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mUD MOUNTAIN BLOG

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The beginning.

Where am I going?

22/3/2016

11 Comments

 
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The sky is a little standoffish this cool March morning. A field of ploughed cumulus. Neither up nor down. Sort of in between. As if it can’t quite make its mind up whether its cloudy furrows will bring forth sunshine or rain.

The apricot tree, however, has had enough of fence-sitting. The pink buds she’s been holding onto so tightly slipped through her fingers today. The first blossom of the year is now out. And this is nature. This is life. Cycle upon cycle. One phase begets another, and another, and another. And each year, although spring inevitably follows winter and winter follows autumn, the garden climbs higher. The trees stretch taller. 

But what’s this got to do with The Mud Series, and my writing? Well, because everything evolves in seasonal phases, including The Mud and myself. Mud Ball hasn’t yet been out a year, and happily many have been asking about the sequel. Naturally, I’m writing. I’m always writing. I love the feel of words carving pictures on the screen, and the memories they attempt to preserve.

There are three specific phases (or seasons) to my Mud adventure: Transformation (winter), Empowerment (spring) and Independence (summer). Mud Ball is the second part of that trilogy. It describes the spring of this adventure, the visible burgeoning of a new home. The very speed at which my house appeared had a spring-like magic about it. One minute there was nothing, the next an earthbag house. Building my own home granted me many gifts, but one of the most striking was an unshakeable sense of personal power.

However, there was a winter before that spring. When I first moved onto this land, I was depressed and lost. The garden of my life seemed to have shed every leaf. As I’ve stated many times, this off-grid lark was never a dream of mine. I was thrown into it. Yet that psychological winter was perhaps the most magical time here. I still hanker after those wild woman moments, and fantasize about reliving my ‘lost in the woods’ soul journey. You see, it was because of the powers I learned over those houseless months – commonly disbelieved magical powers and forgotten ancient skills – that I’ve lived happily alone up here for five years. This piece of land changed me into someone completely new. Moving off-grid and into nature will change you. It will blow apart everything you thought you knew about yourself. And just like a seed on the verge of germination, you either let go of the husk of your old form, and transform into a plant, or you die.

So the story I’m two thirds of the way through now is a prequel. Dirt Witch delves into those six months under canvas, before the earthbag adventure began. I was terrified of boar, more terrified of snakes, and the first few weeks were spent cowering inside my tent after dark. I didn’t know how to use a spade, nor did I have the faintest idea how to grow a plant. Connecting with ants, scorpions and geckos wasn’t even in my galaxy of experience.

After Dirt Witch and Mud Ball, there is of course the conclusion to the tale. Those who read Mud Ball will know, at the end of the earthbag adventure, I had to return to Taiwan and teach. Those six months focussed me. After that, I aimed to become independent of the system, survive without money. Did I manage that? And to what extent? What does it really mean to be independent, after all? Can we ever be? These are the questions I wrangle and wrestle with in the final part of The Mud Series, just as I did in my life.

So there you have it: the winter, spring and summer on The Mud. But there are four seasons, aren’t there? What about autumn?

Autumn has snuck up on me. I can feel it, despite the lust-driven strides of the tortoises and the pollen dusting my solar panels. I knew something was coming the moment The Wisdom Carob spoke to me this November. There’s no stasis in nature. The seasons roll on. And life always wants us to grow taller, stretch higher, so that our canopies might touch virgin parts of the sky. Sometimes it breaks off entire branches...

So knowing what is inevitably before me, I’m beginning to hoard my mud treasures. I scamper through each day collecting kernels of beauty, wisdom and magic, stuffing them into the pockets of my memory. As the clouds moil and rain drops fall, I inhale each moment. My harvest has been bounteous. My store cupboards are full. I’m ready.

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11 Comments
Philippa Rees link
25/3/2016 02:55:13 pm

Lovely writing, your infinite store of fresh turned metaphors that emerge like truffles. Look forward to Dirt Witch.

Reply
Atulya
26/3/2016 10:10:17 am

Thank you Philippa, great to hear from you again. Hope you are well over there in sunny England:)

Reply
Dianne Gungor
25/3/2016 03:19:17 pm

Just love reading your pieces. Incredible writing from an incredible mind.

Reply
Atulya
26/3/2016 10:11:00 am

Ah cheers Dianne. It's a muddled mind today:)

Reply
Ann Thijs
26/3/2016 03:19:04 pm

Love your monthly blogs! And looking forward to the Dirt Witch... But when you talk about autumn: it sounds as if you consider leaving the Mud Mountain?

Reply
Ed
27/3/2016 05:52:41 am

I agree, it sounds like you're coming to the end of your adventure !

Reply
Atulya
28/3/2016 12:44:01 pm

Supersleuths Ann and Ed! It is true, changes are afoot in my hood, and I'll elucidate more on that next month when I'm clear. But there can be no end to my adventure, only changing seasons:)

Reply
Ed
29/3/2016 06:26:58 am

Keep us posted. I wish you well.

Reply
Richard DARRAH link
29/3/2016 11:13:04 am

I Know that this dosen´t pertain to the article but when using the compost toilet, what kind of toilet paper is used and does it have an effect on the fermentation process? If so, how can it be countered?

Reply
Richard DARRAH link
29/3/2016 11:27:22 am

I wanted to further add, that my Parents used corn cobs. but since I don`t have an out house and an abundant supply of said cobs and my bucket would fill up quickly if I did. This,by the way is the kind of question that pops into your head when you have some free time and nothing all that pressing to do.

Reply
Atulya
29/3/2016 11:52:41 am

Corn cobs eh? Well there's another thing I've learned:)
I do find that toilet paper impacts the fermentation process, as it is slower to degrade than poop. In Turkey, because the pipes used for plumbing are narrow (cost cutting by construction firms) you can't put toilet paper in a regular toilet anyway. As I'm used to that practice, I've simply continued not putting toilet paper in the toilet, but in a bin next door. Eventually I burn the lot in my stove. No idea what else you could use that would degrade better... let us know if you find out.

Reply



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    Atulya K Bingham

    Back in 2011, I found myself camping alone on a remote Turkish hill. There was no power or water on the land. It was the start of an adventure that profoundly changed my beliefs about what is enjoyable, or possible...

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Disclaimer: All the content in The Mud Home website is provided for informational purposes only. The author undertakes no responsibility for any person or entity who chooses to use the information on this website. It is not intended to be a standard and should not substitute for the exercise of good engineering judgment by engineers. It is the user’s obligation to make sure that he/she uses the appropriate practices and consults the appropriate experts when building. It is the user's obligation to make sure they are following health and safety guidelines. The author is not responsible for any accidents, injuries or damages to persons or property incurred while using the information presented in this website.

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  • Home
  • Building
    • Earthbag
    • Earthquakes and earthbag
    • Rubble Trench Foundations
    • Off-grid how to >
      • Off-Grid Prep Course
    • Earth Plaster
    • Lime Wash
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    • Wattle and Daub
    • Mud Building Blog
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    • Dirt Witch
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    • An Earthbag House in 7 Days?
  • About
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