Archive for September, 2008

Just Another Pleasant Valley Sunday

55 bar rises 30.09  0mph NEE  dew-point 54  sunrise 7:09  set 6:58   Autumn New Moon (Blood) More mulch.  Two more loads.  3 cubic yards.  4.5 total.  This is a lotta mulch, 3 trailer fulls.  The good news is the trailer has not exploded a tire since Wednesday. The pitchfork is a useful tool and I’m […]

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Senescence

60  bar rises 30.07  2mph N  dew-point 59  sunrise 7:06  set 7:00  Autumn Waning Crescent of the Harvest Moon  rise 5:12  set 6:05 Today and tomorrow will be full gardening days.  There are bulbs to plant: daffodils, hyacinths, snow drops, many tulips and garlic.  Sprinkler heads need coaxing.  Mulch sits over at the Anoka County […]

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Orchard Installation Day 3

Plants in position.  This is a fruit tree with a guild of plants that will support it.  Guilds are a permaculture concept that I will explain later. Paula Westmoreland, a principal in Ecological Gardens, at Day 3 start. More trees and guilds with Christa in the background. Lindsay Rebhan (kneeling) is another principal in Ecological […]

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Orchard Installation Pictures

Near end of day 1.  Leveling and moving soil. At the end of day 2 we had mounds of soil and plants placed. At the beginning of day 3 Paula Westmoreland gives direction to the crew. Kate cut more carpet today for path underlayment.  This is still the start of day 3.

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Permaculture Side Quests

63  bar falls 30.15  0mph NNE dew-point 60   sunrise 7:04  set 7:04 Waning Crescent of the Harvest Moon  rise 2:44   set  5:23 What a guy night and day.  Last night I relieved Kate after the trailer blew its tire.  The truck and the speeding vehicles on 10 kept me company until the night driver […]

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Oh, Man.

Today I have had many opportunities to learn about melding with the movement of the universe.  I missed the first lesson when the dumptruck driver put the load of compost in the middle of the truck gate.  I could have accepted it and began to work around it, but it made me mad. When the […]

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A Clear Week Ahead

65  bar rises 30.02  omph NW  dew-point 64  sunrise 7:03  set 7:07 Last Quarter Harvest Moon  rise 12:10  set  4:24 Pouring rain.  Thunder and lightning.  Good for the crops, but if it lasts into tomorrow, not so good for site prep.  That’s what’s on deck.  Guy with bobcat moving earth, creating berms, leveling.  That sort […]

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Before Site Prep: The Orchard

66  bar steady 30.00  0mph WNW dew-point 65  sunrise 7:02  set 7:07  Autumn Last Quarter of the Harvest Moon  rise 12:10  set 4:34    Orchard schematic from same orientation as photograph below.  The large circles are trees,  the smaller crenallated figures are shrubs and the small circles are perennial plants. The kitchen bay window is […]

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Site Prep Continues

The last day of our site prep.  Raking pea gravel, taking up the chain link laid down to protect the yard and moving paving blocks.   Tomorrow I plant bulbs.  Then, on Wednesday get compost.  Thursday and Friday plant and install.  Get mulch.

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Starve the Beast

 62   bar rises 30.11  2mph N  dew-point 54  sunrise 6:59  set 7:13 Waning Gibbous Harvest Moon rise 9:58  set 1:37 Starving The Beast By Jennifer Moses Washington Post Tuesday, November 29, 2005; Page A21 BATON ROUGE, La. — “A primary goal of many Republicans is to “starve the beast” of federal government, the theory being […]

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