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News from Reevis Mountain School
January 2009
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A Division of the PAAK Foundation, an Arizona 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
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We're excited about
Winter Count! see below
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 A new year, and many new and wonderful things going on at Reevis! Most important, we are so happy to have three new work-exchange residents: Minnie recently graduated from NYU in art history; Travis, after 8 years in the Air Force, is touring sustainable communities and learning a variety of useful skills; and Nate - whose father lived at Reevis in the early days! - is a fantastic cook, carpenter, and auto mechanic.
We have a new relationship with Prescott College, which sends all their new freshman out on a wilderness trek. So far, three groups have hiked through the farm and have helped out with orchard work and road maintenance. Last week they helped us move a 300-pound boulder out of a creek crossing - six students working together to roll it up onto the bank and then down out of the way. (Peter exercised amazing self-control and let them do it all themselves.) And a group came by just yesterday and worked for four hours helping us clean and reconstruct the tree basins in the orchard.
By next month we expect to have a new cabin completed ... and a new outhouse!
We also have a new printed brochure, with all our spring classes and events listed - if you would like a copy, or a stack to give to friends, just ask.
Our projects for the rest of the winter are - most important - to finish revisions of all three of Peter's books (Book of Ancient Natural Remedies, Southwestern Wild Plants, and Natural Remedies for Bites and Stings) ... to build a second new cabin ... and, if donations continue to come in, install a new solar water pump to replace our gas pump.
For more
information (and pictures!) about the farm, Peter Bigfoot's herbal remedies, and classes and events, please visit www.reevismountain.org.
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Coming Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, February 8, 8 a.m.
Winter Count Primitive Living Skills Gathering, February 15-21, near Maricopa, AZ
Oriental Touch Healing, at RMS, March 5-8, $268
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, Lost Dutchman State Park, March 15, $78
Wilderness Survival, at RMS, March 28-April 4, $975
Nature Retreat at RMS, April 10-12, $198
Herbal Pharmacology, at RMS, April 24-26, $198
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, at RMS, April 29-May 2, $268
Stone Masonry, at RMS, June 1-6, $152
Please see below for more information.
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| Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, February 8, 8 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter will speak to PIHMA's Complementary Herbology class about his own methods and ideas of herbology. The public is welcome, and Peter's herbal remedies will be available for purchase. 301 East Bethany Home Road, Suite A-100, in central Phoenix.
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Winter Count Primitive Living Skills Rendezvous
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Teachers and artisans in primitive technology gather every winter at the Backtracks Winter Count Rendezvous to share ideas and methods as well as spread their arts through hands-on workshops. Teachers and practitioners are here to share their knowledge, rub elbows with peers, market their wares and programs, and generally give back to the field. This is an opportunity for you to receive skills instruction from some of the nation's top primitive technologists and artisans.
Twenty to thirty classes are held each day of this seven-day gathering. Classes may include: brain tanning, primitive pottery, felting, useful plants, bows and arrows, flintnapping, traps and snares, basketry, altatls and darts, drumming, birch-bark crafts, fire making, pecking and grinding, primitive games, knife making and sharpening, finger weaving, tule/cattail crafts, shelter building, shoe and sandal making, drop spindle spinning, stone axes, willow crafts, earth pigment paints, blow guns, holistic medicine, gourd crafts, food gathering, netting, backstrap weaving, cordage and fibers, and many more topics.
Peter will teach bow and drill fire starting, useful plants, and
natural healing. Contact the event organizer, Backtracks (David and Paula Wescott), for more information
and registration: www.backtracks.net, (208) 359-2400.
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Oriental Touch Healing, at RMS, March 5-8, $268
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A doctor may not be available when you need one - now you can learn to take care of yourself! Oriental touch healing (jin shin jyutsu) is a simple and profoundly effective healing art founded on the understanding of the human body as animated by life force energy that constantly flows through meridians in and around the body. Most illness is caused by a restriction in the free flow of life force. OTH is an art designed to reestablish that free flow and return us to our natural state of being: painless, joyous, and loving. You will learn the philosophy of OTH, the meridians and pulse points, diagnosis through reading the pulses, techniques of touch healing, and first aid with OTH. Includes Bigfoot's Book of Ancient Natural Remedies. Three days. |
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Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, March 15 or April 29-May 2
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 Our Sonoran desert plants, bushes, and trees harbor many secret treasures, from healthy nourishment to remedies for illness, injury, and venomous bites and stings. We make it easy and fun to learn ... and, of course, you'll get Bigfoot himself answering your questions, and his fascinating stories of healing and survival. You will receive a personal plant study book that contains information on more than 150 medicinal and edible wild plants (a $20 value!) plus room to add actual samples that are gathered during the class. Easy hiking through the desert, exploring the plant life as we go. Dress for the weather, including a wide-brimmed hat for protection from the sun. Choose from March 15 at Lost Dutchman State Park (north of Apache
Junction), 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., $78, and the three-day class at RMS, April
29-May 2, $268.
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Wilderness Survival, at RMS, March 28-April 4, $975
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a comprehensive desert skills course. Experience life on a working homestead in the mountains of the Superstition Wilderness while acquiring wilderness skills and nature awareness in a desert environment. Skills covered: bow and drill primitive fire making; knife sharpening; all-natural emergency first aid including wilderness healing of venomous bites and stings; rope and string made of natural fibers; emergency shelters; land navigation; traps and animal preparation for food; and so much more. Meet new friends, eat home-grown food, enjoy evening campfires - a unique, life-enriching experience. Maximum 14 students. Seven days. For this class, shuttle pickup on the first day is at 3 p.m.
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| Nature Retreat at RMS, April 10-12, $198
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy two days and nights in RMS's magical wilderness sanctuary - a place of inspiration and peace, a space to experience inner tranquility. Includes lodging in a cabin or yurpy (as available); a one-hour herb walk and one-hour natural healing lesson and Q&A session with Bigfoot; healthful and hearty organic meals from our garden; informal nutritional counseling; and ample time for relaxation or hiking in nature's beauty. Option for meditation class with Peter Bigfoot: Learn and practice several meditation techniques on your journey to achieving inner peace and a tranquil mind. Learn to manifest what you want to have and what you want to become. Peter Bigfoot has been practicing meditation for over 35 years and will share his experience with you.
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Herbal Pharmacology, at RMS, April 24-26, $198
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Bigfoot has been making herbal remedies for over 25 years. In this class he teaches how to gather, dry, process, and store herbs; methods of preparation (tea, decoction, fomentation, poultice, salve, tincture, and more); and the properties of medicinal and culinary herbs. Two days.
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Stone Masonry, at RMS, June 1-6, $152
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hands-on experience in the art and skill of stone wall construction: selecting native stones, mixing concrete, placing stones, esthetic and structural considerations, choice of tools and materials. Bring work gloves and work clothes. Help build something that will virtually last forever and never need paint. Five days. For this class, shuttle pickup on the first day is at 10 a.m.
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Planning to attend a class or event?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Classes held at Reevis Mountain School include: meals (arrival night meal is a potluck party - bring a healthful, natural dish to share!), class supplies, hot showers, and campsite. Camping is free, or stay in a yurpy ($10 per night) or cabin ($25 per night) (availability permitting). Yurpies and cabins have beds and pillows; bring your own sheets and blankets or sleeping bag.
Complimentary shuttle service from Roosevelt, 10 miles one way - or caravan in your own 4X4. Shuttle pickup is at 5 p.m., first day of class (please note exceptions), at M&S Marine, Hwy. 188, Roosevelt (between milepost 233 and 234).
Early Registration: 10% discount if you register with full payment 30 days prior to class date.
To Register: Send your name, phone number, postal and email addresses, and a 50% deposit to the address below. Indicate whether you will need shuttle service from Roosevelt and/or wish to rent a yurpy or cabin instead of camping. Balance due prior to class.
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Remedy of the Month: Youthful Vitality Elixir
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When I was in my sixties, I found that overwhelm and overworking led to failing memory and a lack of youthful vigor and energy. By combining the rejuvenating properties of ginkgo, ginseng, and yellow dock in an extract and sipping a couple of tablespoons every time I start to feel like I am losing my youthful performance, I am at the top of my game again. It's not just a false high ... it really does help to keep me younger. Especially if combined with a short nap!
This elixir is available as an 8-ounce bottle ... at $40, the price is actually less than our other tinctures!
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What We're Growing, Harvesting, and Eating
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 We'd like to share with you what's going on in the garden, the orchard, and the kitchen - the vegetables we're planting, the bounty (fruit, veggies, livestock, and herbs!) we're harvesting, and how we turn our harvest into nourishing, delicious meals.
What We're Growing
With the recent warmer weather, and lots of loving care from our interns, the garden is a joyful place. Our rutabagas and carrots are magnificent ... and we have beautiful turnips, parsnips, and bok choy as well. Lettuce is growing happily in the greenhouse ... and onions and garlic are doing well out in the garden. We have lots of lemons on the tree in the greenhouse ... but we won't pick them until at least March!
What We're Harvesting
One of the treats of mid-winter is our violets ... walking by their beds, you feel suddenly like your nostrils went to heaven. We use the flowers and leaves in salads, and the leaves have important medicinal properties. Like every year, we'll be potting up violets and taking them to the Golden Hills nursery in Globe for sale.
What We're Eating
Every meal at RMS is built around greens, whole grains, and meat or eggs. During the winter, we eat lots of steamed greens, slow-cooked grains (it's been warm enough to use the solar cooker lately!), and oven-roasted root vegetables. Although the days have been warm and sunny lately, we still drink warming teas in the morning and evening - especially cinnamon and chaparral.
When Peter had a cold last week, we made him this sure-fire remedy:
Bigfoot's Miracle Chicken Soup
Put two chopped onions in the bottom of a pressure cooker. Layer two cooked cups of rice on top, then a (raw) cut-up chicken. Over the chicken spread another chopped onion. Add water - as much as you can, for plenty of broth (the rice will absorb a lot of the water) - and a tablespoon of salt. Cook for half an hour.
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| Wilderness Retreats at RMS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  RMS is a sanctuary free of most modern-day distractions and pollutants (including television!), a place to reconnect with Earth and Spirit, while enjoying the school's organic/whole foods cuisine and wilderness surroundings. Yurpys and cabins are available for overnight, weekend, or longer retreats. Please visit www.reevismountain.org or email us for more information. |
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How to Purchase RMS Remedies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Bigfoot's herbal tinctures and salves are available to order by email (orders@reevismountain.org), phone (928) 467-2675, on our website (www.reevismountain.org, click on Country Store), by mail (HC-2 Box 1534, Roosevelt, AZ 85545), or at retailers in Phoenix (Healthy Habit, 6029 N. 7th St.), Scottsdale (The Natural Medicinary at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, 8010 E. MacDowell Rd.), Mesa (Preparing Wisely, 144 S. Mesa Dr.), Tempe (SWIHA's bookstore, 1100 E. Apache Dr.), Flagstaff (New Frontiers Market and Village Healing Center), Sedona (New Frontiers Market), Cottonwood (Mt. Hope Foods), and Camp Verde (Healthy Thymes). Retailers: Please order by email, phone, or mail at the numbers and addresses given here.
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We Welcome Donations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RMS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization; donations may be tax deductible. We're currently wishing for the donation of a commercial-grade riding lawnmower, a second solar water pump to replace the gasoline pump, and two or three Merino sheep. Cash donations are always welcomed with deep gratitude and will help us with the costs of feeding our work-exchange residents, who are not required to pay for their room and board.
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Quick Links...
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"Why are you here? To experience life ... be happy ... and create yourself however you want to be." - Bigfoot
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