|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News from Reevis Mountain School
July 2009
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Division of the PAAK Foundation, an Arizona 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
|
 Last week, our interns Delani and Laura heard a hissing sound and thought there was a leak near the south wall of the house. Bigfoot said it was probably a rattlesnake ... they went out and looked and found a snake all right - a big bull snake. With baby chickens and ducks all around and other chickens and ducks sitting on eggs, we couldn't let a bull snake hang around. Bigfoot captured it in a galvanized trash can, and Laura and her partner David took it down the road for us.
Then there were the foxes. Late one evening Delani was putting the ducks in the pen and saw a fox attacking a duck - it had the duck by the leg. Delani chased it away, yelling and screaming and throwing rocks ... and then she saw another one. Delani and Laura served guard duty for the rest of the evening, with a pile of rocks close at hand. Usually foxes will come back until Bigfoot shoots them - but these two have not been seen again. Delani has been dubbed Protector of the Flocks and Scourge of Voracious Foxes.
But our most exciting story from the past month is about Chuckie Chicken. Back up to a few months ago, when our poultry started sitting on eggs like it was going out of style - chickens, ducks, and turkeys. The situation became a little chaotic, what with chickens laying eggs in duck nests and us putting turkey eggs under chickens for a better chance at them hatching. One result was that one afternoon about six weeks ago, we saw just one little black chick running after a big white duck mama - who still had her own eggs to sit on.
To be sure this chick got proper care, we brought her into the community house. For about a month she lived with us, sleeping in her cardboard box at night and spending the daytime following around whoever was in the house, begging for crumbs at the table, and cleaning up any dead bugs she could find. We called her Little Chicken, Birdie, Chuck, Ducken, or Dickens, and finally decided on Chuckie Chicken for her name. When she got big enough, we introduced her to the great outdoors. It took a while for her to stop begging to come inside, but then she learned about the wonderful blessings of nature (grasshoppers, worms, June bugs, etc.).
Two days ago, Delani heard Chuckie shriek and saw that she was pecking at a scorpion. The little chicken had been stung on the face.
Chuckie weighs only about ten ounces, and scorpions can kill much larger animals. Delanie brought Chuckie for treatment, and we gave her an eyedropper of Scorpion Sting Remedy, along with water. She was already spasming. Patricia took her in the house and held her for an hour or so, until Bigfoot came and advised a cold bath with Scorpion Sting Remedy in it - which Chuckie seemed to like.
For the next few hours, we held Chuckie in her salad bowl bath, clucked at her like a mama chicken, and sang happy songs to her. She was having bouts of restless agitation alternating with going completely limp - obviously suffering. We continued to give her small, diluted doses of Scorpion Sting Remedy.
Peter and Patricia took Chuckie to bed with them and continued to hold her. Around nine p.m. she began to have labored breathing, and we thought this was probably the moment of truth. But by ten o'clock she had improved, and around three in the morning she woke up twittering, as if she was telling us she was feeling much better.
The next morning she was still having trouble walking, and one eye would not open all the way, but those symptoms diminished during the day, and by suppertime Chuckie was begging at the table again. She has made a complete recovery and today has been running around in the orchard - hopefully wiser in her food choices!
We would like to thank Delani and Laura for being here from the end of June through July ... they've been wonderful help through what is always a challenging time at the farm - what with the gnats, the heat, and the scorpions and spiders being most active. Delani and Laura have been uncomplaining and enormously helpful. Thanks also to David, Laura's partner, and our friend Jeremy for coming up and being so assisting in the garden and with the swimming pool improvements (we now have a stone deck in the back, to match the front). Laura has returned to town for a spell, but we hope she will be back soon. Delani is leaving us to go back to school, and we wish her happiness along her path. For more information (and pictures!) about the farm, Peter Bigfoot's herbal remedies, and classes and events, please visit www.reevismountain.org. |
|
| Coming Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homestead Living Class, at RMS, Oct. 1-4, $268
Oriental Touch Healing, at RMS, Nov. 5-8, $268
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, Catalina State Park, Nov. 14, $85
Celebrate Thanksgiving at RMS, Nov. 26, $40
Please see below for more information.
|
|
Homestead Living Class, at RMS, Oct. 1-4, $268
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 New class! Learn how we live on RMS's off-the-grid homestead in the Superstition
Wilderness. We will cover the farm's solar power and water systems; how we stay
warm in the winter and cool in the summer; how we care for our garden and orchard; the
care and processing of livestock; the role of hunting and fishing; how we dress
for comfort and protection; nutrition and
cooking, including use of a solar oven; how we manage waste and garbage; maintenance and repair of buildings,
systems, equipment, and tools; selection and use of tools; and self-care and healing
modalities, as well as attitudes that are important for survival and happiness
in the wilderness - or anywhere. Three days.
|
|
Oriental Touch Healing, at RMS, Nov. 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. This is a hands-on class - you will get lots of practice reading pulses and giving treatments. Includes Bigfoot's
Book of Ancient Natural Remedies. Three days. |
|
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, Catalina State Park, Nov. 14, $85
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 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 gathered during the class. Easy hiking through the desert, exploring plant life as we go. Dress for the weather, including a wide-brimmed hat for protection from the sun. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. |
|
Celebrate Thanksgiving at RMS, Nov. 26, $40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You're invited to join us for Thanksgiving dinner and a day in
RMS's magical wilderness sanctuary. We'll serve turkey raised here, side dishes
from our organic garden, homemade whole-grain bread, and fresh pies. Relax in
our beautiful valley or hike through the surrounding mountains, then gather for
the meal at 2 p.m. Overnight option for camping ($10), cabin ($35), or yurpy
($20) includes breakfast. Complimentary shuttle from Roosevelt (leaves 10
a.m.).
|
| 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, 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.
|
Reevis T-shirts! Now available for students, visitors & interns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have been out of t-shirts for the last couple of years, ever since our stock - along with the original logo art by Willy Whitefeather - burned up in the barn fire. Now, thanks to the awesome people at Anticonformity (our screen printer), we have shirts again, and they look better than ever! The shirts are all cotton, short sleeve, and we have them in purple, light green, medium brown, aqua, bright pink, lavender, and natural (this color is organic cotton). The price is $15, except the natural color (organic) shirts are $17, and there is a shipping charge.
To keep the shirts special, we sell them only to folks who either come to the farm or attend a class with Bigfoot. But for a short time, we are putting them on our online Country Store so that people who took a class, visited the farm, or interned with us while the shirts were unavailable can get theirs now. So - if this applies to you - please head over to the store (or call, write, or email us) to order your shirt! If not, we respectfully ask that you visit the farm or come to a class to get yours. The shirts will be available to order only until Aug. 15 - after that, you'll need to get them in person!
|
|
| What We're Growing, Harvesting, and Eating
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  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
Sweet potatoes, corn, beans, okra, summer squash, collards, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, melons, carrots, bok choy, arugula, turnips, onion, beets! We've just planted five kinds of winter squash, which we'll be harvesting around mid November ... and we have thirteen turkey poults (four were hatched here) for eating in the fall. The echinacea is in bloom ... as is our red clover patch, which we are harvesting for tea.
What We're Harvesting
Now that we are putting "diapers" on the grapes (skirts made of plastic grocery bags, tied at the top and open at the bottom), which keep the yellowjackets and bees off, we are able to harvest more of them - which is a bright spot in what has been a thin fruit season this year. We're harvesting lots of cucumbers (including lemon cukes!), arugula, and turnip greens.
What We're Eating
Every meal at RMS is built around greens, whole grains, and meat or eggs. This time of year, with plenty of greens available, we have marvelous salads, as well as cole slaw. For grain, we usually cook rice in the solar oven or make cornbread, and for protein (less necessary during the hot months), we tend to eat eggs, along with some beef and turkey from the freezer. We've begun to experiment with lactic fermentation, and currently have nine pounds of cabbage in our Harsch crock, which should become sauerkraut in another two weeks!
Luscious Lemonade
Bigfoot loves this stuff. The secret is to get the essential oils from the rinds as well as the flavor from the juice. For the sweetener, use discernment. (The Ancestor John, channeled by Kevin Ryerson, says, "Always choose the middle path, neither extreme asceticism nor extreme indulgence, and the path becomes self-actualizing.")
Slice lemons thinly and place in a straight-sided container (we use a stainless steel storage canister). Add your preferred sweetener (we use raw cane sugar) and water, if necessary, and allow the lemons to soak in it to draw the flavors out of the rind, for about 30 minutes. Now use a potato masher to mash the lemon slices to extract the juice. Add water to taste. Strain into a glass or pitcher. (We keep the canister in the refrigerator, lemon slices and all, to get all we can out of the lemons, and we just add more water as needed until the lemons are spent.) Yummy summer fun!
|
|
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 (click on Country Store), by mail (7448 S. J-B Ranch Rd., Roosevelt, AZ 85545), or at retailers in Phoenix (Healthy Habit, 6029 N. 7th St., and Total Body Awakening Legacy, 3747 W. Montebello Ave.), 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 Blvd.), Flagstaff (New Frontiers Market and Village Healing Center), Sedona (New Frontiers Market), Cottonwood (Mt. Hope Foods), Camp Verde (Healthy Thymes), and Globe (Back to Basics, corner of Broad and Cedar).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A couple of weeks ago I asked for some of your Scorpion remedy to sell at the store (Back to Basics). Well I want to complement you on your product. Two nights ago I was stung on the foot and my first thought was your product. I drove down to the store and immediately used it. Normally when I am stung the numbness lasts for at least two weeks with me and in two days it was gone! Thank you so very much. I will promote this product at the store with the knowledge of HOW WELL IT WORKS!!!" - Eileen Harbison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
| 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, for individuals, couples, or groups. We provide meals, shuttle from Roosevelt, a meditation lesson, and suggestions for local hiking. Please visit www.reevismountain.org or email us for more information. |
|
|
Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
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 sheep. We also appreciate prayers for rain! 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.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If a machine made of steel breaks down, we put new steel parts in it to get it going again. Because the machine is made of steel, we repair it with steel. Our bodies are made of plants and energy. Therefore, it makes good sense to use these things to heal with, as well as to maintain good health. The wild herbs and the healing energies of our hands are God's medicine for humankind. These are as cheap, simple, and effective now as they were several million years ago. The only thing that will ever improve these methods is a better understanding of them, and that comes with using them."
- Peter Bigfoot, Book of Ancient Natural Remedies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
