Hi Jane!

Great to hear from you. My apology for not getting in contact sooner. I did have an absolutely wonderful, spectacular time with all my four children and six grandchildren. Got to camp out with three of them for a couple of nights even, and of course endless blessed play and work activities around the ranch here. They helped me train the quarter horse stallion, gardening, chopping thistles(they are really starting to flourish this time of year). They even "helped" me do some mechanic work on my old diesel Mercedes. They all love to play and work with grandpa Zach, especially the three oldest of my middle daughter, who have spent several years in close proximity to me. It's quite a riot when we get together, lol.

Been working on my garden (which is really starting to produce) and many other things and got temporarily distracted from the ego write up I was doing. Will get back on it the next cold snap or sooner, with a fresh perspective and I think a better understanding of these sub-personalities we all have.  I've got a lot of pressing things to do outside so will be away from computer most of the time.

I'm glad the sight is back up also, still wondering about all the drama and peculiarities of it though.

I have spared a few thoughts about you and your projected hillside home during the last few weeks and wonder how things are with you and the little one.

Peace In,

Zachary

Good to be back! Thank you Jane :) xox

No, actually here is my email address, I was just faking last time, or my ego it just trying to cover up this time for forgetting to include it in the last comment, or something?? Ha.

zacharyelwell@gmail.com

Howdy Jane,

I'm glad the links on parenting were appealing to you and its is good to know that little sweetheart is in good hands.

So I guess no drawn plans yet on the hillside dream home? Thought you might have come across some somewhere that were a little more detailed than the ones on the hobbit house website.

The roof should be not too hard to figure out, just need a good supply of slender tree trunk poles, preferably dead and partially cured at least. Then once the wall support framework is up just lay the poles on top, support them at the peak temporarily while joining them in the spiral and they magically become self-supporting once joined, with a window to the heavens if you want. Then cover with appropriate materials and grow a garden on your roof :).

Still tweaking my article I was going to send to you, its really gotten interesting, and a bit wordy.

Since they are closing down this site here is my email address in case you want to correspond that way. Hope you stay in touch.

Love and LIght,

Zachary

Hi Jane,

Glad I didn't overwhelm you with all that, I tend to do that sometimes, it's the wordsmith element in my family tree I suppose.

I saw your little angel and thought some of those links might really be a help.

Wouldn't that hobbit house be nice! I'd make one myself if I had the time and had figured out where I'm going to set down roots next. Still working on that. Do you have any detailed plans for your dream hillside house? I only saw some very crude drawings on the website link I gave you.

My experience as an equestrian is that I grew up with two, they were my main source of independent transportation after my own legs and feet. I remember my little brother and I were camping out near the edge of the woods in our back pasture about a year after my father had bought us a Bay mare we called Dixie.

We were just 5 and 7 or 6 and 8 and no one had any idea Dixie was pregnant. We woke up early that morning in the woods and looked over in the pasture and saw a little colt staggering around near Dixie. Couldn't figure it out at first, ran to the house and we all became happily surprised with the precious gift we had been given, all except the fella my father bought Dixie from that is.

Turned out he had bred Dixie shortly before he sold her with his prize Appaloosa stallion and didn't think she was prego. He became quite unhappy because the colt, Blaze, had the perfect markings he had been trying to get, four perfect stockings, white polka dot Appaloosa rump, blaze etc.

They are both gone now after a long life. I don't have possession of and don't really like the thought of keeping them in a pen somewhere but I do work with my brother's four and we love each other well. They'd move in with me if I'd let them I think. They are such amazing creatures!

Oh, I could tell you more than a few funny horse stories involving me and my horse Blaze, he and/or I or my children were always getting into some kind of interesting situation involving him.

Anyway, took me back a few years...I'd better get onto something else now. Catch up with ya later.

      Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

      If space is a vacuum, who changes the bags?

      If swimming is good for your shape, then why do the whales look the way
      they do?

      Have you ever seen a toad on a toadstool?
 
Peace out :)

PS. I'm going to send along another message with some thoughts I threw together just now about that ego animal thing I've been trying to get a better handle on.  See what you think.

Lovely pictures Jane and you live in such a beautiful space. Love the pic of Isalde in the striped top smiling...looks so playfully wise!

Hi Jane thank you for your friendship and your Light 

Personal development, you've got the idea I see. Becoming more conscious or aware of yourself and all things. I wonder if you've heard of Byron Katie - www.thework.com ? I think you would like her stuff very much. Also for more successful parenting, check out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awzf-wzao1Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQO7h9MNCqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-129JLTjkQ

I (and especially my little ones) would have benefited much if I had been aware of and receptive to this info when mine were smaller.

The ego as the animal - I am just coming into this understanding, it seems to make sense to me as the ego is all about survival and our unconscious or automatic functions, both physical, mental and emotional. This certainly has been my experience. Still would like to understand it more comprehensively. 

Anyway, yes, an earth based home can be easier and much less expensive I think, if not too elaborate. Strawbale might be easiest to erect quickly and have enough insulation for those UP Michigan winters.I'd try to make build it into a hillside to take advantage of the earth's stability and warmth.

I have been wanting to for at least a year or so to do some kind of underground or partially underground earth based home. After reading the RCS books I have focused in more on a hillside dugout/cave concept like Anastasia, very primitive but very grounded and cozy. But that's just for me, not anyone else I know would want to live like that. Have you seen the hobbit house concept? http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm kinda cool.

Well, enough for now. Gotta get horizontal pretty soon.

Best wishes, Z

I know what you mean about being unsure of intentions of others. Quite a trick to discern what others or we ourselves have in our heart. Don't know how much personal development work you have done...I find the ego or animal nature can be difficult to tame and make friends with, we all seem to want to deny we have such a thing or suppress it in a myriad of ways causing more than a little relationship discord.

Cool that you saw a Snowy Owl. They are quite beautiful in person I'll bet.

Wish you the best of success in your space of love and will keep it on my list of possible summertime projects.Going to be traveling by late spring or early summer and might be able to stop by and lend a hand, not sure yet which general direction I'm headed.

So did you build your own yurt and the deck in the pics?

Blessings and bright thoughts.

Zachary