Permaculture inspired landscape : evergreens

Today the Younger Boy and I went over the creek and through the woods and dug up some trees. 

We don't have many evergreens, but they've been slowly reproducing back in the area by the creek - which is just left natural, so, zone 5 in permaculture terms. There are some nice little trees back there, many of which are crowded close together so thinning them out a little doesn't seem like a bad thing... And then we get trees for the yard!

We now have the beginnings of a corner of the driveway planting group - which should help with snow drifting across the driveway..

We have trees along the retaining wall  / berm / water soaking spot...

As well as a nice tall one over by the shed, and another over by the chicken coop fence.

We added some mossy logs to the retaining wall, in hopes of propagating some additional types of greenery in the shaded part.

I also planted some wheat and flower seeds in the barrel that is around the well - should be about time for them to be planted, and as it's raised and metal, it ought to warm up fairly well. 

It's amazing how much difference a few trees makes to the yard... Suddenly, it looks like someone actually paid attention to the layout, instead of just making do. Which, of course, is exactly what happened.

Oh, and there's one extra tree in a pot to go to the Small People's other household, where there is also a shortage of evergreens! 

Permaculture - inspired landscape design: dirt

Today things finally had thawed enough to get the skidsteer going. 

The giant windrow of composted barnyard stuff is somewhat mixed... There are bits that are just slimy hay, bits that are gorgeous compost, and bits that are what amounts to quack grass sod. 

This means that what you end up with is kinda lumpy. 

However, I managed without breaking anything - not even a fence post. (This is actually quite an accomplishment for me, the skidsteer is persnickety and I'm far from an expert.)

Once I had lots of piles of dirt in place, I got the rake and started moving it around. Big chunks got tossed over by the chicken coop fence, where I hope to grow some squash and sunflowers so the lumpiness won't matter. Lots of the partially decomposed stuff went by the retaining wall, where there will be lots of things planted that will appreciate it and help it break down the rest of the way. 

The smoothest stuff went in the barrel around the well head - it'll get planted with flowers so it looks like a container, and as a side benefit, the well head itself is much more protected. 

It was a lot of work but I'm very pleased. 

Yes, I let the chickens out to scratch in the fresh dirt. They seemed appreciative. 

There's more raking to be done, but what's there needs to settle and thaw the rest of the way. I have another big pile to spread out, and more loads to bring out to other low spots around the house, but that was a good day's work. 

Oh - I scraped off a bit of "sod" and took a picture of what our soil looks like :

Clay. Just... Clay. 

This is why I'm not a vegetarian anymore - there's no way our particular patch of land could grow much beyond pasture grasses... But it grows those well. And then the animals turn the quack grass into this stuff:

Which grows lots of things. :)

Permaculture - inspired landscape design

I've been reading a lot of permaculture books - lots of emphasis on water management and designing for ease of use and maintenance. 

I have decided to do some substantial levelling and terracing this year, as the skidsteer is working again and I have a very big pile of finished compost (five years or more of barnyard waste!) ready to be moved once things warm up. I cleared it all into a long windrow last fall, and the freeze / thaw cycles of the winter should have it nicely broken down by the time I get to it. 

We need to improve the drainage near the north wing of the house: too much water settles near the foundation and the sump pump has to work overtime to keep up. I started a bit last fall, but the bigger work is for the summer. 

I began with a bit of a retaining wall made of fallen trees and branches and a bit of rebar for stability. 

The space above the wall will be backfilled and levelled to make a flat play area, and the berm itself planted with willows and raspberries and whatever else I can get my hands on - a few evergreens (which will have white Christmas lights strung through them, because winter nights are long and those will be visible from the north living room windows), some poplars (no shortage of those), saskatoons (if I can get cuttings to root), cherries (ditto), and apples. 

The near side of the berm, which is closer to the house and will be a little shaded and a little soggy, will get hops vines, morning glory, flowers of all sorts, clover, and ornamental grasses and grains. That should stabilize the bank and give us a lovely view as well as be productive food-wise. 

There's a spot for a narrow step stone stairway by the chicken coop, and the lowest section will be a drainage path for water to run down towards the pasture - though it'll be caught in several tree planted berms on the way down. Between the hose outlet on the house and the barnyard is a clear not-too-steep ramp, and beyond that will be another cluster of plants along a second berm to help hold up the levelled top part of the yard. 

Out in the Northwest corner of the yard are a couple of spots for tree clusters - windbreaks, primarily, as that's where it generally comes from. They will go either side of the gate to the back of the barnyard, so we can get the skidsteer up through there when needed. The rest of the North side needs levelling and then it'll get planted with the nice grass mix we used out front last year. As more trees show up, the north edge of the property, along the road, will get filled in to make a deeper windbreak. At the corner of the driveway, outside Missy's bedroom, we will put in a cluster of evergreens, willows, and a lilac and a cherry tree as per her request. :) That should also help ease the drifting across the end of the driveway, once they get established. 

I have some plans for the east side of the house, too - it's where you first come in, and it still looks rather... Construction-ish. 

Last year saw the south yard basic landscape work done, this year will be the west yard and major earthworks and levelling... And lots and lots of tree planting. See? Apple and pear seedlings! There's hops vines and more treelings in another pot, too, and a bucket of willow branches soaking in water and slowly forming roots. 

I'm very excited about it all. 

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait a little bit longer... This is what I woke up to today :

I know. It'll melt. But still. 

Upcycled wool sweater

My slippers had holes in the heels. 

I had a partially felted itchy wool sweater. 

I felted it the rest of the way by washing on hot / cold, then cut out sole pieces. 

Mended the heel holes with wool yarn that will felt into a patch with wear, then stitched the sole pieces on with colourful weaving cotton. 

Voila. Warm feet. 

Prayer in the early morning

Sedatives wear off

in the early dawn hours 

A sip of water

Another capsule 

Morning prayers to help wash the tension out again 

Once, I could wake feeling rested. 

Now I wake ready for danger 

A coiled spring in my chest 

Unable to be still

And yet

God rules over things out of season 

Over chaos 

From which the unexpectedly wondrous may emerge

The God of Disorder may have his thumb on the scale of my life 

But I believe He tips the balance towards goodness, in the end. 

Saints are the ones who empty themselves to allow God to fill the spaces. 

So

I pray. 

Take this vessel 

Cracked and broken as I am

Patch the leaks and mend the holes

And plant something lovely and fruitful in the rich dark compost of my past

Let me hear Your laughter in my ear

Let me remember that even now,

Even here,

You wait only for my invitation. 

Prayer is a dangerous business

But walking this path on my own is far worse 

So, I beg of You...

Use the disorder and chaos of my life 

To unleash your creative blessings on the world. 

I am making space for You.

-------

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I sent a message on Goodreads to Lois McMaster Bujold, author of the Chalion books which examine the intersection of free will and the Divine in most creative and thought provoking ways. (Plus, they are amazing stories. The Audible productions are fantastic. Very highly recommended.)

The Five Gods of the Chalion universe are The Father of Winter, who is all about justice and is asked to bring a good death in due season; The Mother of Summer, who governs healing and medicine; The Daughter of Spring - new life, beauty, and poetry; The Son of Autumn - harvest, hunting, and good companions... And The Bastard, god of chaos and disasters out of season. He has a wonderfully vile sense of humour and is the sort to find an unorthodox path that somehow still leads to a good end. I like him a lot, even though he is a difficult sort to have around. 

Anyway.... Here's what I sent to the writer of these amazing stories:

Thank you ... 

For the Five Gods. 

I live with PTSD and The Bastard clearly has been around in my life. I'm learning to live with it, though, and thinking of The Divine in this way has eased my journey. 

I wrote this when I woke up today... Thank you so much for giving me a way to sort out my images of God. 

------

And then this morning, I had a reply. 

Hello Lonna --

I am so glad you found something in my work that spoke to you in this way. I write to entertain (well, and to make a living); it's a gift indeed, for me, to learn that I have occasionally done something more for someone.

Cool poem. Reminds me of William Blake, a bit, but with a 21st Century eye. Thank you for sharing it.

best regards, Lois.

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I am breathless. 

Wow. 

Kitchen update!

We have an Ikea kitchen, which I very much like. The white laminate doors are getting kinda weary, though, ten years on. It's impossible to get the lower cabinets clean, particularly. 

I surfed Pinterest for ideas... Sanding them all wasn't really high on my list of things to do ... Laminate paint is expensive ... But chalk paint! You can make it from plaster of Paris plus water and some regular latex paint, and all those ingredients were in the basement. 

So, I mixed up some plaster, added blue paint from the leftovers from one bedroom and some green paint from another bedroom and stirred until I liked what I saw. 

I tested it on a piece from under the sink... First coat is all smeary and it seems like it won't stick but after it dries you add the next coat and just keep going until it's solid. 

It took a lot of layers, probably six or seven ... But I love the finished look. 

The upper cabinets will stay white... The darker lower cabinets seem to make the room feel more grounded, somehow, less industrial and more calming. 

It's all curing now, in a day or two I'll add a top coat of wax polish to protect it and help it last longer. 

Yay for Pinterest!

Sprouting!

I have been saving the seeds from all the apples and pears I've been enjoying from our Organic Box and keeping them in a damp container in the fridge. 

Today when I went to add a handful of pear seeds, there were sprouts!

I planted the little things in one of the new pots I placed on the south deck: it's still cool and fluctuating in temperature outside so they should be happy. It's a little warmer up on the deck, and sheltered from wind, so... We shall see!

Free trees. How awesome.