The Willie Pad

A fellow Vansteader, Walking Onion, sent me an email letting me know what he's been up to. He built a docking station for Willie (The Willie Pad)! It is just way too awesome for words! You have got to see this!!!

Check it out here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/walkingonion/WilliePad#

If you'd like to read more about Walking Onion, here are links to other posts:
http://vansteaders.blogspot.com/2010/10/reclaimed-plants-walking-onion-part-1.html
http://vansteaders.blogspot.com/2010/10/wandering-plants-and-walking-onion-part.html
http://vansteaders.blogspot.com/2010/10/spread-gospel-with-walking-onion-part-3.html

Walking Onion, thank you for letting me share your Willie Pad on Vansteaders... you continue to amaze and inspire me.

Other Vansteader Posts

I just wanted to pause today and give everyone a chance to read some of the great vansteader posts that are being written elsewhere.


Hoboknitter (Kate):
knitting worms (worm composting and knitting):
http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2010/10/knitting-worms.html
and...

laundry (excellent laundry bucket):

http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2010/10/laundry.html

Celtic Gypsy (Kylie):
wood stoves:
http://celticgypsyvandwelling.blogspot.com/2010/10/wood-stoves.html
and...
update on cost of little cob wood stove:
http://celticgypsyvandwelling.blogspot.com/2010/10/update-on-cost-of-little-cob-woodstove.html


Brian:
Vermiculture (worm composting):
http://giffordsrvdream.blogspot.com/2010/04/earth-day-2010-what-are-you-doing-to.html

Composting toilets and Remi in fatigues

While Remi may not be in fatigues, he certainly is getting into the vansteader spirit - and it is very much appreciated!  I absolutely love the contributions I get from other vansteaders!  Remi's email (in part):

"While doing a lot of reading and research on them, especially for RV, Boat and off grid living, I came across http://www.natureshead.net/land.html and started digging deeper into reviews and blogs and such. Seems most people have been very happy with this one, but I didn't find any van dweller blogs about it, mostly boats and off grid living, and in the group only a mention of a former member who had and liked it.

I think the topic would fit in good with the vansteading topics & would be very interested to know what other dwellers/steaders who are using them are doing with the compost (tie in to gorilla gardening... Cammo & fatigues included ;))"

__________________________

Mike has made mention of a possible composting toilet future mod for Taj... Remi, I love the idea!  I can't wait to read the discussion.  Thank you so much for your contribution.

Spread the vanstead gospel with Walking Onion!, Part 3

This is the 3rd (and final) post from an email I received from Walking Onion.  He is such an inspiration to me!

"One more option I want to mention, that may be worth a post, is the fact that you don't have to own land to vanstead.  I am fortunate to have my mom's backyard to do with as I like in WI in the summers.  But the rest of the year, I garden wherever I'm parked.  In TX, I spend time parked in my friends backyard (the last pic I sent, of plants on the roof)  I don't "own" their garden, but, I do take responsibility for it.  I always work it like it's mine, making paths and beds and planting trees.  We work together to grow crops, share meals, and last year we even butchered a rooster together.  (They have chickens for eggs, and inadvertently got a rooster in the mix)  I do the same when I stay in Florida, working in my sister's back yard.  People who live in houses are usually overwhelmed with projects, and so everyone appreciates the work I do in their yards to make them into little homesteads.  They get fresh food and landscaping, and so do I!  

Our society places so much emphasis on "ownership", but honestly, it's nothing more than a concept, a social construct. We are all responsible for it, how can anyone "own" land?  We, as vansteaders, can spread the gospel of being responsible for the place where we park, for however short of a time that is, and make it better than when we arrived.  We can garden it, we can maintain it, clean it, dig it, water it, or simply leave it alone.  Let's not wait until the day we own our own farm, let's make that a reality where we find ourselves parked.  We also shouldn't worry about throwing away our energy, wasting our time working on something that we don't own.  Isn't a garden a wonder gift to give someone?  

Whew!  Glad I got all that off my chest!  Hehe, anyway, ...."

_________________________

This option is how I was able to vanstead for the last few summers.  

Walking Onion, thank you for your amazing perspective.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you in the future.  You're passion for vansteading is unparalleled and I am grateful to you for sharing your thoughts!

Wandering Plants and Walking Onion, Part 2

This is the second part of an email from Walking onion:

Walking Onion's Food Storage

"In the spring, I often start my seeds in TX, and bring the plants north as I go, planting them in May in WI.  This is the first year I'll be bringing plants south with me.  I'm also going to start some cold weather crops here, (kale, lettuce, etc) and bring it to TX to plant this fall.  It's often challenging to start a fall garden in the south, because the weather is too hot for cold weather crops to germinate.  This way, they'll germinate in the cool weather up north, and by the time I get south, the weather will be cool enough for them to thrive.

So. The second pic I'm sending, is my food pantry when I left WI.  In the pic, you can see some of the food I have in "long term storage" or in the pantry.  I dried a TON of apples, broccoli, and tomatoes(not pictured).  I also canned plums (second shelf from the bottom, left side) apple sauce (the rest of the left side), strawberry (upper right) and blueberry jam. I won't survive on this the whole winter, but it helps, and it's so good!"

To be continued...

Reclaimed Plants - Walking Onion, Part 1

First, thank you to everyone for supporting Vansteaders on your blogs and with your topic contributions.  You are  awesome!

I received an email (and the photo above) from Walking Onion.... I could not be more impressed with how he lives his life.  He is such an inspiration! You'll see what I mean when you read his words.


I'll be posting his email in three parts, here's part 1:

"As you know, fall is arriving here in the US, and some places have already had a first frost, some soon to come.  I didn't realize this, but many (most!) people treat all potted flowers as annuals, and throw them away after the first hard frost, or sometimes before.  All around the neighborhood I'm parked in, there are tons of flowers being tossed into the trash.  I'm actually headed south in a month or so, so I raided my friends flower boxes (with encouragement), and pulled out some geraniums, a marigold, and took a cutting off a coleus.  I plan to bring these cheery flowers south with me, where they can often survive the winter in TX, or maybe I'll even bring them as far as Florida.  If nothing else, they will cheer up the inside of my van for a few months, thereby extending their life. I also raided their recycle bin for planters.  I like to use cans or cut off plastic bottles for planters, that way, I can recycle them when I repot the plants.  You can do this with flowers or even veggies.  Grab that potted tomato and head south with it!  That's one of the many advantages of vansteading, you can take plants to warm places with you."  

To be continued...

Favorite Vansteading Posts

Walking Onion, thank you for allowing me to post a picture of Willie Utillie (above).  He is one of my favorite van-homes.

Walking Onion grows his plants in plastic bins that he keeps on top of his van (see Willie Utillie above).


The Spartan Student took his summer break from Yale to go back to the year 1935:
http://spartanstudent.blogspot.com/2010/08/images-of-semi-sustainability.html


Falia Photography travels around with her seedlings (setting them on her roof by day) until she figures out where to plant them:
http://www.faliaphotography.com/2010/05/march-april-may-thru-today.html


Cheaprvliving.com features Shawn the Rabbit Tamer:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/Homesteading.html


<update> Celtic Gypsy blogs great Vansteading links:
http://celticgypsyvandwelling.blogspot.com/2010/10/mobile-vansteading.html 
and
http://celticgypsyvandwelling.blogspot.com/2010/10/vansteading-mobile-container-gardening.html