More . . . More . . .

I have come to terms with the future. From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth. Plant trees. Kill no living things. Live in harmony with all creatures. I will restore the earth where I am. Use no more of its resources than I need. And listen, listen to what it is telling me.

                                                                                      M.J.Hooey

With adjusting to a new iMac my focus has not been on writing a blog post. And yesterday when I completed this post with the same title, it "disappeared" . . . eek! So another attempt at "More . . . More . . ."

Last season, as the Santa Rosa plum tree would have set fruit, there was a late, very hard frost. This season however an abundance of fruit appeared.

Since the birds peck on the fruit, the fruit sort of rots. Thus picking the "More . . . More . .." plums then laying them out on a counter to fully ripen. Once the plums reach their maximum tastiness, they were canned in quart jars for consumption during the winter months.

Some of the fruit as an alternate choice was into jam. This jam I find delish with almond butter to make a sandwich. Anyone care to join me?

Now changing focuses . . . to creatures who visit PageRefuge.

Blue wildrye grass (Elymus glaucous)

Not long ago I was outside in the front watering plants. While do so I looked about and noticed this green insect in one of the large grass. if my recollection serves me there was an identical insect crawling up the side of our Santa Fe house. This is the first one I have seen here in Cotati. Perhaps it is a type of "bush cricket" (katydid)?

Since all of the irrigation from the entire property has been removed, I now hand water with a hose and controllable nozzle. While doing so I have notice this butterfly in the above picture. Using Common Butterflies of California by Bob Stewart to identify this butterfly: Anise swallowtail. The book also lists "Host Plants" so I purchased 4 Yampah (Perideridia Kellogg) from California Flora Nursery. During the payment process I was cautioned that this plant goes dormant. Soon after they were planted in the ground I noticed this to be true. In this area there is also an abundance of Fennel growing wild which is also a host plant.

Nectaring on an Echinacea purpurea 
(Purple coneflower)

Epiphyte (Orchid cactus) flower
Rather late but certainly fabulous to see!

In Seattle Steven and Leigh
Don't they look happy?

Since this is the third or so version of the blog post, I surely hope that I am able to post it! As it is "Published" I will keep my fingers crossed and

Ready

Today, the day before the beginning of the 2023 Chinese New Year of the Water Hare (Rabbit), all is ready at PageRefuge. This week, Wednesday through Friday, Travis Hatton sent 3 skilled painters to paint the outside of my house. 

The front extremely small porch looks more attractive! It now boasts a white ceiling, green door trim and post as well as rain spout.  

The back Northwest corner of PageRefuge
including a very convenient shed,
fencing along the West side  
and an exit from the back addition to the original house.

Once all these wooden structures, including the screen door on the front door, have completely dried out Travis will have his employees treat the wood. This will extend the life of the wood. He cautioned me that this was probably not going to be until some time in midSummer. Hopefully not since we certainly need an extension of our rainy season.

Travis has an outstanding eye for taking in the whole picture. He is also a stickler for detail in both paint color and overall ascetics of the entire project. He had the person who mixes his paint come by and match exactly the green paint on the medal framed living room windows. I LOVE the color which I find richer and more eye popping with its contrast to the white stucco.

One can barely tell
where the metal ends
and the wood begins.

He orchestrated the painting of the inside of my house when Dwight, Shasta and I moved in. After that was completed, he talked to both Dwight and I about the need for painting the exterior. So many other projects took precedent.

Several week ago when I got up (early like 4 a.m.) I discovered the oak flooring beneath the two kitchen windows was flooded. I asked my neighbor to take a look but he could not see where the water was coming from the outside to the inside. The following morning I found a repeat of the water issue. I called Travis who came over and caulked around both of the front kitchen windows. No rain came inside the kitchen after that. When he was here, he reiterated the need to paint the outside of the house. Soon thereafter we picked out time that worked for all of us. 

Today the sky is a vivid blue just like in the first picture. With no cloud cover overnight the temperature dropped into the mid 30's which was not nearly as cold as to what my friends in the Santa Fe area awoke to though. The frigid temperatures there are in the teens at night and only warming the low morning temperatures at PageRefuge. I remember Shasta and I taking our morning walk in those temperatures! No worries for Shasta, she still wanted extended playing time with Hobbes at Lopez Park. 

Lopez Park in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
No snow but it was cold I remember.
Shasta has not found another
beloved playmate like Hobbes.

All in all I am fully prepared for the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Unfortunately I have not found a great Chinese restaurant in the area of PageRefuge. Dwight and I use to go to San Francisco but alas when the pandemic shuttered businesses this restaurant closed it doors permanently.

I will, and invite each and every one of you also, partake in a hearty belly

Imbolc

Cross quarter days, in the Celtic calendar, signal the beginning of seasons. Thus February 02 is the beginning of Spring.

The name Imbolc, which means lambs' milk, was the original name for this day. Later the English name Candlemas was used. On this day in that country candles were lit to celebrate the "presentation of the Christ Child in the temple of Jerusalem".

Since the sun is halfway in its advancement from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox, Brigantia (the "female deity of light") was also a name for this day in the Celtic realm. On this day attention was given to when the ground could be prepared for the planting of their crops: would snow and frost continue or would warmth and rain thaw the fields so preparation could begin sooner?

Here in all of Sonoma County flowering quince (Chaenomeies) bushes are in full bloom. This deciduous scrub, originating in Eastern Asia, can grow to 9 or 10 feet tall. Whether the Chinese version or Japanese one, white, pink and red flowers adorn the bushes. Once established this scrub is virtually impossible to eradicate as we found out at MuRefuge, although I did seem to be able to rid SanFelipeCircleRefuge of hers. Since this is not a native, none will be planted at PageRefuge. AND luckily none existed here when we bought our Cotati home.

The below picture is of our neighbors' Flowering quince with lovely deep pink blossoms. The leaves will come later as the temperatures warm.

And above is one the "surprise" daffodils. This one emerged just off the edge of our short cement driveway. There are many others all about our garden but these are the first to bloom.

"I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto Me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return. Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold -- all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and hearing will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."

                                        DOREEN VALIENTE

On this remarkably warm sunny day here at PageRefuge, Dwight and I are enjoying a belly

 

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 

Result

Beneath our living room window and to the left of our front door:  Clematis ligusticifolia (Western virgin’s bower) on the trellis    Cornus sericea occidentalis (‘Tomales Bay’ Western twig dogwood)

has “red twigs” which are spectacular & cheery

in the Winter after the leaves drop. It is planted near the

downspout so it gets lots of moisture during 

       the rainy season. Dwight’s Santa Fe sculpture is in

the far left of the above picture.

Beneath our living room window and to the

left of our front door: 

Clematis ligusticifolia (Western virgin’s bower) on the trellis

   Cornus sericea occidentalis (‘Tomales Bay’ Western twig dogwood)

Phytophthora root disease, as I discovered when I wanted to recycle empty containers at the local nursery I frequent, is causing nurseries to reassess their practices. They now must buy new containers continuously, keep most plants up on tables rather than sitting them on the ground where they are more likely to be contaminated with Phytophthora, and be continually vigilant for the danger of this organism infecting their stock.

Not reusing containers at nurseries is costing the nurseries more money AND is a dilemma for those of us who do not want to dump them into the trash only to be thrown into the landfill. Luckily I have discovered that Harmony Farm Supply will take empty containers 1 gallon size and up. I have loaded up all of those I have to drop off at Harmony before my next appointment with my acupuncturist who lives just beyond this business.

Our front yard does not look so beautiful just yet.
However, as the perennials, shrubs and trees
mature I am looking forward to a
spectacular display in this wildlife habitat.

Now that all the purchased perennials, shrubs and trees have found "their forever home" at PageRefuge, there are a plethora of empty containers. Luckily only a few of them are 4" pots which I can "sterilize" with vinegar and water for reuse when I have veggies starts. I am beginning to contemplate seed ordering which I usually do after the beginning of the new year. Perhaps by then raised beds will be in progress so I can realistically assess my veggie garden space. As I did in Santa Fe I plan to have circles of delish ear corn with small tasty melons planted in the middle. These circles thrived on San Felipe Circle so hopefully they will likewise flourish here.

Our shady area in the back along the North side of the house:
6 Heuchera maxima (Alum root),
2 Carpenteria californica (Bush anemone ‘Elizabeth’) 
& 1 Corylus cornuta v. californica (Western hazelnut)
which all thrive in the shade.

The more I read about Phytophthora, the more my dismay soars. In my humble opinion the climate catastrophe is setting the stage for more and more virulent viruses. Those viruses not only affect humans as with COVID-19, but Phytophthora is threatening native habitat here in California. Probably these virulent viruses are upsetting humans, plants and animals' well BEing far beyond California.

As humans have incredible difficulty altering their way of life to reduce the climate catastrophe, we are faced with a calamity that is distressing all BEings on Mother Earth, our home.

Happy and "sweet", as so many describe Shasta
when they come upon her, on a sunny
afternoon in our backyard.

Mathis Wackernagel in his blog post discusses the global leader meeting in Glasgow and the difficulty of change in spite of all the evidence of the climate catastrophe destruction upon us. As each of us perhaps come to grips with the impact of our human behavior and vows to alter ourselves before it is too late, may we