apacheman: phoenix arises from the ashes, thanks to you, ATS

It has been a difficult few months since we lost our home, but I am happy to report my brother and I are no longer roofless.

We didn't go on welfare, we didn't receive government support or assistance of any kind, and we didn't go begging.

We slept in the car for a few weeks, mixed with some couchsurfing, said couches provided by loving friends whose help we tried hard not to abuse.

We lost much in the process: treasured mementos, valuable things, emotional security...too much, too hurtful, and too pointless to list.

Kind members of ATS spontaneously donated small sums online to help us out, and those small sums are what provided the means for our resurrection as visible members of society again by providing just enough to allow us to buy a cellphone (our first ever) that enabled us to maintain communications with the world. It allowed us to post on Craigslist our need for a new home, and to search for one. One of my posts there finally elicited the kind of response we needed, and we are now living on a large property in a small community some 30 miles or so from our previous address. The lady from whom we rent a sort of granny flat desperately needed help to keep her property from being foreclosed and what we offered was the answer to her prayers: not just the money, but the gardens I can create with my labor, skills, ideas, and seed stocks.

Without your help, ATS, it wouldn't have been possible.

We would have spiralled down into a much worse situation. Every government agency to which I turned for help, every charitable organization all turned out to have the same problem: they were broke. They had already spent every dime of funding they had allocated towards helping those in need like us, and were sympathetic, but powerless to aid us.

ATS members worldwide pitched in and selflessly gave without being asked, without demanding conditions, without asking a return. What was given was the crucial element in our recovery, and I cannot thank you guys enough. Besides the money,the emotional support was invaluable.

We now reside on what some might call a ranch. It is a large property with a couple of horses and lots of space. Not a working ranch, just a large property set in the midst of the hills surrounded by small vineyards and emerging wineries with roads with names like Cloudy Moon Drive, Shady Oaks, Oak Grove and the like. The landlady has agreed to let me create a new garden along the lines I have always dreamed about and we are far along already.

The garden I am creating is a translation of the Mesoamerican chinampa system to the high semi-desert environment. So far I have dug a space about 20' by 25' by 4' deep, much thanks to a neighbor who loaned the use of a power hammer and skiploader for a few days. As soon as I can afford to, I will buy the wire mesh I need to line it to keep the rodents out, and the weedstop cloth to keep the bugs out. I am gathering the local rocks, of which there is an abundance, to line the canal that will surround and feed the garden with water and nutrients. The canal will support an aquaculture that will provide fish and nutrient rich water and mud, and turtles and frogs for pest control. The canal will be fed water from the existing well and maintained by an airwell and rainwater cachement system I will construct after the garden is started. Based on the average humidity here, if I design and build it properly it should generate somewhere between 20 and 50 gallons of water a day, plenty to maintain the canal.

With luck and hard work I should have it completed by the spring, and will be able to provide food, medicine, and fiber in abundance next year.

If any are interested in watching our progress we should have a website up over the next month or so to share our experiment and knowledge. As soon as it is up I will let you know.

Without you guys and the help you so selflessly provided, we would still be homeless on the street.

You have our most profound thanks, and my personal pledge to pass it on as soon and as often as I am able to.

It's great to be back, and I'll be contributing as much as I can to the discussions again.

Great to see you back!
Sounds like quite the garden you're planning. Good luck with it.
I hope things continue to improve for you.

Glad to hear your luck has turned. Sounds like a nice place to be actually.

I'm also very excited to see and learn from your gardening project. Can't wait for the website!

Thanks for the update and best wishes.

Welcome back Apache Looks like you made lemonade, my brother!!

Im very much looking forward to your website and think its wonderful youre intending on sharing your skill and info with us all. Much more good luck to you and again, good man for caring for your brother as you do. Wonderful to see.

Good to hear you are back on your feet and doing something you want to do and that is productive. I admire that.

It's too bad I'm in Vegas and not down there. I have a few tons of rocks I pulled out of my back yard sitting in my side yard. They need to be removed but getting them to Phoenix is too costly, especially since I'm broke. I'd bet you could use them. Be easier than digging them out of the ground.

I've been lax in getting rid of them hoping I could find someone who needed them.

reply to post by TheLoony


Not in Phoenix, actually, but a small town called Ramona in Southern California, near San Diego.

Not in the town, but some few miles outside in the foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains.

It's a pretty nice view, and the stars are incredible here. Reminds me of the night skies when I was shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico, far out to sea. Not quite as free from light pollution, but close.

reply to post by apacheman


Crikey, I don't know how I got that conclusion. I looked at your OP again and didn't see Phoenix at all. I must be really blind, really screwed up or better yet, a combination of the two.

Great, I'm blind and going senile. Anyway, keep us updated on the farm. I'd love to see pics - before, during and after if possible but that may not be. Maybe we could learn from you, sounds like you have a pretty good plan.

Forgot to add this, I really am losing it. I've lived in Sedona so yeah, I get what you are saying about looking up and seeing the stars. It sucks living here where I can't see anything.

Glad to hear you are back on your feet!!
Am interested to hear about your garden. I work in the horticulture / agriculture industry, and am a huge proponent of permaculture.

Welcome back, very glad things are looking better for you all.

Welcome back

I wasn't a member yet when I read your "departing thread" but it resonated with me and I hoped it would all turn out for you.

Really pleased to know it has, and I also look forward to seeing your project in progess

Brilliant brilliant......just bloody brilliant sir! Still wiping the tear of gladness from my eye. I felt so much for you and your brother when you 'disappeared'. I am so glad you have a chorus of angels looking after you both, and in return I have no doubt you will be 'passing it forward' in more ways than you realise at the moment.
Bright and brilliant rainbows to you both
Jane

reply to post by apacheman



That is great to hear! I am glad we could all be of service to you and look forward to hearing your progress and the web site. I do not know you personally but often wonder how you two were going.

To the future!

Australiana.

reply to post by apacheman


So glad to hear you are ok. Often wondered how you both were getting on. hope you get your website up and running soon.

Peace and love starchild.

Originally posted by apacheman
Every government agency to which I turned for help, every charitable organization all turned out to have the same problem: they were broke. They had already spent every dime of funding they had allocated towards helping those in need like us, and were sympathetic, but powerless to aid us.

But yet they have TONS of money for WARS, WALL STREET and ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

Yet for US, we are told there is NOTHING!!!!!

What is WRONG WITH THIS FOLKS???

Good to see you back, for some reason I knew you'd be back...faith my friend, I wasn't joking when I replied in that thread.

Positive thinking will always see light of days.

Peace

WELCOME back, I am so happy for your fortune. But I feel highly angry. You should never have to had gone homeless. What a SHAME this System. God bless the ATS donaters. I just don't have anymore words. I'm too filled with outrage.

reply to post by apacheman


That is wonderful news Apacheman. Glad to hear you are creating a garden.
One of the best things a person can do.
Blessings.

im new here so i cant welcome u back....

great story ,fantastic to see you are back on your feet again...i too work in the horticulture industry and will be interested in your hearing more about your gardens...gl bro hope it keeps going well

peace

reply to post by apacheman


Hey post some pics of this i find this kinda interesting in my old age...pics of the garden
glad your back!! I've lost everything twice in my life...never a fun or easy road back if it wernt for family
Id probably still be homeless .Wish you guys all the luck in the world!!

Good for both of you! Remember reading your post a while back. It was really moving to get a feel for your situation.

Will is a strong force, hang in there - work hard and you will both reach your goals. Be smart and realistic about your goals at the same time. Keep it simple, take care of the essentials first, after that you can move on to a bigger plan. When you got the essentials in place everything else gets easier to accomplish afterward.

Good luck to the both of you! Keep us updated when you have the time and means to.

Live long and prosper