Spotlight on Cedars

These last few days, Richard has been focusing on the Cedar Trees, which are quite happy here on this little Farm.  The soil and the conditions must be just right. 

On this day, he was removing galls from Cedar Apple Rust (which contribute to disease in Apple Trees).  He has also been removing the extra trees, of which we have many.  There are a lot more to go.  Most are small (at the seedling stage), but others are bigger requiring a saw. 

This is a little reminder to self:  It's a lot easier to remove a seedling than it is a more established tree.  Of course that is obvious.  We have been quite busy these last few years both on and off the Farm.  However, the little Farm routine is beginning to have more of rhythm and flow to it. That feels good.

Workshop Bound

Melanie is headed to the Tiny House workshop in Madison Wisconsin this week.  She intends to build her own little cottage this next year, starting in the fall.  While one doesn't see much of this in mainstream news as yet, Tiny Houses are a lot of the rage these days. People see some of the glaring down sides of big: debt, utilities, upkeep, impact on the Earth.  Never mind the insecurities of income and being stuck in jobs that just do not fit. 

Melanie does not intend to build a Tiny House, but it will be small.  I think about the sizes that were common at the turn of the last century.  Grandma Matilda's house comes to mind.  That little house held 6 people and I am not sure how.  Somehow, over time, houses "got big".  Dinosaurs did too.

It's great that more and more options are available in times demanding us to think outside the boxes that we find ourselves in. And it is wonderful that people are making some new choices. 
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/workshops/madison/

Green House

We don't have an official "Green House" attached to the House yet.  I hope we will some day.  However, beginning this week, the interior of our little House is beginning to be transformed into a Green House.  Those lovely South Windows are great for nourishing Plants (and the Humans too).

This picture is just at the beginning stages of the house becoming a Green House.  It is exciting to think about how the plants will grow and flourish over time.  It fills me with expectancy.

By the way,  home baked cookies and cake (under the waxed paper) is great to serve at Green House opening functions.  All other days too.

Plant Voices

I happen to be from a so-called "advanced" culture which has prescribed for its "tribe" a disconnection between Humans and Nature.  Nature is viewed as dead matter, devoid of spirit and consciousness.  Humans are considered above Nature and can do anything with the Earth that they please without consequence.

I am happy to report that countless other cultures worldwide do not practice similar views.  And I am further happy to report that I don't either.  Or perhaps I should say that I am trying not to either.

Those other cultures are more apt to view life as a circle, of which Humans are one part.  All of Nature has consciousness and voice.  For years, I have deeply yearned to hear the "voices" of my fellow beings.  I knew they were there.  I just couldn't open the channel to my heart that could hear them.  I wouldn't say that I am proficient at any of these things.  I yearn and some interesting pieces have emerged.

Take these 2 plants:  The plant above is a Coleus whose original Mother came from Seeds I bought a few years back.  I took cuttings from my friend the Coleus last fall before the Frost claimed her.  Those cuttings had been sitting in rain water on a window ledge until about a month ago, when I planted them in soil.  Looking closely at the plant, one can see a distinctive difference in the colors of her leaves.  The leaves which held on through the long season of sitting in rain water had green without much trace of anything else.  When placed in soil, Coleus began to send up new leaves at the top, and up and down the stalk.  Those leaves are that deep reddish purple color.  My friend Coleus seems to be saying:  "My home is in the soil... I do best there...I recognize and love the increasing daylight and strength of the Sun...My stems are a little wobbly...Being outside when it is warmer is what I prefer...My stems can be sturdier there...You can take more cuttings from the wobbly leaves and share them with friends in the spring."

And below, you will see a Geranium, whose flowers we are told will be Red.  A friend gave this plant to us 2 weeks ago.  It was originally from our lovely Elder friend Joan who passed away a little before Mother.  Our friend is Joan's daughter-in-law.  The Geranium was tall and lanky in its little pot.  Our new Friend/s the Geranium is saying:  "I get tall and lanky when I have little sun.  I just keep reaching out for the Sun and it seems a far distance away. As a result, my stems are not so strong.  Now that you have placed me in a window with Sun, I am happy as can be.  I have put up leaves at the top of my stalk.  They are a dark green.  Their stems are shorter and sturdier.  And yes, that's new green that you seen along the lower part of my stalk.  I am positively gleeful.  And yes, we are actually 2 plants which you could separate. My nice long stems would make good cuttings too."

As I have been more open to hearing the voices of Plants, I am enchanted that those voices have been there all along.  I just hadn't been paying attention.  I am paying attention now.  And I have found a whole lot more friends too.

Leeks

February 10:

On this day, I planted my first seeds of the gardening season.  My biodynamic calendar from Stella Natura advised me that planting "roots" was optimal for February 10.  So it was my time to spring into action.  Well, maybe I did not "spring", but I did move. 

Planting those black Seeds are acts of prayer and contemplation.  I was grateful for being able to plant food for my family.  I was deeply grateful for Creation's "wheel of the year" which shows signs of steadily moving toward the Spring Season. I was grateful for being in the presence of many living beings, in this case "Seeds".  I must have put 400 seeds in this little plot of soil.  I was grateful for the soil which smells so rich and lovely and the rain water which I will use to keep the soil and seeds moist.  I pray the Leeks will produce food for my family and that I will learn the lessons that the Leeks and the Soil provide.  I am deeply grateful for being in the midst of Creation whose wonder is far more than I can comprehend.

I planted 3 varieties:  Blue Solaize, Giant Musselburgh, and Prize Taker.  Giant M is by far our favorite.  It is big and its stalk is easy to clean and process.  Suzanne Ashworth tells me in her book from Seed to Seed (Seed Savers Exchange Inc., 2002) that Leek Seeds need temperatures of 50-75 degrees to germinate.  They should be up within 8-16 days. We should be good to go in our sunny south window.

Over the coming days, I will be checking in on my friends the Leeks several times a day to make sure that the soil is evenly moist (not soggy).  I can almost feel them wiggling beneath the soil.  I am excited for that time when the tiny green shoots make their presence known.

On this day, I am reminded that Gardening is an act of Faith.  I would wholeheartedly agree.

Almost

 February 5:

I chuckle because I am just beginning my relationship with my new little camera. And she tells me I have a ways to go to experience that relationship fully. This morning, Richard and I headed out for a beautiful walk. I had my camera in my right hand coat pocket ready for picture ops which might present themselves.

We have had rains these past 2 days. The rains have stopped and the sky on this day was beautiful, clear, and blue. I dearly love walking after a rain in the very early spring. Everything smells so alive. And so it did on this day.  No, I did not even think to use my camera to capture that feeling.

We intentionally stopped by the Pond on our morning route. That's not hard to do as the path is a circle. With each rain, our antenna are up: "I wonder what the pond will look like." After each nourishing rain, I think the pond will be full. Well, it hasn't as yet been nor is it full today. The pond reminds me of the virtue "patience". I need little reminders, and they are provided.

I took pictures along the way. But some of my favorite views on this day were of the Blue and Snow Geese overhead against the brilliant blue sky. Once again, we could hear their distinctive high pitched calls above and resonating all around. I set my camera for point and shoot with the zoom on, of course. I have not mastered this camera and consequently, I got some great pictures of blue sky. And in this one, I managed to get a few Geese. I am sure they were chuckling from their views overhead. "That Human... There she goes again."  Maybe some things are best felt rather than captured in digital.

A week ago, the Geese were moving west on their northward pattern of migration which is a sure marker for spring in these parts. They will spend some time on the National Wildlife Refuges on the Missouri River (which are west of here) as they wait until just the right time to head north. When the winter like weather came in at the tail end of this week, they could be found making a "bee line" back east. "It is not time." On this day, they were headed back west. I felt like I might be at the Snow Geese version of a tennis match.

Remarkable Trees

I have been doing Walkabouts these last few days with a focus on Trees.  These are some of my thoughts and reflections on these precious Walkabouts:

• I love Trees.
• I am an unabashed Tree Hugger.  
• I think Trees like to hug Humans too, and all other creatures. That surely must be why they have all of those beautiful branches.
• The world would be a richer, quieter, gentler space if we would let that Tree Hugger stuck inside the Human come out and play with our friends the Trees.
• Most Trees on the property are relatively young.  Some may be 100 years old, although I cannot tell.  
• This is our little blog and our tiny part of the Story as Human.  I wonder what those Trees would write.  If I listen quietly, maybe I will hear.  They've seen a lot.  They've observed the practices of the Human and I can imagine they have wondered what is going on with those 2 Leggeds who have no roots to the ground.  Humans come and go, and with them countless practices on this side of the fence and beyond.
• We have stately Oak Trees on 2 corners of the property. They were probably placed there as markers.
• When we first came here, we had a Maple with a pronounced hole in it where the large branches meet.  We would stare at the hole.  We would knock as if we were at the door of someone's house.  To our surprise, we were met with the large curious eyes of Flying Squirrels on the other side.  This past year, the hole closed up.  We Humans don't knock as much now, but sometimes we do. We keep passing by the Tree and wondering what our friends Mr. and Mrs. Flying Squirrel might be up to.
• I love the old Gnarly Trees which have some age on them.  They are very interesting.  One of those Trees (a Box Elder) has mostly died with just the outer bark standing.  Richard noted that new vigorous branches were shooting up from that old Tree.  How does it do that?
• We watch the bark and wood of the Elder Trees fall to the ground and become Soil.
• A lot of the Trees have fallen with the recent conditions.  Wind took them out.  Is that Nature's way of pruning?