I wish that I had asked more questions because when our generations before us leave they take knowledge and skills with them.
I am hanging onto the skills I know from when I was younger and the experience I have gained from living life. If we simply live a life of consumerism giving no thought where our food comes from and endless spending then the only knowledge we gain is how quickly debt can accumulate and ignorance of things that can affect our health.
Due to growing older and lack of garden space we have been slowly moving to the direction of permaculture. Growing food is important so if we cannot physically maintain a garden there is permaculture.
This past weekend my husband and I tilled the small victory garden and planted blueberry bushes to go with the raspberry plants we planted last year in this garden. So now this is our Victory Berry garden which hopefully will produce many Blueberries and Raspberries.
We moved some smaller potted herbs and vegetables to our tiny porch to have somethings kitchen ready close that I can tend to. These are not permaculture.
There are Perennial and Annual plants. An annual is a plant that only has one year or less life cycle as are the vegetables I plant and a perennial is for example our coneflowers (Echinacea), is a perennial for our area. It springs up in spring, blooms, dies back and comes back the next year. The roots remain alive and the plant spreads. The porch will mostly be herbs for cooking as the squirrels are still finding their way to the lettuce and cabbage.
Permaculture is more permanent plants, bushes and trees that are native to our area or have been planted and adapted. Our citrus trees have become part of our permaculture. They are a more delicate part of our permaculture.
The fruit trees such as this plum tree that is going to rest for the coming winter. In the spring it will wake up and start sprouting leaves, bloom and the produce plums if the birds do not eat all the plums we might be able to make jam.
Did you know that a plum tree needs a mate? There are many things about growing food that we may not know and why we need to study and ask those that do this well.
Many years ago people were less distracted and more aware of the natural cycles and how to successfully grow food without all the chemicals that today have made food happen easier, faster, bigger but with a cost to our soil and to our bodies.
I am very concerned.
We can do better if we stop worrying what everyone else is doing and start studying, talk with our elders that are left that know more than we do.
We should be composting our scraps, grass clippings, leaves instead of sending it to the dump even if we do not garden. We can recycle these things and once it has made dirt it can go back on our own soil to give nourishment to our trees, bushes and plants and lawn.
Michelle from Arkansas USA sent me a few photos awhile back just after I finished the around the world series about windows. Michelle lives a more old fashioned simple life because it makes sense. They live out in the country and grow food.
On top the trunk you will see some beautiful functional oil lamps.
Those churns that sit there have quite a history as their purpose was and still is to provide butter, cheese and sauerkraut for the family. The chair belonged to Michelle's husbands Grandmother and the Churns belonged to her Grandmother.
We can still make our butter with cream, that has not changed only we have changed.
Their chickens inside a well protected fence as predators can be a big problem when keeping chickens, ducks or quail. Even in the city those predators will find their way in. The best way to learn how to do something such as keeping chickens for eggs like Michelle is go talk to someone that actually does this.
Thank you Michelle for sending your photos. I have ended the photo series and may do another one next year. Thank you all that submitted photos.
Remember Meyer? I have often wondered how he did once his Mommy guided him into the woods behind our house. His survival depends on many things, predators and chemicals. When we spray to kill bugs we need to remember that toxin goes on to the food the birds eat as they eat bugs. We have to be very careful how we use chemicals.
Nature will adjust and even claim its space given time. Here is a beautiful picture that some friends, Liz and Jerry took that shows how nature will adapt do what is natural. We can work with nature.
I wish I could sit down again with my Aunt Madge and talk about old times but I cannot because she has left. Many times we will find the people that lived the most simple life have the most knowledge because when you take away all the things that really do not matter you end up with practical.
When is the last time you talked and listened to an Elder? You might want to before it is too late because our generation that experienced times in which we never lived, especially the very old times are almost gone. If you ask they will tell you and that would most likely make them very happy.
Grandma Donna
