Our young Aquarian experiment, to run this three home village and all its grounds as a group, rather than with a farm manager, proceeds. Our initial decision, to take turns being the “leader” for each week’s two morning work parties, is working well, especially once we loosened it up so that though the leader says this is what he or she wants to accomplish, every individual that has ongoing projects can also say they want to work on them instead. Since there are eight of us, that usually works.
Plus, when we gather at 10 AM to begin, the leader also asks others if there’s anything pressing that they know about that must be done now. Usually that has to do with the gardens, but not always. For example, yesterday morning, I was the “leader” and texted everybody to be there by 10:00 AM sharp!
But then, I was five minutes late! — for which I received endless rubbing from others. When I got there only two people were present. NOT because they were late, but because the others had already left, to finish cleaning up the front yard from all the tree droppings from that recent big storm!
Yesterday, I told everybody I wanted to get that extra internal fence down in the Overhill back yard. The one former farm manager Charisse had put up, part of her campaign to create a walled compound to corral her maine coon cat. Which of course, didn’t work. Max got out, no matter how she tried to keep him in. I came home from traveling a few years ago to find this “walled compound,” which, frankly, freaked me out! So we took most of it down. But that dang fence had remained.
We want to get that fence down in preparation for a three season yurt we’re going to put up back there. More on that later.
So here we are, starting the process. Each with some sort of instrument to snap the plastic fasteners and wires, when necessary.
Notice the weird tan colored walls? Those are left over from the ill-fated Cob Oven Saga, well worth reading through, if you haven’t already. ‘Twas an instructive example of shadow work between this community and the neighborhood, and how to process it. We’re still trying to figure out how to creatively repurpose those damn walls, made of ferro cement reinforced with wire. As the mostly wire fence we’re taking down comes out, they show up again, big time, since plants had grown up next to that fence and on it, hiding them.
Believe it or not, I was foolish enough to try to use a scissors for this task of removing the ties from the wood blocks. TWICE! What was the perfect instrument for the task? A bolt cutter. At least I think that’s what it’s called.
Since I am the “leader” this week two podmates came up to me to say they wanted to work on other ongoing projects. Okay.
Marita turning the compost. (She’s. barely visible center back.)
Andreas, finishing up a big job placing soil on one of two hugelculture beds in the backyard of the second DeKist house. After three years! Finally about ready to plant.
Remember the so-called voodoo lily that was growing up in one of the patio gardens? Well, it turned out to be something completely different, a Green Dragon! Nature’s mysteries continue to unfurl.
