Quick Update from Wednesday

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

11:25am

Whew! I’ve been busy, busy, busy. I am only projected to get any busier in the foreseeable future, but I will try to be better about writing.

Permaculture Weekend

We had a fantastic final weekend of the fundamentals class! I wish I could go into details about all that we learned, but if I got started I wouldn’t be able to stop and I just don’t have that kind of time.

Our “commencement” party Saturday night was incredible. We all went down to the swimming hole, and hung out around the fire (and by “fire,” I mean a couple of candles – most of the light, a fraction of the carbon emissions) and played fabulous music. Let’s just say permies know how to party. :)

On Sunday, we did a “wild design” for our neighbor Gaspar, who lives at Bellavia neighborhood. We had so much fun taking everything we learned - from the fundamental permaculture principles to mapping, relative location, and orcharding - and creating a “real” permaculture home system design.

I am scheduled to be part of the practicum in the fall, which will take a great deal of time and energy. I am really excited about continuing the learning process, going deeper into a lot of the topics, and doing a professional level design. However, I am also a little nervous about committing to 40-60 hours of work required for the design portion. I am already committed to 20 hours of work a week as a work exchanger and I will be taking a 4 credit-hour online class for UIS. I hope I am not overbooking myself.

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Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday I got up early and spent five hours working on the fence. Lyndon and I started at 7am and we were in the shade, so it would not be sweltering. However, I had to wear long pants to protect me from mosquitoes and poison ivy and I was working hard, so I definitely got my cleansing sweat for the day! Between taking plenty of detoxifying herbs, eating well, and working hard, I am feeling really fantastic these days. Plus, I am amazed by how much I can accomplish. I feel really satisfied and fulfilled knowing that for that twenty-foot section of fence right there, I dug those post holes, stripped those posts, shlepped them across the orchard, and tamped them in good and tight… by myself! So even though it is hot and sweaty and exhausting, I enjoy the work because I feel really proud of my accomplishments.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I worked in the garden yesterday morning from 7-10:30am. Unfortunately, the garden has been rather neglected for a while. Between Firefly Gathering and the permaculture class, the last three weeks have been completely crazy. So the task now is simply to reclaim the jungle. I started the process by clearing pathways and weeding beds, which I did for three and a half hours and hardly made a dent. However, by 10:30 the sun is up from behind the trees and starting to evaporate the dew, which makes it hot and steamy and pretty miserable to be in the garden. Therefore, I am dedicating myself to be in the garden early every morning. If I am in the garden by 6:30 and I work until 10:30, that is a solid four hours of work every day, which might just be enough to whip the garden into shape.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Last night I decided to let myself sleep until I was ready to get up today, as I never really gave myself any downtime after this weekend. Still, I was in the garden by 8, and I spent a solid hour and a half clearing more pathways and weeding more beds. The garden is, at the very least, becoming more inviting. Complete jungle is a bit intimidating!

This afternoon, I walked in on the “core meeting,” where Lyndon and Patricia get on the same page about all things Medicine Wheel… or at least, they try to. Apparently, my timing was impeccable, because as I came into the room, Lyndon said, “Well, I guess we can ask her.” In short, I am Medicine Wheel’s new kitchen manager. About that whole overbooking thing…

Something that is currently amusing me: No one is exactly sure why, but suddenly the ring on the phone at Medicine Wheel sounds exactly like the Star Trek phaser gun sound effect. So now, every time someone calls one of the 11 current residents, it sounds like the aliens are attacking. I think it is hilarious and oddly fitting. One of the ongoing household jokes (perpetuated by our own dear Lyndon, whose strange, wonderful sense of humor cannot be adequately described, only experienced) is that Medicine Wheel is the world's first plywood spaceship. We take off about 11pm every night and journey through hyperspace, which accounts for all our strange dreams. It is also an incentive to be home and in bed at a reasonable hour, as you would not want to come home and find yourself stranded in the garden until morning.

Anyway, I am really excited, because Chynna is taking Klara and I out to dinner for her birthday tonight. I can’t wait!

However, this afternoon I am planning on getting some seedlings started in trays, since the seeds that we have been planting in the ground are either refusing to germinate or being eaten the moment that they spring forth from the ground. I had better go attend to that now!