Sustainability

We participated in the Sustainability Conference and then came home to see what was left to do on the Riparia work day... finding out that a huge long petroleum based swath of shadeclothe is being used to keep down weeds in the new hedgerow. I was discouraged but realize how insidious our dependence is on drip tubing, PVC water pipes, plastic buckets, plastic planting containers, plastic twist ties... On the front end it all seems fine but on the back end I wonder what will become of it and us.

We went over for a potluck with the GRUB collective and were treated to a wonderful sunset with the light streaming horizontally under gray skies creating a lovely delighted Francine and Orrin looking out over their land.

They keep sheep to chew down weeds and this gal reminded me of how the chickens used to sit on my goats once upon a time when I kept goats and chickens. Sweet!

Our next door neighbor Hjalmar arrived bearing a delicious and decadent Swedish cake striding across the muddy fields with ease. So good to see a human walking through fields on a dynamic day. So much of our lives-- all of us, are spent on pavement.

The GRUB folks built a Cobb oven and decorated it finely. We didn't want to uncover it (from its, dare I say, plastic tarp?) because of the rain that kept squeezing out drops on us. We had a wonderful meal with our neighbors and admire their hard work, creativity and energy very much. It will be people like them who provide the groundwork for a sustainable civilization if there will be one and I am filled with hope.