The snow has settled and is not showing any signs of
melting. Surely, this is the start of winter! I have forgotten how cold the
winter is here in Hokkaido. I enjoyed summer and autumn too much while the
temperature suddenly dropped below zero and snow piled up to blanket the sleepy
terrain.
"Now that winter has begun, what are you going to do in
your land?" This may be one of the questions that I have heard of
frequently. Well, the answer is, I will do what I can do. Winter Hibernation is
still a luxury for me who has not yet built my own home in my own land. I have
several winter projects that I have in my checklist that I have to do before
spring arrives! Here are some of them.
Winter scenery at the homestead
Tiny House Winter Project
Since the July of this year, I have been living in a rented
house in a nearby town while going back and forth to my land. I am deeply
thankful that they are renting this house to me almost for free but I really
hope to live in my own land and build my own house. Building a house needs
meticulous designing and I want to build slowly but surely while having fun.
So, before starting to build a house, I will reconstruct this shipping container into a
Tiny House. During this winter, I will design a compact but cozy tiny house,
remove the inner walls and floors of the container, and renovate the inside. I
hope to finish by spring so that I can move in to my own land starting next
year!
Shipping container to be converted to a Tiny House (Photo taken during summer)
Article or research paper on Food Production and Consumption
in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido
Last month, I went to a lecture of Helena Norberg-hodge on
localization of food and businesses. This greatly intrigued me as to how
self-sufficient is the community I live in when it comes to food. How much food
is produced? How much of this is consumed here? How much food enters this
community? What are the hidden costs of the cheapness of other products? What
are the effects of large businesses on small, local businesses? These are some
of the questions that I will try to answer and share to the local people to
shed light to this dilemma.
Cutting logs for mushroom production
Before spring arrives, trees for mushroom production must be
felled during winter while all the sap is in the roots. I will cut the tree and
make sure to leave a bud for it to regenarate or I will replant again in
spring. This is the most laborious job but winter is the only timing for this
job, plus I get to learn the contours of the land and the species of trees in my forest
without being afraid of encountering any bears.
Future Projects Possible in Philippines during winter
This winter, I will find time to visit Philippines and talk
to my friends and professors regarding what type of project or movement can I
help with when it's winter here in Hokkaido. I'm sure there are still many
people who I can help through their spiritual growth and through them, I can
also grow. I can also do workshops on some gardening methods, building
techniques or any new alternative idea that I tried and tested in Hokkaido and
modify it to fit the climate and culture of the Philippines
Honestly, before winter finally set in, I went through some
inner turbulences but finally, after a five-day pilgrimage to Nara, Japan, I
have finally found my center again and I am now very excited to start on these
projects!
This winter and the coming spring, there will be great changes
in my life and in the Homestead! Slowly, the place is being prepared for the
building of home, then of the family.
The fire accepts both my good and my bad. There is no discrimination. When all is burnt, when none is left, from the emptiness, true insight is born.
