couple of months.
started my own independent website, that was a lot of stuffs ! ---> https://www.leilahamaya.com/catalog/baskets-bowls

also i started doing some messy fluid art stuff, working with epoxy and trying my hand at that for something new. but now back to baskets =) and my break from the making work has given me time to process my recent work and photograph it all.

i have been trying out new handle styles, got some fun variegated thread to play with, and doing a lot with dyed rope rather than the wrap styles...maybe getting somewhere with good simple handles that work good. =)
actually just came up with a few different styles i am trying out that i like for simple handles.

i'm hearing you on the extreme minimalism, although i do like some comforts.
my suggestions --
~ electric blanket. these run on very minimal power, pennies for hours, very low wattage - to generate quite a bit of warmth. turn it on a few hours before you get into bed, mostly they auto shut off after a few hours. then you can turn the heater way down at night. i always feel like that night time heating is wasted, since i dont get to enjoy it. i enjoy sleeping in cooler environment anyway.

~ consider getting timers for your appliances. you cant just use any old timers since these tend to be high wattage, but for any of your high energy appliances you can get good timers for them. look for specific appliance timers, or any one that can handle higher watts.
in this way you can shut off your fridge all night when you wont be opening it, shut off a hot water heater except for the times you generally use it, etc.

~ the cost of gas has gone up a lot recently and this may be a bit pricey in the initial costs, but i do like the small "fake fire" type propane and gas heaters. these work really well for a small area so that you can retreat to one room and just heat up that room instead of whole house. that used to be a fairly economical thing for me, but unsure in the current whirl of things these days, how the pricing would work out.

definitely solar. even just one or two small cheap panels and a simple inverter. maybe dedicate a few things to use this, like you could run just your screens, laptop and stereo stuff on very small scale solar for free ish, once the initial price was paid off.
i wouldnt have laptop and screens and all that entertainment stuff be things to minimize, especially with current technology, it doesnt take very much power to use these things and just a couple of panels could power most of that for your minimal use.