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.