For the Dolphins of Taiji Cove
It seems a few weeks early for robins–but I heard one last Thursday and saw two in the back yard yesterday. Garden thoughts now. Actually, last summer’s garden took the wind out of my sail. From July on it was a disaster–constant heavy unseasonable rain–blight, mildew, rot–no yield whatsoever after the initial bounty. But the ancient stirring begins. A need. An itch almost. And Grace has excited me with her postings on permaculture–hugelkultur specifically. I looked into it. It makes sense. Use everything. I do that for the most part, but I’m thinking that hugelkultur mounds just might drain better–give the plant roots a break if we have the same kind of wet season this year. I looked into it–mound building –layers upon layers–starting with logs, branches and twigs layered with a variety of organic matter.
The neighbors behind me were cutting down trees and I sat here dumbfounded, watching as the backyard view changed. Watched until the space opened enough so that I could see their house. Watched while the sky opened up. Watched the tree cutters jumping over the fence to remove everything that fell into this yard. Then found myself running out–running up the hill–stop, wait, please–and they were stunned. Quizzical. “Leave the huge branches? Leave the small limbs? Leave everything?” Yes. Leave it all. Please.
The long big branches are too heavy. Will be cut into manageable pieces after I get the chain saw fixed. And this one with the hole–locust–not good for hugelkultur as locust takes FOR EVER to rot. We used locust for fence posts in WV. They will be in the ground long after everything else decays–but good for critter habitats.
And on Sunday, Imbolc and the Chinese New Year–I started one trial huglekultur mound. It’s for gourds–it’s outside the garden proper and it will be vulnerable to the neighbor groundhogs. But I’ll fence it off before then. Circle it with netting. The mound is about 4′ in diameter–dug 6″ into the ground and sits up about 6″ in its unfinished state. Because it needs to be watered. I read each successive layer should be watered. Not thinking I dragged out the hose and turned on the spigot. Nothing. Then the sound of water. In the basement. The hose was frozen and the pressure blew out the inside water line–into the basement. Hose is thawing. Keeping an eye on the basement. And last night it rained like crazy.
Leaves
Greens
More leaves then sod turned dirt side up–waiting for more—straw, compost, topsoil…
and worm’s eye view of a humble beginning:
Heading to Sow True Seeds on Wednesday–Asheville’s own wonderful GMO-free/heritage seed company 
That’s enough for now–except to say “thank you, Grace”– and to also share this hugelkultur link:
following thread 
this just came through and i have to go to WorkAway, but i am SO BEYOND EXCITED
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!
be back soon
o, LOVE!!!!!!!
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waiting for your return
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Great post, great start…the saving of limbs. I heard the saws out back again this morning, don’t want to look. I liked the link too.
The cloth has so much movement!
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my scavenger eyes have kicked in. i’m eyeballing everything i see along curbs as potential hugelkultur material. wish i had a truck!
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a celebration of the elementals
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yes–air, water, earth, fire–and hopefully some magic critters
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i have looked, leaning close, looking, magnifying each photo as if you were showing me a newborn baby or something….oh. O, i love this so much…how something that can cause such grief instead was taken in and accepted and TURNED to be something that can hopefully give great benefit….
i need to keep looking more. This makes me so HAPPY.
love the link. need to spend time there.
and no. i don’t want to plant potatoes in my little pile, but YES! i can plant squash!!!!
oh…wooHoo!
YES YES and YES!!!!! How to just Go. we NEED to just Go. we can’t falter., well, for long anyway……LOVE…..
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cloth is like that, isn’t it. alchemy at hand. and something about this last cloth is helping to loosen up things inside–shaking loose fixed ways of being. this is good. and hugelkultur has me in its grip. i’m totally, totally sucked in. oh and thanks again and again.
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so love what you are doing..and in case you didn’t see it..because i wrote it on a grace moment..my heartfelt sorrow to your loss of your small …but it is so pleasing to see what you are doing with your ..well windfall seems the wrong word to use…but still ..if you are interested google breezy meadows orchard and nursery…..and you can peek into my soon to be world of vermont…and the hugelbeets that i mashed…and the amazing rice paddies they..the kids josh and meadow are creating…it is off gris and permaculture..and thinning of it while i try to leave here..i am suddenly truly searching for cloth again..many thanks to you and the starfish and the dolphins and the words and feelings that you en with them..
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oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. i looked. wandered around breezy meadows orchard. am almost salivating. and you are there? will be there? are these your kids–josh and meadow? i’m so intrigued. so so intrigued. and i love your posts here and the way you stitch words into beautiful image-scapes that feel palpable. thank you thank you
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oops small woods that was ..lost my train of thoughts.. letting people in…our pipes did both freeze and burst..high above every thing..which has a certain sort of humor since i had everything up on pallets in case this happened while we were in transit…slog might be m personal concept just right now….but we will have water..after three days that sounds simply bountiful…and the feelings that you send with them…
and know that i returned here..not to correct my hasty send as the doorbell rang
….but to look once more at the dolphins..i am tucking away images in my mind to savor the rest of the day and your dolphins leap is so joy full
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and i think i will return here to read and re-read your comments–because something about them is nourishing me on a very deep level. and for that, again, my thank yous.
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