Author Archives: Ann

Asiri’s Birthday takes over Spring Equinox Ceremony!

By Village

We had billed Thursday’s Community Dinner as the evening we would also celebrate the Spring Equinox, even though it actually took place on March 20, two days prior. To that end we had wood set in the fire pit outside, and planned on a short, spontaneous ceremony. But, then Asiri’s birthday party entered the mix. Mariella asked that we give her a surprise birthday party, complete with magnificent cake, candles and birthday song — oh yes, and balloons . . . Here they are, on the way over, with Mariella.

 

In order to surprise her daughter, she had to plan carefully, bringing the glorious birthcake, candles, and balloons early. Her Mom Marissa, visiting from New Jersey, would walk over with the kids. Aha. Here they come! Sing!

Next, hugs! From Ann and Kat . . .

Meanwhile, across-the-street neighbor Carissa had arrived with son Wyatt for the first time in months! Told us that our Community Dinners conflicted with his bedtime, which is why they hadn’t been with us. But this time, she stayed awhile anyway.

Marissa took one look at the baby,

and of course, had to hold him!

Okay, time to go back to Mom. About this time, dinner was served, with plenty and variety for all. Would we have room for that fabulous cake?

Mariella got the cake (filled in part with frozen yogurt) out of the freezer,

and lit the candles.

Time to blow them out and sing happy birthday again!

After all the festivities were over —and a bunch of us were sitting around drinking John’s fabulous jaegermeister, infused with 56 herbs and so delicious I was astonished — someone asked me, what about Spring Equinox. Are we going to do a ceremony? Hmmm. It seemed like Asiri’s birthday has taken precedence, and besides, Equinox was actually two days ago, I replied. However, I added, we can light a fire outside if we want to!

Apparently jaegermeister had immobilized everyone, cuz nobody made a move.

However, when Kathy then asked what we would have done, had we held a ceremony I replied that my own way of seeing spring equinox is that it’s when each of us must hold in balance, for a split second, both the dark (winter) and light (spring) parts of ourselves. That hopefully we have worked with our own shadows (the parts of ourselves we don’t like much) over the winter and integrated them to the point where we can go forth now into the increasing light. . . Hmmmm.

Later, I laughed, telling Dan that instead of a ceremony we held a meta-ceremony, telling what we would have done had we done one.

In any case, the evening went very well, as you can see from the look on Alex’s face. Another Thursday Community Dinner down!

 

 

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Mid-March: The Quickening

By Urban Farm, Village

Well, yes, it’s going to get down into the 30s again tonight, and later this afternoon rain is promised (again, yet again), BUT this dear morning was glorious, and for a few days now, rain or shine or blustery wind, the daffodils have been blooming.

Late last week, Rebecca planted the mustard greens, first planting of the new season.

Lee, a Woofer who was here overnight and worked very hard both days, helped prepare the bed, and uprooted a huge plant that has outlived its usefulness. (Can’t remember its name.)

Meanwhile, John worked in the greenhouse, with seedlings,

and Dan sawed off a couple of logs for the little fireplace that we still need in the greenhouse, on cold nights.

 

Thursday evening, last week, no “Community Dinner,” instead a dinner for  “just us,” those who live here, plus Woofer Lee, on the right.

This morning, I came back from taking my car to get an oil change (and walking with Shadow while waiting, six miles!), and to my surprise, I see this, in the back, the removal of all but two of the Garden Towers from the small greenhouse, in prep for planting. Great coordination, folks. Great heave-ho, though actually, it was “one two three” up and “one to three” down, thanks to Nathan’s chant (he’s the one in skirt and barefeet . . .).

Meanwhile, even as spring quickens, I’m still more likely to be planted in “my” chair with ipad, and, in a rare moment, both dogs on lap! Quick Dan, take a picture!

We will be holding a private “rooting” ceremony for Nathan on the evening of the actual Equinox, tomorrow, March 20, and a community Equinox Ceremony after Thursday’s Community Dinner, symbolically realized by planting one of the Towers, and hopefully, enjoying our first outside fire of the new year.

Then, after dinner Thursday the following week,  Salsa Dancing lesson, thanks to Mariella!

Notice the diversity of sharings and engagement, just in this one post! I am reminded of the shortest version of our new description of Green Acres Village:

GREEN ACRES PERMACULTURE VILLAGE is a small, retrofit, intergenerational intentional community in a core suburban college town neighborhood that integrates self-knowledge and expression with a shared culture among humans and the living Earth to encourage abundance on every level.

 

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Village Rhythms, early March: Inside/Outside, Below — and, unfortunately, Above

By Uncategorized

As spring draws near, daffodils —

and other flowers — what are they? — peek out of the ground, push up through layers of wood chips,

seeking the sun.

Oh! And a single  blossom! What is it?

Meanwhile, seven of our nine podmates were actually present last Monday morning, for a work party, to plant peas —

 

and get a bed ready for potatoes —

u

adding fragrant, finished, over-wintered compost —

while puppy Shadow lay patiently watching nearby,

and “director of operations” Rebecca oversaw the whole.

Then, on Thursday evening, another Community Dinner, this one featuring baked chicken from me, in the “lead.”

Lots of juicy conversations —

and the finale, my presentation on The Energetics of the Astrology of Donald Trump and the U.S.A. Ice cream afterwards, so people — despite many (most?) of them Trump-haters — would stay for the program!

“Remember, folks, we are focusing on the energetics, not on the politics,” I kept saying, over and over again, as I pointed out the warlike, volatile, impulsive, even violent Mars connections both inside Trump’s chart and in Trump’s connection to the U.S. chart. In short: his volatile nature cannot help but stir up the volatility in the U.S. populace. There’s no getting around it. And then, without recognizing it, we polarize, into love and hate. Let’s not!

Several people told me afterwards that the presentation, kept deliberately elemental, and only 30 minutes long, was “eye-opening.” That included Rebecca.

Glad to know. Maybe I should take this presentation on the road? Any group within, say 150 miles, want me to visit you for an evening? It sure would help if we Americans learned to notice our own reactions to things, rather than just blindly feeling them and then immediately shifting into judgment. Once we notice something, we can transform our response, and perhaps even use this intensely energetic period in human history  for the public good.

Oh yeah, and puppy Shadow (above) got a haircut two days ago, transforming him from a dirty mop into a handsome fellow. It took four hours . . . I gave the groomer a big tip.

BTW: As I got in the car to take him to Delilah’s at 8:00 AM, I couldn’t help but notice the sky: drowning in chemtrails. Which means that whatever are the poisons that spread out and turn into a mist, they will rain down on our soil, get in our plants and water, and into our lungs and stomachs.

Notice the cross that has just been created in the lower left hand corner? Ten minutes later, it too, had spread. That’s how you know a “contrail” is really a chemtrail. If it stays a long time, and spreads, and sometimes even seems to drip. Because it does drip.

 

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Village Rhythms: Weekly community dinners harmonize with morning greenhouse seeding parties

By Urban Farm, Village

The past couple of weeks have gone by in a blur, the weekly winter rhythm of Thursday night Community Dinners punctuated by two or three mornings a week with people in the big greenhouse, seeding.

Dinner, last Thursday night, at the Overhill house, came after our bi-weekly 5:30 Board meeting, where we continue to discuss different models for the legal structure of Green Acres Permacultural Village.

Dan showed off his new American-made overalls.

And my son Colin spent time nuzzling with Stevie.

 

Meanwhile, the greenhouse! This morning I decided to meet with Rebecca and get the full rundown of what we’ve been planting, all with soil blocks in the greenhouse. Monday and Friday mornings see different people in the GH, one or, more often two, and sometimes three at a time.

Here’s the lowdown on what’s been planted so far, mostly with leftover seeds from prior years, so we have to wait to see what actually comes up! So far everything has.

First, cool weather plants: brussel sprouts, cabbage, mustard, kale, snow peas, beets and lettuce.

Next, tomatoes and peppers, both of which we put on heat mats.

Then, more lettuce, flowers, herbs (thyme, sage, basil, marjoram), plus squash, cucumbers, purslane.

For direct planting (after March 22, the last freeze date), more winter and summer squash, arugula and radishes.

Beans will go in last, after May 1.

 

Logan and Dan have been out there a number of times.

Christina and Payton have ridden their bikes over here two or three times as well. Here’s Payton, with Hankster, the “demon dog,” Christina in background, mixing soil.

 

Dan and Duncan — who, except for his arm and hand showing, is camera shy — also spent time recently, at their request (a first, says Rebecca, who is exceedingly glad).

Nathan has also spent time out there seeding, mostly alone, but also with Dan. And Rebecca says Alex was out there at some point, too.

Of course Rebecca remains as Director of Operations, until everybody gets the hang of just what needs to get planted and when, among all the other knowledge that she holds in her body from 40 years of growing food.

I asked her, this morning, how many seeds have gone into blocks so far. Oh, thousands! she said. Some of them, like teensy lettuce seeds, multiple seeds in teensy weensy blocks.

So far, everything is coming up!

Okay, back to the Community Dinner rhythm. Last night’s dinner also served as the inauguration of a new idea, thanks to Rebecca. That’s to have some kind of offering by one of our villagers after dinner each time.

So we gathered at the second DeKist house, where Andreas made a pork with potato and pea Greek dish, that was complemented perfectly by all sorts of other offerings, and ate dinner in small groupings. A number of people told me that they couldn’t make it this week, so I was surprised to find that we still had about a dozen people present.

Afterwards, the much anticipated first event in a series that will continue for the foreseeable future. This one, a demonstration of the Feldenkrais body method. So wow, there we all were, with one light dimmed, stretched out on the floor for an hour, while Alex took us through a process that helped us get in touch with the interstices of our bodies. Very valuable. Thanks Alex! Her website:

http://www.alextoenniges.com

Puppy Shadow spent time walking through the bodies, before finally deciding to lie down himself.

Next week? Hmmmm. What shall it be? Who wants to present? I looked around. Anybody? Everybody looked nervous, shy, until Mariella piped up. Ann, why don’t you do a presentation on astrology. Okay?

Okay. I think I’ll look at the birthcharts of Donald Trump and the U.S.A., to better understand Trump, and his possible role in history.  I’m hoping that this may be one way to move beneath the current vicious frozen polarization in the American psyche.

 

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