I woke up this morning to the
sound of Rob building a fire in the wood stove and soon after, the smell of
Maple and Oak burning. There is nostalgia in the smell of burning wood. It
reminds me of the years of Girl Scout camp and 4-H adventures, camping with
family, camping our way across the US with the youth group/singing group I
belonged to in high school. And now, it is how we primarily heat and cook.
There is also a basic instinctive security in knowing that we can be warm and
cook and provide those things with our own hands.
I felt the pull toward the
computer, on-line news, social networks, email, etc. and decided that today I was
going to spend the day the way I would have before all of those things became
so entrenched in my life.
Beginning with breakfast: I
cooked Swedish Pancakes and ate them with
a little grape jelly and some fruit. I am planning that next year I will be
making my own jelly with the Concord Grapes that will be growing in the garden.
After breakfast, I cleaned up and sat down to read Countryside Magazine. I have
been reading it for years and for each year that passes, the articles and
suggestions have become more relevant to changes we have been making in our
home and garden.
This is the pace of the day –
do a project and then rest. The balance of this approach makes it possible to
get so much done without physical strain and stress. It also allows for the
flexibility to change the “plan” mid course if something more interesting or
useful presents itself. There are some “have to” things that need to get done
today, such as eating, showering, laundry, gathering kindling, etc., but all of
the rest is flexible and allows for creativity and inspiration, should it
appear in the course of our work. It
also allows time to rest and enjoy the things we have completed.
So I start the laundry, and
take a shower and get ready to go on a hike. We did our Ranger walk through of
some of Crow Hill – the area that was burned is evident, but already starting
to green with new plants. We worked on clearing out some Oak, gathering
kindling and some wood for fires for the next few days. Crow Hill is part of a
conservation land – with the Greater Worcester Land Trust – and we asked and
have permission to clear the trails and remove firewood (only Oak because of the
Asian Longhorn Beetle). Our work to clear the trails and remove the wood,
especially in such a dry Spring, helps to prevent more fires. I used two old
belts to bundle up kindling and carried it back to the house. Rob carried two
larger branches to cut up into firewood. It feels good to work in this way!
There are blueberries growing everywhere as a result of the burning. I am
looking forward to foraging in a few weeks. It makes me so happy to be in the
woods .
We returned home with our
gatherings and had some lunch and relaxed.
The next task was to build
the 4x8 bed that will hold Sunflowers, Corn and Squash. We didn’t dig this one – but instead built it
up with soil, cow manure and vermiculite. Once it was finished, we covered it
with straw and it waits for us to plant. We also did the daily watering from the rain
barrel and looked over the plants that are growing, did a little grass mowing
and trimmed the grass around the flower beds.
 |
| Measuring out the Area |
 |
| Supplies - Hay, soil, cow manure, bed frames |
 |
| Added Cardboard to kill grass/weeds below. |
 |
| Added Hay |
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| Soil over the hay, and vermiculite |
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| Added cow manure and the rest of the soil |
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| Completed Bed - Waiting for planting of Corn and Sunflowers |
The day was super productive
and fun!
When it is paced in such a way, so much can be finished,
as well as
enjoyed.
The day ended after dinner with
a glass of wine and looking over what was completed.
It is so important to work and then enjoy what you have labored for.
There are signs all over the garden of growth - the fruit trees are budding and getting leaves,
almost all of the herb seeds are sprouting in the herb spiral and soon more of the perennial plants will arrive and we will be finding homes for them.
I find myself often standing in the window - looking out over the backyard and
imagining what it will be like when the trees grown in and the vegetables grow.
What an incredible life to live...
