May 2008 Newsletter
Today, 5:30 in the morning, I watch the wren get busy feeding his chicks. He sings then wings off for just a moment or two, returning with food in beak. Pops into the bird house, and pops out again, minus the breakfast. He sings again, then off once more. This little bug-to-beak dance repeats itself all day long and will continue until these little chicks can fly for themselves. Actually they should be flying in no time. Birds mature so quickly. Watching my brown tiny friend has become a daily event, starting me off with a reminder that nature is everywhere and that I am a part of nature, not outside nature.
Today, I am looking at the stack of 26 boxes of food shares for families and folks in my area. We are participating in Community Supported Agriculture, meaning we have joined forces with farmers to share in their risk and share in the food they grow. The relationship is close - from the farmer to the table. It's a great concept that has been catching on like wildfire for the last few years. Blue Planet Earthscapes has long been
the local organic gardening company, with few exceptions, and now, in this year 2008, we are planting more food and food gardens than ever. Seems everyone wants on the bandwagon of organic homegrown food.
From instant food gardens to herb spirals to keyhole gardens, permaculture has techniques that work, providing function, food and beauty.
Today, food gardens aren't about just annuals - tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, but food gardens can be created to mimic nature as a food forest. Permaculture tells us about how and why to build these food gardens, but these special gardens are also more than just food systems... They are gardens of beauty, they are bird habitats, and they are bio-island oasis of beneficial insects such as butterflies and endangered honeybees. In the end, they can help us sustain ourselves both through food and spiritual connection.
Today, with all the grim daily reminders of what isn't working within our modern culture, I look outside my daily grind to the wisdom of the natural world: the calmness of overhead clouds, the industry of the little wren and the passive acceptance of the trees to stand in the midst of it all with grace and beauty. Keep nature at your door and love in your heart.
Peace,
Becky the Gardener
"Everything gardens."
Peter Bane, Permaculture teacher
Blue Planet Earthscapes P O Box 861 Manitou Spgs, CO 80829 (719) 685 - 0290