Permaculture...what IS it?

So, y'all remember when our Amherst neighbor Ryan Harb turned his yard into a permaculture garden, right? And then there came the UMass permaculture initiative started by the aforementioned Ryan as we were phasing out of our college days. Oh yeah, and then that same initiative got honored at the White House last year...so this "permaculture" must be doing something right.

Turns out it is. The core tenets, according to wikipedia anyway, are:

• Take care of the earth
• Take care of the people
• Share the surplus

Makes perfect sense, no? And the way to do it makes perfect sense too: creating a horticultural area managed by us (humans) that mimics the way nature interacts using ecological design and engineering. For example, everything chosen to go in a permaculture garden should have multiple purposes and the more the better. So if you have chickens in your area, they could possibly 1) eat food scraps and seeds and then poop it out shorting your compost cycle, 2) provide food for humans = eggs and meat, and 3) eat insects such as mosquitos and gnats that are a nuisance to humans. A mulberry tree 1) provides shade for humans and shade loving plants, 2) forage for chickens, 3) food for humans, and 4) lowers soil erosion with its complex root system.

Permaculture gardening incorporates lots of perennials, and from an annual gardener like me, it is fun to delve into a world of little known and some well known plants. So if one is to build a permaculture garden for themselves, they would need to have some permanency in their place of living, so uh, Gaby, we should talk. And you should visit Eric Toensmeier's property in Holyoke which he turned into a food forest. I'd love to go with you.

This weekend, I will take my first official permaculture course and after 4 more weekends, will have a permaculture certificate. Yay! Another piece of paper! But better than that, I will have a better and smarter understanding in the overlap of horticulture principles and be able to teach in the future if I so desired. In exchange for a lowered cost of the course, Jenna and I are cooking for breakfast and lunch for each class day (20 people) so it's going to be fun...

Of Sledgehammers, Paint, and Muslin (Living Room, pt. 1)

Last weekend I helped dad knock a hole in the wall, and painted the living room. I've got to say, sledgehammering some plaster sure felt good.

Here's a picture of the living room from when I first looked at the house:

Blehhhhhh wallpaper but lovely floors :) The new doorway is in the back right corner coming from the kitchen. You can't see that corner in this picture, but here it is below:

Jake and I got busy stripping wallpaper and prepping the walls for paint...

Here's the view of the living room, standing in the kitchen, looking through the new doorway. Pretty blue painting is in the works :)

This weekend I took a nice long trip to Jo-ann's Fabrics and picked out the lovely little numbers below, including some white muslin:

So yesterday I got busy with the Babylock that mum gave me, and after much swearing at the damned bobbin and threading of the unfamiliar machine, I was able to produce these curtains.

I think mum would be proud. I've got lots more curtains to do. Can't wait to see how they come out!

Just a Logo

In order to have a logo attached to an email sent from gmail, it has to exist as a URL. No idea why. So my apologies. I am just posting the Project GROWS logo here so I can link to it and send emails from my personal email until we get our official 501c3 status hopefully in the next couple weeks and finally get work emails. But I LOVE YOU!

Cleaning Schmeaning

Ah, the weekend. Jenna and Trevor have left to do a work day on a nearby farm and so for the first time since moving, I have the apartment to myself for an extended period of time. My goal for the day? To clean the apartment. I've already cleaned the living room and most of the kitchen and now I am procrastinating as most of my "cleaning energy" has dissipated so here I am on the Lemons Blog.

Update on the cat: Poe is still hiding behind the washer and dryer and terrorizing us at night. Yesterday I finally felt the effects of the poor sleep I've been having all week so alas, it was not the most productive day at work. Her routine seems to be: 1) visit Jenna's room, quick trip to her closet then scratch the bed, 2) visit my room, meow loudly (I wake up) 3) go to the litter box and make a mess and a lot of noise. We've tried to block her entry to behind the washer so that we can at least pet her to familiarize herself with us but she is a wonderful acrobatic cat magician who can get any where! I will attempt again tonight.

With the weather being cold, I have not felt like going back into the world after getting home from work so really haven't met any new people outside of the ones we interact with at work. Looking forward to the warmer weather and increased energy levels to explore and especially to try out the local trivia nights!

Missing you guys, of course, but doing pretty great actually. I like to hear your updates and projects and want you guys to know that I am still here for support whenever you need (although you already knew that). Make some pie and eat it thinking of me! (And no La, we got lazy yesterday and went out for Mexican. Maybe chicken pot pie this Friday?)

Summary of 1st 2 Wks in Staunton

Today is a Sunday before a holiday so everything has that slow weekend feel to it. Jenna has "The Tallest Man on Earth" Pandora station on, we've already gone through one batch of POMtinis, and played two rounds of darts. All this is all following a breakfast of homemade buttermilk pancakes with strawberries and homemade whipped cream and yoga in the park. Chili is simmering on the stove and we're just waiting for Trevor, Jenna's boyfriend to get out of the shower so we can eat. I am content.

The mild weather is a bit un-nerving and I do have to remind myself that it is still January. Yesterday we took a hike at Ramsey's Draft and though it started off chilly, I was down to my turtleneck and leggings 20 minutes in. Jenna keeps on remarking on how chilly it is, but I am basking in the warmer weather. We expected a storm this past Thursday of 5-9 inches which the weather stations quickly dropped to 3-5" and in the end we got less than half inch. While Jenna was disappointed, I was alright, although some snow would be nice.

Despite our small salaries, Jenna and I have cooked some fantastic meals and been quite good and revamping leftovers. We have set ourselves to a one-meal-out-a-week rule and two weeks in we've been quite good. The issue lies in coffee shops and pastries especially considering that there is a fantastic bakery a 1/2 mile from our apartment.

Work has been good too! Jenna and I are two out of four staff of Project GROWS (hey, like us on Facebook! Our website should be up in the next two weeks. Gabs, this includes more fun wordpress stuff. I still don't know why people use it). The other two staff members are the director and farm manager, Ryan and Sam, who are 20 hours a week so often Jenna and I are working on our own. Ryan is a 30 something used-to-be basketball star and Sam is the grandson of Stan and Jan Berenstain! They are both easy going, super smart, and fun to work with. I have high hopes for this year and am really excited about how much I will be able to grow under the direction of Ryan. More back story on Ryan is that he got his master's in Counseling and wrote his dissertation on White-Male privilege. How totally awesome is that?!

Our apartment is becoming more and more homely as the days pass by. We adopted a cat from the local shelter named, Poe and slowly she is adjusting to us. While during the day she hides behind the washer and dryer, last night she had quite the mischievous night and woke us up around 1 am. Right now, we are cool with her shenanigans as we are just happy that she is becoming more comfortable, but if she keeps it up, she may need a talking to.

I do not want this post to become too long, so I will end with some pics that I took last week to show you guys the apartment.

Okay, I won't. My computer and this website are not cooperating right now. Maybe later!

Love to you all. And rephrasing Gabs: Love, Hugs, and Highballs.

R.I.P. Wallpaper pt.1

Hey guys!

Yesterday was a super productive day - I stripped wallpaper from the bathroom and painted AND I went to see Django, WHICH YOU ALL MUST DO.

SO GOOD.

Anyway, here's the before and afters....

EW. wallpaper.

De-wallpapered and de-glued, and two coats of primer and two coats of paint later...

Ain't she pretty? :)

"You're gonna need a bigger boat"

Yanuary the ferst. Twenty thirtean.

Hey there, January 1st! How are you doing? That's swell. Well, I've already started off my 2013 a little messy, no surprise there, but it's all cool, it's who I am. So screw that resolution I was talking about! (you know if I told you) but I might try one of these:

1. Write yourself a letter from your future self, dated 1/1/2014. Imagine looking back at 2013, from a place of having achieved your most important goal for the year. In your letter, thank your present self for all you did to achieve your goals—and be specific. Or give yourself some compassionate advice from your wiser, 2014 self. Research shows that connecting to your future self in this way can help you make a difficult change and succeed at your goals.

2. List your favorite memories and triumphs of 2012, including the challenges you faced with courage or humor (even if things didn't turn out the way you hoped). Studies show that remembering your strengths increases future perseverance and willpower; and reminiscing about the past increases future happiness.

3. Imagine the highlights of 2013. Make a list of at least 5 things to look forward to in the coming year. Anything from new episodes of a favorite TV show to a big trip you want to plan. Research shows that one of the best predictors of emotional health is the ability to anticipate and savor future pleasures.

4. Make a list of what you are grateful for in your life. Sure, New Year’s is a great time to think about what you’d like to change about your life. But you’ll be much happier if you first think about everything you’re grateful for. In fact, if you make a gratitude list first, you might be surprised how it shapes your wish list for 2013. You’ll have a clearer sense of what matters most to you, and a better vision of what you want the future to look like.

5. Make a 2013 commitment to someone else. Who says a New Year’s resolution has to be about what’s wrong with you, and how you should change? Honor something bigger than yourself with a financial commitment to a cause you care about. Most non-profit organizations will allow you to pledge a monthly donation for a one-year term. A side benefit: research shows that donating money boosts happiness and self-image--the perfect antidote to the self-critical resolution.

From Marsha Lucas, PhD not me.

Deck the Halls with Balls of Chocolate

So other than trying to get this blog going again...this is what I'm doing today! I started it last night and found out that two bags of Lindt's chocolates and one bag of caramel bulls-eyes is not enough for an entire candy wreath. This project is going to be more expensive than anticipated.

The good news is...wait for it...I have yet to eat a truffle! Although I did eat three bulls-eyes. (Out of context that sounds weird). I was thinking about giving it to my sister for Christmas but I found this great hakuna matata ring on Etsy that I think would be a great gift for her so recipient of choco-wreath is yet to be determined.

http://www.livingonadime.com/candy-christmas-wreath/

Dontcha wanna Dosha?

A two month vacation really lends itself to showing you your natural tendencies. E.g. If you had extended periods of time with no obligations, nothing on your schedule, what would you do? Would you get in touch with your creative side and knit, paint, play the guitar/piano? Would you spend as much time outdoors as possible? Would you be diligent in getting to those tasks that got left behind like re-grouting the bathroom and painting the dining room?

Apparently, I am not good at any of these things and switch from task to task depending on how I feel motivated that day. Often times, I feel lazy and lethargic and other days quite drawn to a task. To even out my scattered tendencies, I decided to go back and look at my dosha. What is a dosha? According the Ayurveda (Indian health/medical practice), a dosha is your natural constitution. Back in 2010, I was evaluated to share about equal traits in all three doshas: Vata (air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water). Taking a second look now at the end of 2012, while I still have characteristics in all three areas, I constitute more strongly as a Vata-Pitta. Balancing for someone who is bi-doshic is more difficult that a person who falls more solidly in one area as there is the danger of unbalancing one dosha while trying to balance the other. For example, for a Vata, it is recommended to keep warm and eat spicy foods while a Pitta would want to avoid anything with heat in order to balance his/her dosha.

Luckily, we can group our constitutions based on characteristic and treat each characteristic separately. Physically, I am mostly Vata, so I should wear warm colors, keep a routine sleep and eating schedule, and stay warm, whereas my disposition shares Vata and Pitta traits thus making it more difficult to make changes in my daily routine in order to balance my dosha in this area.

Yoga poses also lend themselves to keeping you and your dosha in balance. Yoga journal published an article on different Arurvedic actions you can take in reaction to stress including yoga poses and practices. It is also fairly easy to create a balanced yoga practice in order to account for a bi-doshic personality. Students should consider their own dosha when choosing a yoga class or building their own home practice. A Vata dominant would not want to take a vinyasa class three times a week though that is probably what they are drawn to. Rather, they should mix up their practice with something more meditative such as yin to help ground them.

White Noise and Meditation

Guys! I found these two amazing white noise websites:

http://www.rainymood.com/ and http://calm.com

Rainy mood just plays rain and thunder in the background, and at Calm.com you can select different environments as well as timed meditation.

Gemini Top

Hey guys!

I finished my latest project!

Here it is on Ravelry.

<3

Love Glass

Wilco Festival!!

Guys! The Wilco Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, MA is set for June! Who's in??? There would be camping....it's not till 2013 (which sucks!!!) but hey you can't plan too soon :)

Count down to vacay... :P

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

In which we killed Care Bears and frolicked in their many-colored sugary goop

La and I made rainbow cupcakes!!! Yum!!!!

A poem that Antonio wrote about our trip

Whisper Natchez, Call Chickasaw

The grass must bend and roll,

near the cat-tails that bow

to the rippling water of the heart,

the providence of the soul.

Southwest Mississippi, near the border of Louisiana

The old man's beard, Spanish moss does not grow

But exists, breathing life into the forms surrounding,

Taller than time itself.

That imperial and solemn language of the dead

resonates in the the silent blooms stacked on hills

beneath the great sun. Let down your tresses,

sweet tender-footed ancestry.

When we say yours is lost to time,

what we really mean is that we are lost in our own time.

Unlike you, we have forgotten to remember

we must forget time if we are to live.

You are what you Yoga!

Hey Gals!

Alanna and I put together her new website! Hooray! Take a look....

http://www.youarewhatyouyoga.com/

There are still a few changes in the works, but it's fully functional! :)

And hey, I finished my sweater!

My First Sweater!

Huzzah!

I have been knitting my first ever sweater!

I have dubbed her (yes, it is a her) the Mermaid Cardigan, because the color is green like a mermaid. I've been having fun dreaming about all of the next sweaters I'm going to knit, and also trying to choose buttons. See? Wicket has been helping.

And Daisy thinks she's helping by looking all prissy/pretty/cat-like.

And I'm almost done! Just 1 and 1/2 sleeves left! 

This picture is from before I started the sleeves...

<3

Cookies

I just ate three cookies. They were good.