Category Archives: Village

Thursday Work Party, June 13 [Photos]

By GabrielleJune 18, 2019Uncategorized, Urban Farm, VillageBloomingtonIN, forces of nature, GAPV, June 13, predators, Thursday, work party

Last Thursday saw the weather turn brisk for June. After several thunderstorms rolled through it felt more like early spring or fall! I walked 1.4 miles to get to Green Acres for that morning’s work party and enjoyed the smells on the air that reminded me of my grandmother’s home in the Appalachian hills of Virginia.

I was no small time away from Green Acres, while pet sitting and having family visit and depart earlier in the week. I’d not gauged the walk time very well, so was late to the party. Roommate Andreas had just returned from California and we shared warm greetings and both ‘welcomed’ the other back home — where the work party was well underway.

I was tasked with pinning down the chicken fence around the coop in back, as we had lost another chick to a predator that we still hadn’t been able to name. When I returned:

L: Dan and Justin, R: Justin carrying heavy containment blocks from the end of the drive.

Last year, the front of DeKist 2 house had a garden bed on the street. Folks eventually parked their cars there after the last growing season. The task ahead was to clear out the good soil and move the containment blocks that lined the drive, to lay gravel and have parking spaces out front. Now that the large trailer is removed from the driveway, we’ll have ample parking for gatherings and future musical events… Yay!

L to R: Justin setting a block by the pond, Rebecca in the foreground, and Ann. Notice how everyone is dressed for the brisk weather — hard to believe this was June!

L: Rebecca weeding and Dan is street-side on the R where the gravel will go.

After much care from Rebecca, the beautiful smoke tree has bloomed out front, showing us how it got its name!

Red lettuce bed is producing well and the color is absolutely stunning.

It was time to put the camera down and cover the potato plants in the next bed with some seasoned hay. Then over to the greenhouse to empty the extra lettuce that didn’t get planted to give nourishment to the chickens. In permaculture, nothing gets wasted in a closed system.

The little ones grow fast and yes, we have lost a few to predators. No matter where you live, whether your bioregion is near ‘tornado alley’ in Southern Indiana or the rolling hills of Appalachia, if you farm — you will experience both the beauty and brutality that is nature. Hope springs from the former but be prepared for the reality of the latter.

Two days later, the Green Acres crew were huddled together in the basement. I was lucky that my pet sitting client has one, too. Feeling very grateful…

2 Pod Meetings, 2 Work Parties plus Blooming Neighborhoods! May 31st – June 6th

By GabrielleJune 9, 2019Association, Uncategorized, Urban Farm, VillageCity Hall, GAPV, HAND, intentional community, June, Long post, May, neighborhood-association, pod meetings, Thursday, work party

Long post! The last week of May through the first week of June has been chock full of activities both onsite and offsite for Green Acres! Without further ado…

May 31st saw us all gathered for a long overdue pod meeting, which lasted the better part of two hours and was continued on Sunday, June 2nd! Many ideas were brought to the table and discussed, especially the idea of community building and bonding over not just work, but activities we enjoy and can benefit from in intentional community. At the end of each meeting, we stood in a circle, holding hands with heads together. A cheer rose up naturally that ended loudly with enthusiasm before we took our leave: WhooooaaaaaHEYYYY! Like a football huddle for Team Green Acres, except we were speaking about the long game — a 2 year plan!

Saturday, June 1st saw Ann and myself at Blooming Neighborhoods Celebration at City Hall during Farm Market, seated in a half circle with a larger community of neighborhoods represented to meet and greet.

Monday, June 3rd Work Party, found us working on the new chicken run after a short new moon ceremony as we said goodbye and let go of the plum tree in the front yard, which had ‘canks’ and would likely not produce decent fruit. Read more about this on Ann’s blog!

Many of the branches were tossed on top of the hügelkultur beds behind my house at DeKist 2 [my roommates: T: Andreas and B: Justin hauling them above], and the rest of the larger branches and logs used for firewood. Dan, however, saved the two lovely pieces below for a creative project: making wooden spoons.

Rebecca [L] and Ann [R] hauling the last of the branches to the back garden. Below, Ann stops so I can snap the ‘canks’ Devin told us about that prompted the tree to come down!

Afterward, Justin and I worked a long while on the fencing for the new chicken run, and behind the coop where there is now a second exit for the chicks. Rebecca and Andreas worked on the opposite side of the neighbor’s fence so they could view the chickens, too!

It ain’t pretty but it works! The chicks were big enough to join the hens this past week.

Thursday morning, June 6th Work Party

I arrived from a pet sitting job to find everyone already busy and as always, a warm greeting from our Smiling Dan! He and I worked to cover the cabbage beds in this photo after sprinkling them with a healthy amount of diatomaceous earth. “DE” is an off white talc-like powder that is the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. It’s like kryptonite for bugs and moths who want to eat your cabbages.

L, Justin and R, Rebecca, weeding and working around the tomato cages. In the foreground are the Yukon Gold potatoes we planted back in April.

Where is Ann? Oh, there she is! Spotted in a jungle of jewel weed near the pond:

We tried to get a good photograph of the jewel weed she pulled, up close to capture it’s beautiful translucency. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show well here. I should have brought the good camera — maybe next time!

Back to work — the above Brussels sprouts and broccoli got a healthy dusting of DE, as well — after much weed pulling. We’ve had so much rain and warm weather that they are hard to keep up with. Below is more jewel weed in the back garden that’s waist high. A luscious green path to the back patio!

In closing — the hens love the new chicks and the new chicken run. The second gate has been removed since this was taken. Happy hens mean more eggs! [And quiche, yummm!]

Thursday Work Party, May 30 [Photo Set]

By GabrielleJune 1, 2019Uncategorized, Villagechicken run, GAPV, jewel weed, May 30, teamwork, Thursday, work party

L to R: Dan, Justin, Andreas, Rebecca and Alex

Thursday’s work party found us all in back of DeKist 2 house, clearing weeds and making room for a new fence for the expanded chicken run. The new chicks grew so quickly and so did the weeds with all the rain we’ve had!

It’s almost time to introduce the chicks to their new home and the older hens in the coop.

Ann was in rare form, having just returned from a Sufi retreat in the Ozarks. She’s holding jewel weed she pulled to clear a line for fence posts. I learned that jewel weed keeps poison ivy from growing — or at least getting too big to manage.

Established fence post on the right. More posts went up along a line to the right side of the tree at the back fence — after clearing some overgrowth!

The only plants left behind were the berry bushes and lemon balm. The lemon balm came in handy later at community dinner as a mosquito repellant!

L to R: Dan and Justin, hard at work!

OOPS! Andreas holding a broken pitchfork after battling with a very old and established root ball — which eventually came free with a shovel.

Thursday Work Party, May 2 [Photos]

By GabrielleMay 6, 20192 commentsUncategorized, Villagebusy season, GAPV, intentional community, May 2, Thursday, work party

Thursday arrived with a bang — literally! I walked around the property before heading to the greenhouse, to get some photos of the blooming flowers before the rain and thunderstorms arrived, much to the chagrin of the pups…

There’s nothing quite like the smell after a good rain. I find everything much richer with color as well!

After putting the good camera out of the rain, I took out the phone to snap more. I found Ann busy trimming the overgrowth in front of Maple house, to create a clear path to access the main garden.

Some of the plants are hardened and ready to plant — and sell — soon!

Justin and Dan discuss hunting and fishing while potting up broccoli and kale starts.

Alex cuddles with Hank, who did okay with the thunder. Amos wasn’t as consolable.

L to R: Rebecca, Justin and Alex. We talked about music but voted to listen instead to the rain on the greenhouse roof, which was its own beautiful music. More music to our ears? The new baby chicks chirping!

Love and rocket stoves,
Gabrielle

Community Dinner April 26: Crones, Meringue, and Bamboo!

By AnnMay 1, 20191 commentVillage

Due to a mix-up on times, I had told several people, all about my age, that we were now going to start at 6 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. But . . . Gabrielle forgot to say that on the regular email invitation list. So . . . what happened was all of us old folks got together early— the women (Sydney, Sonja, and me, with Kathy, Wanda and Jenny later on) as “crones” the man (Roberto) as an “elder” and Gabrielle, a “proto-crone” (she’s in her 50s. The rest of us are in our 70s and 80s). Time flew by, as stories from our long lives rolled out of our mouths.

But first, on my way over to the DeKist 2 house, I admired the dogwood in the back yard against a glowering dramatic sky, and the already slightly fading redbud in the front yard of that house. This part of the midwest shows off these two trees, usually planted together or near each other, everywhere. The effect, in early spring, is briefly magical.

Around 7 p.m., the old starting time, everybody started arriving. Dinner conversations reflected the drama in the sky, lively and unpredictable.

And of course, we had our usual astonishing dessert from young Sophia, this time a hefty meringue!

Roberto, who had to leave early, came up to Solan, who is leaving us for parts unknown, to wish him well on his journey.

And at about 8:30, crone Jenny decided to demonstrate something for us. Bamboo. How to eat the young shoots (peel the top layer back, and then the next layer, too, and what’s in the middle is succulent!) YES!

Eva decided right then and there to go get some bamboo from Jenny’s yard for her own (very large) yard. Me? Bamboo about took over the small front yard of this Overhill house, until I started eradicating it ten years ago. And something bambooish has definitely taken over our pond. Not exactly desired! In any case, a terrific time was had by all.

Green Acres Permaculture Village

Growing community from the ground up.