048 – Discussion on Family, Bugs, Mining, Missoula

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Paul discusses some company who came to visit early. He and his brother Tim have such different views on politics that it’s hard to believe they’re related. Tim has a passion for politics and is a conservative based on what Paul expresses. Jocelyn
explains how politics are not allowed on Permies. Paul would rather discuss Permaculture than politics. Tim is now interested in building a rocket mass heater to reduce from the six or ten cords they currently use in a season.

Paul feels that by putting out the dailyish email he’s creating something easy for people to share with others and use as building blocks. Paul explains the Wheaton eco scale and how there are different levels of greatness.
Paul discusses a visit to Glacier and some of the rules that he had to agree to when staying at the cabin, he followed the rules and his brother Tim did not. Paul goes into how some rules are ok to breakbut he followed the rules. Jocelyn points out this is another difference between Paul and Tim. Paul notes that it’s harder to innovate and invent when there are so many rules.
Paul reviews his findings of mullein; while not a food plant it grows in the worst circumstances, often to six feet tall. He has collected lots of pictures and video over the nine days his company visited. Mullein has large leaves and is good at building organic matter to repair the soil and at the same time it has a lot of potential medicinal uses.
Paul explains how he makes poly dough and it’s uses for all sorts of things from cinnamon buns to perogies. It can also be used as pizza dough or even fry bread too. The thread on Permies explains some other recipes where poly dough can be used for also.

Paul discusses the Missoula Farmers Market and how nice it is and some of the notoriety he gets when he walks the market. He reflects about Java Ranch and how he had a Beatles moment when he met a woman who was a huge fan. Jocelyn confirmed that Paul’s fan base is growing each day.

A discussion of horse flies comes next. Paul’s idea to get rid of the horse fly is to create an enviroment to attract birds that eat them. He points out that yellow jackets eat other insects and then he would catch the yellow jackets and use them to feed his chickens. Jocelyn mentions how the problem is the solution and how his idea is a Permaculture Principle. Paul discusses several different ideas on how to feed his chickens using worms and meal worms.
Paul talks about some fishing he did and how much he loved his time fishing a small creek with just a simple pole and a dry fly. He caught about twenty fish but most were too small and he released all but one brook trout that he brought home.

Jocelyn and Paul discuss the pit mining going on in Butte Montana. The environmental impacts of the pit mines, it’s toxic ph levels, and how the water doesn’t support any life in it’s mile deep lake. Waterfowl that stop in the lake and spend more than four to six hours in the water can die. Paul talks about the voice message at the mine claims the pit is safe but still notes it is a Superfund site, as they listen to the message a few local people laughed when it says the drinking water in Butte is safe. They mine copper at the site and they point out that anyone using copper is contributing to the problem. Jocelyn was amazed at how different Butte is as compared to Missoula. Butte was a more depressed area with very few trees as compared to the Garden City (Missoula).

Relevant Threads

Hunting and Fishing
Permaculture Waterfowl
Horsefly Nightmare

Credit: Kevin Murphy

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