WHAT'S UP NOW

My children think I'm crazy, but that is nothing new for someone who has teenagers. Since December I have been reading and researching like crazy. Three things out of all that inspired me to get moving.

The first is permaculture. Some time back my friend, Katie, and I went to the Permaculture institute up in Basalt, CO.

CENTRAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE

2001 East Cedar Drive • Basalt, CO 81621

Phone / Fax (970) 927-4158 • Email: Jerome@crmpi.org

Wow. Totally cool. That is when I first heard about this crazy idea of gardening like mother nature. She's such a know it all! I saw the beautiful soil. That was all the proof I needed. So, I have been turning large portions of my yard into gardens and layering in what is called Lasagna Gardening in order to build the soil. This year and in years to come I will plant. My continued inspiration and reading comes in the form of Bill Mollison. I have a few of his hard-to-find books on loan from my friend Wil. I know someday soon I will have to return them, but in the mean time I sleep with them hoping to absorb all they have to offer.

The second is composting. Okay, I've been composting for a decade now, but in the "throw it on the mound and eventually it will breakdown" kind of way. That is a very easy way to compost. I cared enough to not let my scraps end up in the land fill, but did not care enough to do ANYTHING other than throw it on the heap and let it breakdown. Now I am having a more hands on, conscious experience with my compost. Over winter break I carted my heavy-on-the-back-talking preteens up to a llama farm and then to a chicken farm with shovels and buckets. Who knew you could put so much poop and straw in the back of a volvo wagon? I drove around town buying up the last of the straw bales from the Christmas tree sales markets for a cheap-o price. I also sent my boys head first into massive recycling dumpsters to collect all the newspapers that my car would hold. It is no wonder that they think I'm crazy. Their mom collects what others want to get rid of. Well, as of spring break it is all layered in my newest garden now. With the help of our saw-happy wood working neighbor and all that I saved from last fall, we now have layers of newspaper, manure, straw, wood shavings, grass, leaves, compost and anything else I could come across. Thus far what I have learned? It takes A LOT of waste to create good soil. I still need sooo much more stuff. I've never been excited for grass cutting season to start, but I neeeeed those grass clippings now. Oh, and as a side project, I have two worm composting bins going. One at home and the other lives at my After School Care program. Start 'em early, I say!

The third, was a book called Plenty. One hundred mile diet. Eating only what comes from within 100 miles of where you live. WOW. Could you do that? We are going to try. Starting in June. Yikes. My children don't believe me. I don't blame them. I've done only a tiny bit of research as of yet. No chocolate, no coffee, no pineapple or coconut, no ginger, no soy sauce, NO RICE-we are gluten-free! I was actually sad to find out that we can get sugar from sugar beets. My boys were thrilled, but I was hoping we would get a break from everything but honey. There are a few things like ginger and lemons I think I might go crazy without. But I am resourceful, that much I know. I'm just sure that if someone is growing rice or ginger within 100 miles of my house I will sniff it out.

--I'll let you know how it's going.