I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. – Douglas Adams

We had every intention of getting back on the road by January 1st. The deadline seems ridiculously funny now that we’re two months behind schedule and covered in paint.

Despite knowing better, I still love setting unrealistic goals. Like T.S. Eliot says, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

I want to push myself. I want to do things others think aren’t possible.

As a family, as a couple and as three individuals, we set some pretty grandiose goals. The three of us, individually and together, work our asses off to build businesses, to travel or work on our own terms, to pwn noobs. We know what we want (and sometimes we don’t) and we go after it.

But if there’s one thing the last five months have taught me, it’s this:

Establishing goals is all right if you don’t let them deprive you of interesting detours. – Doug Larson

Life offers many interesting detours. And I want to take them.

Because although I love grandiose goals, there are no promises. It’s not about what we might experience someday. It’s about what we’re experiencing now.

Even covered in paint today, 8 weeks behind our goals and achy from the awkward positions one must put themselves in to paint around an RV slideout…we can still take time to dance to The Beach Boys and Steve Miller Band, to chat with friends, have lunch with family and attack each other with paint.

Because this is it. Despite all our goals, I know we already have what we want at our fingertips. Or all over our fingertips, as the case may be.

I’m nearing the end of my last month on the Visionary Mom Team. I have only a few weeks left to go before I’ll have to say goodbye to Lisa and the 9 other women who have supported and encouraged me since August. I underestimated what a gentle but pivotal role the team would played in my life. I shouldn’t have.

You should never underestimate the power of a collective female energy.

The very foundation of nearly a dozen mamas on one cooperative journey is rooted in creation. But it also resonates a strength, a nurturing and a no bullshit attitude that is the unmistakable art of such empowered women.

It also brings balance to the experience. Each one of us had a slightly different story to tell, a slightly different path to take, a slightly different view of the world. And we could offer it all without fear or judgment. One mama could see things another couldn’t. Another could offer something no one else had. We had humor and caution, drive and gentleness and eleven lifetimes of experience and resources to feed each others’ dreams.

It could not have come at a better time for me. In a summer filled with inspiration, but complete and paralyzing unassuredness, the Visionary Mom Team stepped in and saved my ass.

Have I mentioned that I was working on my photography shop for four months prior to joining? And that I managed to accomplish my goal in just three weeks on the team?

How about that I did more for Sustainable Baby Steps in 7 weeks on the team than I did in the 13 previous months that I had been working on the site?!

On top of lighting a fire under my ass the team has helped me to:

• Identify and overcome numerous creative roadblocks
• Acknowledge my personal groove
• Figure out and execute a plan
• Stay accountable along the way

I’ve learned that going it alone is just short of crazy.

And a little bit lonely.

We are communal, social beings after all. It only makes sense to me now that I would work better professionally in a communally creative setting, as well. We’re not meant to always go it alone. I’m understanding that better now.

To say the team has been pivotal is an understatement. Having 10 other women as invested in my outcome as I am in theirs is flat out transformational, not just in my productivity but as it translates into other areas of my life as well (because there is no “work life” and “personal life” around here – it’s all part of one big, beautiful pot).

That’s why I’m joining another team.

Yes, it’s just that good and no, I am not ready to let it go.

I’ve talked my good friend, Heather, into hopping on board and I’m pretty sure another sweet mama, Alicia, is going to join us.

But I want to make sure we have a full team, so I can be sure to start again in December. Sooo…..

Want to join us on the next Visionary Mom Team?

I know there are plenty of you out there cooking up some Big Ideas. I know there are plenty of you feeling stuck, too. I know that we could all use a little (or a lot of) motivation to feed our dreams. And I now know the power of a collective determination.

We start December 1st and there are only a handful of spots available, so go here to check it out and sign up.

Will you join me?

UPDATE: I’ve just been informed two four more mamas have jumped on board! That means FIVE THREE more spaces. Are you in? Hurry!

Another Update: Yahoo!! The team is full! I’m SO excited! And to everyone who didn’t make this team, Lisa still has options, so don’t hesitate to shoot her a message!

We’re moving!!

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Or rather, I should say, we’ll be on the move.

Meet Benny the Brave:

Here’s the deal: Justin is facing layoff within a month or so. He feels fairly certain he can scrounge up a few more months of work. But construction is grimmer than Vegas has ever seen. And he knows he’ll need to find work elsewhere. And with Benny, we can follow the work while we scope out new places to live.

Apparently, he’s been thinking about and researching going on the road for awhile. He approached me with the idea while at GVC and totally freaked me out. (I think Jeff Sabo’s talk at Good Vibrations on pursuing our own Passions pushed him over the edge.) But after thinking about it and talking it over with Zeb, we all started to feel really good about the idea. As soon as we made the decision together, things clicked into place and we found Benny immediately (although we took several more days to research and compare before coming back to him).
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Here are his specs:

• 1982 Winnebago Brave Series M-22RB – 22′
• Chevy 6.2 L DIESEL engine with only 67k miles
• Ugly as sin VERY retro
• But cheap as DIRT (thank you poor economy)

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Some things he needs:

• New air, oil and fuel filters
• New tires (they’re okay but we’re not taking chances)
• New blackwater tank
• New fuel cap (we’re using a sock right now!)
• A deep clean

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Some things he WANTS:

• Veggie oil conversion (#1 after small maintenance)
• Solar panels
• Complete indoor remodel: new flooring, paint, storage, cushion, curtains (I’m totally inspired by Sara’s recent remodel)
• Some outdoor sparkle…maybe some stenciled “Unschool Bus” or buttloads of bumper stickers

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We’re going to make a conscious effort to sell our home. Home values are down 60% and I’m not yet familiar with short sales. So, we could be looking at a foreclosure when the work stops. Scary, yes. But I’m trusting everything to work out for the best.

We’ll sell everything that we don’t absolutely love, store what we don’t absolutely need and tow the truck (with Justin’s tools) behind the RV. We’re also trying to create a way to accomodate as many of Zeb’s LEGOs as possible. (Eep!)

We’re thinking six more months until we’re on the road. Talk about revamping our Five Year Plan! Anyone interested in buying an urban homestead in the making?

ETA: More photos here.

This discussion came about as we had been looking at our yard and really, really, really wanting to do more – more perennials, more raised beds, water catchment and graywater usage, more investment into a home and garden we weren’t sure we would be able to afford or remain in when/if Justin’s work runs dry. Is it worth the investment? Should we plop more money in this yard, only to give it away come as early as next spring? But what if work holds out and we’re able to keep to the plan? What if we’re putting off the enjoyment of where we are, in case of something that doesn’t even happen? How do we plan for such unknown variables? And how do we live in the meantime?

We’ve sat stuck for several months, idling at this inevitable fork in our minds. I felt myself reaching for a solution; something that would give me permission to move in either direction. I don’t even care which way we travel, just give me a damn course already!!

Our conversation swirled around a few main topics: Is it a waste of time to invest anything else in this place? If, come December, Justin finds himself unemployed what do we want to do? And how? Are we saving enough money? I’ll spare you the details and share with you our conclusions.
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Navigating the Fork:

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Before we looked at anything else, we had to look at where we want to be and how we want to get there. We don’t know where we want to be but we know it’s not here. However, we’re very particular about moving. Neither of us wish to move hastily or go into debt again. So we made the choice that come what may, until we have the savings to support our original “Five Year Plan“, we’re not budging.

If Justin gets laid off we’ll do whatever possible to remain in this home while we work toward our financial goals. If staying in our home becomes impossible, we’ll continue to stay in Vegas where we have career connections and family support. We are not going to move out of Vegas until we can do so debt-free. If things remain at the current pace, this will be in 4-5 years. But we’re going to try to expedite that process (explained below).
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Investing in the Present:

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Once we decided we were going to do whatever possible to stay in our current home, the choice to invest more into our garden and home came easier. We still had to decided what to invest and how. Perennial fruit-bearing, insectary and nitrogen-fixing plants, as well as animals, more raised beds and water catchment/greywater storage and usage encompass our desires.

In regards to plants, we’ve decided to invest in nitrogen-building and insectary plants first. These will support our annuals and general landscape over the next year, thus saving us time and money. Come winter, we’ll be able to judge when or if to add fruit-bearing perennials (who’s benefit would be farther off) based on the local economy. Raised beds will be done using only free and salvaged materials, although the soil will likely be purchased. Animals for eggs or manure and rain and greywater catchment will save us money soon after their initial investment making it a worthwhile endeavor now.
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Investing in the Future:

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Then came the real financial discussion. Are we saving enough and what can we do to save more? What options do we have if Justin is laid off and what are our options now?

Two decisions were made. The first: I’m going back to work. As an independent massage therapist, I can make good money seeing only one or two clients a week. I love my work and if I’m careful about who I see (no more deep tissue work) I will be able to work without injury to my back. I saw my first client yesterday and it went very well. This decision brings up a lot of other thoughts; perhaps I’ll blog more about it later.

The second decision is to reconsider a new online venture. It’s been something I’ve been mulling over for quite some time, and although it is a small initial investment, it will require much more of my time and energy to get off the ground. But its potential of passive income (even if to the smallest degree) once it’s established is great and will be a huge asset to our goals. I’m not going to go into details just yet but if all goes according to plan, I will be getting started within the next week.

So there you have it! I have a definitive course and plan of action, as well as feel so much more secure knowing we will be staying here as long as we possibly can. Not all of it is ideal but it feels good and stable, not to mention wise. And I love that I no longer have to feel so torn about pouring my heart and soul into my garden!

How is everyone else weathering the current economy? Anyone else deciding on new courses or making new plans?

I’m ready for More. Either more right where I am or more somewhere else. But I don’t know how long I’ll be where I am or when we might be somewhere else. And the anticipation feels like  a bear wrestling within my bones, ready to bust out and tear me to shreds in the process. I want to do so much to this home and this garden, but it doesn’t feel right. I feel my intuition telling me to save my pennies for a sunnier day. And yet, waiting, hoping, wishing I knew what that day was, when it will arrive. I want to explode from all this conflict within me.

I want a plan; to know what to expect; to work toward something. But instead I feel stuck. Stagnant. Purposeless. For what is the purpose of sinking more money or energy into a house we could be out of in as little as six months. But what is the purpose of living here, uninspired and unhappy and not work toward making our arrangements as ideal as possible.

I flux between loving and hating this house.

There are days where it is my home and my heart breaks at the mere possibility of an unstable economy pushing us out. I hunker down and revel in its comfort. I enjoy it and I want to remain in it. I can’t imagine leaving the community we’ve built, the family we love, the friends we cherish.

Then there are days like today. Days when it feels like a trap. An unrelenting burden keeping us pinned down; like a beast sitting on my chest as I fight, powerlessly to get up. To breathe, even. It’s one thing to peacefully sit down. Quite another to be pushed to your knees. And as anyone forced to comply, I’m left in a fighting mood.

And here I’ve swung for several weeks, back and forth between determination to make this happen, making the best of it, growing where I’m currently planted; and feeling unsettled, out of control, anxious, uncertain and even depressed.

Justin said it best. “I’m ready to move.”

And yet, here I still sit, holding back emotion. Acquiescing to my circumstances. Trying to remain focused on what I can do, what brings me joy, what lifts this mood. Succeeding for a day or two. Failing for another. Back and forth between two places I don’t want to be.

This is harder than I imagined.

I watched my truck drive away last night. The insurance and title has been arranged and the new owners were anxious to take what was now theirs. I wasn’t sad to see it go, like I’ve been in the past over other vehicles, despite this being my first *brand-new* vehicle. I was really excited to know it was going to a great family, since it’s been such a great family vehicle for us.

I’m still adjusting to driving Justin’s truck. It’s a heavy-duty monster and I’m always afraid of parking lots or gas stations (the latter of the two being were I gave it it’s first dent – whoops). Although it’s a full size truck with a back seat, it’s still not much room so I need to simplify our “travel” gear. It’s also difficult to drive at night with it’s darkly tinted windows. But I do feel like a bad-ass driving it around town. I wonder if he’ll let me get a bumper stick that says “Real Women Drive Big Trucks”. Maybe a pink, fluffy steering wheel cover, too? ha One great thing about his truck is the smaller space is easier to cool with the A/C in the summer. Not that we’ll really be saving much on gas; it’s not as efficient as the SUV.

We are saving MUCH more on other things though! Without the SUV’s payment, insurance, registration and maintenance I figured we’re saving nearly $800 a month!! I’m seriously fighting the urge to feel like I’m rolling in it. My friend asked me what we’re going to do with all that money. Long-term savings is obviously our first goal, but within that goal are some things we’d like to save up for – like orthodontic care for me and Zeb. It’s awesome that we can pay cash for it now! Other than our house payment, we’re out of debt!!! That’s so awesome.

Between the truck and cutting the cable we’ve increased our monthly savings to $840. Plus there are some other things I’ve been working on that I’ll share soon too. Looks like all my financial brainstorming is paying off. (No pun intended.)

Anyone else feeling some financial successes lately? Any creative income going on – like this guy’s idea?

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Thanks for all the feedback on my last post. The consensus seems to be there is no harm in preparation. And forgive me for saying I’m glad I’m not the only one feeling a doomsday scenario coming on. Okay, maybe not doomsday, but I still have all these horrible images in my mind depicted by Dmitry Orlov who is likening the USA to Russia right before its collapse and had plenty to depict what that might (will?) look like for us and what could be done about it. You can read all his comparisons and predictions here. Can we say yikes?!

Justin and I are still discussing it all. We’ve been talking about ways to earn extra money or save money. We are leaning strongly towards getting a piece of land asap, regardless of whether we move there this year or not. At least we’d have it if we needed it. There has been a new twist, thanks in part to Denise and Lisa. Justin has family both in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Family with farms and cows. Family with a long history in the area. Family that are apparently part Hothian (thanks Zeb for the Star Wars reference). Talk about a climate shock. How does a scrawny desert rat survive the bitter cold winter up north? I barely survive it here!

But I digress. It’s still just talk (with occasional meanderings through land sale sites) at this point. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Like the money thing. I love to brainstorm, mostly because it leads to more list making. And if you couldn’t tell by looking to your right, I really enjoy my lists. I could create page after page of lists; anything from famous last words (“They couldn’t hit an elephant from this distance.” ~ John B Sedgwick), to how you know you’re from Vegas. I especially love lists that allow me to cross things off, which brings me back to this list and all the things we can probably (and most definitely) nix at the gate. So here goes; our brainstorming session on all the ways we could make money (some tongue-in-cheek, I swear).

We (he or I or both together) could:

• Work on motorcycles or bicycles
• Offer handyman services
• Take any overtime possible (he’s got some tomorrow! yay!)
• Install irrigation and raised beds for others
• Donate sperm (all Justin there)
• Donate other bodily stuffs
• Green people’s homes
• Garden maintenance
• Clean houses (BLEH)
• Sell seedlings and seeds
• Gigolo or call girl
• Photographer
• Rent a room
• Rent out storage space in our home
• Sell extra produce
• Male stripper
• Loctician
• Selling crap vintage finds online
• Selling handmade goods on Etsy
• Mystery Shopper
• Errand Runner
• Professional hitman Who put that in there???
• On-location car washer
• Work at Wal-Mart Who put THAT in there???
• Petcare or pooper scooper
• Childcare (or pooper wiper)
• Medical guinea pig
• Advertising on the blog
• Write a book (my husband has such faith in me!)
• Certified massage and bodyworker (my former life)

So many thoughts on that list, no desire to bore you with them.

Ways to save money are a bit harder. We’re pretty darn frugal as it is. There are few “extras” we have and little we don’t take advantage of: we only shop second-hand; we don’t use credit cards; we meal plan and grocery shop with a list; we use a budget; we take advantage of our library; we drive slow; I’m just incredibly cheap. But we did come up with some ideas on how to save money:

• Cut the (basic) cable
• Cancel the (basic) home phone
• Skip that whole “eating” thing
• Or at least simplify our meals
• Give up beer Nevermind. Not well received.
• Stop eating out completely (or order appetizers and water if we do)
• Become (even more?) fanatical about energy usage
• Become a coupon cutter (eep!)
• Mooch Have dinner with family. Mom?
• Barter garden produce
• Barter other things
• Reevaluate our insurance plans/needs
• Doing yoga at home If he keeps his homebrew…
• Sell the second vehicle
• Refinance the house
• Downsize our living arrangements, if selling is at all possible

There must be things we’re missing in either category. Throw it at me! The more ridiculous, the better!

I’ve been debating posting this. It’s a somewhat dark view of the future and most of it is just our thinking out loud. But I figure if Justin is right on, I’ll want proof my husband is psychic. And if he’s wrong, all the better! (He was dead-on by the way.)

Ten months. That’s what Justin is giving it until the SHTF in Las Vegas. Ten months until construction work is obsolete, until we’re stuck in a house we can’t pay for, until we get the hell outta dodge. Ten months until the unemployment rate in Vegas jumps, until casinos make more layoffs, until said casinos aren’t making enough to pay enough in taxes to keep our economy afloat. Ten months until the beginning of a completely new atmosphere out here.

He’s basing this on a few things. 1. There are no jobs (no mid-size to big projects – only piddly stuff) starting up right now. He’s at City Center along with thousands of other construction workers. According to him, a decent sized jobsite would need to break ground within the next couple of months for there to be work for him (or thousands of others) after this current job finishes in December and so far *nothing* is even in the planning stages. 2. Too many construction sites are stopping construction due to finances nd too many casinos are going bankrupt meaning less or no remodels, less taxes and less employees. 3. The out-of-work list is already thousands deep.

His thoughts? Work diligently for the next few weeks to sell my truck. If it doesn’t sell by the next payment, let it go. Ruin our credit, but save us an embarrassing amount of money each month (fyi: this was my work vehicle when I had my business but between his truck and his motorcycle, we could do without it now). After that do all we can to make extra money and drastically cut expenses even more to save all we can between now and “then”, whenever then might end up being. He’s even tossed out the idea of letting the house go and renting a tiny apartment or house. Oof. He wants to start looking now into places to move, buying our land this year and living out of a pop-up trailer or RV if necessary. So much for five years, huh?

Now, I will admit my husband is a “black or white”, “all-or-nothing” kinda guy. He has a tendency to jump to extremes when problem solving. But never, ever has he worried about work or jumped to extremes when it came to work or such big decisions. Never has he felt the need to. In fact it’s so rare for him to be considering things like this that despite the fact we’ll probably not need to start jumping to such extremes, I’m very inclined to trust his judgement on the seriousness of the matter.

The difficult part is that we won’t know if he’s right until it’s too late – either too late to make major changes or too late to undo any changes we make (like ruining our credit for nothing). Going into extreme mode when it comes to saving and earning money is simple to do now without major ramifications. But letting the truck go? Letting the house go??? I have serious ethical problems with both those options. I mean, if we couldn’t make payments then we gotta do what’s necessary. But we made an agreement to make payments and while we can I feel we should, ya know?

Right now we’re brainstorming ways to make money or cut expenses even further. We’ve come up with plenty of ideas; maybe I’ll share them later.

What do you all think? How is the economy affecting you and your decisions right now? Anyone else contemplating major (and fast) moves like this? Are we crazy to jump to such conclusions? Or would we be crazy not to?

So here we go. Another one of my To Do lists. And this one is gonna suck. If you don’t see me online much this week, this is why:

Outside:

• Fix the two broken sprinkler lines (Yes, I broke them.)
• Add the last of the soaker hose around the ash tree
• Clean up the side of the house
• Add perlite to the raised bed for drainage
• Plant the broccoli and spinach starters

Inside:

• Start more seeds
• Clean up the secondhand armoire and bring it inside
• Put away Christmas decorations and other attic-bound items
• Put living room back in Pre-Christmas order, with its “new” armoire
• Start working on organizing an art/craft room

Other:

• Find someone to fix Zeb’s desktop (don’t ask)
• Backup laptop (photos)
• Plan out the entire planting schedule for the year
• Pickup our other LoveSac from a friend and SELL IT ALREADY!!
• Make a trip to the dump
• Make a trip to the free mulch place for some free mulch (yay!)

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

First of all, we finished the fence. Justin was not happy with the way it turned out (his own worst critic + scrap material = something he’s not proud to say he did) so in order to “camoflauge” the mix and match pieces we painted/stained it. See?

I’ve also finished the irrigation and started “construction” of the pathways. Irrigation is a must when you only get 4 inches of rainfall a year. Not the most sustainable but the best we can do out here. The rocks we’re using are all the rocks dug up in our yard when planting or fixing busted lines, etc. Each “coil” of irrigation line will contain our little permaculture gardens or “zones” – watermelons, squash, corn, beans, anything that does not need a raised bed.

Can you see what I see? The beauty of what is to come!? No? Here let me help you

Aren’t she beautimous? The trellis in the back will hold heavier climbers, like melon or squash or whatever I can get up there. Along the front is planted our rose bushes and will also contain wildflowers, native flowers, honeysuckle and other pretties to attract the bees and hummingbirds and butterflies. Around the tree we placed blocks to protect the trunk from the sheet mulching. I will most likely plant herbs or maybe strawberries inside the blocks.

Moving up along our driveway you can see the next section with all the paths and “Zones” for veggies and herbs and such.

Here’s what I see:

That black box back there is the solar oven Justin has been working on (only needs its reflectors!). You can see where my corn will likely go this year on the right and one of the pomegranate trees off in the corner.

Here’s the view from the front door out to the street and a better view of the paths we’re making out of our rock collections.

A better view…

The trellis to the left will hold lighter climbers (it’s a lighter-weight trellis; the other side is a heavy-weight) such as flowers and perhaps cukes or something. I want to try to keep the walkway up the driveway and the area along the sidewalk mostly floral, so it looks and smells nice and no one is tempted to sample without asking first.

Here’s the view standing by the gate to the backyard. (I’m only showing you the unadorned ones so you can see how I did the irrigation lines.)

Here it is beautified.

Here are the pomegranates trees. You can see in this photo how difficult of a time I had getting that damn tubing uncoiled. Okay, maybe you can’t but I know.

And again cuz I can’t resist.

That’s a container in blue because it looks like it will be an empty spot without enough water. I’m thinking maybe my moth beans will be good in containers since I most assuredly forget to water containers.

Here are the fruit trees in the backyard after being wrapped in irrigation tubing.

Bear with me.

I’m hoping to add strawberries and/or asparagus under the canopies to act as a living mulch. That brown things in the back will be new raised beds, probably for winter depending on the shade from the trees over the next few years.

And then my beauty. My ginormous raised beds, primarily for tomatoes. Ain’t she a beaut? It’s located just to the right of my fruit trees in the above picture. I’d like to say the E shape holds some sort of symbolism being the first letter of my deceased father’s last name, but it’s not. It was really just the most space efficient design I could come up with for that area and it’s irrigation heads. (Sorry Dad.) The containers will be moved when I find a space for them.

Jimeny Christmas, it certainly is a beautiful picture I see everytime I look outside. If you’ve taken yard photos or photos of plans-to-be, I want to see!