November 2004

Yurt Living: Volume Two

In April, we once again moved into the yurt owned by our friend Jeff Saar in Jamul, California near San Diego. Having lived in the yurt for almost three months the previous year (see july 2003 for details) we were able to set up quickly. The weather was much warmer (downright hot several days!) as we were there in April instead of December-February. We only had to fire up the wood stove twice. Once again we enjoyed fresh citrus right off the trees, shared evening meals with Jeff and reconnected with simple living friends Jim and Mary Harrison who live nearby. One bit of excitement was the night David captured a mouse inside Sophie’s dog food bag! The highlight of our California visit was time with grandson Erik, daughter Kimberly and son-in-law Felipe Berzunza. Kimberly and Felipe had many handyman projects for Dad to work on while there but David and Felipe managed to get in a number of bicycle rides around the greater San Diego area. We also enjoyed frequent visits with Jacque's parents who live nearby and took a side trip to Las Vegas to visit Jacque's sister.  In early 2005 we will head south again for our annual extended visit.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Two of our mentors passed away in May of this year. Sometimes people come into your life at key moments and make an unexpected impact. Frank and Bob were two such people.

Frank Lockwood died May 29th, 2004 at home in Mercer Island, Washington. Frank was my (David's) first boss when I worked at Sunbeam Appliance Service Company from 1969 to 1976. He was not only my first boss, but my best boss. Frank took a chance hiring a “green” recent college graduate with no business training or experience as a Branch Manager Trainee. He was the kind of guy who patiently explained policies, procedures and customer service techniques. There were never any “dumb questions” and mistakes were seen as learning opportunities. Frank had a great sense of humor and was a compassionate listener. After being assigned my own branch office in 1971, Frank continued as my boss for five more years writing a glowing letter of recommendation for me when I decided to leave Sunbeam in 1976. Although I had not seen Frank for several years prior to his death, the training and self-confidence he instilled in me those many years ago continue to resonate in me to this day.

Bob Haug died at age 80 at home in Seattle, Washington May 3, 2004. We first met Bob and wife Jody in 1991 in a Voluntary Simplicity Study Circle as we began our journey on the simplicity path. After a successful career as a newspaper journalist and businessman, Bob began living simply in 1970, becoming a social worker. Linking up with Jody in the early ‘80s, they continued living simply and working for activist causes. Bob was an avid gardener who inspired Jacque to become a Master Gardener and freely shared tips on gardening and living frugally. We often found ourselves seeking Bob and Jody’s advice as we simplified our lives over the past 13 years. In the 1990s Bob became active in the Green Party of Washington which honored him with a special recognition shortly before his death.

We feel lucky to have know these men who freely shared there wisdom with us at key moments in our lives.

A Sustainable Handyman

Since starting Heitmiller Handyman Service at the beginning of 2004, I (David) have tried to connect this work to sustainability. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
• Handyman work extends the life of homes thereby avoiding deterioration and ultimate destruction.
• I try to reuse existing materials as much as possible in my work.
• I steer customers toward sustainable choices in materials selection.
• I try to avoid using toxic materials in the work I do.
• I purchased recycled work vehicle that gets decent gas mileage (1983 Toyota).

Customers are thrilled to find someone willing to take on small repair and remodeling jobs and the demand for handyman work in Seattle is so large that I’ve actually worked more than I wanted to in 2004. So in 2005 I hope to strike a better balance and limit my work to three days a week making it more sustainable for me!

IASBO Report

Having missed the May meeting of the International Association of Sustainable Businesses and Organizations (IASBO) David was happy to reconnect with this group in October near Vancouver, BC, Canada. This conference featured presentations by representatives of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), Smart Growth-BC and BC Society of Energy Alternatives plus field trips to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (Social Responsibility,) Queen Elizabeth Park (Ecological Rehabilitation,) and Mountain Equipment Coop (Green Building and sustainable business practices.) As usual the networking opportunities and off-line conversation among people who “get” what sustainability is about was more important than the formal agenda.

Sophie Update

Our dog Sophie has had a tough year but now seems to be back to normal. As mentioned in our last update, she tore a ligament in her left hind leg in December 2003 that required surgery in January. After a gradual four month recovery she was almost back to normal in May. Then in late June she broke a toe in her front right paw requiring her to be in a splint for seven weeks. Because of the nature of the break, the toe will probably always be somewhat unstable and she suffered a brief relapse in October but is now doing well. We’re hoping 2005 brings better luck (and health) to Sophie.

News Briefs

• David spoke about Simplicity, Sustainability and Spirituality at the Interfaith Community Church (www.interfaithcommunitychurch.org) in August and was received enthusiastically.
• As a result of that talk a new Your Money or Your Life study group started up at ICC in October. David is currently mentoring that group.
• The Simplicity Forum held its annual congress in Winston-Salem, North Carolina this year and focused on how to bring the simplicity message to different ethnic and racial groups. David was unable to attend due to time and financial constraints but maintains his affiliation with the Forum and hopes to attend the 2005 congress.
• 2004 was a big year for sustaining our own home as we rebuilt the railing on our front deck which we discovered was rotting and painted the entire building exterior (a duplex townhouse). We’re hoping that by repainting this year we’ve preserved the Louisiana-Pacific composite siding that is renowned for failure.
• The 2004 Garden was a great success thanks almost totally to Jacque’s efforts. While David was doing handyman work, Jacque took full charge of the garden which produced a bumper crop of veggies of all kinds. Because of a warm spring and early summer our raspberries did extremely well too. Inspired by the book Four-Season Harvest (see recommendations below), this year we’ve built a greenhouse out of PVC pipe and heavy duty plastic and will be trying our hand at winter gardening.
• Everything old is new again.  In her yard sale wanderings, Jacque picked up a box of Organic Gardening magazines from the early to mid-1980's for one dollar. She's enjoyed perusing for their enduring wisdom and advice plus a few laughs at the 20 year-old prices! Ironically, David remembers many of the cover photos from when he subscribed to the magazine in the early '80s while in his back-to-nature phase of life.

Book Recommendations

Here’s our current recommended reads:

The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam by Jamal Rahman, The Book Foundation, 2004. If you want a better understanding of Islam than you typically get in mainstream media, we highly recommend this book by the co-minister of the Interfaith Community Church that David attends. Jamal, a Sufi Muslim originally from Bangladesh, explains the main tenants of the Islamic faith with compassion and humor using stories handed down through his family for generations. He truly captures the heart and spirit of Islam. Great quotes from Rumi and other sages too!

The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear by Paul Rogat Loeb, Basic Books, 2004. Fellow Seattle author Paul Loeb has put together a superb collection of essays by world famous and lesser known writers on how to maintain hope and not burn-out in these turbulent times. Includes essays by Howard Zinn, Terry Tempest Williams, Desmond Tutu, Sherman Alexie and many more. David just finished this one and highly recommends it to those suffering the post-election blues. For more information go to: www.theimpossible.org.

Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop Them All by Brian Czech, University of California Press, 2000. Written by a fellow Simplicity Forum member, Czech takes on the world with his analysis of the unsustainable current economic system. Much like Limits to Growth 30 years ago, Czech realizes that the planet simply cannot sustain the current levels of production and consumption and proposes a detailed plan for a “steady-state” economy. A concise and compelling argument.

Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1999. This is Jacque’s current favorite gardening book and has inspired modifications in our approach focusing on year round garden production. Coleman and wife, Barbara Damrosch garden on land that was once part of the Helen and Scott Nearing homestead in Maine.