Welcome to our permaculture blog!

Hi and welcome!  I'm Anthony Hardt.  My wife Jackie and I made a big decision to leave city-life and buy a small farm in the country to homestead on.  There were many reasons that precipitated this move.  We didn't enjoy what West Seattle has become with rampant, thoughtless development and a huge influx of population.  Our 40 foot by 40 foot backyard had become severely deficient for our horticulture needs, and I in particular had just gotten tired of living in a home less than 20 feet from other houses. 
This dissatisfaction with urban living, coupled with my study of permaculture ideas and protocols, launched us into a search for some acreage on which to change our lifestyle.  We initially looked for land on Vashon Island but soon learned that the topsoil on the island had been severely polluted by the plume of the Asarco copper smelter that operated in Tacoma for decades.  Our search changed to the Kitsap Peninsula, close to the Southworth Ferry Terminal.  Almost immediately, we found a beautiful 5 acre parcel less than 5 minutes from the ferry.

 

After a conflicted purchase, which I will not get into here, we took possession of this lovely place.  Upon moving here, we were struck by a number of things.  First, the absence of city lights and din was expected, but the quickness of the temperature drop when the sun goes down was not.  It's amazing how much heat is stored in our paved cities.  The wildlife is really wonderful:  mule deer, chipmunks, rabbits, garter snakes, tree frogs, dozens of bird species.  Of the birds, the friendly juncos are my favorites--following us around the property calling to us with their tsik tsik.