Preparations for our Permanent Move to Healing Earth

After almost 6 years in Madinah, we are preparing to return to Healing Earth this summer to live there full-time. It is a difficult move in many ways, but for every difficulty there is ease and we look forward to taking our sheep to the hilltops (or in our case, the grasslands). It is a hijrah to Allah, to put ourselves in a situation where sincere and correct intentions with tawakkal (total reliance on Allah) is made real to us every day and in everything we do.

There are so many things to put in place when we arrive. Aside from setting up our temporary housing and purchasing another vehicle, hopefully a 12-15 passenger van with heavy duty towing capability, we have to prepare the following as soon as possible.

- Chicken tractor/housing (egg layers)
- Chicken coops (meat birds)
- Housing and milking shed for cows, sheep, and goats.
- Greenhouse or similar for growing out of season
- Planting immediately for late summer/early fall crops

Once things are in place, we will be going for our dairy cow training and to pick up our dairy cow and a bull calf from Joy and Robert at www.handmilking.com.They are making all sorts of arrangements to ensure we will be comfortable and our Islamic faith is respected and catered for during our stay.

We have spent weeks making lists of the seeds to purchase, deciding between heirloom, organic, etc. and the varieties. In addition, we have decided on the various birds we plan to get started with: a mix of laying chickens, meat chickens, ducks, and turkeys inshaa Allah.

Shariyf's resignation was finally accepted yesterday and we are now officially in moving mode! We will keep you posted of the progress inshaa Allah as we proceed on our journey.

Self Discovery Exercise through Poetry

I am  (2 traits that describe you)
I wonder if  (what do you wonder?)
I hear (what sounds fill your ears?)
I see (what visions fill your head?)
I want (what desires fuel your actions?)
I dream (what might your dream?)
I worry (what bothers you?)
I feel (what do you feel?)
I am (2 different traits that describe you)

You can see my completed poem over at Mai to the Extreme in the post, Looking Inward...

Our New Schedule

Everything we do is, in some way, training for this life and the Next. We have changed our daily schedule for this school year, in order to prepare ourselves for the daily structure we will have when we return to Healing Earth next summer, inshaa Allah. We will have to stay up after fajr prayer to feed and milk the animals, our school day will be split up to ensure the the focal point - Islamic education - has greater weight, and the times are conducive to the milking and farm chores.

To get everyone's internal clock  adjusted, we all stay up after fajr prayer and walk to a local park. There are three within a 10 to 20 minute walk from our building. There, the children have a chance to play while we catch up on our reading. The school schedule is five days a week, but Arabic and Qur'aan are every day of the week, as they must be an integral part of our everyday life.

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
5:30 – 6:45 a.m.	Walk to Park  (children play & parents read)	Walk to Park	Walk to Park	Walk to Park	Walk to Park	Walk to Park	Walk to Park
7:00 – 8:00	Shower & Breakfast	Shower & Breakfast	Shower & Breakfast	Shower & Breakfast	Shower & Breakfast	Ghusl & Breakfast	Shower & Breakfast
8:00 – 9:00	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson	Arabic Lesson
9:10 – 9:55	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed	Qur’aan & Tajweed
10:00 – 10:45	Hadeeth	Hadeeth	Hadeeth	Hadeeth	Hadeeth
10:55 – 11:40	Usool-ud-Deen	Usool-ud-Deen	Usool-ud-Deen	Usool-ud-Deen	Usool-ud-Deen
11:50 a.m. – 1:50	Break time to include lunch and salaat.	Break time	Break time	Break time	Break time
2:00 – 2:45		English	English	English	English
2:55 – 3:40		Math	Math	Math	Math
3:50 – 4:30		Science	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies

Summer 2014 Progress Report

We plan and Allah Plans, and Allah is the best of Planners! This summer proved to be a lesson in acceptance and priorities. We quickly ran out of money, but we improvised, overcame, and adapted as Allah's Plan unfolded. Al hamdul'Illah!

Out of the big list of things we hoped to accomplish:

• we bought a used stock trailer;
• hosted a family for a couple of weeks;
• hosted another brother for four days;
• planted trees along the alongside the dirt road inside the gate and some along the fence;
• got some wooden cable spools for use as tables;
• got 8 telephone poles for our projects next summer;
• built wooden "lovable loos";
• did a bit of soil preparation and landscaping; and
• built a solid, wooden 10' x 10' structure comprising 2 bathrooms and a kitchen.

We bought the stock trailer in Tennessee, on our cross country drive to Healing Earth, maashaa Allah. It proved very useful, as we were able to transport our saplings, straw and hay bales, and various other supplies in it. We later used it to carry the wooden cable spools and to transport a live sheep that we slaughtered. We actually used it as a kitchen after that until the kitchen and bathhouse were built. As I whipped up honey soy salmon, egg fried rice, stir fried veggies, and Thai corn fritters for iftaar, we could see the potential novelty in taking it on the road as a traveling restaurant!

We managed to build a wooden 10'x10' structure, divided into three parts comprising two bathroom units and a kitchen. It was difficult, because Shariyf had to do it virtually alone, bi idhn Illah, as neither the girls or I had the strength to be of much use. We did what we could to hold up 2x6 boards as he hammered them in, but in the end it was through his sweat, backache, callouses, and cuts that Allah provided us with our little building. To us, with all it's imperfections and things still to be done, it is a beautiful blessing, al hamdul'Illah! I enjoyed cooking in comfort in the kitchen for the last week or so of our stay there...a huge difference, maashaa Allah.

We did not plant our sunflower seeds this year, deciding it would be best to do it next year when we are there to both tend to them and reap the seeds. Another reason was that Allah blessed us with many sunflowers already growing near the borders of our land, which came into bloom near the end of our stay maashaa Allah. With the plentiful rain, we had thousands of wildflowers, beneficial herbs, and edible plants interspersed throughout the wheat and blue grama grass that grew as tall as three feet in places.  It was very encouraging to know there was plenty of grazing for animals as soon as the rains came.We dried some of the herbs, such as fringed sage, snake broom, and a type of mint. Next year we hope to harvest and dry the majority of the different herbs for our own use and sale in our farm shop inshaa Allah.

We took a road  trip over the Eid ul Fitr where we first went to Santa Fe for the first day of Eid. We then visited Patricia in Chimayo, who breeds and raises Mammoth donkeys with her husband. We were welcomed and she took time to show us the donkeys, considering which would be suitable for our family and needs by next summer, and generously offered to train us, wa al hamdul'Illah. We now have things in place to go spend a few days' of training there next summer and buy a Mammoth Jack and a Jenny. We particularly want to raise these donkeys, as they are becoming rare to find, are larger than horses, exceptionally strong for work, intelligent, and very gentle for learning to ride on.

Our trip continued up to Taos and the following day we went to Robert and Joy, of handmilking.com, up in Questa. They warmly welcomed us and introduced us to their cows, chickens, and other animals. Here we were convinced that a Jersey cow was the best option for us and changed our minds from our original plan to get a Dexter cow. We felt a real connection with Robert and Joy, especially as they started out on their 5 acres with nothing and are building it from the ground up, just like us. They have offered to do a private training program for our family next summer, when we will spend a few days there and purchase our pre-trained dairy cows inshaa Allah. It was the third day of Eid and we mentioned that our visit to them was part of our Eid festivities along with plans to make some ice cream. Such a generous soul, Joy gifted us a quart of raw cream, 2 lbs of fresh butter, and 6 of their freshly laid eggs, wishing us a very happy Eid!

Many other connections were made over the summer, including enhancing and developing our relationships with the people of Roy, and Mosquero. We joined the Chamber of Commerce and were put on specific task forces - I am helping produce the Chamber's newsletter and Shariyf is part of the Geo-caching and Internet advertising. We learned what businesses are desperately needed there and what jobs are available and trades required.

Shariyf has been accepted as an apprentice by Ken Garrison of Star G Honey, to learn all about the business, from the planting of specialized crops and positioning the hives, to harvesting and packaging of raw honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and beeswax. He has also offered to sell some of our baked products alongside his honey at the Santa Fe Farmers' Market. Tyler, the most amiable and helpful teenager in Roy, has agreed to teach Shariyf about raising goats.

Esther Mitchell is looking forward to learning to build with cob and coming to monthly "Meet Mai" afternoons, where I will teach sustainable homesteading skills, including cooking from scratch, making your own personal care products, and utilizing all the plants indigenous to our area inshaa Allah.

Both the residents of Roy and Mosquero have bemoaned the absence of a bakery, and we hope to meet that need by selling organic baked goods in Healing Earth's Farm Store and perhaps even a Tea Room, inshaa Allah. Left, right, and center Allah has presented us with avenues to make a living and learn the valuable skills that we will need to run our farm sustainably maashaa Allah.

We also have been greatly helped by Shelley Summers, who is the drop manager for Azure Standard, in Las Vegas, NM. She offered to pick up our initial order and keep it for us, so we had our bulk food supplies immediately upon arrival at Healing Earth. She gifted us with organic veggies she is growing as part of her CSA. She gave us a wealth of information on others doing similar things to us within a 300 mile radius. She showed us where to go for raw milk and cheese and informed us of a Muslim in Las Vegas who owns Blue Moon Fashions. Shelley gave us plants that were established so we could eat from them during our stay, seeds, a big bag of her delicious dried peaches, and some pinon salve that proved fantastic for all those bites, cuts, and scrapes.

For all these connections and so much more, we thank Allah - the Most Perfect Provider of every need! After that epic post I will end so you can rest your eyes, LOL, unless you want to see a few photos on the facebook page!

What we're reading in May 2014

This month is rather busy for us, as we finalized our Permaculture design project, are looking at the money available for the summer and prioritizing what needs to be done, and are trying to pack and prepare for our summer at Healing Earth. Reading has been very focused on what we need to know for the farm and preparing a new curriculum for our homeschooling. The girls are knitting gifts for their grandparents, who we will visit in England for 10 days before heading on to Healing Earth inshaa Allah.

 

 

 

Permaculture Project Final Design: Part 3 Integral 28 Acre Map

2          2 x Animal complexes

Purpose:

To safely house the sheep, goats, chickens, miniature cows, and donkeys/horses while providing enough space for them to roam and graze when not taken out to pasture.

Design Features:

Four 12.5’x16’ barns with 50 feet of chain link fence run from each to the next, forming a large courtyard area for the animals to safely roam in. While 10 acres (20 x ½ acre sections) are available for rotational grazing, this courtyard area provides a safe, lockable place for the animals to be housed at night and if the family should travel. Each barn can house up to 10 sheep or goats, 48 chickens, two miniature cows, or two horses or donkeys. The chickens can feed from the livestock manure, keeping a healthy environment.

We plan to keep 3 ewes (Dorset), 2 goats (Nubian), 2 miniature cows (Jersey), 2 donkeys (Mammoth Jack), and 4 different types of chickens, 48 of each type. Four chicken coops will house them, each type being kept separate. One type will be in each animal complex. The other two will be in areas where they are needed. The types of chickens are Jersey Giant for eating and large eggs, Sussex for eggs and meat, Easter Eggers for their unusually colored eggs, and Marans for their chocolate brown colored eggs. The “gourmet” egg collection will be sold in the farm shop, at farmer’s markets, and any other viable outlets.

There is room for expansion, as more barns can be added within the perimeter fence, still allowing for a good-sized central area. Rain catchment from the barn rooftops will be channeled into a 3,000 gallon water storage tank to provide drinking water for the animals, irrigate the grass, and for cleaning out the barns. Drinking and feed troughs, as well as grass will be in the complex.

3          20 x Gazebos

Purpose:

•  To provide shade for the livestock while grazing on a rotation system
•  To harvest rain-water for the animals to drink

Design Features:

Made of wood, these inexpensive 8’ x 8’ structures used for livestock shade will have metal roofs to harvest the rain-water and moveable galvanized steel troughs will be in place for the days they are grazing in that section.

4          2 x Wallapinis

Purpose:

Underground greenhouses with stable, sustainable temperatures year-long to facilitate the growth of plants requiring a different climate, delicate plants, and germination of seeds

Design Features:

Wallapinis will have a modified Plexiglas roof to maximize aerodynamics in the high winds, to use fewer materials, for aesthetics, and to provide more surface area for rain catchment to feed water barrels inside, thereby creating moisture within a microclimate.

5          Farm Shop

Purpose:

To sell produce, eggs, herbs, baked goods, dairy products, refreshments, and any other by-products or goods produced by the farm. This in turn is hoped to provide some income for the general expenses. It is situated near the state road, Route 39, with nothing around it for about 19 miles towards the east and 5 miles towards the west. There is little to be found along the route, so it will serve as a stop for refreshments and organic food supplies. It will also be used as a check-in and check-out station for the pick your own organic orchards.

Design features:

Wooden 10’x12’ shed used so the shop can be up and functional as quickly as possible. Eventually, it is planned to cob around it, to provide insulation, strength, and aesthetics in line with Healing Earth’s farm and architecture.

6          Pick Your Own Organic Orchard & Picnic Grove

Purpose:

To be a source of income for Healing Earth, create a micro climate, wind break, and encourage rain.

Design features:

A selection of trees including: various types of apple, pear, peach, nectarine, plum, cherry, fig, and pomegranate. Companion planting will be employed to encourage beneficial insects, to add nitrogen to the soil, impede grass growth, create a microclimate, and additional food source. A chicken coop in the area will be used to fertilize, eat pests and fallen fruit.

Picnic grove will have gazebos with wooden trellis roofs for shade and grapevines planted at the base of the posts, to provide shade and food. Insect repelling plants will be planted around the perimeter and natural seating by way of rocks or wooden benches will be in place. Fire rings or barbecue pits will be built beside them for picnicking.

7          Family Orchard

Purpose:

To provide family food supply, this orchard’s fruits and nuts will be eaten fresh and also dehydrated, canned, or frozen for long term storage.

Design features:

Trees are all circled with mulch 6 inches from the trunk and the mulch ring is circled by rocks. The mulch provides cover which retains the moisture in the earth and the rocks provide a natural watering system by gathering condensation overnight or in wet/damp conditions and it rolling down into the ground. The mulch also eventually composts down to nourish the earth and rich compost can still be added around the trunk and under the mulch. The trees and berry bushes are saddling the naturally occurring swale the runs down from the house to the vegetable garden, benefitting from household grey water run-off. The bushes are planted in a zigzag formation to maximize space and assist gravity with the irrigation system.

A chicken coop will be built in this area so the chickens can free-range, fertilize, and eat any pests & fallen fruit.

8          Vegetable Garden

Purpose:

•  To provide food for the family
•  Excess and scraps for the animals

Design features:

A well mulched area, organized into rows for easy access, this falls at the end of a natural swale running from the northwest corner perimeter wall of the housing compound. It will be supplied grey water as well as have rainwater channeled to it when it rains. It will be served by a nearby composting unit for fertilizer and is beside a composting toilet and tool shed, for convenience.

9          Flax field

Purpose:

•  To grow flax for domestic cloth needs
•  To make rope and twine
•  Fibers for cob mixture
•  Organic matter for composting

Design features:

½ acre field, which is enough to provide approximately 44 yards of fabric, will be sown. Specific types of flax will be sown to ensure a good quality, softness, and soil management.

10       Grains Field

Purpose:

•  To provide the yearly grain needs for the family
•  Straw bedding for animals
•  Straw for cob building

Design features:

Plant 2-3 acres of diversified crops covering many grains and grasses that are very expensive to purchase. The varieties will include: hard and soft white wheat, einkorn and emmer wheat, kamut, spelt, amaranth, millet, oats, quinoa, sorghum, and the grass buckwheat. This gives the best chance of having sufficient grains, so if one doesn’t do well, there are others to compensate.

11       Zone 5 Forest/Tree Nursery/ Pick your own nut orchard

Purpose:

•  To have a 3 acre forested area as windbreak, source of wood for fuel and lumber, and seed clouding
•  This will serve as a place to grow seedlings in a nursed environment, especially for the more unusual or exotic trees we would like to try growing and trees for sale
•  Provide a different environment for a bee hive
•  This area will also house a pick your own nut orchard, approximately 1 acre in size, open to the public

 Design Features:

A special feature of this forested area is the planting of Pinon Pine Trees. There are no cultivated pine nuts in the USA, largely due to the length of time for the trees to produce. It takes 25 years to have an initial harvest and they reach their prime for harvesting in 75 years. This is a planned source of income for our children, and the generations after them.  Considering that pine nuts are very expensive, with only macadamia nuts being higher in cost, it is planned to be a long-term, high income cash crop.

12       Existing Access Road

The state road, Route 39, borders the southern side of the property. It is elevated from the land, with a sharp grassy drop. It is always exceptionally green from the rain runoff, and we can use this area to plant trees that require more water. This road is the main highway that connects Texas to Taos, a major ski resort and natural building haven. Cars traveling this route are potential customers for the farm shop, especially as there is no pick your own or organic store within 1.5 hours drive.

13       Existing County Road

The existing county road, Homestead Road, turns off the state road. The farm entrance and farm shop are accessed from it. There is a wide enough section of land between the road and the perimeter fence to allow parking for people who stop for the farm shop or the pick your own.

14       External Kitchen

An external kitchen is established in a 10’ x 12’ building northernmost on the property, housing the solar array to run a solar freezer. It will include a cast iron wood stove, all food supplies, and the outdoor cooking apparatus, such as the rocket stove and sun oven. This will be used by the family until the houses are built, and later on by guests, course and workshop attendees, and volunteers such as WOOFERS, POOSHERS, and apprentices.

15       28’ Travel Trailer

This serves as temporary housing while building the houses and other structures. It can sleep 8, so can be used in the future for a guest house or accommodation for volunteers coming to work on various projects with us.

16       Bee Hives

Purpose:

• Pollination
•  Honey
•  Nurture and restore bee population

Design Features:

Strategically placed in different growing areas to pollinate the various plants and trees

17       Perimeter Windbreak/Privacy Screen

Purpose:

•  Windbreak
•  Firebreak
•  Privacy
•  Attraction for potential customers passing by
•  Food for wildlife and humans
•  Nature trail surround

Design Features:

Sunflowers will be planted first on the inner side of the perimeter fence, both perennial and annual, to establish a border and some nursing for tree seedlings. They grow up to 10 feet tall. Wildflowers will be planted on the outer side of the perimeter fence, for a lower cover, to attract bees and other insects for pollination and propagation. Along the inside perimeter fence we will plant lilac, lavender, and New Mexico privet hedge for long-term, lower, and fast growing cover. Then three layers of varying drought resistant trees will be planted, which will make a dense privacy border, a windbreak, firebreak, cloud seeding, as well as a pleasant moisture/temperature controlled micro-climate.

Capitalizing on the dense and aromatic privacy border, a pathway will be woven amongst them to provide a beautiful and secluded nature trail for reflection, relaxation, personal enjoyment, and access to the border trees and bushes for harvesting, maintenance, and watering if necessary.

18       Internal roads

Purpose:

•  The internal roads connect plants, trees, and barn areas to control where vehicles are driven on the farm
•  They will also provide cycling paths for recreation

19       Cemetery 

Purpose:

•  To keep Islamic burial traditions
•  To keep burial expenses to a minimum
•  To provide plots for other Muslims in the surrounding areas

Design Features:

On the easternmost section of the farm, midway between the northern and southernmost sections will be a ½ acre Islamic cemetery. This section is the highest elevation on the farm and located in a non-flood plain (a requirement for zoning), and the area least accessible to pick your own customers. The cemetery will be surrounded by flowers and hedges to provide privacy and help restore bio-diversity.

20       Bat houses

 

Purpose:

•  To control the ever increasing and annoying mosquito population
•  Reintroduce bats into the area
•  Help restore bio-diversity
•  To make nights more enjoyable

 Design Features:

On the eastern and western corners of the farm, running parallel to route 39, two wooden bat houses will be erected. A 6x6x16 beam will be used as a post for the houses. By burying the beams 3 feet into the ground, the post will be secure and out of predators reach.   

Note on the positioning of various zones and fields

Purpose:

To ensure that family members get a good amount of exercise moving from place to place in their daily lives. Health and wellbeing of the family is paramount, and healthy organic food is effective in conjunction with physical exercise. Exercise should be an integral part of daily life, not something that has to be made time for or done in an artificial way. In this way, all areas of the farm are surveyed on a daily basis and everyone gets plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.