Sonya

I recently moved into a place that has enough space to plant a (very compact!) garden. Much of the usable space is heavily shaded by a pair of giant Catalpas, but with a little creativity and by sticking to smaller varieties, I think I can grow some exciting edibles. Because I love forest gardening so much, I know I’m going to grow at least a few low-maintenance perennial species, like black raspberries, thimbleberries, wild strawberries, nodding onions, and wild garlic. In honor of my Swedish grandmother, I might try some lingonberries as well. Herbs are a given, especially herbs that can grow in the shade. In the sunny space next to our kitchen, I’m going to grow annual veggies, like tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, peas, peppers, and beans. I’m going to experiment with some techniques like companion planting, organic fertilizers, composting, and seed-saving on a small scale, so when I do move to an acreage someday, I’ll have a little bit of practical experience that I can apply in a larger garden.

October 31st marks the end of the Pagan Year, and the festival known as “Samhain” (“Summer’s End”), which occurs on this day, was once meant to celebrate the last harvest. It’s November 4th; Samhain has come and gone, and the fact it coincided with the end of Daylight Savings Time here in Minnesota means that the dark half of the year hit seemed to hit us all at once! It will take a period of adjustment to get used to full darkness by 5pm, but I’m ready for a little hibernation. After all, summer’s ending means that the days of toiling in the fields are over, and I can focus on celebrating all those wonderful winter festivals with my families and friends and sharing the fruits of my labor. Even though these “fruits” are figurative in nature, most of them are real and tangible and I’m more than ready to relax and enjoy them! I successfully found a new apartment (a whole house, actually) in the greatest neighborhood, and after what seems like months moving in and making the transition, everything is in the new place and mostly organized. I planned a successful party for my boyfriend’s 30th (a huge endeavor that was definitely worth it). I finished my first complete year of classes at AAAOM. I joined a CSA and consequently ate well all summer. I tried (in spite of being so busy) to establish a good routine for nurturing my spiritual side and getting proper exercise.

Now, I’m ready to settle in and start exploring my neighborhood, establishing myself as a citizen of Northeast, Minneapolis. I’m going to try to get back into Urban Homesteading and finding ways to lessen my negative impact on the planet while still living in the city. Over the winter, I’ll plan my garden, find a place that fosters my spirituality, join a gym, finish my observation hours at school, maybe learn to knit…

So how will I know I’ve achieved this goal? I guess only time will tell. I’m happy now, but I’d like to become fully organized in my new space before I mark this one off my list.

The picture is of my new parlor on Samhain eve!

Anybody able to recommend a super-soft washable synthetic yarn I could make my afghan out of?