That's no Chicken Coop, That's my House!

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The story of one couple who redefined what was important in life.

By Melinda Walsh  Photos by Kim Ashford, A.K. Photography  

On a few acres near Clinton, Donna and Kevin Phillipe-Johnson downsized from a $42,000-a-year lifestyle to one that requires
about $6000, and found fulfillment in home-grown food and a wood-fired oven along the way.

Meet self-proclaimed folklife artists Donna and Kevin Phillipe-Johnson, who at one time in their lives were overwhelmed by debt, health issues, and the upheaval brought about by previous divorces. In a moment borne of frustration and a long-suppressed urge to chart his own course, Kevin announced to Donna that he “wanted to be free.”  And with that as the starting point, the couple set about figuring out just what that meant.

“We didn’t like to work for a living”, Kevin says honestly. Although both had done what was expected of them—get married, get a mortgage, raise children—neither one was happy and both ultimately divorced before they found each other. They yearned for a lifestyle that was free from the usual conventions but had never before encountered anyone else who not only shared that desire, but was ready to translate it into practical terms. “We didn’t have a model, no one we could talk to about living self-reliantly,” Kevin continues. “We wanted to be free of the system, of maintenance of a life that doesn’t let us feel we’re connecting to something bigger.”

They received unexpected guidance from a chance encounter with a Native American man named Thunder Cloud, who recognized in them a sincere desire to live differently but without a clue about how to start. “Improvise and adapt”, was Thunder Cloud’s advice, and it was all Kevin and Donna needed to hear to begin designing a life focused on what is sometimes referred to as “voluntary simplicity.”  For the first time, they felt as if they had support for this radical change in lifestyle that they were about to make.

That’s not to say that it happened all at once. Kevin kept working for several years while he and Donna purchased two and a half acres in Clinton, Louisiana. In the meantime, both kept searching for ways to “improvise and adapt” their most basic of needs:  shelter, water, and food.  
In her search for information, Donna heard about the International Biogenics Society, founded by Professor Edmund Szekely. She read his book that outlined a lifestyle based on the principles of an ancient Essene community, which had a philosophy of living in a manner that connects to the rhythms of nature. Dr. Szekely’s book also spoke of the benefits of eating a completely raw diet.

One concept of Szekely’s that intrigued Donna and Kevin was his design for housing, which he called, the Biogenic Ecodesic Living Lighthouse, or “BELL” for short.  The “BELL” is essentially a gazebo with windows, and this one-room dwelling formed the anchor for Kevin and Donna’s new lifestyle.  “We didn’t want a big kitchen,” Kevin said. “We wanted big windows for light and air.”  The “BELL” was built by the two of them for just $5000 in materials, and provides the comforts that they were not willing to give up in their quest for minimalism. “We’re not into working for a living, but we’re not into roughing it, either,” Donna laughs. Turns out they were the first people in twenty years to build a “BELL” and live in it full-time. The “BELL” had begun to chime.

Water was another challenge to be solved creatively. The usual practice in their area was to install a well. At a cost of $3000, it was out of their price range. How could they “improvise and adapt?”  They decided to just buy a tank and catch rainwater, and dispose of the waste water they used with a hose and a bucket, instead of the elaborate, expensive gray water disposal systems they found on the internet.  

Their decision to modify their food choices eliminated the need for an elaborately designed kitchen with large appliances and food storage, since they were eating mostly raw foods anyway. In their quest to improvise and adapt toward a life with minimal effort and maximum free time, every aspect of their lives was open to revision, with an eye toward efficiency. “We asked ourselves, ‘what is the most nutritious, least expensive food you can buy?’” They became indoor gardeners after discovering that one pound of seeds yields eight pounds of sprouts, and allows for several harvests a year.  While many of us get our vitamin supplements in capsule or pill form, they just grab a handful of any of the several types of sprouts and grasses they grow year-round: wheatgrass, onion greens, lentils and more; foods which serve as living vitamins.  
Over time, they gradually eliminated the practice of formal prepared meals, preferring to just eat on the run. They’ll start the day with a cup of miso soup, and finish the day with a cooked meal of rice with sprouts, soup, or baked potato to help them go to sleep. They graze throughout the day as they are hungry, grabbing a fresh carrot out of the garden or a handful of celery or sprouts.
“We grow about forty percent of our own food. We just planted thirty fruit trees so we’ll have food in the future. We eat whatever is available,” Kevin says. The couple believes the human body will respond better to foods that are in season. “We eat so simply that we can feel the effects of any food on our bodies immediately.” Ninety percent of their diet is raw and they eat only about eight to twelve ounces of food a day. “The less you eat, the healthier you are and the longer you live,” said Kevin, citing his studies of the available research on the effects of food quantities on longevity.  

They are quick to acknowledge that their way is not for everyone, stressing that since each body is different, there is no cookie-cutter approach to eating simply, but is rather a personal experiment for everyone. “We eat what makes us feel the best.” So far that includes no sugar or white flour, and minimal dairy. This approach to nourishment not only frees them from the burden of food preparation and cleanup; it’s one that both feel has improved their health, too.
There came a point at which the couple became interested in sharing their talents and what they had learned about healthful foods and decided to bake their own sourdough bread. One problem though—they didn’t have an oven. True to their philosophy, they did the research and built one themselves, out of local clay. “We stomped the mud barefoot on a canvas,” Donna says with a laugh, evoking images of Lucy and Ethel stomping grapes in a wooden tub. After experimenting with different kinds of clay, they were ultimately successful in constructing an outdoor wood-fired, earth oven, which imparts a beautiful, slightly smoky taste and texture to the sourdough bread that Kevin bakes.  

Kevin approaches baking as an art. He starts by grinding the wheat berries and uses only flour, Celtic salt, water and one of two heirloom sourdough starters in place of commercial yeast. These alternatives to yeast are often handed down for generations. One of the starters Kevin uses came from the descendant of a family on the Oregon Trail. The use of a starter allows the dough to ferment and rise slowly, which helps to give it its distinctive texture and taste. “Kevin’s Bread” has found its way on to the menu at Birdman Coffee & Books in St. Francisville.

Although their approach to living as ‘folklife artists’ is unusual compared to the mainstream, they receive a lot of attention from people who are feeling overwhelmed and tired of the rat race. They have a website that is filled with pictures of the “BELL” and the surrounding property, along with articles they’ve written intended as inspiration and a “how-to” for others. They answer  “hundreds and hundreds of emails from people around the world who are burned out, depressed, trapped and who don’t have a clue how to downsize, get out of debt and reclaim a sense of peace,” according to Kevin. They do not have Internet service nor a cell phone, but a volunteer maintains their Web site for them.

What they saw in the emails they received, helped them identify an important motivation of their own for developing this kind of lifestyle in the first place: Now they have time to devote to personal relationships and to give of their talents to the community.  

The couple’s monthly expenses run around $500, including car insurance and propane. They are known in the community as a reliable couple who are available for odd jobs, like fixing a neighbor’s fence or doing bookkeeping. Kevin bakes small batches of bread for people who can’t or don’t want to bake, and they sell music CDs and copies of a book they wrote.

About an hour a day is dedicated to “primal reinforcement,” of chopping wood for the oven, or working in the garden. After that, their time is theirs to do with as they choose, which for them is the payoff for a life devoted to “improvising and adapting.” You can often find them playing music with friends at a local nursing home or at Birdman Coffee in St. Francisville. Their personal satisfaction lies in helping people connect to each other through music, much as in days past where people shared music in order to pass stories and songs along.

While some people choose to create their freedom by making enough money to retire from work, Kevin and Donna chose to downsize instead, embracing a life of voluntary simplicity. Their message is that a simple life can be do-able, practical and comfortable, with another advantage: that life became more fulfilling and satisfying when they had enough time to give to others.
One thing they are clear about, however, is guarding the free time they have created. They do not accept visitors without an invitation. “We don’t want people to just come out here for one day, to look at us as if we’re a novelty or entertainment.”  Donna tells of a couple who dropped in unannounced just after they had built the BELL. “We were so proud of it,” she continues, having built all of it themselves. The well-manicured wife turned to her husband and said, “Honey, this would make a great chicken coop.”  

Not everyone is cut out for a simple life.

Melinda Walsh is a Baton Rouge-based actress, producer, director, media coach, and writer.