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OUR CULTURAL COMMONS (PART 3): THE ONGOING STRUGGLE TO GOVERN THE COMMONS

chrismaser — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:19:57 +0000

THE ONGOING STRUGGLE TO GOVERN THE COMMONS

Chris Maser

A discussion of governing the commons has a minimum of four interactive components: (1) recognizing perception as truth, (2) the degree to which a commons is isolated, (3) the changing biophysical environment, and (4) the need for adaptive principles of governance.

RECOGNIZING PERCEPTION AS TRUTH

Perhaps the major challenge to governing the commons wisely and unselfishly for all generations lies in fact that every person sees and understands the world differently because each person is imbued with a unique story based on individual circumstances. One’s interpretation of that story is informed by personal perception—and that perception is unarguably one’s sense of the truth. This being the case, the notion of right versus wrong can exist only metaphorically because the reality of everyone’s perception is right, right, and different.

The Indian spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, said that, “A votary of truth [a person fervently devoted to truth] is often obliged to grope in the dark.” Our challenge therefore lies in our blind spots, not in our vision. Unlike correcting a blind spot in the rear view of an automobile, which can be rectified simply by adding a different kind or a supplemental mirror, we cannot correct our personal blind spots so easily. To correct them, we must grow in our perception and in our acceptance of what is. “Perceive” is from the Latin percipere, which means “to seize the whole of something, to see all the way through.” Perception, therefore, is the act of seeing in the mind, of understanding.

Although our perceptions grow and change as we mature, not everyone’s perceptions mature at the same rate, which accounts for the widely differing degrees of consciousness with respect to cause-and-effect relationships. This disparity is neither good nor bad; it simply means that each of us have different gifts to give at different times in our lives as we see different versions of the truth.

Truth is absolute, whereas perceptions of truth are relative. Therefore, facts, which are perceptions of truth, are relative. Consider the following statement: The world functions perfectly; our perception of how the world functions is imperfect. What does that mean? We don’t know because our perception is constantly changing as we increase the scope of our knowledge.

Trying to understand this concept is the essence of science. Yet even having worked as a scientist for 40 years or more, I would not know a “scientific truth” derived from testing a hypothesis if I stepped on one, because all science can do is disprove something. A scientific fact is therefore a fact only by consensus of the scientists, which means that a scientific fact or truth is only an approximation of what is. It represents our best understanding of reality at this moment and is constantly subject to change as we learn.

Perception is learning, because cause and effect are always connected. Gandhi had reached this conclusion when he said, “My aim is not to be consistent with my previous statements, but to be consistent with the truth.” He was consistent in his changing perceptions of what the truth was at different stages in his life. He grew from “truth” to “truth” as his vision cleared and he could see greater and greater vistas. So he said that if one found an “inconsistency” between any two things he wrote, the person “would do well to choose the latter of the two on the same subject.”

As I have grown, I am increasingly struck by the way my perception of what is continues to unfold, like a many-petalled flower. As each petal matures, I see the world anew, and thus perceive it differently. My reality is therefore different.

Truth is perfect understanding of that which is. It is neither the spoken word nor the written word, although these may have a ring of truth to them. Truth cannot be defined; it can only be experienced and lived.

With respect to governing the commons, the flawed assumption made during policy debates is that everyone involved has a similar level of understanding of the problem being discussed. In reality, however, vast differences in knowledge and understanding underpin the resource problems confronting the commons because those in charge are either not understood the issue or ignored it through “informed denial.” When religious, political, or other special-interest ideologies are added to the milieu, uncertainty and contestation over potential solutions is a virtual certainty.¹

In addition to differences in knowledge, understanding, and ideologies, men and women intuitively perceive their respective worlds differently. Men tend to be relatively direct, linear, quantitative, and short-term oriented in their approach to problems, whereas women are predominantly interrelationship oriented based on a familial sense of multiple generations and thus a greater propensity for simultaneously considering an integrative approach in successive time scales.

THE DEGREE TO WHICH A COMMONS IS ISOLATED

In the early days of shared use, governance of a commons was a jointly assumed responsibility of everyone in the hunter-gatherer group who used it. Although most such commons were sustainably used over centuries, that likely began to change with the advent of herding and the beginning of competition for grazing and a more sedentary way of life that led to local increases in human populations. Nevertheless, it took the onset of agriculture to effectively seal the fate of long-term sustainability with respect to Nature’s commons. The rapidly increasing numbers of people and domestic animals in the agricultural areas not only incited and fostered growing inter-tribal competition for arable land and water but also the conflicts it engendered. These conflicts grew in scale and intensity as various tribes coalesced into larger and larger societies, which spread across the landscape and conquered smaller, weaker groups of people. What becomes evident from history is that sustainable governance of a commons collapses more often due to unfavorable influence from without than from within. Ancient Greece is a case in point.

Greece, flourishing under wise agricultural use during the beginning of the Iron Age (12^th century BCE), had nevertheless greatly altered its landscape, in spite of its apparently sound agricultural ethic. But all the human-caused changes, including deforestation, do not appear to have caused the collapse of the agricultural system. It was sustainable in fact, and it might have continued to be so had not been for the effect of outside influences.

Although the Greeks modified their landscape, making it ecologically fragile, their agricultural system was sustainable as long as there was a full human population to tend the terraced fields. The destruction of their agricultural system was not a consequence of the system itself, but rather of Romans raiding the Greek countryside for slaves that reduced the population of workers and left the vulnerable landscape increasingly untended, thereby allowing the terraces to collapse and the soil to wash into the Aegean Sea.

As long as the Greeks maintained adequate cover crops that functioned to hold in place the soil as the forests had once done, their agricultural system was sustainable. Unfortunately, as Roman slavers continually reduced the Greek’s working population, there came a threshold beyond which this labor-intensive agriculture simply could not be maintained, and the system collapsed with the loss of the topsoil.²

Prior to the advent of Greek agriculture, the land had been forested for millennia, making sustainability a moot point. Sustainability arose as a problem not because of deforestation, but because of the inability of a society debilitated by slaving to continue performing the function of the forest, namely soil conservation.

This same kind of dynamic is occurring today in many other parts of the world, but for another reason. While working in Peninsular Malaysia, I observed a number of abandoned rice paddies, some of which were being reclaimed by young-growth jungle, while others were simply eroding away. When I asked why this was happening, I was told that many of the younger people were migrating to the cities, such as Kuala Lumpur.

Growing rice without modern machinery is labor intensive. As long as there are enough young people in the villages to augment and eventually replace the old people in the labor pool, the rice paddies will be sustainable. But as the young people leave the villages for the cities, they diminish the village labor pool just as surely as the Romans did when they captured and removed Greek peasants as slaves. When a village labor pool falls below a certain threshold minimum, the rice paddies are no longer sustainable as part of the village commons.

THE CHANGING BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Today every aspect of the commons is increasingly under attack from the global-scale growth in the human population; rampant, wasteful use of resources in the industrialized countries; competition in the global-market money chase, which fosters deployment of advanced technologies for resources exploitation worldwide; the virtually unlimited human access to the once-isolated commons of indigenous peoples, as well as compounding effects of polluting the global ecosystem.³

We humans have jointly inherited the commons, which is more basic to our lives and well-being than either the market or the state. We are “temporary possessors and life renters,” wrote British economist and philosopher Edmund Burke, and we “should not think it amongst [our] rights to cut off the entail, or commit waste on the inheritance.”⁴

Despite the wisdom of Burke’s admonishment, the commons is today almost everywhere under assault, abuse, and degradation in the name of economic development as corporations are increasingly hijacking (euphemistically termed “privatizing”) both Nature’s services and every creature’s birthright to those services. Pollution despoils the air, defiles the soil, and poisons the water. Noise has routed silence from its most protected sanctuaries. City light hides the stars by night. Urban sprawl, the disintegration of community, and the attempts to control, engineer, and patent the very substance of life itself are all part or the economic raid on the commons for private monetary gain. “Corporations,” says author David Korten, “are pushing hard to establish property rights over ever more of the commons for their own exclusive ends, often claiming the right to pollute or destroy the regenerative systems of the Earth for quick gain, shrinking the resource base available for ordinary people to use in their pursuit of livelihoods, and limiting the prospects of future generations.”⁵

This is not to say that all corporations are bad or that the market is inept. It is to say that both corporations and the market must have boundaries to keep them within the realm of human competence and moral limits. “The market economy is not everything,” asserted conservative economist Wilhelm Ropke in the 1950s. “The supporters of the market economy do it the worst service by not observing its limits.”⁶ And it’s by ignoring the moral limits of the market economy that we, the adults of the world, create poverty and increasingly mortgage all the generations of the future—beginning with our own children and grandchildren.

As long as humanity is motivated by fear, of which “greed” is a part, every market economy will be destructive. Although money, which is seen as personal security, is the true object of competition, the ultimate battlefield is the global environment—the commons. The only possible solution for human survival with any sense of dignity and well-being is a conscious reduction of and cap on the human population. Even then, the market economy would remain destructive, but the biophysical carrying capacity for human life would be in better balance with the long-term availability of natural resources.

THE NEED FOR ADAPTIVE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE

Although there is increasing emphasis on the significance of mutual trusteeship of our natural resources, generalized social bounds—while essential—are not enough to shift the entrenched patterns of interactions toward new, adaptive forms of cooperative caretaking and governance of a commons in response to ongoing environmental change. In fact, the more complex a commons is biophysically and the more diverse the segment of humanity that uses it, the more contentious the interactions are likely to be. Under such circumstances, sound, often-strict, local enforcement of predetermined social behavior is necessary to protect and maintain the potential biophysical productivity of the commons.⁷

On the other hand, I have found that the level of consciousness that causes and problem in the first place is not the same level that can fix it. For this reason, I have over the years facilitated the transformative resolution to environmental conflicts, which raises the level of the participants’ consciousness of cause and effect with respect to their decisions and actions. The outcome of this transformative conflict resolution is a shared vision based on the heightened level of awareness whereby the participants negotiate a new standard of behavior—inevitably a personal constraint of some kind—in order to achieve a greater collective freedom with respect to a future condition.⁸

As environmental problems become more complex, however, it is good to identify a complement of guiding principles that touch the heart and soul of people even as they protect the productive capacity of the commons for all generations—present and future. Whereas an interdisciplinary group of 16 people engaged in a discussion that promulgated six principles for the sustainable governance of the oceans as a global commons, it is with humility that I add the seventh: (1) responsibility, (2) matching scales, (3) precaution, (4) adaptive caretaking, (5) full-cost allocation, (6) participation, and (7) shared leadership. As the authors state it, “The [seven] Principles together form an indivisible collection of basic guidelines governing the use of all environmental resources, including, but not limited to, marine and coastal resources.”⁹

I have rewritten the principles in order to engage them as fully as possible in the care we take of all aspects of the global commons:

Principle 1: Responsibility. Access to environmental resources carries with it attendant responsibilities to use them in a manner that is ecologically effective, economically sensitive, and socially just to ensue the continued productive capacity of the commons in question. Individual and corporate responsibilities and incentives must be aligned with one another and with the broad goals of social-environmental sustainability.

Principle 2: Matching Scales. Ecological problems are rarely confined to a single scale in time or space. Therefore, decision concerning environmental resources must: (i) be assigned to institutional levels that maximize their ecological contribution, (ii) ensure the flow of ecological information among all appropriate institutional levels, (iii) be inclusive and take all concerned citizen into account, and (iv) internalize costs and benefits. Appropriate scales of governance are those with the most relevant information, can respond quickly and effectively, and are able to integrate within and among scales in time and space.

Principle 3: Precaution. In the face of uncertainty and the irreversibility of environmental impacts, decisions concerning their use must err on the side of caution. The burden of proof is thus shifted to those whose activities could potentially damage the environment.

Principle 4: Adaptive Caretaking. Given that some level of irreversibility always exists in caring for environmental resources, decision-makers must continuously gather and integrate appropriate—monitoring—ecological, social, and economic information with the goal of adaptive improvement.

Principle 5: Full-Cost Allocation. All of the internal and external costs and benefits of alternative decisions concerning the use of environmental resources, including social and ecological, are to be identified and allocated. For the sake of transparency, education, and social-environmental sustainability, markets must continually be adjusted to openly reflect full costs. As history demonstrates over and over, true economic transparency is the road to social justice within and among generations.

Principle 6: Participation. All stakeholders must be engaged in the formulation and implementation of decisions concerning environmental resources—which means someone must speak for the children of all generations. Full understanding and participation on the part of affected citizens is necessary for credible, accepted rules that appropriately identify and assign the corresponding responsibilities.

Principle 7: Shared Leadership. The sustainable governance of the commons will require an ongoing, participatory, and open process involving all the major stakeholder groups—including someone speaking for the children of all generations. It will also require integrated assessment and shared leadership and to accomplish fully adaptive caretaking.

Shared or revolving leadership comes about in two ways: first, when “subordinates” break custom and become leaders, and second, when someone’s particular expertise is needed and they temporarily assume leadership. Revolving leaders are indispensable in our lives because they take charge in varying degrees, as circumstances require.

Such leadership relies on three things: (1) inclusivity, which presumes that lasting solutions require the participation of all affected parties, including someone speaking for the children of all generations; (2) mutual accountability, which presumes that sustainable solutions depend on all sides taking responsibility for answers (which means mutual blaming is not enough); and (3) cultivating the skills of democracy, which presumes that we are not born knowing how to be effective within a democratic system of government and must be taught the art of participation—from active listening to negotiation and evaluation.¹⁰ When, however, we view government as distinct from civil society, we exempt it from practicing inclusive, participatory approaches to interpersonal relationships.¹¹

Revolving leadership is the basis of day-to-day of the participatory democratic process required in all contexts of social-environmental sustainability. Such participation is both one’s opportunity and responsibility to be accountable through the example of one’s personal behavior, by participating in the democratic process and thereby extending a willingness to accept ownership in the resolution of it society’s problems.

Because no one person can be an expert in everything, the person in the official position of overall leadership must have the common sense and good grace to support and follow the lead of a person whose expertise is momentarily in demand. It is difficult for many people to be open enough to recognize what is best in a given circumstance and to step aside when specific leadership—other than theirs—is required.

In the last analysis, leadership must be shared (but neither given away nor sold) because a time will arise when we must count on someone else’s special competence. If we think about the people with whom we share the commons, it becomes apparent that we must be able to count on one another if our commons is to meet our needs while protecting our deepest values. By ourselves, we are severely limited, but together we can be something truly awesome.

But, you might say, I’m only one person, what can I do? My actions account for so very little. Because so many people feel this way, it might be instructive to consider snowflakes.

When snowflakes begin falling, those coming down first land on the warm soil and melt, entering the ground without a trace. One after another, they come into view out of the sky, fall past our faces, and land on the ground, only to disappear as rapidly as they appeared—or so it would seem.

But each snowflake does something as it touches the soil. Its coolness dissipates the soil’s heat. As flake after snowflake touches the ground and melts, the collective coolness of their beings creates a cumulative effect by which the soil is eventually cooled enough that falling snowflakes melt progressively more slowly until some don’t melt at all. Now, snow begins accumulate, gradually at first, until the land is covered in a blanket of white.

Is one snowflake more important than another? Is the one you see sparkling in the sun more important than the one that melted upon landing? Neither is more or less important than the other. Without those that melted and cooled the soil, the ones that ultimately formed the blanket of winter white would not have survived to do so. Therefore, just as every snowflake (individually and as part of the collective) is important to the whole of winter, so is each person (individually and as part of the collective) important to the whole of a commons.

Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike, no two people are identical. Thus, each individual has a unique gift to offer, a special talent that in the collective of a democratic council is complementary rather than competitive. Each person’s belief, being a little different from all the others, helps a democratic council of caretakers to see itself when that person’s voice is raised in expressing their particular point of view.¹²

Although I recognize that flawless, ecologically sound, democratic governance of any aspect of the global commons is a wishful illusion, such as the elimination of air pollution, we come closest to achieving our goals by aiming for the ideal. And if we fall short of achieving the ideal, we will at least have accomplished more than if our aim had been lower.

There is a land in the imagination, however, that some call “Utopia,” a land much written about through the centuries as people struggle to find peace and equality in a world that seems designed and governed by conflict. Like the Utopias imagined by philosophers, the Idyllic Isle of my dreams, the possibility I hold fast in my heart, is today still surrounded by a brooding sea of strife and thus difficult to reach, although long ago I touched its shore.

Throughout the years of middle-life, I used to get glimpses of the Idyllic Isle from time to time after strenuous, focused effort. But as I get older, I succeeded more easily in making the journey to that shore of possibility—a land where people choose to love one another; where work is transformed into labors of love that some would call “play;” and where social-environmental problems are untangled with patience, compassion, and ease. Earth, too, could be like this, so the story goes, if only. . . But here, today, it is one thing to envision a better future, and quite another to pry people loose from their entrenched, habitually negative thinking and drag them, in full resistance, into that better future.

I emphasize negative thinking because Utopias are not imagined perfection, but rather imagined cures for imperfection, and herein lies the problem with most “solutions.” Namely, a solution is conjured in an attempt to move away from an unwanted circumstance rather than moving toward a desired outcome. Put another way, instead of moving toward the ideal, most solutions attempt to cure an imperfection by moving away from it, an action that is neither physically nor psychologically possible because we not only become but also create what we focus on—in this case, the imperfection.

Regardless of how it may seem, I am not intimating the kind of Utopia described by Sir Thomas More, that imaginary isle of perfection in human relationships. But, I am suggesting an ideal because an ideal is all that is worth striving for and thus writing about.

To solve our social-environment problems, we must have a destination in the form of an idealized vision toward which to journey. This ideal can then define an agenda resting firmly on the bedrock of a shared vision that incorporates the collective wisdom, personal courage, and political will needed to inspire true social progress. Although this sounds good, where, in a practical sense, do we go from here?

Despite the usual elusiveness of an ideal, we can each begin our personal journey toward wholeness, toward “psychological maturity,” which, upon attainment, will allow us to both envision our ideal and work toward it as an unconditional gift of love to bestow on the generations of the future by leaving the world a little better for having been here. To those who doubt this is possible, I offer an admonishment by the aforementioned Edmund Burke: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”¹³

I know from experience that achieving psychological maturity is no easy task. It requires discipline, self-reflection, a willingness to admit and learn from mistakes, the courage to change with each new insight, and, above all, the courage to purposefully struggle within oneself toward an ideal of being that has as its reward an inner freedom and peace unparalleled in the outer world. “We actually live today in our dreams of yesterday,” mused aviator Charles Lindbergh, “and living those dreams, we dream again.”¹⁴ Thus begins the journey toward the Idyllic Isle.

The extent to which each person achieves psychological maturity is the extent to which society as a whole approaches the shore of the Idyllic Isle—the Isle of Positive Possibility. There is but one time to set sail. And that time is now!¹⁵

ENDNOTES

William M. Adams, Dan Brockington, Jane Dyson, and Bhaskar Vira. Managing Tragedies: Understanding Conflict over Common Pool Resources. Science, 302 (2003):1915-1916.

The preceding discussion of ecosystem fragility, and the example from ancient Greece, is based on: Fritz M. Heichelheim. The effects of Classical antiquity on the land. Pp. 165-182. In: W. L. Thomas (Editor). Man’s role in changing the face of the Earth. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 1956.

Thomas Dietz, Elinor Ostrom, and Paul C. Stern. The Struggle to Govern the Commons. Science, 302 (2003):1907-1912.

Jonathan Rowe. 2001. The hidden commons. Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, Summer (2001):12-17.

David C. Korten. 2001. What to Do When Corporations Rule the World. 2001. Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, Summer (2001):148-151.

Jonathan Rowe. 2001. The hidden commons. Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, Summer (2001):12-17.

Per Olsson, Carl Folke, and Terry P. Hughes. Navigating the transition to ecosystem-based management of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105 (2008):9489-9494.

Chris Maser. Resolving Environmental Conflict: Towards Sustainable Community Development. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, FL. (1996) 200 pp.

The foregoing discussion of principles of sustainably governing a commons is based on: Robert Costanza, Francisco Andrade, Paula Antunes, and others. Principles for Sustainable Governance of the Oceans. Science, 281 (1998):198-199.

The foregoing two paragraphs are based on: Chris Maser. Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. (1998) 235 pp.

Frances Moore Lappé and Paul Du Bois. A Place for Democracy. Yes! A Journal of Positive Futures, Winter (1997):37-38.

The foregoing discussion of shared leadership is based on: Chris Maser. Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Development. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. (1998) 235 pp.

Edmund Burke. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edmundburk100421.html (accessed on March 23, 2009).

Charles A. Lindbergh. http://www.mcrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=43777 (accessed on March 23, 2009).

The forgoing discussion of utopia is based on: Chris Maser. Of Ditches And Ponds: A Journey Through The Metaphors Of Childhood And Maturity. Woven Strings Publishing, Amarillo, TX. (2006) 282 pp. E-Book. 2505KB.

I spent over 25 years as an active research scientist in natural history and ecology in forest, shrub steppe, subarctic, desert, coastal, and agricultural settings. Today I am an independent author as well as an international lecturer, facilitator in resolving environmental conflicts, vision statements, and sustainable community development. I am also an international consultant in forest ecology and sustainable forestry practices.

I Have Lived, Worked, Consulted, And/Or Lectured In: Austria o Canada o Chile o Egypt o France o Germany o Japan o Malaysia o Mexico o Nepal o Slovakia o Switzerland o and various settings in the United States.

If you want to contact me, visit my website: http://chrismaser.com/index.htm

Garden of Darkness by Anne Frasier

manalodorotie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:09:06 +0000

“Garden of Darkness” by Anne Frasier is a chilling atmospheric tale of horror. This follow-up to “Pale Immortal” should please fans and new readers alike. According to the legend of the Pale Immortal a vampire built the town of Old Tuonela. Is it a hoax or are dark forces really at work?

In Tuonela, Wisconsin the exhumed body of Richard Manchester, a suspected vampire known as the Pale Immortal, is put on display. His remains are drawing visitors from across the country. When a tourist disappears the mayor tries to down play the publicity. Meanwhile the medical examiner, Rachel Burton, is packed up and anxious to leave town. Pregnant and betrayed by the man she loves she wants to move on before her baby is born. The chief of police stops her and begs her to stay to help with a case. Although she wants to protect her baby from any evil doing in the town, she feels compelled to stay when he tells her the skinned body of a tourist was found. She knows it wasn’t done by an animal. Time proves her right and the prime suspect turns out to be her former lover. She’s determined to forget Evan and focus on the case. But as more bodies are discovered and Evan’s behavior becomes more irrational she fears he may really be the killer.

This is a great story but I wish I had read “Pale Immortal” first. As soon as I picked up on some of the back history I was hooked. I love the ghost town setting and the mix of characters. The haunted town of Tuonela provides the perfect backdrop for paranormal suspense and shocking revelations. Switching Point Of View is often confusing, but in this story it works. Grab a yourself a copy of “Pale Immortal” then read “Garden of Darkness” for the heart pounding climax.

Publisher: Onyx (December 4, 2007)

ISBN: 978-0-451-41247-8

Paperback: Pages 384

Price: $7.99

Gail Pruszkowski reviews for “Romantic Times BOOKreviews” magazine and her work has been published in the “Cup of Comfort” Anthologies.

http://mysite.verizon.net/bookworm.gp/
http://write-juncture.blogspot.com/

Project: Keeping the Dog out of the Raised Bed

bethpc — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:48:04 +0000

We rescued a puppy a few months ago, and he was supposed to be a terrier/pug mix. Not so much anymore– we think he might actually be a terrier/Irish Wolfhound mix. He’s very cute.

Can you stand how cute that face is?

However cute he is, though, he is destroying my raised bed. (My husband, who didn’t want the dog, loves to taunt me: “Ah, the epic question– what do you love more, the garden or the dog?”) He already ruined one crop of seeds that I recently planted. I knew I had to take some serious action, and it didn’t involve a $200 an hour dog trainer. (Although I haven’t ruled that out.)

the dog, post-destruction, full of well-prepped dirt

I re-planted my bed with my swiss chard, spinach, beets and carrots, and came up with what seems to me a totally adequate if not highly aesthetically-pleasing solution. The raised bed sits about 2′ high in the backyard:

I re-prepped the raised bed after the dog completely tore it up

I decided to make a kind of “fence” around the perimeter of the bed with bamboo stakes spaced at intervals. This solution would fulfill the main requirements:

keep the dog out of the bed– really, I only needed a deterrent; as long as he thought he couldn’t get in, the barrier didn’t need to actually be strong enough to stop him
allow sunlight to get to the plants
allow me to get to the bed easily to tend the plants and harvest, and because the bamboo stakes are simply tucked into the soil, I can remove any number that I need to to get to the plants
not take too long to implement– it took less than 10 minutes to put the stakes in, and they cost less than $6 at Home Depot
not be an eye sore– not perfect, but blends in pretty well

project complete, and so far, no dogs in the bed

I’ll be posting as the plants begin to sprout and hopefully don’t get uprooted by a crazy canine.

THE BENEFITS OF DOING ALL OF YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING ONLINE

debbizbiz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:26:12 +0000

Shopping is one activity that is exciting and physically rejuvenating for most people. It is something that is thoroughly

enjoyed by most folks, with the exception of a few. It is undoubtedly the best thing to do in your spare time but what

happens when you are running out of precious seconds and the clock is ticking away which happens a lot when the

holidays are around the bend. That is when every precious second counts and you really have none to spare. At this

moment, the internet comes to your rescue in a lot of beneficial ways, which are more than one.

At a time when you got to get so much spring cleaning done around the house and decoration boxes to be

brought down, there is just not enough time for one to rush to the shopping mall to pick up stuff. The options available

online are such a boom at this time and all you have to do is just log on to the internet. It is so great to know that most

businesses, small or big have taken their businesses online in order to make their business a success. And this is beneficial

to the customer who needs that particular product and has no time to go shop hopping. You will always find options that are

within the area that you live in or close by because of the boom of the internet. Distance is not a problem anymore.

Once you have identified the store or items, even delivery is not a problem. Get your gifts delivered to wherever you

want it and within the time frame that suits you. What more could one ask for? It works out

really well in terms of time and money. www. order-gifts.com is your key to freedom from

crowded shopping malls during the holiday seasons and sweating it out. You are now equipped

with the ability to still shop for your gifts and needs in a very constructive and regulated manner. And

what sounds even better, is the fact that you can carry on decorating your little haven the way you want to

as time is all yours. That extra time at home can go in baking goodies and cakes for the family that you love

so much.

Looking Back II: Things that worked

Garden Keeper — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:02:06 +0000

This garden year was odd. I didn’t start my seeds early enough. However, I had more plants in the soil that I had started from seed than ever before. And they grew well. A variety of coleus, impatiens and the morning glories (above), in particular, were quite successful.

And it rained. And rained. And then rained some more. With very little sunshine until August. And then the summer returned to something close to normal. The flowers exploded in blossoms. Like these marigolds.

Once again, I was more ambitious about the garden than my time or energy allowed me to be. So I started an English country garden in the front – which would get a gentlemen’s “C”. And the peace garden was spectacular in some areas – less so in others. Still needs work.

But given climate and other challenges – the garden was fairly successful in 2009.

Hi, My name is Jodie

jodienicole — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:22:36 +0000

…. and… and… I have a problem.

It’s terrible and true. I love plants. Mostly plants that serve a purpose other than just being pretty. But that is my criteria for all things; pets, animals, objects. What my problem is, is that I have no self-control. There have been comments about my garden, the amount of things and experiments going on in the containers on my porch. It’s only natural, cause honestly, who grows Silver Queen corn in a container on the porch of a 560 sq. ft. apartment not to mention in the fall/winter in Florida. But this isn’t just about my corn. It’s about the two 7-8 feet tall cherry tomato plants, explosion of a hot pepper medley, three or four bell pepper plants, 3 vine plants (for privacy and beauty), and finally one lemon tree. And that I have no self-control.

Because today, I finally got myself an… wait for it… Eversweet Strawberry plant. I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve wanted a strawberry plant for a while now. Preferably a hanging strawberry plant, however, with those 7-8 feet tall tomato plants all the hanging space is being used for supporting the tomatoes. So it was fate, that today after meeting my friend at subway and scarfing down a sandwich in 5 minutes, that on a whim I decided to stop at target next door. Low and behold, strawberries for $1.39. And a beautiful green pot on sale and in my favorite color. The skies parted for a brief second, the stars aligned, and the angels sung their praises. And all was good.

Yeah, the pot may or may not be big enough, but it’s all just a huge experience in container gardening. And maybe, someday, I will be able to grow items from seed. The only seeds that can survive on my watch are peppers. Until I get better at that, yes, I buy seedlings at home improvement and gardening centers and I am not ashamed.

Thankful

edremsrola — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:47:22 +0000

Last night, as my wife was enjoying the dancing styles of Donny, Mya and Kelly, I was sitting next to the woodstove with a warm herbal tea and a pile of conifer catalogs that I have accumulated over the past few years. My catalog collection is of great value to me. Full of plant photos and descriptions, my notes written in the margins of the pages, plants circled and starred, I’ve turned my collection of catalogs into an analog version of my own personal plant Wikipedia.

Happy Thanksgiving to my gardening friends!

Even though the economy is a challenge, and like many people I’ve needed to tighten my budget and cut back on frivolous spending, I have made sure that I have a New Conifer section in the budget plan. I am thankful that my wife has always been very patient with my conifer expenditures since, after all, my hobby does keep me close to home and we do love to garden together.

I’m thankful that we live in a country with a rich history of freedom with a Constitution and Bill of Rights to guide our leaders. I’m thankful that we have a strong military filled with young, dedicated men and women willing to risk their lives so that I may enjoy those freedoms. I’m thankful for my family and friends and hope that my garden may inspire them to begin their own conifer gardens. I am thankful for the friends I am making as a result of this blog – may it be a positive and uplifting experience for my readers and may your gardens be a source of great joy for you and yours in the many years to come.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

pinecones

hapaheart — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:14:34 +0000

They litter the yard like old mens’ cigars, frosted in ash and sticky with memories.

Sweet Home Plantation, GA

US-Traveler — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:37:52 +0000

Surrounded by its 100 acres of gardens, fields, woods and original outbuildings, Sweet Home transports all who visit to Georgia’s Antebellum South, evoking the beauty, grace and charm of the Old South Legend. This National Historic Register 1840 Greek Revival Home is a virtual mid-19th century time capsule, beautifully furnished with period furniture. Sweet Home Plantation is ideally suited for weddings and receptions, private parties, corporate events, barbeques and picnics. The spacious grounds offer the perfect setting for large or intimate events. The elegant home is a wonderful spot for teas, luncheons, cocktail receptions or small seated dinner parties. For more information, visit the Pine Mountain Destination Guide

PARADIGM SHIFT

chrismaser — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:13:51 +0000

PARADIGM SHIFT

Chris Maser

No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated. — Ellen Glasgow, American author.

Cultural evolution expresses itself through changing values. Culture is not genetically inherited. It can only be learned from the past, modified in the present, and passed on to future generations. The notion of culture poses two questions: (1) What happens when the evolution of culture tears the social fabric with great force because of a shift in values in one part of society? and (2) How do we heal the social rupture that results from such a shift in cultural values?

Trying to answer these questions helps me put my idea of a paradigm shift in context with my understanding of a profession as a microcosm of societal dynamics, such as forestry in the United States, which is relatively young, rich in experience, and was noble in its early vision. But the vision of its inception—once on the cutting edge of social responsibility, science, and “correctness” for its time—has dimmed, and is rapidly being relegated to cultural history. Be that as it may, prior to casting out an old paradigm, wisdom dictates that we have a new one to take its place.

Each new paradigm is built on a shift of insight, a quantum leap of intuition, with only a modicum of hard, scientific data. Those who cling to the old way often demand irrefutable, scientific proof that change is needed, but such proof is seldom—if ever—available to the “diehard’s” satisfaction. Ironically, however, today’s old way of thinking was yesterday’s new way of thinking, which was challenged by an even older way of thinking to prove change was necessary or even desirable.

Time and human effort have proven the old paradigm to be more “correct” in terms of contemporary knowledge than its predecessor, but still only partially “correct.” So it is with the new; it too will be more “correct” than the old and will eventually be proven to be only partially “correct,” hence in need of change.

The personal and professional trap of every paradigm lies in its self-limiting nature, which manifests itself when the paradigm becomes too comfortable. At that point, new data cannot fit into the old way of thinking, which has grown rigid with tradition and hardened with age. It is thus necessary to periodically crack open an old belief system if a new thought-form is to enter and grow, moving both the individual and the profession forward in a renewed sense of authenticity in keeping with the cultural times.

Moving forward may be difficult for those whose belief system and personal identity is totally invested in the old paradigm, wherein their perception is vested in the cobwebs of the past, which preclude seeing any reason for change. For those who subscribe to a new paradigm, moving forward is easier, because there is something exciting and novel toward which to move—an opening vista that hints at what the profession must become, a vista more in tune with the knowledge and understanding of the day. Yet those who harbor the new ideas are not better as human beings just because their views differ from those who cling to the old patterns of thought.

The British historian, Arnold Toynbee, asked the critical question: “Why did 26 great civilizations fall?” The answer, he concluded, was that the people would not, or believed they could not, change their way of thinking to meet the changing conditions of their world.

Thus, a profession or society can move forward only to the extent that individuals within it accept new philosophies and practices as demanded by a rapidly changing culture. No profession or society can remain the same. Those who feel they cannot accept new ideas must—and will—fall by the wayside. The constant evolution of culture decrees that every new paradigm will eventually be replaced by one more correct in terms of contemporary knowledge. And we must bear in mind that now is always a time of change, because change is a universal constant—the fruit of which is constant novelty.

Nothing is so soothing to our self-esteem as to find our bad traits in our forebears. It seems to absolve us. — Van Wyck Brooks, American Author

I Have Lived, Worked, Consulted, And/Or Lectured In: Austria • Canada • Chile • Egypt • France • Germany • Japan • Malaysia • Mexico • Nepal • Slovakia • Switzerland • and various settings in the United States.

If you want to contact me, visit my website: http://chrismaser.com/index.htm

Updated : Operation Cat Flap

cathandpaul — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:06:55 +0000

Success!!!

They’re all inside the warm, waterproof box! Mother cat is sat on top keeping watch and all the kittens are inside.

Fab news – so made up. We were worried we’d struggle to get them to go in, but the box is obviously better than under the big bush.

We put a few big blankets in their too to keep them warm. Glad they approve!

Operation Cat Flap

cathandpaul — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:49:27 +0000

Due to us feeding them, they’ve now re-located to under the laurel bush and the weather being the way it is, we thought we’d better lend a hand.

So me and Paul (Kates Dad) made a house! We decided to call it Operation Cat Flap.

A wooden box, which held all of our bits of paperwork for the restuarant, wrapped in plastic to make it waterproof – and we cut a hole in the front. I’ll post some pictures up when i can of it outside. It’s a little dark out there at the moment.

Put it outside, and they’ve all been in there for a nose. Mother Cat is currently sat on top as I write, and the little white fluffy kitten is inside. Whilst the other 2 are playing and legging it round the garden!

Copper and glass

tammallamma — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:34:22 +0000

Gardenscapes: Create the perfect garden!

annabern — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:07:28 +0000

Gardenscapes (94 MB download)
Create the perfect garden! Comb through a gorgeous mansion for hidden items and restore a once stunning garden to its former glory. Find over 1,000 cool items and search through 15 rooms to earn money and customize your very own garden! Become an outdoor décor pro in this cutting hidden object game!

THE QUESTIONS WE ASK

chrismaser — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:55:41 +0000

THE QUESTIONS WE ASK

Chris Maser

A question is a powerful tool when used wisely since a question opens the door of possibility. For example, it was not possible to go to the moon until someone asked: “Is it possible to be to the moon?” At that moment, going to the moon became possible, albeit no one knew how. To be effective, each question must: (1) have a specific purpose, (2) contain a single idea, (3) be clear in meaning, (4) stimulate thought, (5) require a definite answer to bring closure to the human relationship induced by the question, and (6) explicitly relate to previous information.

In a discussion about going to the moon, one might usefully ask: “Do you know what the moon is?” The specific purpose of this question is to find out what, if anything, a person knows about the moon. As such, the question contains a single—an inquiry into the extent of a person’s knowledge about the moon. The question stimulates thought about the moon and may spark an idea of how one relates to it; if not, that can be addressed in a second question. The question, as asked, requires a definite answer, and the question relates to previous information.

A question that focuses on “right” versus “wrong” is a hopeless exercise because it calls for human, moral judgment, and everyone is right from their point of view. A good question, therefore, would be to ask if a proposed action is good or bad in terms of something, such as caretaking a particular forest, imposing a quota on a certain species of oceanic fish, etc. To find out, we must inquire whether a good short-term economic decision is it also a good long-term ecological decision and so a good long-term economic decision. Such questions are important because a good short-term economic decision can simultaneously be a bad long-term ecological decision and so a bad long-term economic decision, one that generations of the future would have to pay for. The point is that we must ask before an answer can be forthcoming.

In essence, every question is a key that opens a door to a room in the human mind, a room that is filled with mirrors, each one of which reflects a facet of the answer. There is, however, a single question per room, and the totality of its answer can be found only in the collective reflection of all the mirrors. Leave out the reflection of one mirror, and the answer is incomplete—and always will be. Nevertheless, “it is still true,” as Louis Pasteur said, “that a well-posed question is half resolved.” This said, however, we must understand and accept that if we want a really new answer to a question, we must risk opening a new room with a new key by asking a fundamentally new question.

On the one hand, we need to know. On the other, we’re afraid of knowing and thus live by surrounding ourselves with informed denial, which keeps us asking the same, old comfortable questions, opening the same familiar door, and looking at the same known and safe reflections in the long-familiar mirrors. On a rare occasion, when we think it safe to feel “feisty,” we may use a little cleaning agent to polish the aging mirrors and hope thereby to find a new and different meaning from the worn-out answer to a question that is so tired we’re no longer quite sure why we’re asking it—like an old person hoping to see a youthful image when looking into the mirror. Or we might think we can mix and match by picking the lock and stealing a mirror from a different room with the hope of stumbling onto a new, workable answer to some threadbare question. But the world doesn’t work that way.

The old questions and the old answers, which have led us into the mess we’re in today, are guiding us toward the even greater mess we’ll be in tomorrow. We must, therefore, look long and hard at where we’re headed because only when we’re willing to risk asking really new questions can we find really new answers and leave the future something better than we are today creating for ourselves.

Heretofore, we have generally been more concerned with getting politically correct answers than we have been with asking fundamentally wise questions. Politically correct answers validate our preconceived, economic/political desires. Wise, farsighted questions would lead us toward a future wherein options are left open, so the generations to come can define their own ideas of a “quality life” from an array of possibilities.

A good question is a bridge of continuity across the generations. While a different answer may be derived every decade, the answer does the only thing an answer can do—brings a greater understanding of the question. Although an answer cannot exist without a question, by the same token, no answer resides completely within a question. Rather, a partial answer is all we can derive from the information we temporarily glean as an illusion of having “answered” the question.

Consider, for example, that when we think we understand a pathogen sufficiently to control it, based on knowledge acquired through the questions we have thus far asked, it mutates and causes us to redefine the original question about controlling it by forcing us to ask more and different questions. Clearly, therefore, other facets of the answer of how to control the organism lie hidden in questions yet to be asked because knowledge is always relative, never definitive, whereas the Creative Principle is forever active, novel, and open-ended. And so it is that another question is always required to approach more closely the ever-incomplete answer.

In the final analysis, the questions we ask guide the conscious evolution of humanity and its society, and it’s the questions we ask—not the answers we derive—that determine the options we bequeath to the future. Answers are fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow, but questions may be valid for a century or more. Questions are flexible and open-ended, whereas answers are rigid and dead-ended. The future, therefore, is a question to be guided by questions and thus defined and determined by questions. The irony is that every answer to every question the human mind can think to ask is only partial, despite appearances, because one must be able to understand, in a single instance, the cyclical-curvilinear nature of the whole universe as an interactive system in order to understand the whole of any given answer to any given question at any given moment.

If you want to contact me, visit my website: http://chrismaser.com/index.htm

Communal Garden & Garden Maintenance

me2them — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:55:19 +0000

I love our garden. I say ours, because I share it with other 5 tenants in a multi-occupancy mock Tudor dwelling. My best and only view is from my kitchen looking out on to a massive lawn, flower beds surrounded by hedges and bushes.

Garden maintenance costs have become contentious since the Rent Review Office slashed the budget head in the Nineties and eventually restored them more recently.

In the meantim our garden looked like a natural wildlife reserve and the tenants were up in arms about it; with good reason.

We were officially told that Steve Cutforth, a great gardener apparently became too ill to work. By this time – 2003/5 – our tenant dynamics had changed to reflect a change in tenants and instead of co-operation, there was a lot of politicking leading to an in-group which excluded some tenants from the decision-making process by the way the in-group processed, organised and managed these meetings.

From 2004 – 2008 contract years, garden maintenance was contracted to a landscape gardener with staff who were rude, obnoxious and didnt know the first thing about garden maintenance. My evidence for this is that in the 4 years of their tenure they were

Since May 2009, however, we’ve seen a major step up in terms of delivery and standards with the appointment of a great new gardener. Within the first month he removed loads of seedlings (trees in early stages) including 20+ sycamore and oak tree seedlings all over the garden including the flowerbeds outside my flat.

This guy’s so enthusiastic that earlier this month he even turned up in such a heavy downpour that I wasnt at all surprised to see him pack up and leave barely 45 minutes later.

He’s so accommodating and felled down a bush which evolved from a knee high bush in to an 8 metre sapling with a trunk larger than my wrist because the relevant tenant owner had neglected everything in her patch for several years and it’s all descended in to a desolate wilderness.

le rideau rayé

georges salameh — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:45:17 +0000

De la série photographique “Aθήνα σ΄ακουω – Athènes je t’écoute – Athens I’m listening” (1998-2006)

Last of the fall harvest

hcafbgardeners — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:34:27 +0000

Cold temperatures settle-in to the Central Texas area just before Thanksgiving every year. Even if our days warm up again, the light freezes are enough to kill off sensative plants like beans, basil, peppers, tomatoes, and squash.
Today was likely our final squash harvest from the food bank garden.
Yet we are happy to see that we can now clear the large garden bed for carrots. Meanwhile, the food bank welcomed their 32 pounds of organic food. Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

The long and stony road...

steffiw — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:24:56 +0000

to self suffientcy.We down on the walsh family homestead(lol)are trying to pave the way to becoming 95% self reliant,i say 95% as we will not have a cow and there are still somethings we have to ,buy,we also do not have solar power-i shouldn’t think theres enough uva to power a childs torch here in drippy ireland!I am also hampered by the fact that in theory everyone here is onboard,in practice ,this is where onboard becomes a leaky boat as my army of helpers soon diminish for various reasons the major one being-can’t be arsed!I am the animal,veg,fruit,recycling,preserve making etc one woman band around here as well as the head cook and bottlewasher everyone else has,and yet they all love it when eggs are sold or jam abounds and experienced farmers comment on my healthy stock(chickens,duck and lamb)I am a newbie to all this,it is fun and it is hardwork,i believe oneday soon it will be worth it,the waiting is the killer,i am hampered by the worst weather,shortage of available animals at a realistic price/distance and many other things determined to thwart any heroic attempts i may try.I knew it would be expensive to start,the rewards come after the expense but just how much do you have to have??a lottery win would be a good start it seems,goats are very expenive,you need at least two or i believe the animal would suffer in lonliness,their welfare is prime importance,over any bounty they give or profit they earn in my book.There was a time here (and in some places still are)where the animals welfare was not a care,you could travel near and far and find animals tethered for sale looking sad and dejected for very little,people glad to be rid of their burdens anything from puppies,chickens,goats to sheep,skinny cows,horses and donkeys.I don’t want something for nothing,a fair price is all (tho something for nothing would be a gift!!)if you do not want it anymore,surely it is better to sell it for less then hang out for much higher?The longer you have it,the more in feed/labour it will cost you.The same goes for hay/straw,i can’t seem to find anyone willing to sell me it as i need it,without buying a shed load literally,thankfully near me is a food mill where i can buy as little as one sack or ten if need be-there is no minimum buy.I put up ads for chickens or goats wanted,i get inundated with calls offering me ducks(always drakes)or dogs!i love (and have)both,but if i ask for goats or chickens,it is funnily enough because i want goats and chickens!!I am also getting used to the wheeler dealers who try to sell me egg laying drakes,milk producing bucks and cockerels pretending to be small young hens!!I will get there eventually,rome wasn’t built in a day-probably because there were men in charge but by hook or by crook(s)i will suceed albeit alone no doubt,and my family will thank me for it-always live in hope!

Abundance

Katie Elzer-Peters — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:12:46 +0000

One of the people I follow on Twitter, Susan Cohan, or @susancohan, asked last night what everyone’s definitions of abundance are. I kept tweeting at her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what I was trying to say. This morning, as I was waking up, it came to me:

Abundance is not something you get. It is something you give.

In our answers, we were all trying to define it by having a lot of something. I was saying “feeling” rather than “stuff.” But “having” wasn’t the right word. “Giving” would have been the right word for me. I’m not trying to sound self-rightous. Everyone has their own definition, but November has been a month of Abundance for me, and it will cap with a Thanksgiving dinner for 16 (and counting).

Love isn’t Love ’till you Give it Away

My mom used to do cross-stitch. I think she had one with the saying:

The love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay. Love isn’t love ’till you give it away.

That sticks with me. I have always felt that the more love you give, the more you have to give. I’ve heard people say that they couldn’t possibly have another child because they couldn’t love them enough. I don’t think love is the limiting factor. Time, maybe. Money, perhaps. But, I’ve found that love is endless.

I’ve never felt better than when I’m doing something nice for someone else. Whether it is contributing to a food drive, or taking my nephew to the park, or cooking for my husband, I feel abundance in my life when I give abundantly. Now, I’m not so self-denying that I don’t count myself in there. I feel abundance when I give myself abundance, too. (Like a delicious nap, or time to read a book.)

Since this is primarily a photo blog, here are some of my favorite photos from the last few months that represent abundance to me.

Surfing with the Gals

Surfing with my Brother in Law, with my Teacher's board

Watching a little wahine do the Hula at a surf competition

How can you not feel abundance when you see this flower?

Visiting the S.E.E.D.S. community garden in Durham.

Metting new friends at Garden Writers

Visiting the Aquarium with my nephew. He and his parents came from Idaho to spend a week with us.

Visiting with my friends from California. They came to Florida for a few days.

Spending time with my parents and my husband.

So, in the words of my nephew (and you need to scream this at the top of your lungs, when everybody else is quiet, regardless of the date) TOMORROW’S THANKSGIVING!!!! (really, it is the day after tomorrow). I’m thankful for everything pictured above, and so much more. Mainly, I’m thankful that I can continue to give.

First Step towards my dream

monikamanchanda — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:41:39 +0000

In this world which is fast becoming a concrete jungle I consider myself very very lucky that I have

Weekend Project #1

castreett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:22:54 +0000

I was dying to start on next year’s veggies–so I drove home and made a raised bed that will soon house them. From scratch. All by myself.

First, I cleared the space. The next move was to use a tiller to loosen the soil, but it was a little too muddy, so I did it by hand.

I went to Terrain, the only place that I know around me that sells compost, and purchased some. It was a hike, BUT I found Callicarpa, which I have been looking for, for months. It was a steal, too — $10 (gotta love the fact that it’s so late in the season)!

From there I went to The Home Depot for garden soil, and then home. After moving 720 pounds of soil from my vehicle and then spreading it on the ground, there was a 6×8 mound. (720 pounds of soil later, my back was just a little sore, too.)

Day two featured another trip to The Home Depot where I purchased bricks and constructed the border for the raised bed.

For now, it is all finished. But I do think that it should be a bit higher and I still need to create a walkway with pavers. Those tasks are for another weekend and another trip home. I’m excited and ready for the spring and summer, though!

Putting the Old Roses Garden to Bed

myenglishcountrygarden — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:05:29 +0000

The past few days have been spent avoiding the vile weather and tidying the Old Roses Garden before the winter storms rip the rose bushes out of their beds, and adding well-rotted manure to help the roots make growth in any warm spells.

It is a very different place when compared to the lushness of summer isn’t it? But now is the time to take remedial action..and some was needed believe me.

The four outside corners of the beds are terminated by yew trees. I confess I have let them “get away from me”. So my garden helpers and myself have taken on the task of bringing them into line and clipping them, in preparation for making them into …wait for it…sprials! I’ve never done this before but I watched a relative’s gardener do this a few years ago, using a rope swagged around the yew as a guide. That will be my job next summer. Let’s see how I get on…

All the rose bushes have now been brought back into some sort of shape. Charles de Mills is still desperately holding on to his leaves…he is almost evergreen with me. Interesting.

Parsons Pink China is still blooming…

And a few hips are left on the White Rose of York.

The honeysuckle and clematis arches are revealed to be rickety things in reality- but they are held together by the twining honeysuckle branches and so far seem to survive the winter winds( fingers crossed).

The rose buses in the border by the stone bench-Veilchanblau and Shakespeare’s Musk are now for the first time doing what I want them to do-

romping away in the boundary hedge which, in this part of the garden, is more ivy than anything else. I’m keen to see what they will look like next summer…

And so thats it till spring, when I begin to look for the buds breaking, the first blooms of Parson’s Pink(always the first to flower) and the Crambe Cordifolia beginning to branch out of the soil.

Stormy Weather

welshpurpletree — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:04:16 +0000

I’m so fed up with this weather, I don’t feel like we’ve had a sunny day for weeks. Luckily my dad has been able to give us a lift to the school in the mornings, otherwise I think I would’ve been even more fed up, and Danny would’ve been sitting in school in soggy trousers every day.

Yesterday was the worst with the strong winds. Hubby informed me in the morning that the shower curtain had come away from the eglu run, but that ‘it wasn’t too bad’. When I had a look most of the run was exposed, and it was looking very wet in there, so before I’d even had my breakfast I was out fixing it with my trusty cable ties. Luckily it wasn’t too difficult, battling against the wind was the hardest part.

I was then out all day at my mum and dad’s house, I got back about 4:30pm to discover the other side of the shower curtain had been blown loose. So out again, in the near darkness, with a pair of scissors and more cable ties. While I was out there I thought I’d check for eggs, opened the egg port, and discovered all three chickens huddled in the nestbox. It’s not easy trying to get your hand under three chickens who are determined not to move, hoping you’re not going to pick up poo instead of an egg.

I really need to clean the Eglu and I want to put fresh wood chippings down, but it’s impossible in this weather. My garden is really squidgy and muddy, and the existing chippings are looking more mud like than wood like. Hopefully we’ll have lovely dry weather all next week and I can do it all the following weekend.

I’m quite excited about this weekend. I’m going to the National Championship Poultry Show with my friend Debs who I met through the Omlet Forum. There seems to be quite a few Omleteers going, and we’re all planning to meet up. It’ll be quite strange meeting people that I chat to on the Forum. I will be taking my camera (if I remember), so expect lots of photos of chickens next week.