Sustainable Firewood

There is a chill in the air this morning that makes me start dreaming of autumn walks and winter fires in our wood stove.

Living in the city in a 100x50 ft. lot doesn't allow for a place to grow our own firewood, so we have been on a quest to find someone who harvests firewood sustainably. Last year, the firewood was not harvested sustainably, and it was dumped in the driveway, covered with dirt and had to be stacked.  If we were working a larger piece of land full time, I wouldn't care about needing to stack wood, it would just be part of our normal work day. However, with both of us working full time, any time saver is helpful at this point.

We were able to find someone this year and had 3 cords of wood delivered from Broad Arrow Firewood. It is a mix of several different woods,  stacked on twelve pallets and is ready and waiting to be burned. It needs a bit more seasoning - so we will use the wood we have gathered and what has been given to us that is currently stored in the shed.

Each pallet is wrapped in a netted bag

"Small" Changes

Usually I post a lot of pictures and explain what we are working on - sharing and keeping a record. Today I just want to share another little victory.

Today Bird's Nest (Bottle) Gourds, Watermelon and Black Beauty Eggplant seeds pushed their little selves out of the soil. The torrential rains last night and the warm ground must have given them extra encouragement. Again, I don't know what will happen from this point on - but I am enjoying this moment. When you walk in the garden every day, there are obvious changes daily. Sometimes even from morning to evening, such as pea pods appearing out of a flower...

It seems so impossible that with a 100x50 lot (including the house), in one of the largest cities in New England, such a magical thing can happen.

If we can restore the conditions needed for plants to grow in such a way - letting nature do what she does, then maybe some other things that are broken would be renewed if conditions were changed - even just a little.

For me, a walk in the garden reminds me that even with all of its challenges - life is good...and when it isn't, just a small change can have a great result!

Dragonflies and Fireflies

Our little lot doesn’t seem so small when I think of all that will grow here and I realize that I must be in good company with all other gardeners that work hard during the year and wait patiently through Winter for the next season.  So much of gardening is just thinking and planning.

Standing in this yard for hours, I envision the future…

 As if they were already grown, I can see the apple, pear, and paw paw trees – grown and green and full of fruit. I see the ancient posts of the clothesline as the support it will be for Concord Grapes and Hardy Kiwi vines just over the dry riverbed.

Planters will hold mints and other plants that may need some control or special care, and I can smell and taste the fresh mint in a tall, cold Mojito with Indian Rum, and the jelly and jam that will be made.

The current raised garden beds will be full of lettuce, tomatoes and peppers, and more. The herb spiral will be built on the side of the house and the front yard will bloom with 200 bulbs yet waiting underground for warmer weather. A few have shown a little green with this mild Winter, but they are waiting, as I am, in anticipation for the coming Spring.

There are Jerusalem Artichokes in a bed where they cannot spread and take over – will they really be small sunflower-like flowers that smell like chocolate? We’ll see. It’s all an experiment.  A neighbor has a fig cutting for us, from his gigantic fig tree. The tree doesn’t know it isn’t supposed to grow here.

A good lesson to learn: With a little care, impossible things are possible…

What I have observed is that I am a different person in a garden than I am in an office. There are no pretenses and no airs…just hands in the dirt and plants that want to grow.  With dirt as the only makeup on my face and hands that grow stronger every day, I am closer to the girl who made mud pies, chased dragonflies by day and fireflies by night. The one who believes in the good in the world and that magic still exists.

I prefer to be her.

If I could find a way to keep this understanding throughout the whole of my day, I would consider it all a success.

Simple. Beautiful. Purposeful. Fun. Giving. Abundance.