Summer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Waning Summer Moon<\/p>\n
Vega the wonder dog has:\u00a0 shredded the netaphim irrigation,\u00a0 chewed up a length of high quality hose, swallowed my wedding ring, peed on the bench cushion Kate made and, most recently, peed on our oriental carpet.\u00a0 As a result we have:\u00a0 put up a split rail fence, done loads of laundry and taken the oriental in to the rug laundry.<\/p>\n
On the upside, she’s irrepressible, enthusiastic and downright funny.\u00a0 Her sister Rigel, a sweet girl and a lover, seems bland in comparison, but they have the same parents.<\/p>\n
This weekend I’m off to Decorah, Iowa for a conference at the Seed Saver’s Exchange farm.\u00a0 There will be lots of information on organic farming\/gardening, wagon rides, two speeches on heirloom vegetables, a presentation on Heritage Poultry and a barn dance.\u00a0 There will be workshops on saving seeds, garlic, potatoes, hand-pollination and bud grafting.<\/p>\n
This turn toward permaculture, horticulture, gardening was a gradual process.\u00a0 It sort of snuck up on me as I dabbled in perennials on Edgcumbe in St. Paul, grew some vegetables, then did a bit more after we moved to Andover.\u00a0 Later, I took a horticultural degree by mail from London University in Guelph, Ontario.\u00a0 At some further point I began to read about permaculture, picked up Bill Mollison’s book and began to make contacts locally.<\/p>\n
The real spur to push further on all this was a conference Kate and I attended in Iowa City three years ago now.\u00a0 Run by Physician’s for Social Responsibility it convinced me that I needed to turn my activist attention toward environmental matters.<\/p>\n
It took a while to get going but I got myself on the Sierra Club’s political committee last year in the summer, then followed up with work on the Club’s legislative committee this last session writing a blog.\u00a0 Last September we hired ecological gardens to do a permaculture design for the whole property and made a push to get the orchard planted that fall so it would have the benefit of a full growing season this year.<\/p>\n
This gives me work outside, in the political arena and, as a Docent, in aesthetic and intellectual realms.\u00a0 A really good deal for me.\u00a0 As always, thanks, Kate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summer\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Waning Summer Moon Vega the wonder dog has:\u00a0 shredded the netaphim irrigation,\u00a0 chewed up a length of high quality hose, swallowed my wedding ring, peed on the bench cushion Kate made and, most recently, peed on our oriental carpet.\u00a0 As a result we have:\u00a0 put up a split rail fence, done loads of laundry … Continue reading My life, now<\/span>