The cat's out of the bag and so we can finally make public the latest news. Christy and I have decided to move onto the property sooner than we had originally planned. We're leaving Charlotte at the end of March/beginning of April. We made this decision in November after being motivated by a Durham couple, Rebekah & Stephen, living sustainably in an urban setting. They had replaced their lawn with an edible garden, installed a PV system and a solar hot water system, and got rid of their cars. The two of them have authored a book - "The Carbon Free-Home". Rebekah is also an electrician and installs solar panels.
Christy has already informed her employer and I will do the same after the holidays. I think a 90 day notice will be sufficient, yes? I hope my employer will be as accepting as Christy's was. We'll see. But who knows, perhaps because of the down-turn in the economy one may get laid-off. I could only be so lucky.
Working in an industry that is so intimately tied to consumerism has been difficult for me. How to justify being against a consumptive, throw-away society and at the same time working for a company that relies exclusively on that principle? Do you simply say, "Hey, I'm doing the best I can. I have to pay the bills somehow."? It works for awhile but that dichotomy doesn't fade with time. It is this reason and more that I've decided to change careers and work in the renewable energy field by installing PV (photo voltaic) systems. In February I'll be attending a week-long PV Design and Installation class in Tucson. Afterwards, I'll do an advanced class which entails 60 hours of classwork which I can do online. The plan is to be come a certified PV installer. Where would I work? Well, as luck would have it, our neighbor, David, in Floyd owns a PV installation business. We've already discussed my working for him. Also, another neighbor told us he has a friend that also owns a PV installation business who needs help. So I don't think there will be a lack of work. In the long term, I do not plan on working full-time. The idea is to earn enough to pay for the things we can't provide ourselves - insurance (home, car, & health), gasoline, cell phone service, and staples such as TP, soy milk, and most importantly - coffee. We hope to provide the rest.
When we move onto the property we'll initially be living in our tent - how primitive! We'll use this time to build a smaller structure - a cabin/cottage. We're thinking an approximately 200sq foot structure. This will be our home while we're continuing to save for the straw bale house. At the same time we'll start farming as well. We'll be clearing some of the trees in either January or February in preparation for planting and the well.
It's all very exciting but at the same time quite daunting. Christy and I aren't approaching this with the romantic notion that it'll be easy and idyllic. There's going to be a LOT of hard work and many frustrations. But we're motivated, determined, and patient. We work well together and are always supportive of each other. This will be a good test of how well we cope under duress. I am just so lucky to be with someone who is as excited and willing to do this as I am.
ye reap what ye sow. So true - literally and figuratively.
