Earthshipadventures's Blog

Earthship adventures Part 2

earthshipadventures — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:39:01 +0000

It is June 2010.

I flew out to Taos, New Mexico, United States of America a few days ago and met with the realtor to go out and check out a few earthships in the area.

The first on our list was an earthship that we had sort of decided we didn’t really want. It seemed too small in the pics and video, didn’t have a bath tub (something I need to recharge) and didn’t seem to have enough cabinet space, especially in the kitchen.

When we got there, it was very different from the pics and video. The home was bigger, nicer, and there were more cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. And in the master bedroom, the owners had put in a small deck by the front windows with a large bathtub!

The energy of the home (and by that I am not talking about the solar panels) was very peaceful and settled. The other earthships and the strawbale (all off the grid)

Earthship adventure part 3

earthshipadventures — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:33:58 +0000

It has been awhile since I wrote. Maybe three months. The inspection that came back from the earthship inspector on the home that we wanted to buy at that time was a little concerning. Not that the issues were devastating; only more than we wanted to pay for on top of the cost of the earthship and the additions we were planning. The owners did not want to come down on the price and their remedies were not comforting to us, so we backed out of the deal and regained our $2,500 earnest money. Nothing lost except the money we paid for the inspection. I guess we came out of that a little wiser.
In July we were busy moving back into our old home in WV. The Morgantown house. All of our worldly possessions not stored in Mexico had been crammed into the attic during the time the renter was there… for about a year and a half. And we began making repairs to the house, getting it ready to rent out again.
I was I a hurry to leave. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. When I say that, everyone always says, “Yeah, me too.” But it is more than the usual hibernation phase most people experience in the winter. I used to experience winters like that, but in time it became worse, until my symptoms were such that my friends told me I needed to get help. That was when I was stationed in Germany. No sun there.
In any case… the shortening days, lessening sun, always feels like a ticking clock to me and I get panicky. When I have enough motivation to do anything, I work myself to death and drive my family members crazy trying to get them to do the same. Because I know my time of being able to function is limited. And people say, “Well, why don’t you just take antidepressants?” And I have. But I am leery and distrustful of corporations, including our federal government. Which is, to me, like a corporation . One without a moral conscience. Like a real whore. No one knows how that woman became savvy and sly, crooked and twisted, mutated from her natural self. She must have been good at one point in her life. But she became poisoned by the events that pushed her and invaded her to the point where she no longer knows her real self. She has become a reaction to the sickened word around her, and she now is sick, too. And she is cagey and just wrong and she knows it, but won’t stop because no other way of life is real to her now. And others look with pity at her while still others use her for their own wicked pleasures. Not because those pleasures are kinky… but because they are hurtful, harmful to the spirit of another. Those men (usually) do that because somewhere along the way, they too became twisted and unnatural.
And that is what my government is like to me. I am usually sadly surprised at the corruption because I am forever ironing out my twistedness… returning to a state of openness, ready to be hurt again. Innocent… a chosen naivety, believing in the natural goodness of people. Willing to be heartbroken again.
So. Anyway. Yes I take antidepressants, but my kidneys were hurting me so bad, they woke me up in the middle of the night. I was taking allot, because I have a variety of different pain. So I quit it all. And when the leaves started falling from the trees, and the stress of all that I was facing immobilized me, I went back to taking just the antidepressants. But even with those, my functioning will generally deteriorate until March- when the sun returns and it is warm enough for me to go outside and receive it. Yes, everything is connected.
Anyway, back to the story.
So, we got busy unpacking the house from the attic, yard sale-ing, hiring contractors to make repairs, doing repairs ourselves and waiting for the way to be revealed to us.
Then we heavily considered about three other earthships in Taos. And we seriously searched out land to build our own on. We even found a few for sale by owner. Nothing worked. There was no flow of energy… everything was blocked. The answer in this case is always: wait. But I am not always good at that. We were running out of time, we would have to rent.
A few weeks back, my husband told me that an earthship I looked at long ago appeared to be back on the market. The Sol Ship! Really? Seriously? How can that be? I was told that it was sold about three months ago! I loved that house!
I furiously searched the internet, all the realtor pages. It was listed on one and appeared to have been placed back on the market 10 days before.
The Sol Ship was beautifully made, 1,800+ square feet… just one real bedroom, but with two sleeping lofts and the usual 3 acres of land in the Greater World Community. But priced a bit less than others of its kin. It had been used as a rental in the past; renting out for $200 a night to people curious about how earthships really work. But this time for sale with all furniture included. I contacted my old realtor. He told me that the previous buyer backed out at the last minute because his job was in jeopardy. I told him I wanted that house and that I was going to make immediate plans to come out there and see it. He sent me the earthship inspector’s report of the Sol Ship that had been paid for by the previous buyer… only a few month’s old.
So, my husband and I looked at flights, trains, driving… so expensive. We were only one month away from moving to Taos anyway. But this earthship, I felt, would not last on the market. Someone else would get it. But there was now not enough time left to buy it and close the deal before we needed to move in. Our renters would be moving in here on 1 October and that was less than one month away.
Too crazy… too much, too much stress. How can I be connected to the force, Yoda, when my cord is all frayed and whipping around? Master Kahn? Mr Green Jeans? Father? Grandmother? Anybody?

Back to what is natural. Center yourself, grasshopper. Get back on, Josephine. My grandmother’s eyes are sharp… the clearest blue and forever sparkling. The place between the breath is silence… get in there and go… down. Peace.

And then there was peace.

All things here in this world are material. Although their purpose is not to cause suffering, our attachment to them does just that. Well… there is also bliss and a great deal of joy to be had there, too. But knowing that these things are to me… not exactly real, helps me to return to a clear state of mind and being… where I can find the way. The way is effortless. It does not need my help, or my force, or my trifling. It is my place to find the flow and to move with it. That is where peace is. It all falls into place then.

We can buy the house without seeing it.

It is a quarter of a million dollars. But I found myself laughing.
One of the things I love the most about my husband is that he is very aware of energy and the flow of energy. He knows when what we are doing is the way and when it is an endeavor of force, struggle. When I suggested we buy the house without seeing it, he said that he believed it was the way. It was the tao.
But, still… how could we close the deal in time to avoid having to rent a house in Taos? Most landlords wanted at least a six month lease. If we put all of our stuff in storage instead, then we would have to move… yet again. I am so so tired of moving my material attachments around.
So, I thought… then, that because the house had been used as a rental, perhaps we could rent it from the sellers during the process of the loan working out. The loan I wanted was going to be a VA guaranteed loan, and the VA is notorious for taking a long time to get their part completed. Given the VA factor, it seemed like the deal could take as along as two or three months to close.
My realtor said this was called ‘early occupancy.’ He seemed a little surprised that we were going to buy the house without seeing it, but was eager to make it happen. He began to draft our proposal.
A thought came to mind that perhaps because this was a rental, there might be more photos or even video online. And there was! A video from 2008 when a guy rented it for a night. He went through most of the rooms showing the house. Awesome! And on flickr, I found the best photos. I have no idea why a guy who was renting the house would take all the pictures he did, but I was so grateful for them! I clicked through picture after picture of what to others must have seemed mundane and pointless subject matter. While doing so, in my mind, I could hear his wife in the background saying, “Seriously, Marvin… are you really taking pictures of the water pressure tank… really?”
Thank you Marvinsdad whoever you are. And Aldrea. Those photos were awesome!

So the realtor drafted our proposal and we signed it online. Yes, you can do that now. It is amazingly quick.

I was curious about the sellers. The deed and other papers referred to them as ‘the estate of E and T.’ I figured they were divorcing. But I was wrong.
The realtor told me that the owners had died a few years back. Not in the house. In their other house in Colorado. He told me it was a murder-suicide. My heart dropped in my chest.
The energy of the love you have remains in a place that is intimate to you. Your home, your bed… your favorite blanket. Your clothes… your shoes, even your land. I have had some problems with this in the past. Especially when sleeping over with relatives or when in the hospital. Sleeping in other’s beds makes me restless all night. In my phases of sleep I am open. I dream or am bothered throughout the night, fitfully of that person’s pains and joys, stresses. I have enough of my own. I usually wind up sleeping on the floor or on a sofa.
Once I was hospitalized in Cleveland at a VA hospital. Infection of the colon. Gross, I know. Because I am female, and they don’t get too many of that kind, they gave me my own room at the end of the hall. They would not let me leave the hospital. They said I would be there for at least three days. It was Christmas; 23, 24, 25. It was a deathbed. Someone had recently died in it. A man. I even hated the idea of it. How is that healing? Is there any respect in that? Do you want to sleep in a bed where a dead body was just hauled out?
I could not see me sleeping in a bed where a man had just died a few days before. The energy was sad, mourning, regret, sinking, struggling fitfully, weakening, dying. Leaving. I would like to leave, too. But I have things undone here and when I do peer over my left shoulder and see death extending her hand to tap me to come along… I think I will not be ready.
I told the nurse that it was a deathbed and she told me I was, “probably right.” It was a solitary room they used for the dying. I slept on the floor of my hospital room. Yes, this caused some turmoil, but that is another story.

What energy might this home hold, left over from the owner’s lives? I have yet to know that in person. Meanwhile, I cruised the internet for more information. K, married to M. They bought the earthship in 2006 and used it as a vacation home and rented it out when they were not there. K filed for divorce in 2007 and shortly thereafter began using her maiden name. M killed her. He strangled her. He then hung himself. A family member, I think, found the bodies in their Colorado house.

My mind flew to the consequences of this… could I benefit from it? Were they wealthy and perhaps the estate had no care, but just wanted to get rid of the home? The realtor had said that the estate had just wanted to get rid of it. I could imagine the heirs, possibly K’s children, mourning and haunted by red tape that could not end because the home had been already booked out with renters into 2008. Yes, they would want to get rid of it fast. Dealing with the business of a deceased loved one’s property is painful.
And then I felt ashamed. I am not so desperate that I should be so careless with the lives of others. My needs are met. What materialism is this… to behave in this way? What of the family members left behind? Because they are possibly at a disadvantage (the buyer’s market, the conditions around the sale, their desire to be rid of the house, etc) gives me the space to take advantage. But will I?
Yoda is laughing. Grandmother’s blue eyes are watching, mirthful, electric, knowing.
It’s just not the right thing to do. My bid is in, but whatever they ask for in counteroffer, I will give. I perform a ritual. I regain my personal power through my connection to the force.. that which moves through all things. And there is peace and love and healing. In this space I can make decisions based in love and not in fear.
The sellers reject all portions of our offer including the request for early occupancy. They want more money, they want us to pay closing costs, they want to back up the closing date to 6 October or earlier. This would actually work for us if it were possible because we could then move straight from WV to our home in Taos. But how is this possible?

The bank, NOVA home loans out of Arizona calls Marcus, my husband.
This bank is the first one to grant a home loan for an earthship. If this deal goes through for us, it will be the first bank to grant a home loan for an earthship in connection with the VA guaranty. Getting a loan has been the greatest deterrent to most folks who want an earthship actually living in one. The banks would not grant a loan because the insurance companies would not insure experimental housing. But in Taos, there is an insurance company, doing quite well, I hear, who also is insuring earthships. And this is the way.

The loan officer tells Marcus that because they are the same bank which the previous buyer used… all the paperwork is already done. And he said that he still had all the paperwork on us from where we applied for the loan for the first earthship we tried to buy. The only portion really left to complete is the VA inspection- appraisal and the wood boring pests inspection.

So… it CAN work!
And so the adventure continues.

Eahship Adventures Part One Solstice 2010

earthshipadventures — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:16:29 +0000

I just realized that I should be writing and recording my adventures with Earthships. I am getting ready to embark on a greater adventure in a day or so and I think writing about it is a good idea. So, the easiest place for me to do that is here, in my notes on Facebook. Except, I accidentally left this page to go to another one and wen I returned, it erased all my text. Which really pisses me off. But no worries, I can repeat myself, I have a 3 year old and a husband, so I am used to it!

I fell in love with earthships and became determined to have one and to promote them after seeing the movie Garbage Warrior.

http://www.garbagewarrior.com/

While on Stone Island, (Mazatlan, Mexico) my winter home, I introduced a friend of mine, Chebella, to the movie. This was difficult because she is French Canadian, and her husband Mexican and in their home they usually speak French and Spanish. The movie did not have an option for Spanish subtitles, so it made understanding more difficult for those who had less English. Chebella and her husband, Triny, were incredibly inspired by the movie. They made copies, and more copies! They gave the copies away! I didn’t know what to think about that. In the end, I figured that Michael Reynolds would probably care more about the message getting out to those less financially empowered families of the island than the money, so I didn’t say a word. My experience is that, in Mexico, many people copy movies and sell the copies, without batting an eyelash.

Chebella sponsored a class at the school on the island and facilitated a working, hands-on demonstration of some of the building concepts in the movie. She gave out copies of the movie to the kids. She also incorporated using bottle bricks in the walls of her store on the island. You can see them in this video, where the walls are not yet complete.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l899Vf5Np5Q

That was about 2 years ago. Recently my personal circumstances have changed to allow me greater freedom to pursue buying an earthship and putting the greater portion of my attention into promoting education about sustainable homes, energy and earthship biotecture.

In two days I will be getting on a plane toward my destination, Taos, New Mexico. There I will meet with John Kejr, realtor of Dreamcatcher Realty. John has been a garbage warrior, too. He has promoted earthships by encouraging (instead of discouraging) buyers to learn more about earthships. He is known as the guy to go to in Taos if you want to buy an earthship.

http://www.taosearthships.com/
I am a veteran, and I am eligible to use my VA home loan guaranty. This is not a loan from the VA, but rather a loan that is, in part, guaranteed to a bank by the VA. So, if I default n a loan, the bank will still collect a good portion of that loan from the VA. Using a VA home loan is good mostly because you do not have to put down a down payment, you can get a lower interest rate, and you do not have to pay PMI (personal(?) mortgage insurance).

I just went to the internet and found an apparently very popular website, company who specialized in helping vets use their VA home loans. They are mortgage brokers, really- who sell your loan to various banks and get paid to do so. My broker discouraged me from considering an earthship and basically said she did not believe the VA would allow a loan on an earthship. I told her how I felt about the Gulf oil spill and told her that I had to do something about it, and one of the ways to do something about it was to buy an earthship. She told me that there may be a ‘few’ banks that ‘might’ make loans on earthships, but that was relegated to only a few every year. She told me she would get back to me about what she found out about the VA home loan and earthships. She never did. But she assured me that shen she watched the news about the oil spill she said to her husband that she wanted to do something about it.
I always believe people when they say that.
So I wrote this to her:

“Here is a link to the information I discussed with you today.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204271104574290672502554440.html

I believe you when you say that you need to do something to help the situation happening now in the Gulf. The immediate thing that comes to mind is being willing to do more work for the same amount of money…

“For the lenders, “it’s the same amount of profit for more work,” says Mark Wolfe, director of the Energy Programs Consortium, a joint venture of four national organizations that represent local and state energy programs and policy directors.”

The work that you do plays a vital role in our efforts to stop the destruction of the world we live in. I do not know how much you are limited in suggesting particular types of homes to potential buyers, but if you were allowed and were knowledgeable, you could possibly suggest an earth ship or retrofitting.

http://earthship.com/

For my part, I will be patient. I agree to be inconvenienced by having to wait longer, having to fill out more forms, dealing with bureaucracy, government programs, laws, rules, restrictions etc. It is more difficult for me, too. But I really don’t believe I have any other option at this point. I will pay more money for a smaller house, possibly in a location where I do not want to live, where I have to be more aware of conserving water, electricity, gas.
8)

Thank you,
Sincerely,
Jody “

She never emailed or contacted me again… at least not yet. I don’t think she was willing to do more work for the same amount of money. She had referred me to a realtor of the same ilk. He herded me away from earthships, knowing it would probably be more work for him for the same amount of money.
So many people want to do something as long as it doesn’t cost them any inconvenience, effort, work, energy, time or money.

Meanwhile, John introduced me to Jim Tulin of NOVA, the first bank to give a home loan for an earthship. I spoke to Jim a few days ago. He told me he was going to meet with ‘Susan’ – their senior VA underwriter about getting me a VA home loan for an earthship. He called me back an hour later to tell me it looked like a ‘go’. I was jumping up and down happy about that!

I had sent copies of the regulations and laws I had been studying in my efforts to be prepared for the VA inspector/appraiser to John, who sent them to Jim. For vets out there, in the future trying to do what I am doing, the most pertinent are Code of Federal Regulations- Chapters 11 and 12 of VA Pamphlet 26-7 Minimum Property Requirements and Appraisal Requirements.

Well. That’s all for now. Stay tuned… as I am sure this on-the-edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting adventure will continue.

Hello world!

earthshipadventures — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:05:07 +0000

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