It’s been about six months since I posted on this site. So much happening! Don’t really have time to post today either, but do want to update the site to reflect a bit of what’s going on in our tiny paradise.
To do so, I will simply ask you to click on this blogpost, which I just put up on my personal site, annkreilkamp.net. It depicts, in words and photos, yesterday’s work party and reflects a bit, on the past few months.
Wow. More than a month has passed since last post. Too much to do around here — given that it’s planting season —and not enough time, much less remembering to record it! Even so, I share a set of recent photos — with commentary — just so you know we’re still kicking! (And still in the midst of our transformation. More on that in a month or so.)
Joseph and Nathan busy planting more berry bushes, plus garden scenes, greenhouse interior. And one more.
I’ll pull out this one from the above, because it offers perspective, starting with turned over wheelbarrows, crossing the patio where we hold twice monthly Community Dinners, going back to yurt. Haven’t planted the nearby pot yet. With what? Not sure. And we’ve got to do something with the gross grey “blob” (an outdoor grill we haven’t used for years . . .)
Carissa Carman, who lives across the street with her young family, the youngest shown here! works with us in the main garden.
From the above medley, I’ve pulled out the ones that refer to the amazing cover for steps at the Overhill house I live in. Thanks to former resident Charisse, who was with us for ten years, we now have kiwi vines coming up from below, so thick now, that last year two doves built their nest within them.
Notice the tiny berries, just starting to form? Last year a late frost wiped them all out. Hopefully, better luck this year!
And two more . . . the first one ugly (dirty window, no composition to speak of), but informative. I was standing at the kitchen sink yesterday, when what should I see?
A squirrel’s tail . . . see above, about 3/4 across, from the left, hanging off the roof.
And the tattered gate of the main entrance . . . notice the top of it, not so gradually disintegrating. Need new garden gate!
Friday at 1 pm, four of us gathered to look at seeds (including Mitch, who has never worked with us before): to start to list what we’ve got, and to make preliminary decisions as to what will go where with what. More work on all that needed. Ann and Marita will finish the catalog, so we can figure out whether we need to buy any seeds (I hope not; it’s about time we learn to continuously recycle what we have!), hopefully early this coming week. Then Joseph will look at the map of our garden beds and make preliminary sketches as to what will go where with what. One big decision that we all agreed with: NOT SO MANY TOMATO PLANTS THIS YEAR. Puleeze! And geez! Why didn’t we grow more peppers last year? And let’s include asparagus again, and of course potatoes and sweet potatoes, three sisters (corn, squash, beans) in the second DeKist house front yard; and more squashes, both winter and summer! And yes, spring greens and herbs mixed in with herbs in both gardens and Garden Towers.
And this year, with the surplus, should we position a table out in front with our extra produce for the neighbors? Likely.
Then, yesterday, again at 1 pm, Joseph, Mitch, Nathan (who worked with us a lot last year in garden), Ningyao (who took pictures here) and Adam gathered to finish the tools job, focusing on small tools this time. Marita couldn’t make it, but will sharpen them later. So the six of us concentrated on cleaning and oiling.
These are cleaned, oiled, and ready for Marita to sharpen.
At one point I had to leave the group in order to take a long phone call from my bedridden, paralyzed son Colin. When I returned they were all laughing hilariously. Of course I joined in. (Fro left to right: Joseph, Adam, Mitch, Nathan, me. Ningyao behind the ipad camera.)
Adam tells me now they had been talking about Passover, and how a tiny bit of oil lasted eight days. Before I left, I had been once again, amazed at how little oil we had used up from the bottle, so this remark must have transferred then to Passover. In any case, they ended up saying they were “anointing” the tools with oil, as in a sacred ritual . . . And then, in American Gothic style, Adam got a big tool (leftover from last Saturday’s work party), one which had on it cobwebs (hard to see in photo, but they’re there!), and announced “this is the kind of web sight (website) I can get behind.” At which point, Nathan (in purple) announced, deadpan, at least it doesn’t have bugs.”
Took only an hour and was great fun.
BTW: Not just Adam, but Ningyao also, after much thought, hs decided to move elsewhere; neither one can actually commit themselves to the renewal of our (cooperative, urban farming) mission, and motto: “building community from the ground up.” Since we have no leases at this point, we rely on mutual good will to get us through changes, and it’s working fine. So we are now open to interviewing anyone who is interested.
Oh, and, we are about to slowly get our Community Dinners back up: one in February (Thursday, February 1) and one in March (not sure when, maybe close to Equinox?). Then, from April on, Community Dinners — open to friends, family and neighbors — every two weeks, on Thursdays. So if you want to get on the invite list, contact us!
Contact info: greenacrespermaculture@gmail.com