As Summer turns to Autumn, it is time to reflect and share how BioHarmony has been moving forward with our land project.
If you’re new here — thanks for joining us! You can read up on the past few years of progress here. If you’re only here for OpenSource Everything, feel free to update your Substack preferences and unsubscribe from the “Domesteading” section of the blog.
Domestead Improvements
The “Domestead” remains dome-less. We have had the frame kit for a few years now. That has been a sense of guilt and doubt for me. I have recently come to realize that the dome needs to be built workshop-style, in Community. So our focus has been on getting the site ready to host workshops and building local community. I have also had to learn that God’s timing is not the same as mine. We have so much to learn and heal on this journey out of C@pItali$m.
One of those healing journeys has been for me — working through thoughts like “who am I, a software engineer, to be claiming the title of BioHarmonic Architect, building SolarPunk life-support architecture?” And so, I have started with smaller projects to prove to myself (and to you, I suppose) that I can do this.
Solar Energy Improvements
My Dad came to visit, and he camped out in the RV. We had a blast building a better frame for the solar panels and adding an inverter to the mix. I had a single panel resting on some tires. Now we have two panels on a seasonally-adjustable custom frame!
We found the panels (250W - $35 each) from a local. The PV combiner box came to us for free from our community. Much of the wood was recycled. And our current battery bank came from one of Papa’s old cleaning machines. We did buy the inverter, charge controller, some wires, hinges/hardware, and little timber. The whole system cost us <$1k, and has been working great for lights/fans/pumps/phones in the RV. We were also able to run the RV’s AC for a bit during the hottest days of the summer.
Pallet Raised Beds
I love cleaning up messes while I build things. Building these raised beds cleaned up some pallets, rotting stumps, wood scraps, and brush piles.
They aren’t the prettiest raised beds I’ve ever seen. But they work quite well. The stumps, wood and brush filling the bottom provide long-term nutrient and water storage as well as microbial activity.
The pallet height is very comfortable to work with. The t-posts that are holding up the pallets also turned out to be useful for tying up supports as the plants established. We built a twin bed parallel with the first one, and arched some old cattle fencing between the two as a terrace that have supported the tomatoes (and some volunteer morning glories that popped up out of the second un-planted bed).
We planted tomatoes, beans, peas, and some greens in the bed. The tomatoes were the most successful, and are still going crazy. We also planted some okra in the ground on the south side of the bed. One okra plant started fruiting early, but has only fruited out of its’ central stalk. The other okra plant started later, but has fruited from several branches and resulted in several times more okra than the other plant. Plants are so cool.
Rainwater Collection Improvements
Our first attempt at rainwater collection used 3 50-gallon barrels stacked up and piped together. I had simply dug holes for the support frame, and had a crude “first-flush-tank” bucket. It mostly worked, but looks awful, leaks, and is falling apart.
Our latest version uses a single 250 gallon ICB tank, gravity feeds into the RV’s fresh water tank, doubles as an outdoor shower (a lovely mid-summer treat), and also provides some tool storage underneath.
This time, I used earth screws to stabilize the framing, and a simpler “first-flush-tank” design. It is less ugly, doesn’t leak, standing strong, and multi-functional. I am happy with this design, and will be replacing the old one with another just like it after winter.
But first, I need to winterize this one.
Momentum
Victoria and I have moved out to the RV, and have been testing out all of the off-grid infrastructure, loving the off-grid life. We spend every night out there, but still have to come back to the “big house” to tend to our children (we’re un-schooling!) and plug back into the internet.
I feel most aligned when I am out there. We have just a few minor updates to make before we can host workshops, and plan to have the dome frame up before winter.
We can feel our momentum snowballing. The Studio Dome will get built, the Dining Dome will get built, and we will be able to prove these designs truly are a regenerative solution to housing.
All the while, we will continue to build Community and OpenSource Technology, looking forward to the BioRegional Network of Healing Villages we can see in our hearts.
In addition to being BioHarmony’s Creative Director, an amazing wife and mother, Victoria has also been writing her next book. It is a truly unique and impactful work — blending vigilante thriller with trauma-informed reflections on the failures of the justice system. You can read the first draft for free on her Substack.
Supporting her there will help get the final draft edited and published. It is a much-needed and quite enjoyable story, calling out the failures of the U.S. “justice system” while subtly teaching coping and self-protection techniques.
Gratitude
Thank you to all of you following along. Just knowing there are thousands of people who are interested in our journey is encouraging.
Many thanks to our few loyal paid subscribers who hang in there even when our online updates are sparse. Rest assured that your contributions are appreciated supporting continual healing, growing, and building.
If you would like to see more frequent or detailed updates, please comment with what you want to see and consider supporting us. If you prefer to support us outside of Substack, our Crowdfunding Campaign is another option.
In service to God and the whole of Creation!
Love the updates and seeing what's been going on. Sending good energy y'all's way for all that you continue to hold and build. You've got this!
I love being on this journey with you!