WooHooo! One for Friends of the Wacissa AGAIN**

I do not know why it will not let me post the e-mail, but Nestle's backed down. There should be media on it tomorrow. But we will never stop watching over our river. You never know when they will buy out another neighborhood. But tonight we celebrate!!!!!
Yes! and we will still support County Commissioners August 18^th to vote in the laws to protect all our springs and aquifer.

My Garden before and after GOOD TO BE HOME!

One of the things we learned in permaculture was to work with our constraints. My biggest constraint and challenge is going to be poor sandy soil. We do not have the resources to pour hundreds of gallons of water and chemical fertilizers on our soil to grow vegetables. And we wouldn’t do it if we could. But I have been thinking about this a lot and ways to change the OM or Organic Matter of our sandy soil. I thought I was doing this in the beginning of the summer when I put in my permaculture beds and drip irrigation system, but now I am armed with a permaculture design certificate, and as Starhawk said just enough to be dangerous. Oh, and when I find a way to over come the damn little tiny ticks that are eating Noah and I up I will be happy.

This weekend we picked blueberries and wild hog plums. O I loved spending several hours just walking through the trails and seeing and feeling the energy of our home. I felt like I got lost in Faery for a while there. Noah cut many trails through the woods and around the blueberries but the deer and animals have cleaned out a lot more this summer searching for food. It is good to be home!!! We CAN grow grass when it rains!

　

 ALL ABOVE ARE BEFORE I LEFT JUNE 10th

Below are this weekend July 24/25

　

Florida Summer...hot and sticky

July 23/24, 2011
I have been home for 11 days and life has yet to return to normal. I guess that is what life changing experiences are all about, which this is not the first time I have had such and will explain those experiences later. I must say I have been thinking about my trip, my experiences and my Earth Activist Training most every moment and even in my dreams. Last night I dreamed of building a community garden with children. I was giving direction and designing and we were laying cardboard on the ground and planting vegetables. I am thinking about presentations and making mental notes about how to do this, where and when. This past week I worked a lot and worked really hard with others to make it possible for Starhawk to come to Tallahassee for one night in November. We have not confirmed our plans. She has a new book coming out in late October about building community and using all her experience of years of living and working in community of diversity. It is the Empowerment Manual. I truly honor her and her work as well as her courage and experiences. Today Noah and I watched The Growing Edge, her Permaculture film which I will be using as an introduction to my presentations and we also watched Feast or Famine again the DVD I got in Nona Scotia I just love about farming and bio-diversity.

My garden is a mess and the grass has taken over the project beds. I can hardly see my drip irrigation system. The corn is 15 feet tall and the ears are not ready yet, yet some are drying up. Noah still has peppers coming in and it is hot, the sand burns my feet. But I have plans… I am working on my fall garden and my projects and just need to find the time to get them down on paper, I have them in my head….. I am charged up and ready to go, other that it feels like a sauna outside and needing to gather my thoughts. More sweet ice tea!!!!

Bonnie would have been very proud of me... I made it back home with a full box of Mr.Maple that my family inhailed the first night back, wouldn't let them open it till we were all together. I now have my Nova Scotia altar up. Below are some of my favorite photos from the Botanical Gardens and the Biodome my last day in Montreal... enjoy I have many more.

　

I made it home!!!

Just wanted to let you all know I made it home OK, Noah (husband) Jamie (youngest) and grandson Wiley met me at the airport and the flight was 30 minutes late. We laugh and played road games, had a good trip home getting there almost at midnight. Leslie (oldest) both grand children and her baby sitter were at our house. We were up till 1 am and I got up at 7 am and was in class at 9 am till 1pm. then I was held there working on the irrigation system until a huge thunderstorm rolled in and it was too dangerous to drive home because the rain was so hard I couldn't see the road. I got home about 2:30 and started working in the garden and with the animals till dark. Then I cooked a huge pot of spaghetti and salad. So this is the first moment I have had to sit down. We had a baby horse born today, a little colt. My goat did not have her babies but my husband bought three more little ones. Every one else is fine. I did have time to talk with Noah about Permaculture on the way to the feeds store and my garden is almost gone, I picked okra, egg plants, bell and hot peppers and a few tomatoes. The corn is 15 feet tall but not ready. I ate pears and figs off the tree and picked fresh brazil for dinner. Talked to Noah about making a spiral garden and sheet mulching.

 

So I have to go back to work in the morning because my boss has been working open to close for days without a break, so I will have to pay back some favorers. It will be good to be back in the store and back to some routine.

 

I still haven't gone through all 380 photos that I took in the Gardens but i will over the next few days and post the best ones here. I have a lot of catching up but I am aslo excited to start on my permaculture design.

 

July 12 Biodome and Gardens, headed HOME!!!

July 12, 2011
I slept late and Louise didn’t get up till 10:30 I didn’t run because I was tired from walking all day yesterday, Good thing too. I played with the huge cats and made myself breakfast of French bread and cheese. I lounged in the hammock and waited for someone to stir. When Louise got up she gave me my instructions for the day and directions on how to get to the Botanical Gardens, bus to bus…oh here I go again. Her son walked me down to the bus stop. And off I went. The bus was busy with mid morning commuters and I almost missed my change over but made it, then I got off at the gardens. I found the entrance, it seems that everyone seems to think that finding the entrance to things is easy, it is not as the day goes on I find this more challenging. There is no way I will be able to explain to you what I saw in the gardens, I did a full photos tour, I walked for almost four straight hours and know I did not see it all. I took a lot of photos, it was a trip all it’s self. My favorite was the Bonsai trees and that is about all I can say. For a Master Gardener to spend 4 hours in a garden was just insane….I loved it!
I made my way back to the entrance and then back to where I was to cross the street to go to the Biodome, where the 1976 Olympics Games. It seems I walked for hours because there were no directions and I couldn’t figure out how to get to the entrance. The huge concrete spaceship looking monster just loomed over my head and was a constant shadow over the beautiful gardens. But when I did find the biodome I loved it. It was a huge inside zoo with climites ranging form the rain forest to the arctic. I will have to down load photos and do a whole page or two but not today…..
It took me an hour and a half to get back to Louise’s and I walked more than half way, the bus was very late and very crowed, but I saw more of the streets and I enjoyed it, even though I spent two full days on my feet and walking.
I am on my way home! Flight arrives in Jacksonville at 7:15 so I will post the garden and biodome photos in the next few days.
　

July 11 Montreal adventure

July 11, 2011
Montreal street sounds… people moving all around. They are repairing the water main and they come by with this loud alarm truck to tell you they are turning off the water. There is a broken water main a few houses down from Louise’s. People speaking French and laughing in to all hours of the night. Cats drinking water from the bathroom sink. I put on my eye mask and earplugs and slept hard last night. Up this morning about 6am running through the streets of Montreal to the park where I watched a gray squirrel and several large pigeons eating something in the grass, thinking how much Louise hates both very much. I have made a good friend that I had to trust completely today.

After breakfast we took the bus to the metro (subway) and then the metro down to China town where she left me with specific instructions about how to get back. Yes, I trusted her and I was very nervous to be in a city where I did not speak or read the language but…I had a blast. I walked the streets in China Town, ate Lunch at a Buffet and went into several shops and talked to many people from all over. Things in China Town are very inexpensive and I bought some really cool stuff even though I had to keep in mind I have limited funds and very little room to pack stuff but it was fun. Then I made my way to old Montreal and it started raining. I ducked in and out of shops and shelter of churches. I bought a heavy waterproof bag so my stuff didn’t get wet and a cheep umbrella and continued to walk the streets. I finely found the museum that Louise circled on my map and went inside because I was tired of walking in the rain. The exhibit was about Wine and the Gaul and how wine was made and I found it pretty interesting but I also had a headache and reading all the stuff in a museum with a headache wasn’t enjoyable. I made my way into the theater and the movie was in eight languages and they got around that with headphones dialed into your language and you were set. It was all about the founding of Montreal and the museum is build on top of the foundation site of the city and I too found the history interesting. When wee left the theater we went down stairs actually to the underground city and archeological site, now that was cool but also a little stressful for me and may have been why I had a headache. After winding my way around through the site and back out on the street my headache was gone and it had stopped raining. I made my way down to Saint Paul, the main tourist drag. It reminded me of walking St. George in St. Augustine full of little shops and then I went through the art galleries and was thinking of how much Noah would have just loved that part of the city. Besides there being horse drawn carriages everywhere. I would have taken one but it just seemed stupid for me to do that. But I found the Amber Gallery, the owner was from Poland and I just drooled over a piece of cherry red amber. I have wanted one for a very long time and looked for just the one, this one was $138 and I just had to walk away from it, but it was pretty! I wandered around for a while and decided I had been out long enough and my challenge was coming. I was so proud of myself, yet very nervous, I caught the metero at a different stop, remembered which way to go back in French, had my map in hand and found the right stop, found the bus going east and got off at my stop (in French) and found my way back to Louise’s just in time for dinner. My feet were tired, she was a little worried about me but I feel great that I had such and adventurous day. I have only been on a subway once and that was in DC with people I knew and I have only ridden a city bus maybe 3 times in my life and that was in Tallahassee. So this was a big things for me.

Louise fixed a nice salad from the vegetables she bought in China Town and added real chicken!!! To show my appreciation to my host I did a reading for her and her friend Nathan. It was a good day, but she has plans for me tomorrow too. We are going to the farmers market and then she is going to test me again by having me switch busses to go to the Botanical Gardens, I just assume they are inside.

July 10 Heartroot to Montreal

July 10, 2011
I spent the last morning at Heartroot snooping around and reading books in the old barn. I walked the areas where we had worked over the past few weeks but did not run the steep hill. For some reason I was just not feeling that energetic, I guess since I had hauled all those wheel barrows of horse manure up the hill the day before, I was tired. About 8 am Shabina got up and I had found the book she had lost in the huge piles of books through out the barn, most of them on gardening or healing. I did several loads of laundry and hung them on the line and just puttered around relaxing and played my flute.

About 1:00 pm Shabina’s parents arrived and I knew I would have to catch a later bus from Sherbrook, I was hoping for the 3PM but we spent some time showing them around the farm and our projects. Our ride to Sherbrook was interesting and I found her parents very charming. He was at least half Indian and maybe Italian, she was all Quebec. But the both spoke very good English and we chatted from politics to bee keeping on our hour and a half ride while Shabina slept. I was happy to get to the bus station and the first thing after buying my ticket back to Montreal was to buy some pizza. Sherbrook is a college town so listening to rock and roll songs in the little café in French was very cool. The bus ride was much more enjoyable that the one there. I had two seats to myself and I was on and express, meaning we did not stop at every little town, which I really enjoyed. I also thought it was strange that I had the same bus driver that spoke no English or I had this odd feeling he was a clone….hum I will have to ask Louise since she rode the bus the day before. Coming into Montreal was very entertaining, there are two huge bridges that feed the island and over a million people in Montreal, outside the island over 6 million people. The bridges are massive and from what I understand very old and always in need of repair. But when we went over the bridge it didn’t feel like it was very long, the St. Lawrence river was down there somewhere but I do not think I ever saw it because there was so much to look at. I got off the bus and into a cab. Riding down town in Montreal was very interesting, every other shop was a different culture, French, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Haitian, Tai, Latino, English and of course Canadian. And graffiti in most Canadian cities is an art style all it’s own. The streets are clean and organized, they have to be with such a small space and so many people. Someone told me that in their school the spoke 48 different languages, and I think I have a hard time understanding….

I got to Louise’s about 8 PM to meet her son and his girl friend and Louise’s gay friend boy that I have heard all about for the past two weeks. They were all charming and spoke enough English dinner was not too strange. After dinner of French wine and salmon, bakery bread and cheese… oh the cheese….we walked so I would know were to run in the morning. The streets are safe and the people friendly in her neighborhood. All the houses on her block and surrounding area are one big house connected together for heat mass and conductivity. It gets 30 below here in winter and most of that time there is 6 foot or more of standing snow. So everything here and in Quebec must be made or designed around six months of winter weather, but they all seem to love it. But for now it is beautiful gardens in every little back yard, tomatoes and beans growing on balcony and porch stoop. Flowers everywhere. It is actually very charming.
Louise said it was perfect timing as most things have been for me making this trip. She starts a new job on Wednesday and has the next few days off. Her son just graduated high school and is working at a day camp for kids and his girlfriend is a house painter in summer. Her daughter is in Greece and it is full summer here and the weather is beautiful. But I will be very happy to get home in a few days. But for now I plan to see the beautiful Montreal I have heard so much about.

 Dinner with Louise's family

Nathan and Jennifer Louise's son and girlfriend

July 9 Closing Circle

July 9, 2011
Saying good–by to the class started early. I had a nice chat with Charles and Starhawk about future plans to meet and work together again. The barn was busy with early showers and everyone packing, I didn’t bother because I knew my packing was going to be a huge chore and since I wasn’t leaving till Sunday I spent my time chatting. I didn’t run, I was tired from a restless night.
I was up stairs brushing my teeth when I felt someone standing behind me. I had the door open and people we coming and going but when I turned around no one was there but the towel hanging on the wall across from the tub was suspended in the air. The towel still hung on the hook but swung back and forth as if someone held and dropped the end of it as I turned to look. The first thing I thought was "Oh, that took a lot of energy" and immediately felt a male presence. I walked out of the bathroom and Silven was standing in front of his room and I asked him if he had felt any spirit energy since he was staying right there? He said the first week he woke up to feeling something in his rooms that really scared him and he asked it to leave, and it was male energy, it did not bother him again. The room next to his is where the little boys were staying. Later Kyra told me they talked (only in French) about shadows with red eyes and things that woke them up at night, which we all witnessed during the week, they often would wake up crying durning our evening sessions. I also know their mother Iris does not allow them to watch TV and they are not exposed to the Hollywood version of ghost as some kids are. I personally do not feel there was anything to be afraid of, the spirit just wanted to be acknowledged.
Our morning circle was very powerful with less emotion that the night before. We received our certificates and our readers, which is information and such that we studied in the class. People started leaving with lots of photos, hugs and tears after closing the circle and until around 2pm when Shabina, Krya and I were left on the farm. Shabina which is 22, slept since she was up partying all night and Kyra spent a little while just letting down after the last car pulled out of the drive. Kyra is the daughter of Dawn the owner of Heartroot and the organizer of the workshop, she is 23. I spent over an hour organizing my stuff to pack, which is a real job. I moved into the Barn in the room behind the kitchen because it is right next to the only real bathroom in the place and it is cozy and secure. Later in the afternoon I spent some time cleaning and dragging laundry and garbage down stairs. The Barn is huge and odd, full of junk and just stuff, dust and spiders. Who ever build this place had strange reasons for putting this here and that there, or started something and never finished. It is creepy and old and some places are just nasty with mold or filth. And it feels completely different with everyone gone. I really feel we made a huge difference her in the physical and energy work we did. I felt the male spirit in the area of the two bedrooms and the bathroom as I was cleaning but I just felt it wanted me to know it was there, no communication.
Later in the afternoon Shabina, Krya and I built the last Spiral in the garden to complete the triple. It was very labor intense doing this with just three. We tore tons of cardboard and laid it over the grass and wild flowers, wet it and covered that in manure we hauled up the hill wheel barrow after wheel barrow. It came to shape and we cleared out the paths and laid down the straw to complete it. It is a little smaller than the other two but it can and will be expanded once it is planted and tended.
We sat and talked for a while drank Chi and ate leftovers. Telling stories and learning more about each other. These young people have such incredible energies and experiences. It was so awesome to have so many in our class. Our youngest student was Willow from New Mexico, she was 17 and just a trooper. It makes me feel good that what they learned over the past two weeks will change their lives and hopefully the world around them.
We spent our evening at the house watching a Bollywood movie on the computer. I slept like a rock and sometime during the middle of the night Shabina came in and slept in the other bed, she said the barn was creepy and she got scared, I had offered to share my room but I think she wanted to experience the creepy-ness herself. She is also the one that would take a sleeping bag out into the forest and spend the night until some critter or some strange sound would send her back to shelter, interesting person she is.
I sit in the quiet barn with the flies buzzing around the kitchen table, Shabina’s parents are coming around noon to take me to Sherbrook so I can catch the bus to Montreal. That may change according to their plans but for now I will just go for the ride. I will catch up with Louise tonight and see what other adventures are in store for me.

　

July 8 Presentation Day our class comes to an end

July 8, 2011
Presentation day! We broke up into five groups and took different areas assigned to us by the teachers. We had to interview the land owners, make a site map, fing out what the land needed as for physical improvements, for drainage or shade etc. then we had to design and use the permaculture principles we were taught with details, including a plant list, press release and group process. Each group had 12 hours to pull it off. No Stress…SURE!
But we did and the presentations were really good. May used power point but we didn’t because there were only three of us and none of us were any good at power point. We took the front of the barn area and the animal section in the barn. We added parking lots and roads, efficiency in feeding animals in winter and feed storage, improved play area and a pond to catch the run off water and tap the springs off the slope. Very detailed and very glad to accomplish. After the presentations we had a class on contacts and what we can do with our certificates in Permaculture Design. We can actually call ourselves Permaculturist!!!
And for dinner we had turkey!!!
The talent show was a lot of fun. The teachers always do a skit and theirs was a mix between Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and permaculture, they were very funny. Others sang and read poetry, some told stories and jokes. It was very entertaining. Oh and the answer is…. I watched and enjoyed, no I did not entertain, but in some ways I did.
After the talent show we could smell the cake down stairs as we closed our daily circle and sang and danced. There came to a place where we had opened the circle and no one moved, everyone was just frozen and some people were crying. That was a very odd moment for both teachers and students but it said a lot about the work we have done together and how close we have become as a community. Starhawk started another chant and we raised a cone of power and when it was over the same thing happened. Everyone just stood there and the same feeling came over us, this time it was almost like a fear of what waited outside of this place and time. We stood there looking at each other and no one said a word or moved. So I stepped into the circle and with trembling voice talked about how important our work was and how we all came here without knowing how we would be changed, but we all came because we were called. That this is powerful and important work. That we needed to not say good-by but to say until we meet again and take our passion and permaculture out into the world and use it. We sang the one song I brought to circle, "Humble yourselves in the arms of the wild" and I said, "Now, let’s eat cake!" and the spell was broken. It was powerful and later both Starhawk and Charles came to me and thanked me for my words about the moment, I spoke to them about our fear and our work in the world. They both told me they have never had a class that just froze like that before, one the last night when there was cake and a hot tub waiting. They also felt it was powerful, and I am glad I had the words to break the spell.
I did not sleep well. This was the first night I tossed and turned all night. A huge storm rolled in and my bones ached. A skunk must have been right outside our cabin and there were things moving around inside. I would have gotten up but I did not want to wake Louise and I didn’t have anywhere to go so I just tried to go to sleep. Early this morning I talked with Charles and he said I was processing and I am sure he was right, I just need to be careful not to let the it get my energy, I still have a few days before I get home.
So it is closing circle at 9 am and most everyone is on the road.
　

July 7 getting to the end of our workshop and cramming for exams

July 7, 2011
Back to school, we all feel like we are cramming for a huge exam, which we are in a way. Our final projects are due starting Friday morning and the house is a buzz with people working on projects. I will not post much till we are done. Friday Evening we have our Talent show and wrap up on Saturday morning so things will be moving pretty fast.
Thursday morning, I did my strongest run and later I fell into the ditch on the road taking photos, kinda crazy day.
The morning session was about invisible structures, meaning economy and different ways to finance projects. Then Brook gave us an hour on farm management which I took detailed notes and really thought about how we have such a difficult time managing our farm.
From after lunch till after midnight we were in and out of the house, taking photos, measuring, looking up trees and information in books and using all our resources. Our section is the front of the barn area which includes the playground, the driveway, several sitting areas, a fire pit, but I also was asked to redesign one end of the barn used for horses. They wanted tractor storage and ways to feed the animals in the winter with six feet of snow. That was what I spent most of my time doing since I had some experience with such.
All for now gota get to work for presentation…Oh…we actually had meat for dinner last night, farm grown beef. I didn’t feel it was welcomed at the table but yesterday I declared "No More Beans" even if I spent the rest of my time here eating bread and salad. WooHoo almost done!

July 6 Press releases and projects

July 6, 2011
We are diffidently moving toward the end of this course. People are getting edgy. I have had it with the food and finding myself hungry but eating less and less every meal, snacking when I can on my stash and drinking lots of coffee and less water. It is not as hot here but we are also doing class inside in a warm room and I am trying to keep from missing information by staying tanked on caffeine.

Morning session, we talked about relationships and how we communicate. I have done some of this work with Starhawk before. Active listening, witnessing and engaging in conflict with different models as we worked with partners. The we talked about story telling and writing stories and books. The about press releases, how to write them and how to communicate with the press.

All afternoon we worked on our designs for our final projects. It rained really hard and we watched the wind blow across our little cabin.

In the evening we had to listen to our host go on for 2 1/2 hours about her view of humanity and almost everyone fell asleep. So goes the last few days. We are very busy with our finals, we present tomorrow in small groups.

more photos

photos

Photos

July 4th Cob making and Building of an oven

July 4, 2011
It was a workday for us, we made Cob all day morning and afternoon. American and Canadians singing, stomping and dancing side by side. Lots of political discussions and agreements. It was a hot sunny day and we were muddy and smelly most all day long. This consisted of mixing sand and clay and water to a ratio 2:3 then mixing by rolling it in tarps then stomping it with our feet. This was extremely labor intense….mean while there is another group building. They started with a stone structure that was filled in with slate and gravel to keep it from sliding, which did not seem to stop it. All I can say is that I am glad I was in the stomp and mix cob making process most of the day. When we would finish a batch I would go look at the builders and then go back to making cob. Despite Starhawk’s diligent staying power which amazed us all they had one problem after another. But we forget how her ability to withstand hours and even days of activist protest and stressful situations makes her who she is. I could just imagine what it would be like to be on a major campaign with her, after building cob with her. I have a whole nother level of respect for her. We did not finish the cob oven and hopefully we will before we leave, providing we do not have rain and it dries enough to complete it with out it sliding off the foundation. Normally you only build a foot a day in cob structures to allow each layer to dry. We made plenty of extra cob and covered it so we can continue to work on it over the next few days.
During lunch I went into town with Marilyn and we stocked up on chocolate and cheese for the gang. I shared cookies with the class during our evening session and stocked up on cheese in the frig. People have finely gotten their rides out of here straight and I am leaving on Sunday with a young woman who’s also a work trader. I wanted to make sure I fulfilled my obligation here and had a ride out of here back to Montreal or to catch a bus which is 1 ½ hour away then 3 hours back to Montreal. It is a little uncomfortable knowing how isolated we are from major transportation when most of us have planes or trains to catch. I will be going to either Sherbrook to catch the bus or with Shabina’s parents closer to Montreal where the bus is only $12 then I will go into Montreal to spend a day with my French roommate Louise. I are going to work in her garden and meet her family.

Our evening session was about Urban Permaculture and we watched movies and slide shown of how people apply permaculture in the city and are growing their own food in small community plots and in front yard gardens. This work is so amazing as it changes cultures of the people that work it and how land can be transformed into usefully food plots with something as simple as cardboard, compost and mulch. It gives you hope that with a little skill people could survive and feed themselves.
We were all exhausted and a little sore from a hard days work and people are ready to start wrapping up their projects and thinking of family and home. But the laughter is beautiful and the work is hard. The two little boys run naked through the barn and we are all taking our turns out in our composting outhouse, which has a beautiful view of the rising sun, if your up that early. I have accomplished a huge hill on my morning run and it feel great. But we still have projects and a few days to go.

July 3 Forest Day

Happy 4th of July!! I miss not being home with family and most of all could really could sink my teeth into some ribs!

July 3, 2011
Most everyone slept late since we were all either watching Lord of the Rings or hanging out in the hot tub that they just got going yesterday. We spent thee entire morning in the woods looking at plants and trees it was our forest day. Edible forest, herbs and mushrooms. We walked to the sugar mill and talked a lot about how sugar maple was collected and processed. I felt a little lost in the plant identification but was very interested since I have either heard of or used many of the plants at some time or the other. I enjoyed walking as a group through the woods but also enjoy just being a lone to listen to the birds and feel the energy of the land. We saw some interesting birds and a chipmunk in a tree, there must have been some nuts or berries they were both eating. Lots of wild strawberries that are delicious.
At lunch there was what started as a private conversation about our host, turned into some serious conversations of concern through out our group. Just before lunch she told us we were eating too much, that someone took food out of the kitchen and we needed to mind our sugar and salt intake because it indicates emotional eating. (WHAT???) We all feel we are being given very little food and asked for more food to graze on, it has not been provided. Then one of the students told me that she told her to get out of her kitchen twice, since her bedroom is behind the kitchen she must go through the kitchen to get outside. Strange vibes with that one, and I can honestly say that I have never had an issue with a host or a host site in all the years I have done workshops and camps. I think this is her issue of control, but we are here to learn about permaculture not to be psychoanalyzed or for treatment of addiction or emotional disorders. First off it is our food since we paid for the workshop and we are not eating on the top of the food budget by no means. And almost have to beg for eggs, cheese and meat which we have only had once. For me I am really tired of beans and hard flat bread.
After lunch it rained and was cold. We spent the entire day outside. We finished our aquapontics system and dug trees and replanted them on the roadside of the field for wind breaks. It was muddy and wet. I did a few slip and slides but met my challenge when we trekked through the woods and across a rotten bridge to dig trees in a high meadow. There are no snakes here but if there were I would have met one or two today, it was dangerous. I was tired of being cold and wet before we were done.
The evening session was all about natural buildings. A lot of slides about Cob. Which is a kind of adobe building with clay sand and straw. We have been talking about it all week and have the makings here. So tomorrow we are building a cob oven. I am very interested in these building options, some are made of hay or straw bails with cob on the outside. We saw photos of buildings that were hundreds of years old. I don’t know why it feels so unusual other than I am just not exposed to it as much as bamboo or palm from structures form our local area. It seems cob is used everywhere but most popular in the colder climates but doesn’t work well as thermal mass. I will find out.
　

Photos

 Kim Butterfly New Moon Ritual

 I do not speak French!

 Wild flowers Oh.......

 Creek and beaver dam

Spiral Herb garden built July 1

July 2 Day OFF trip to town and walk in the woods

July 2, 2011
Our day off and well needed and deserved. I did not go to the crystal mines with Iris and the boys. Everyone was running late, I fed the boys breakfast because she was camping outside and they were hungry. Everyone was sleeping in. Iris looked up the mine and it was going to be at least two hours drive and she was dealing with the boys and they wanted to go swimming. I just wanted to go to the market. So I ended up riding with Dawn, our host and a few others. We had a good time in town. For a little while I walked the streets alone and talking to people, the town is on the US border and several people speak English but most did not and I found my way around and was able to find what I wanted and needed. I bought a silk and linen scarf since everyone here wears them for $9. I bought some chocolate and picked up an ace bandage for one of the campers that hurt his foot and a French magazine about flowers. We had lunch at the Passion Chocolate Cafe which was very good and had French ice cream and coffee. Then I sat on a bench near the street and took photos of the town and motorcycles since there seemed to be some kind of rally going on. In Canada this is a holiday weekend too but July 1^st is Canada day and according to Louise, it is the day to move from one house to another. She said in Quebec the moving vans line up on the streets and move house after house and it is a good time to find furniture, hope you don’t find bed bugs.
We came back to the farm and I had a nice walk through the woods. I hiked a logging trail and saw prints of wolf or coyote and moose, but did not see any animals. I followed an animal trail through the woods and sat by a small stream listening. The flies were very bad but not biting just buzzing and irritating. I took a lot of photos and found some crystals, some I left for the Faery, others I gave away, I will find what I need for myself later but not today. I went back to the barn and took a shower and a nap did some housekeeping and we had movie night watching the Two Towers, Lord of the Ring and aat popcorn. So that was the perfect way to wrap up a nice day off.

July 1 New Moon

July 1, 2011
Today was a little different than the last few days. We are half way through the course and we have covered a lot of material and did a lot of improvements on the land. Today the reason we were all here started to come together, or at least if did for me. I had some major Ah Ha moments today.
I slept late because we were up so late last night and I was cold. At 6:30 I crawled out of bed and dressed for my run went to the house When I can outside it was raining, justb that fast. And that just set the mood for the day. I felt a little lazy anyway.
Our morning session started out with cover crops, green manure, living mulch. Then went into food crops, forest gardens and guilds or groups/companion planting. This is where I just started my own brain storming for what I wanted to do in Florida. Since we were talking about a whole different kind of crops and growing conditions. As a permaculture designer using the principles that I am learning and adapting them to my area is going to really make a difference. I need to apply my specific knowledge and skills as a gardener in my local area and be creative.
Then we talked about farm animals. Did you know that pig hate rattle snakes? Or should I say love to kill and eat them. I was interested in grazing habits of mostly farm animals and some wild animals. And management of grazing pasture land which I hope to try in the future on our land for the horses.
After lunch Dawn the farm owner talked about this land and the crystals that are on the land. According to her this land was a meeting place for the natives Indians, there were four different tribes that would come here because they were called. She talked a lot about her connections to the tribal elders and the work she did with other natives here including sweat lodges and hosting of gatherings. She also talked of others in a negative way that had owned the land and what the buildings had been used for, it was a retreat or treatment center for people with mental issues that needed therapy. And that explains a lot of the energy we were all feeling and dealing with when we arrived. She actually said, "people come here feeling distress and leave here shiny and polished" but I was not distressed till I got here and we are the ones doing the shining with our work and magic.
We chose our master projects, which means that five small groups will survey, plan and design in specific areas on the farm for future use and development. Our group will interview, draw up the permaculture design plans with detail for use and application and summit to our client (and the class) in a 30 minute presentation next week. That will be our final, we do not have to do the work, just the design.
But the rest of the day was all about RITUAL! YES! New Moon! We co-created a beautiful ritual. Our intent: Transforming our despair into rooted action. See… I told you we were not the only ones feeling the energy on this land, and I thought it was my coffee addiction I was dealing with….
I called in Gaia, needing some Divine intervention We did a brief tour through the property. Starting at the driveway where we all arrived on Saturday, remembering how we felt. Then walked through our completed projects. We could all feel a difference in the energy. We sat in a rock pile and chose a rock to dump our despair into. And went back to the barn area where we built a herb spiral with the rocks.

At dinner we talked about important issues in our lives. Our table including Starhawk was talking about Mothering and several women talked about not being able to have children, including Starhawk. I took that moment to tell Starhawk how I much appreciated how she had mothered so people and many things in her life. That her work had changed my life and many people, through her courage, creativity and inspiration. Kim Butterfly also expressed her feelings with Star. It was a beautiful moment for me to have the chance to tell her this because I have always wanted to.
We closed our ritual after dinner, writing our intentions for transformation on a piece of paper and putting it into a closed metal can where we made Bio-char. A type of charcoal made from Organic Matter that changes the structure of soil, actually an easy process with the right tools. We closed with a beautiful chant as we planted the spiral with herb.
Tomorrow is our day off!! I am going to town with Iris a beautiful French woman and her two young sons. We are planning to go to the market and the crystal mine!!

As I was about to post this Noah sent me an e-mail that our neighbor Serene Collins was hit by a car and killed. David her husband is a lawyer in Monticello and she was crossing the street near their office, the man that hit her was a rival of Davids. Please send healing prayers to her family.
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