Field Work

Tracy and Sarah working hard in the fields

5/17/2012 - 5th Day - Afternoon. Greetings friends. We're harvesting wheat here in Central Texas. Beautiful weather continues, and it remains in the 80's with crystal clear blue skies. We're learning a lot - both in the spiritual and the physical - as we go through this process of providing a large grain crop for ourselves. The process takes several steps, starting with the easiest work - the harvest itself. We're mainly using sickles, but some scythes as well. After the chopping, the wheat is gathered into sheaves or "shocks", which are then gathered into stacks called "stooks".


Here, the process continues


These shocks were removed into the barn for threatening rain.
Then re-stacked outside to dry when the threat passed.


Hard to see, but here is the threshing and winnowing process.
We use the treadle threshing machine, then winnow using the wind.


Here's some of the wheat. Pretty clean, with a few grains here and there
that don't want to shed the hull (a type of worldly Christians).


Here is a large stack of chaff (a type of our wordliness and sin being
shed as we are converted and sanctified)


Here is a full bucket of cleaned wheat, after it has gone through
a second cleaning (by hand). This bucket is about 38 lbs. of wheat.
While all of this is going on, Danielle has been working hard making jams and jellies (mostly strawberry right now).

Danielle, hand-cranking the fruit mill for some delicious Agarito/Strawberry Jam.

Ok, so that is what we are doing. What are y'all doing?

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Low-Latent Inhibition

5/13/2012 - The Lord's Day - Afternoon. Greetings friends. I don't like to use this blog to talk about myself much. I talk about what I think, my philosophies and beliefs, etc., but have only done one short series of blog posts about me, my history, etc. I've not written a biography. But I wanted to take a moment and talk about LLI because I went so many years ignorant about this trait (I knew I was different, and that there had to be some difference in how I received and processed information, I just didn't know that there was a name for it), and I know that there may be some of you who exhibit this trait and perhaps it can help you diagnose yourself. I finally learned about LLI about 5 or 6 years ago, and it has been beneficial for me to understand more about what it is. First I'll give you the Wikipedia explanation of LLI:

Low latent inhibition 

Most people are able to ignore the constant stream of incoming stimuli, but this capability is reduced in those with low latent inhibition. Low latent inhibition seems to often correlate with distracted behaviors.[2] This distractedness can manifest itself as general inattentiveness, a tendency to switch subjects without warning in conversation, and other absentminded habits. This is not to say that all distractedness can be explained by low latent inhibition, nor does it necessarily follow that people with low LI will have a hard time paying attention. It does mean, however, that the higher quantity of incoming information requires a mind capable of handling it. 

Those of above average intelligence are thought to be capable of processing this stream effectively, enabling their creativity and increasing their awareness of their surroundings. Those with less than average intelligence, on the other hand, are less able to cope, and as a result are more likely to suffer from mental illness and sensory overload.[11] It is hypothesized that a low level of latent inhibition can cause either psychosis or a high level of creative achievement[12]or both, which is usually dependent on the individual's intelligence.[3][13] There have even been similarities observed between the behaviors of autistic individuals and those with low LI[citation needed]. 

High levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine (or its agonists) in the ventral tegmental area of the brain have been shown to decrease latent inhibition.[14] Certain dysfunctions of the neurotransmitters glutamate, serotonin andacetylcholine have also been implicated.[15] 

Low latent inhibition is not a mental disorder but an observed personality trait[citation needed], and a description of how an individual absorbs and assimilates data or stimuli. Furthermore, it does not necessarily lead to mental disorder or creative achievement—this is, like many other factors of life, a case of environmental and predispositional influences, whether these be positive (e.g., education) or negative (e.g., abuse) in nature.

In shorthand, we all are constantly receiving a massive stream of information gathered by our senses. For most people (the hypothetical "average" or "normal" latent inhibition), the brain immediately dismisses most of this information as not completely necessary for functioning, safety, etc. Those rare individuals with LLI have a reduced ability to dismiss this constant stream of information. As a young adult, and on until I was close to 40, I just called myself a "noticer". When you see a lamp or a chair, someone with LLI sees all of the elements... screws, bolts, materials, etc. that make up that lamp. People with higher than normal intelligence can usually manage with LLI and it can result in a high level of creativity, or in special talents. For people with a lower than normal intelligence, LLI can lead to psychiatric and mental problems.

LLI can be a severe handicap to many people, and for anyone with it it can be tiring and can adversely affect social behavior. For example, for all of my life I've LOVED the concepts of parties, concerts, etc. (fun stuff), but I cannot stand to BE at parties or concerts. Small gatherings are usually alright. When I traveled the country for years preaching, I would be so exhausted after being in a room with 400 people that I would often have a need to spend days or weeks trying to get over it. Being on a plane or a bus was just torture. My wife would probably say that she was frustrated that we would drive to restaurant after restaurant and if the parking lot was full, I would refuse to stop. My children want to go to fairs or events, and I usually am ready to leave after about 30 minutes or less. As a young man I would buy tickets to concerts, then leave after the first song or so. There was just too much input. I had troubles in large groups, in the DMV, in restaurants, etc. I am easily distracted (actually angered) by any useless, repetitive actions (such as people who incessantly stir their tea or coffee, even if they are all the way across the room; or people that sit and click a pen or their fingernails, crack their knuckles, etc.). I have always been distracted easily because I was picking up behaviors, traits, tics, habits, conversations, etc. of dozens of people in a room, and it severely affected my ability to socialize. My children and friends used to play games with me, such as "Dad, what did that last billboard we drove by say?" Or "how many cars are in the parking lot?" LLI is not a "condition" or an affliction, and though most modern folks with it absolutely demand that it must be diagnosed by a physician or psychiatrist, I completely disagree. If you have it, you know. I also can get very frustrated with people who do not see things that I think they should see. It has made me constantly pray for patience and long-suffering, and to somewhat understand (in a miniscule degree) what God must think of us.

In time I began to learn some methods to tune out things, and this too has caused some issues. I have learned to basically tune out everything when I am reading or studying something. My wife will attest to that.

Now, in my opinion, most westerners suffer from High Latent Inhibition. I think the constant stream of input in modern technological society, has had some serious damaging affects on the average person's ability to take in necessary information. It is very frustrating to see children, and grown adults, walk by garbage on the ground, or something critical to their safety and security, and not see it.

Aging has been a blessing and a curse. I've been blessed for most of my life with "better than perfect" vision. But in the last few years, my eyesight has begun to fade, at least when I am trying to read. A few years ago I started losing hearing in my right ear, and that has somewhat limited the stream of information, at least from one side of my head.

I didn't know if writing this would be helpful or not, but I figured it might - and if it helps one person, it will have been worth it. So, for what it's worth, now you know about LLI.

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Scattershooting in May

5/11/2012 - 6th Day - Morning. Preparation of the Sabbath. Greetings friends. Heavy rain yesterday and our seasonal to cool streak continues, as it is only 64 degrees F as I write this. The rains are awesome for the land and pastures, and incredibly beneficial for the gardens, though it would be nice to have the wheat out of the fields first. Lord willing we will get the wheat harvested over the next 3-4 weeks and perhaps even another crop planted.


Yesterday we had two farming typical injury incidents (one not serious at all, the other a little more so *but everyone is alright*), and we learned anew that our first aid kit is insufficient and perennially out of date. There is nothing worse than having to deal with an injury under stress and discovering that your materials are absent, out-of-date, or unusable. So today we are augmenting our first aid supplies. You should too. Living this life means that injuries and accidents are inevitable. We should all constantly be working on our first aid kits and skills, and we should all be training our children how to deal with emergencies, overcome panic, and handle discomfort and pain. Every incident is a learning experience for everyone involved. One mantra around our house for our entire existence as a family... NEVER PANIC. Panic never served anyone (and crying never made the pain go away). So one of the projects for this day (and the next few weeks) is to rebuild our first aid capability.

On Blogging and The Reading of Blogs

There are some very uncomfortable truths I must now bestow upon you, considering the ubiquity of blogs and the readers of blogs. I was reading some today and there are probably some painful things that you need to know. I have the sometimes wonderful, often awkward experience of often being the "tip of the spear". This means that quite often the stuff that I'm doing, no one else is doing it. Then 5 years later, everyone seems to be doing it. When I first start doing things, quite often there are little or no avenues for education and information available. When Danielle and I first started down our Agrarian/Homesteading road, there were ZERO blogs about it (blogs hadn't been invented yet), and almost no information at all out there for the beginner. We started with Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living and THAT IS ALL. We had nothing else. No books, no blogs, no Google. Everything we did came out of that book, or from advice gleaned from people who knew more about this stuff than we did. Eventually, though, the world catches up with us (no matter how fast we flee), and now the world is overrun with opinions, books, tapes, materials, etc. I told a friend on Facebook the other day "I'm the guy that does things for years before it gets popular and someone else makes money off of it" I was smoking cigars for years before the cigar boom of the mid 90's and had to quit for a few years because I couldn't afford them. I was brewing beer for years before the homebrewing boom, and again started when there was almost no info out there, and was overtaken by the neo-experts a few years later. Now we are in the midst of the Agrarian/Homesteading/Real Food boom, and some people might be taking this all a little too much to heart. So here are some tips for you, and some of them you may not like:

1. The current boom of Food/Growing/Homesteading sites, blogs, books, etc. are operated predominantly by women. This means a few things... it means that often the material is more carefully vetted, and more realistically applied. Women tend to take things very seriously, and are also more specific and careful with their instructions. This also means that there is a lot of emotion involved. As I said, women take things very seriously, generally get offended ridiculously easily, and are usually a mixture of napalm and hellfire when scorned or when offended. You have a culture of women bloggers, and women blog readers - and believe me if offense can be taken, it will. Women are not the only guilty ones, because many men are emasculated and act like women... in fact most of them are. So that just multiplies the problem. Don't take anything a blogger writes personally unless he/she says "I'm talking About ________ (with your name here)" I read comments and blogposts where people are absolutely on the warpath because they found some foodie blog post offensive or took personal umbrage to something written on a blog. Chillax people. Even if someone says "anyone who ferments food is a complete moron", you need to recognize that a) that is an opinion, and probably an ignorant one, and b) who cares what that person thinks? Seriously. Who cares? On a lighter note, I always think of what Jack Nicholson's character says in As Good as it Gets. He was asked how he wrote so well for women characters (he was an author), and he replied - "First I think of a man, then I take away all reason and accountability."

2. Almost no blogger I know sits down to write a blog hoping to offend you. Nor does every opinion need to be watered down so that it is palatable to everyone. In fact, I spurn and reject lukewarm opinions. I never learned anything from anyone I agree with on everything. Too take this stuff too personally is just stupid... and this means you. Blogs, though usually a waste of time and full of errors and dangers, are tremendously democratic. You have every right to ignore any you don't like. Mine, for example.

3. Anger is always rooted in a fear of loss. It can be righteous anger, or unrighteous anger, but it is always, always, always rooted in a fear of loss. Ask yourself when you are angry "what is it I fear losing?" If it isn't a godly, honest, and legitimate concern, then you are angry without cause - which is a very serious sin. Getting angry at a blogger because they make you feel inadequate, or because you think that "they think they are God!" is just stupid. First of all, I don't know of any blogger anywhere, however evil and wicked, who actually thinks that they are God. I think, perhaps, you are being melodramatic and not just a wee bit hyper-sensitive.

4. Perhaps you are mad at your conscience, and not particularly at what you are reading specifically. Some people do not want to be challenged, and they never want anyone to hold a mirror up to them. They never want anyone to make them think they are not doing "the best they can do". Well, perhaps you are lying to yourself? Let's see... here is a test: 1. Are you human? 2. Are you perfect? 3. Do you still have room to grow and mature? Ok... after examining your internal answers to these questions, I have an answer for you... YES, YOU ARE LYING TO YOURSELF.

5. 95% of Bloggers are officially Full Of Crap. That means that they don't know anything. They are posers. They are not experts. If they do not portray themselves as experts, then good on them. But most bloggers fit into the following categories: They are just people who like to write, or who love to share what they are doing, or who like to hear themselves talk, or who are self-absorbed and narcissistic and count their self-worth based on how many hits they get or how many people are following them. Most bloggers believe their fan mail, which is always a bad idea. Most blogs are ignorant, watered-down, claptrap, designed to feed the ego of the blogger. Anyone can start a blog on any topic whatsoever, and you are a fool if you trust someone who you don't know is actually living the life they preach about. There are a handful of "experts" out there, and the rest are posers, pretenders, or just talkers. That doesn't mean that you can't learn anything from them, but let the buyer beware. Believe me, I've seen it for over a decade. I've had people watch me or my family members butcher a pig and then pronounce "Good, now that I know how to butcher, I can't wait to start eating my own pork". I talked about this on my radio show the other day. Everyone is an expert today, and the worst type of personality thinks it knows everything and that its opinions are valuable, after having done something once or twice (or worse... after seeing it done). We've had our friends who are truly living the Off Off-Grid life get disheartened and down upon seeing some magnificent garden in the city somewhere. I have to remind them... "Listen, with an endless supply of city water or a well, and an endless amount of money, and chemicals, and genetically modified seeds, etc., anyone can grow a magnificent garden When the world system crashes, you come back here and look at this lady's garden." It is your duty to seek out people who actually live the life, and who practice what they preach. This whole homesteading/agrarian/foodie life is easy when you live in the suburbs with municipal utilities, air-conditioning, a freezer and a refrigerator. That's all well and good. But you might want to find someone who can do without all that stuff, if you plan on surviving past the first couple of months of a systemic disaster.

6. This, too, shall pass. When the crowds and tourists are gone, those of us who do our best to live a life of simplicity, sustainability, and separation will still be doing our thing - if the Lord wills. Most of your urban and suburban masses will be off to the next and newest thing. I live this life because I love it, and because I truly believe it is how God would have His people live. I'm not a tourist. And in the long-run, there is too much to do to allow myself to be angered by tourists - either bloggers, or blog readers.

P.S. All of this applies equally well to Christianity, The Doctrines of Grace, Prophecy, etc.

P.S.S. If you are angry with this post, you are proving my point.

Ok, I have to run.

Michael

Cool Down

5/10/2012 - 6th Day - Morning. Greetings friends. We've had a remarkable and welcome cool down here in Central Texas!  We're trying to get as much work done as we can between rain and rumors of rain. According to the prognosticators and magicians there is some rain headed our way as I type, and of course we'll be glad to get it. We've had 3 rains in the past week, and things are starting to look a bit better around here. We're getting regular daily produce from the gardens, which is nice. Right now we are still harvesting garlic, we are harvesting Agarito Berries, we are preparing the garlic beds and winter beds for a summer crop, and we are building some bug/shade covers for a few of those beds. I made some Agarito Berry / Prickly Pear Wine, and have quite a few ferments going. At some point this month, I need to start writing on Cold Harbor (Book 2 of The Last Pilgrims series)! Ok, enough with the chit-chat. Here are some pics...

In the past week, our bees arrived!

We installed them into our new Top Bar Hive and they are doing well

This is one of our big basil years, so we are drying a lot of basil

This is a portion of our onion crop

The children caught another rat snake!

Wild Garlic lacto-fermented with a few Agarito Berries

This is Agarito Berry/Prickly Pear Wine!

Apparently, the property adjacent to us (340 acres) has gone up for sale. We are praying that God might see fit in His wisdom and mercy to add it to our community. We can only pray.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Links for tonight's Show

Links for tonight's radio show.  Listen in tonight at 7 pm Central Time:

7 Errors of the Immature Christian

What is the Gospel? Part 1A
What is the Gospel? Part 1B
What is the Gospel? Part 1C

Bubbles and Salsa

5/4/2012 - 6th Day - Morning. Preparation of the Sabbath. Greetings friends. We've been quite busy around here (are we ever not busy?). Wednesday was our monthly First Wednesday Work Day here in the community, then yesterday Danielle's father and step-mother came by for a visit. They took Danielle and the children to go swim at Lake Brownwood, then we all went to town to eat supper in Brownwood with them. The in-laws brought a few toys for the children, one of which was a big bubble making thing. So this morning at sunrise was bubblemaking time...

Speaking of bubbles.  Yesterday I harvested what was available in the garden and made 2 1/2 pints of lacto-fermented salsa. It will be fermenting for awhile, but I'll report to you how good it is when we taste it in a week or so.

Today we are continuing the garlic harvest, and preparing to plant the sweet potatoes. We were contacted by the freight company, and our treadle-powered thresher will be delivered in Abilene on Monday, so we have to drive up there and pick it up. We're looking forward to testing it out with our wheat crop.

The temperatures remain warm and humid with no rain as of yet. Today is very sunny and already warm this morning. I've got to go package up more sausage, so I'll be cutting this short.

I pray you all have a great and productive day.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Bunker Spicy Garlic Available

That's a big garlic!

5/1/2012 - 3rd Day - Afternoon. Greetings friends. Ok, so we started harvesting our gourmet garlic today, and it is looking right now like, Lord willing, it will be a very good harvest. We have to save enough for ourselves, and will keep quite a bit for pickling/lacto-fermenting, but it is looking like we should have some to sell. So here is the low-down on how this will work. First, naturally grown"gourmet garlic" is nothing at all like the garlic you buy in your supermarket. It is more pungent (spicier), has a higher allicin amount and quality, and you use much less of it in your cooking. Here is what Gurney's has to say about it: "This gourmet garlic is famous for its pleasantly hot and spicy bite. Perfect for colder climates, this large hardneck variety has a blushed pink-red color and is easy to peel. Approx. 7-10 cloves per bulb." And Gurney's sells it for $7.99 PER BULB! ($5.99 on sale, when you can get it). That is PER BULB, which usually averages about 1/6 to 1/5 of a lb. We have both Spanish Roja and Ajo Rojo available. Ajo Rojo is also a very spicy gourmet garlic. Ajo Rojo grows better in southern climates with hot weather, and our Ajo Rojo has kind of naturalized and acclimatized with us (I call it Bunker Spicy), and it is very, very spicy when eaten raw.

We are not going to have a tremendous amount to sell, so it will be first-come first-served on this garlic. WE WILL NOT BE SHIPPING UNTIL JUNE because the garlic has to cure properly so that it will store well. If you are intending to plant it, you will not plant this until September/October most likely, but find out when to plant garlic in your area. We are only shipping to the lower 48 states, and aren't shipping any overseas. I don't think we are allowed to ship it into Idaho either, but I'll find out if we can if someone from Idaho orders some. We are not guaranteeing a particular size or amount, but all garlics will be medium to large and the total weight will be whatever you order. We are not a store or a business. This is a ministry operation only, and we are providing this so we can pour the money back into infrastructure here on the farm - so others can come and see and learn how we do things.

The garlic will be shipped out in June for a donation of $20/lb. with shipping included to the areas we have specified. Minimum order is 2 lbs. So for $40 you get two pounds shipped direct to you in June. You can specify whether you want Ajo Rojo or Spanish Roja, but we reserve the right to ship you what I have left if your order is late and we have run out of one kind. Send your check, money order, or cash to:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Texas 76878

Make sure to specify what kind of garlic you want, and make sure you also specify that you want garlic (and how many pounds). If you just send a donation for $40 and don't say you want garlic, you won't get garlic.

Lord willing we will also be offering some lacto-fermented garlic pints sometime soon, so be ready for that as well.

Michael Bunker

Christian Book Recommendations

5/1/2012 - 3rd Day - Morning. Greetings friends. First day of May and still we are way behind on rain since spring started acting like summer. I promised on the Radio Show that I'd put up a post with recommended theological/spiritual books like the one I have posted on the left hand column with recommended agrarian/homesteading books. So this'll be that post.

Michael Bunker's Incomplete and Growing List of Recommended Theological Books

The Sovereignty of God, by A.W. Pink (Do not buy the Banner of Truth edition of this book. It has been criminally abridged after the author's death because of the stupidity and ignorance of the publisher).

Modern Religious Idols, by Michael Bunker (The best and most important book I have ever written... as well as the least read and least appreciated)

Absolute Predestination, by Jerome Zanchius

Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan (Just make sure to get an unabridged version)

The Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson

The Sinfulness of Sin, by Ralph Venning

The Mortification of Sin, by John Owen

The Crook in the Lot, by Thomas Boston

All Love's Excelling, by John Bunyan

Freedom of the Will, by Jonathan Edwards (This is THE treatise on the will, but I warn you that this is not easy or "light" reading. Spiritual and Intellectual entropy are made evident by the modern reader trying to understand what would have been standard 18th Century reason and writing)

The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1
The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2

A Study of Dispensationalism, by A.W. Pink

The Attributes of God, by A.W. Pink

A Puritan Golden Treasury, by I.D.E. Thomas

The Letters of Samuel Rutherford, by Samuel Rutherford

Apostasy from the Gospel, by John Owen

The Mystery of Providence, by John Flavel

The Rise and Fall of Papacy, by Robert Fleming

History of the Reformation of the 16th Century, by D'aubigne

The Reformation in Scotland, by John Knox

Foxe's Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe (this version is most likely an abridged version, as finding an unabridged version is very, very difficult. Look on Ebay or Abebooks.com and keep an eye out for an unabridged version. The older, the better)

The Sincere Convert, by Thomas Shepard (This linked copy also includes the Sound Believer, which is also very good).

The Existence and Attributes of God, by Stephen Charnock (Expensive, but highly recommended)

Body of Doctrinal Divinity, by John Gill

Systematic Theology, by R.L. Dabney (Dabney was a Presbyterian, so held on to the error of infant baptism, but there is a lot of value in this book)

The Complete Works of Augustus Toplady, by Augustus Toplady

The Glory of Christ, by John Owen

50 Years in the Church of Rome, by Charles Chiniquy

Swarms of Locusts, by Michael Bunker

The Lord's Prayer, by Thomas Watson

Lots and lots more to add, but this ought to hold you for awhile. You should have these books in your library, and I'll try to add more as time goes by, so check back regularly.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

An Update and a Prayer

4/30/2012 - 2nd Day - Morning. Greetings friends. We're back at it this week, and we're readying ourselves for harvest - coming up quickly. We'll start harvesting garlic this week, and sometime in the end of May, Lord willing, we will begin harvesting wheat. We're starting to get some regular produce (other than lettuce and spinach - which we've been getting for a month or more) from our gardens as well. This week our new bees are supposed to arrive, so we have our Top Bar Hive ready and waiting for the new inhabitants. We're back to processing and smoking meat again after we had to take a break for the three days over 100 degrees that we had last week. Hopefully in another week or so we will be done with the meat projects. We've several other projects that we are starting. We're going to be working on the root cellar some more this summer, including building an embankment wall around it so we can add another foot or more of dirt on it. This has been planned for years, but we intend to finally get to it. This will allow the cellar to remain cooler throughout the summer months. We intend to plant some form of ground cover over the root cellar as well.

We are hoping to receive a treadle-powered grain thresher that I purchased some time ago. It is scheduled to be here in time for the wheat harvest. We are really looking forward to testing the thresher and sharing pictures and info with you all.

Water is always an issue with us, and we ask you to help us in our Water Sustainability Project. Here is our prayer for rain...

You are eternally mighty, Jehovah. We ask you to give us that portion of your rain that will make our land fruitful and verdant when it is now dry and barren. You have used the image of water in your scripture to symbolize your might and power. You have used the rain or lack thereof to bless and to chastise your people. It is your power that caused the rain to fall that brought the flood upon a wicked world that perished. 

It is your power that caused Elijah the Tishbite to prophecy that there would be no rain upon the land for years according to thy Word. You are our God and the God of our forefathers. We petition thee to provide sufficient rain to us in the merit of your great faithful ones, our forefathers of Israel.   

Remember the righteous Abraham, who was drawn after You like water. For his sake, we petition thee for rain. 

Remember Isaac who digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father. For his sake, we petition thee for rain. 

Remember Jacob, our Agrarian model who dwelt in tents, watered his herds and his gardens, and to whom Isaac said, "God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine". For his sake, we petition thee for rain. 

Remember Moses drawn forth from the water. He helped the seven daughters of the priest of Midian by drawing water for their flocks. For his sake, we petition thee for rain. 

Remember thy Son Jesus, in whose name we come to thee Lord. He turned water into wine and stilled the waters of the tempest that frightened His disciples. He was pierced for our iniquities and water and blood ran from His side. For His sake, we petition thee for rain. 

Father we know that we have not perfectly kept your commandments or obeyed your statutes, and you have said "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Lev 26:3-4). More than rain we desire to keep thy commandments and to do them and to walk in thy statutes. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Cause us to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do we trust: cause us to know the way wherein we should walk; for we lift up our souls unto thee. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. We know that you have said "if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full" (Deu 11:13-15); so we pray Lord that you will cause us to hearken diligently unto your commandments, because we know that the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, YOU LORD hath made even both of them. 

You are our God who makes the wind blow and the rain descend, and we come to you by Jesus Christ the righteous one and petition that for his righteousness sake you will send us rain, Father. 

Nevertheless thy will be done.

Y'all have a great day.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Water Sustainability Project

4/25/2012 - 4th Day - Morning. Greetings friends. For most of you who have read my book Surviving Off Off-Grid, you know that our most basic philosophy within our Agrarianism is that we want to develop a simple, sustainable, and separate life wherein we can teach and help others to live lives more in line with how God would have us to live. As part of that philosophy we have now spent the last 7 years building our off off-grid homestead and have worked hard on our infrastructure so that we can actually show visitors how to do the things that we preach. In the past we have developed water catchment systems, built a smokehouse, built an underground cistern, etc. and all along we have showed what we have done here, and we have invited you all to come visit to see what it is we are doing and HOW we are doing it. I have a new project for this year, that is going to be an awesome way to show and teach our Off Off-Grid philosophies. We are going to build and install a gravity fed water system to the farm and structures.

Rudimentary Plan

We've been planning this system for some time, and we saw a "not quite off-grid" version of it at Homestead Heritage in Waco. A neighbor installed a small version of this system just recently, and when our gas pump went out (again) this week, I decided it might be time to get this program moving forward. Now, we could do what we have done with almost all of our big projects... do it painfully slowly and put off being able to test and teach this system to others for years. We could do that, and if needs be that is what we will do. But I'd like to put this system in now, so that we can have it to show people during Fall Ranchfest (Sept. 14-21). The plan is this... we want to install a modular elevated water tank system at the highest point on our property. I call it "modular" because we will start with a single tank, used only for gardens and animal watering, then, if the Lord wills, we will add two more tanks in the future - another for plant/animal watering, and a "clean"/potable tank for water pressure to the cottage. To start with, though, we will install a single elevated tank. We will trench and lay pipe from the pond (which is at the lowest level) up to the tank. In the trench we will lay several courses of pipe - each designated for different watering areas/animal areas. So the water will be pumped uphill to the elevated tank, then will gravity flow back down to where we need it. We will have several pumping systems that we can use based on the situation. We will have our gas pump, which can be run for less than an hour to fill the tank (currently, we run our pump for up to 3-6 hours a day in the summer. This will save us hundreds of dollars in gas prices, and the constant expense of fixing and/or replacing pumps. We will also have an "off off-grid" pumping system, with a wind/hand/bicycle pump, etc. The clean water (when we implement that module) will be pumped from our water catchment cistern. This system will also allow us to multiply our water catchment capabilities, because we can pump water up to the elevated tank in periods when water is plentiful, which will give us more room to catch more water.

Ok, so I considered doing another IndieGoGo fundraiser for this project, but I decided against it. Almost all of the donors would be our current friends and supporters, and IGG takes a large cut off the top from all donations. So we are relying on you to help in this project. Why should you help? Because we are certainly not doing this for ourselves alone. We have designed our homestead as a teaching homestead to show people practical ways to live Off Off-Grid. We'll be able to test these systems and offer details for free to everyone who is looking for answers: and people who come and visit during our twice yearly Ranchfests will be able to see the system work and get their hands-on experience. Secondarily, our homestead is designed to be able to produce ample food and materials for our Off Off-Grid community in case of collapse or disaster. We're trying to help everyone here. Even now we are able to provide water and other materials to new homesteaders who move into the community because of help you have provided in the past.

We need about $5,000 to do this project. The overall project will cost more, but this will get us where we need to be to complete the first phase. If we were going through IndieGoGo they would process credit cards, etc. and make it much easier to track and receive money... but we aren't going that direction. We're going to try it without IGG. If we can raise the money in the next 30 days, then we'll do it without IGG. But if this way just doesn't work, then I'll try IGG after that. That means that we cannot take credit or debit cards or Paypal. Cash or Checks only. Here are the gifts you get for donating:

**Most of these gifts will not arrive to you until Fall***

$100 Donation: You get our sincere thanks, and the knowledge that you have helped a lot of people. You'll also get two pounds of our homegrown wheat, sent directly to you as soon as we have completed the harvest - so you can make some delicious, organic, agrarian bread. We'll also send you Danielle's Off Off-Grid bread recipe which uses no store bought white wheat in the recipe.

$250 Donation: You get all of the above, and a printed copy of the plans and parts list for the system we build.

$500 Donation: You get all of the above, and your choice of 5 lbs. of Mesquite Coffee, 10 lbs. of our wheat, 5 lbs. of gourmet garlic, or 20 of my home made and hand rolled cigars.

$1000 Donation: all of the above and a signed Pre-Release and Pre-Production copy of the book COLD HARBOR (the 2nd book of the The Last Pilgrims series) when it is finished.

If you can donate more than that, or you can just finance the whole thing, then just email me and we'll come up with a special gift package just for you!

Ok, so here are the details... We're going to try to raise this money before the last day of May. If we can do so, I'll forego doing this through IndieGoGo and we'll all be better off:

Send your donation ASAP to:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Texas 76878

Let's see if we can do this.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

April Process, Brings May Success (DV)

4/23/2012 - 2nd Day - Morning. Greetings friends.  We had a great radio show last night, and definitely worth hearing, so catch it on the archives or subscribe on iTunes.  The Siffords put up a great post about Ranchfest, better than the one I did, and more detailed with a ton of great pics, signing video, etc., so make sure to check it out.  Make sure to leave a comment thanking them for all they do to help and encourage the brethren all over the world.

We've been busy around here, as you can imagine.  The cool mornings have allowed for a lot of meat processing that should have taken place over winter.  But we're getting caught up quickly.  This past week we butchered a 150 lb. ram, and a 500 lb. pig., and we've processed probably 75% of that so far.  In addition to the huge pig we slaughtered a couple of weeks ago, our smokehouse has been working overtime.

A pretty poor picture of a huge ham and a bacon hanging in the smoke

A better picture of ground meat ready to be stuffed into casings

A whole lot of delicious mutton sausage just out of the smokehouse

We have added the healthy tradition of "tapas" to our daily work.
Tapas for us are mostly homemade and lacto-fermented finger foods that we eat around mid-morning.

This is a brisket we bought on sale.  We cured it and smoked it,
then sliced it up for sandwich meat.

We've also taken some time to gather the wild edibles.
This is a load of wild garlic/onions from a nearby creek area.

Please remember us here in your prayers and with your regular support. The ministry work never ends, and all of this - building a model homestead for people to come visit for free - takes time and money and effort. As always, we do appreciate your help and support.

I received another request for a "required reading list", and I know I need to add one for theological, spiritual, and prophetical books... but the required reading list for agrarian books you should own is HERE (and it is not complete).

Thank you all, and as always... stay tuned.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker