Criticized by a Homeless Man!

 I know it has been awhile since I posted on this blog, but yes, Dave and I are still making plans to hopefully turn my property into an Eco Village to home the homeless. We are really hoping to get back to posting more regularly on our blogs in 2015.

Yesterday (the day after Christmas) I had to run in to town to get a bag of dog food. I was so grateful for the monetary gift I had received to purchase it with so I don't have to cook for all of my guard dogs for a few days and can spend that time getting more work done. But that is straying off of the topic, sorry.

The day dawned fairly warm and nice for the day after Christmas, but no sooner than I had left home, the temps began to drop and cold, steady drizzle set in. By the time I left the store, everything outdoors was pretty much soaking wet and dripping. Just after I pulled out of the parking lot and got to the first corner, there stood a "homeless" man with his cardboard sign asking for "help, need money, money all stolen, etc." He had on a heavy shirt and a warm vest but no coat and was getting thoroughly rained on.

I pulled around on to the side street and stopped. I rolled the passenger window down but he did not come over to the car (I was guessing he didn't because I wasn't waving money at him). I got out and went over to him, my intention being to make sure he had a dry place to spend the night out of the rain. To get to him, there was a stretch of dead, smashed down tall grass, mushy from rain, that I had to get through, but I really hadn't paid it much notice. It was no worse than what I deal with on a regular basis when I am out feeding chickens and farm critters on a dreary day.

But as I got closer to him, he started yelling something that sounded to be in an angry tone. At first I could not understand what he was saying. As I got up to him, he started yelling at me that I should not be walking through wet grass getting my feet wet and what an idiot I was for doing so. UGH!!!! At that point I almost turned and walked away. Actually, I did turn away for a brief second, but then more consciously felt the cold rain so I turned back. I told him I didn't have any money but wanted to be sure he had a place to stay out of the cold and rain at night. My  intention was to offer him space on my property to set up a tent if he didn't, and make sure he had a hot meal and a warm bed for the night. But he said, "I always have a place to stay out of the cold and rain." and thanked me for asking, anyway, then turned back to wave his cardboard sign to passers by on the main street. It was our biggest/most shopped store in town, on the biggest return day of the year, and he had work to do! He had a busy corner to work. He made it clear he did NOT have time to talk to me if I wasn't handing him money. It appeared he didn't want anyone doing anything but driving by and handing money out their car windows. FORGET stopping to get out and actually talk to him!

I know the true homeless are out there, and truly needing help, but finding them to get help to them is going to be more challenging than I even anticipated.

Why No Gardens?

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I have been researching through countless videos on tent cities and homeless villages. One thing that I have been shocked that I haven't seen is vegetable gardens! You see all these people living out in the woods, and out in wide open spaces, but no gardens growing.

I did see ONE village that homes the homeless that had some really nice raised bed gardens. Dignity Village
 Even though their village isn't built on soil, they manage to grow some of their food.

At some of the Tent Cities and Villages I have seen numerous people that have lived there long term . . . . 3, 5, even 10 years. It boggled my mind that they were so "in need", had ground space, yet didn't plant any gardens. Then I remembered what I have heard person after person, on those videos, say: "When I came here, I thought I would be here for only a few months, but years have passed and I am still here."  No one that goes into a Tent City to live expects to be there long enough to plant a garden!

With this in mind, this is one of the top priority items we want to set up for our homeless Eco Village (I hesitate to use the word 'homeless' because once they move here, even in a tent, they will no longer be homeless.) . . . . . vegetable gardens!!! No, we are not planning on people being here long enough to plant and harvest a full garden, but it does take a long while for some people to find jobs and get back on their feet, and in the meantime, they need inexpensive, yet healthy foods. All that healthy, fresh food, and the exercise people get maintaining the gardens will really benefit their health, which is important when trying to pull yourself back up, or any other time for that matter.  And if they end up having extra produce, they can sell it at the roadside and bring in some income to help run the Village.

Gardens will also give opportunity for the people that are currently here, to Pay It Forward to the next people that come after they, themselves have made it back on their feet. Even if someone isn't here long enough to harvest what they plant, the next people coming in will be able to, and then they can replant. It will be a constant, very positive, cycle that will benefit all that are involved.

What is your opinion of having vegetable gardens all around a Homeless Village?

A Dream Since Early Childhood - Part 2

My adult life has been an ultra busy whirlwind. Yet, from time to time, all through the years, I have often thought about my idea for a tiny community of tiny houses to give a place to people that didn't have a home, a chance to have a little roof over their head, plant their feet and start all over again. I can actually still picture one of the layouts (my favorite) on one of my old graph paper pages.

In my early adulthood, when I began working a job on our farthest West side of town (I seldom ever went that far that way), I got so excited one day! There, just back a little off the road, was a row of Tiny Little Houses just like the ones I had always pictured in my head! I don't know what they were originally intended for, but at present, they look like low income housing. As tiny as they were, families with children were milling about, looking happy to have a home. But it looked so hot, yet cold, there, as there was so much concrete and asphalt all around those tiny little houses. That was not in my image. Trees, flowers, and very productive vegetable gardens all around is what I have envisioned.

Lately, it has come to our attention, the drastically growing number of homeless of all walks and ages, coupled with a shameful lack of resources in our area for them. It just makes you want to cry, even if you don't know them. I had been trying and trying to figure out how I could best help them. Just handing them money and/or stuff doesn't feel like enough. I want to do something to help them get back on track, not just float along. Then I thought, why not bring that lifelong dream/vision I of mine to life, right here on my 5 acres!

We have Dave's much bigger farm where we are setting up our self-sustaining farm and the big gardens. So why not use my 5 acres to start an Eco Village of tiny little houses to home the homeless and aid in getting them back on their feet? I have no idea how we are going to do this. We have not near enough money at this time for ourselves, much less to build tiny houses and start a village (heck, we are still trying to get our own tiny house built), but maybe if we let people start with tents and work up from there, it will all eventually fall into place. You have to start somewhere, right?

I have had this dream, coupled with a hard drive to make it happen, ever since I was a little girl. Lately, the drive has become much, much harder. I am over halfway to 100, now and not getting any younger, so the time has finally come to do this, if I am going to do it. Again, I have no idea how we are ever going to accomplish this, but we have decided to just take baby steps with it, go with the flow, continue to dream, and brainstorm, let God guide us through, and enjoy watching it all fall into place. I am so excited and have such a great feeling about all of this. Although I have no idea how we could possibly ever accomplish this enormous task, and I can foresee quite a few obstacles in the way, I can feel, way down deep inside . . . . that my childhood dream is finally going to become a reality!