design & plant gardens: healing, edible, community – including herbs and fruit & nut trees

Waking up to the sounds of a big, huge saw jolted me and terrorized the catpeople. I knew, but chose denial, that it was going to happen. Still, I wasn’t ready – not even close.

A few weeks ago, the city marked 2 trees, that are on their side of our property line, to be cut down. Dangerous. They can fall on your house or somebody else’s house. (Like I could care about that! These are trees. Don’t they get it?) They’re My trees. I’m a tree-hugger from way back. There must be something that can be done. Can they be trimmed? They’re not dead! Look there is all kinds of new growth! It was futile. I went deep into denial … until a couple of hours ago when they started.

As the workers started on the first of the 2 trees, a primal scream bellowed out of my belly and I found myself falling on the floor as if my own limbs were being severed. For the next hour my eyes were transfixed and the sobbing became uncontrollable. There is nothing I can do. In reality, the trees, so full of character and majesty, belong to the town.

Eventually, I was able to rip myself away to feed the fur faces, do my spiritual exercise and morning pages. There are moments of silence as they figure out how to bring down the 40’ one, without it landing on buildings or belongings or people.

And I wait for it to be over – every limb chopped and chewed, brings more waves of sobbing. And I wonder how I will make myself go outside to see and to process the ‘damage’. This is the front of the house. The whole character must have changed so drastically.

Images of people with shot guns pointed at ‘the law, yelling to ‘git off my land’ fill my mind and pulse rage through my veins. And the sadness is really overwhelming right now.

B-r-e-a-t-h-e.

... seems to have been invented for me! What an ideal (seeming, haven’t done it yet) food-growing plan. Bought a book and packed it in my essential box (for the trip across to the east; hoping for some time to read) and went searching on the web – looks good and simple. http://www.albertahomegardening.com/how-to-make-a-square-foot-garden

Seems affordable in both money, and especially time, and it is proportional to our needs in both land space and food needs. Plus I have a short attention span. I want to do so much. Going small-scale allows everything to fit. Its smart.

There will certainly be too many issues inside the house to be reckoned with this year, to be able to spend the time or money on the outside. Still, I want get 2 x SFG plots designed into the landscape and built. Maybe it will be quick enough that even I will be able to get started and actually grow some food This year!

... finding the 3rd (of 3) of my long-lost Jamaican ‘sisters’ helps begin to bring this goal into focus. She went back to University to get a degree in ecological landscape gardening!!! Woo Hoo:) How fabulous is that!!!

And!!! We’ve recently begun to make plans for her to come to our (new) 100 year old house and urban plot to help me make a garden plan. I sent her my wishlist. She loves it!

I do have intent to grow food. I am an eco-holic. Everything that I’ve ever managed to grow has been done in spray-free, companion-planting manner. I definitely want to grow what we eat. I’m not a heat lover, though (makes sense … DE birthday – in Canada!;).

Living in the Okanagan Valley (BC) is quite the challenge just to stay ‘alive’:) It is, normally, so hot here, in the summer that I barely go outside. Sunstroke gets me pretty quick. Not sure how I’ll get this goal accomplished. Somehow …