Bareroots

Shasta just beyond the trellis
Dwight constructed for the
Roger Red grapes. 
There is one planted on the outside
of each side.
Against the far fence sits the
repaired Between Earth and Sky sculpture.
 In our Santa Fe backyard
a wheelbarrow handle 
hit her arm and broke it
during my inattention to what I was doing.

Infinite Spirit, when I pray each day 

for shelter for the homeless,

let me not ignore the pet without a home;

As I ask protection for those in areas

of turmoil and unrest, 

let me not forget endangered species of life;

When I pray for the hungry be fed,

let me be mindful

that all God’s creatures have need of sustenance;

As I ask Divine assistance for those afflicted

by fire, flood, earthquake, storm or drought, 

let me remember that this includes every living thing;

In seeking miracle cures for human disease,

may I also speak for the well-being of the planet itself.

Let the words of my mouth,

the meditations in my heart

and the actions of my life be as one,

that I may live each day in harmony

with Mother Earth. Amen.

                                  JENNIE FROST BUTLER

The shadows make it really difficult to actually
see what is planted: against the fence in shadows
are two bareroot thornless Black Satin blackberry bushes.
Left to right three apple trees:
Spitzenburg Apple (Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple),
Pink Pearl Apple which I use to make naturally pink applesauce,
Cox Orange Pippin Apple which is a delicious eating right off the tree apple.
The fruit trees came from Trees of Antiquity
everything else from Harmony Farm Supply.

Moving to the West side of our house from the back yard more berries.

Against the shed South facing side are two Boyne Red Raspberry bushes.
10 Seascape strawberries are planted along our West fence.

12 Chandler strawberry plants are planted South of the Pipevine.
Surprise! Daffodils have emerged in various parts of the yard.
This unexpected happening is both welcome and cheery with its vibrant yellow flowers. 

Across the brick path towards the side of the house 
and next to our new AC  are 14 Albion strawberry plants.
This is the space where a hot tub was when we purchased this house.

In the front in the shadow closest to the West fence
is a York elderberry and in the same "circle" a Nova elderberry.
For berry production there needs to be a male and a female.
Hence two bareroot elderberries were planted.

In the foreground in the center of 4 green plants

is a Blenheim apricot tree.

Whew! Getting all of these bareroots into the ground in two days was a push! For all of my planting projects I use North American Edition: The Marie Thun Biodynamic Almanac that indicated January 20 & 21 were "fruit" transplanting days. Luckily December brought much needed rain so digging the holes was relatively easy. Alas, January has been dry . . . no rain. We catch most of our household water and carry it outside to water all the plantings. I believe this will be our practice throughout at least a year until everything is well established. Saving water seems like a good practice since water is in such short supply. We did it in Santa Fe and continue to do so here.

Here is an up to date, complete plant list for PageRefuge.

Even though this is the smallest of the three native habitats/human food forests I have created, I am thinking as I work outside "I'm getting too old for this". To dissipate all the feelings and emotions around that thought, I