“Who needs a telephone? This (he took a pinch of tobacco from a pouch) is my communication. Better than any telephone. Telephone carries your voice around the earth, not up to the Creator. You don’t need a telephone to talk to the Creator. When we want to talk to the Creator we burn tobacco and it takes our prayers all the way up to the Sky World. What telephone can do that?” ~ Louis Farmer, Onondaga Nation

Peaches, cherries, pears, blueberries, and fig.

Refugees from the old beach road. They are all planted now.

]]> https://wildmuse.net/hobbity-homestead/feed/ 15 https://wildmuse.net/the-new-abode/ https://wildmuse.net/the-new-abode/#comments Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:06:00 +0000 http://wildmuse.net/new-abode/ Continue reading →]]> I have moved from the garden by the sea to a garden in the woods not far from the sea. It’s another hobbit-like house built into a hill with a half acre of cleared land for gardens and a forest of brambles. There are wild berries and herbs hiding in there somewhere and I’ll find them eventually. C.P. and I have made a small dent in setting up new gardens just in time to put them to bed. Freya loves it here. I’ve never seen her so relaxed. Little Nemo is still pouting. I think he misses his ocean view. I don’t. When I look out of any window, all I see are trees. It’s so peaceful and much warmer. The ocean is a 20 minute walk instead of a 20 second walk. This beach has more rocks which also means that there are fewer people. Not bad at all.

The old shed has electricity and running water so with a little patience and labor I’ll have a new studio by next summer.

There are water pipes everywhere and a well.

The view from the front and Freya’s favorite new spot.

My flying carpet. Mine!

 Although I would never again wish to live in a city, I have a fascination with small urban gardens and allotments. There is such an abundance of charm in small gardens with their clever use of structures and strategic plantings. The victory gardens on the Fenway create an oasis in the midst of crowds, cars, and chaos.

There are rusty nails and thorny branches all over the posts and gates. I know they are there to discourage vandals and thieves yet no less beautiful and sculptural in this context.

C.P. McDill and I made a rare visit to the city for gallery hopping and window shopping. We strolled from the Commons through the Public Garden and down the full length of Newbury Street, stopping to admire the hand carved cabinets of Jenna Goldberg and the incomparable paintings of Goxwa at Axelle. We wandered through the exhaustive maze of allotments at Fenway Victory Gardens working up an appetite for the amazing Thai cuisine we had for dinner. We ended the evening by winding up the main street, returning to the Commons in time for sunset on the pond and a carousel ride. It was a perfectly lovely day capped off by reading many generous blessings and good wishes for which I am thankful.

Photographs, of course, do not do Goxwa’s work justice. There is so much light in these paintings. I recommend that anyone near Boston visit her solo show at Axelle Gallery on Newbury Street. These are just details taken with a digital. The full compositions have more impact.

Scrap wood bird house with a nail for a perch.

These are much more expensive birdhouses in a shop display on the main street. ! I like these but I prefer the scrappy DIY version.

Sunset and a white rabbit ride.

The head mason is my mother who is 70 years old and loves to build walls and paths out of stone. She doesn’t just design and supervise. She does the actual lugging and building. The stone path leads out to the sandy beach road and we’ve left the entrance open. No gate. There is an enclosed fence around the main garden in the back so I’d like to leave the front open if possible. It’s friendlier. We’ll see how well the neighborhood dogs behave.

I’ve also photographed our medicinal plants since it’s harvest time. I’m about to take most of them out of the garden to dry or otherwise store for the winter. Many will last through the fall a few will live through the winter in cold frames. This is my kind of health insurance. Build your own and grow your own. Self sufficiency and simplicity. I learned this from my parents. Hopefully, if I follow this path, I’ll be lugging big rocks around and planting trees when I am 70. Hmm. That didn’t come out quite right but I think you know what I mean. I’d like to keep that option.

Sage

Mint

Wild Strawberries. They look homely but they are so good.

Echinacea

Dandelion Greens.

Oregeno

Cat Mint!

Raspberry Leaves.

Lavender

Comfrey

Rhubarb

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories. ;)

Purslane

Chamomile

Basil

Jalapenos & Cayenne

Parsley, Rosemary, Chives, Heather, Lavender, Garlic, Dill, Mullein…

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