Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Back at it.
I’m feeling a bit nervous at the moment because in less than two hours I will be sitting in an interview regarding my application to graduate school. So what can I say except that I’m back in Vancouver (from a weekend trip to Fanny Bay ), I’m back at work after being sick a couple days last week on top of the long weekend, and I’ve got a very busy few days (and weeks) coming up.
In other news, I’ve been teaching myself to crochet over the weekend so I have a craft to take places with me – particularly when I’m traveling long distances. So far I’ve made four wash cloths and a soap saver during my weekend travels. I think next on the agenda is a scarf and wrist-warmers, or perhaps a cowl. Summer doesn’t exactly seem like scarf-making weather, so I might look at a lighter-weight summer shawl as a project next. We’ll see what I find to inspire me at the yarn shop on my way home from work today.
With the election looming I’m finding it hard to be motivated at work. Everything here is so touchy at the moment and I can’t stand the idea of a possible majority (though apparently that’s as elusive as ever for the Cons with their current projection at 147 seats). I’ve got lots to do though – because no matter who makes the government after May 2nd, they work of the government continues.
New Garden Plot @ Pandora!
This is my new garden plot at Pandora Park Community Garden which I just took over last night (by handing in my $20 garden registration fee). You would think I have enough gardening space already, but the great exposure on this site gives me a few more options. My plan at the moment is as follows with half of the bed being turned to garlic and overwintering onions in the fall:
I won’t be able to get in the garden this weekend, but I’m hoping to spend half a day there next weekend, add a layer of compost, build the trellis and plant what can be planted now (leeks, turnips, cabbage). Come later May/June I’ll be putting down the flowers, brussels sprouts, collards and squashes. At least that’s what I’m thinking about right now.
Learning self-care.
I’m starting to suspect that my fatigue of the last two days is related to getting a cold rather than returning from holidays. Yuck. Sore throat and still really tired. I’m hoping to make it through today at least since I have two meetings and a dentist appointment. Tomorrow I can be sick (but only until Friday because we’re going to the in-laws for Easter weekend)……Oh, if only we could control such things!
Awhile ago my fitness instructor at the YWCA gave us this quote to think about – “You can not control your life, you can control how you live” – which is obvious right? Apparently not to everyone because several people in my class didn’t really understand what that meant – but it resonated with me. Specifically this question of self-care, motivation, and living a life that is enjoyable as well as responsible – which are all matters that I can control, even if I can’t control all the circumstances thrown at me (like the timing of this cold).
One thing I realized after a week at Breitenbush is that taking real downtime on a regular basis would probably help reduce my overall stress levels. The other thing I’ve started to grok is that digital devices are a real impediment to getting any real downtime – not to mention the computer as a total demotivator to getting other things accomplished in the evenings (we don’t have TV, so the computer has become my time-wasting stand-in).
To that end I’ve decided to incorporate two practices into my routine to encourage downtime and de-stressing even while going about my busy city life:
- Regular massage/cranio sacral appointments, and
- No computer or phone email-checking after 7 pm. If we’re watching a movie I’ll make an exception for having the laptop active, but otherwise I don’t want to deal with the outside world after seven in the evening.
I’m going to try this out for a couple of months and see if it helps boost my overall emotional resilience – particularly as I expect May will be hectic with parties, union conventions and other good times, so it’s super-important that I find time to check-out when I can.
Potato bags and other accomplishments
Got home on Friday from our trip to Breitenbush Hot Springs (exactly the rest and relaxation I needed) – to some decent gardening weather on the weekend. I spent Saturday cleaning out my sewing room closet and working on finishing a quilt. Sunday was all outdoors, even though I was still in vacation mode and didn’t really want to!
But at least I can post some accomplishments from yesterday’s garden session. Brian got a hole dug in the front yard for the pond we are putting in – which doesn’t look like much right at the moment so I don’t have any pictures to post.
I finished the irrigation set-up in the backyard which now means I can water almost everything with a single turn of the tap (and my neighbour won’t be so annoyed by his lawn being wetted by our sprinkler). I’ve still got a few more spray-heads to put in to ensure even watering – but the basic system is finally done! (If you are interested in doing this easily and affordably – check out the Lee Valley kits for mail-order. These are easily expandable with all other Lee Valley watering components ).
Also, I made up eight potato bags (pictured above) from burlap sacks kicking around the basement (I over-ordered last year). This is my prefered way of growing potatoes even though the burlap is not reusable from year to year (the water rots the burlap, but it is compostable). Many years ago I planted in old tires, but since then have become a bit edgy about the toxicity leaching from the black rubber – so I prefer this method. One of these years I may actually invest in re-usable potato bags… but burlap is cheap! I’ve gone ahead and ordered another ten bags from West Coast Seeds since I’ve still got lots of seed potatoes to throw around.
And on top of all that, I was offered two more garden plots yesterday afternoon through some strange machinations of the universe. First of all, my new neighbours (renters on the non-crazy-person side of our house) have a garden plot in the backyard that they intended to plant but now feel overwhelmed by. Yesterday, they mentioned to Brian that they would hate it to go to waste…. and he suggested they talk to me about whether I would want to work it or not. I haven’t followed up on it yet because I’m not sure about the whole gardening in the neighbour’s yard thing….. but I love the idea of doing it and sharing produce. It is a small sunny plot, and only a day’s work to get it into shape and planted with something – though the soil could use some serious livening up so there would be a bit of money for soil ammending to throw down.
The second offer came out of the blue from Pandora Park Community Garden who have offered me a 5 x 10 plot. I had totally forgotten that a friend of mine said she’d put me on the waiting list for a plot there months ago but was really glad to be offered this space so I immediately said YES! And now I’ve got to pay my membership fee and get down there to check it out as soon as possible.
As much as my own garden is a lot of work, the notion of having more space to grow food is very appealing to me -and I’d really like more room for winter storage vegetables like squash, and cucumbers for pickling. Additionally brussels sprouts, fall cabbage, overwintering onions, kholrabi, and corn are all things I would like room for – and I wouldn’t mind being able to produce enough to give more away this summer. So I’m excited to have one confirmed extra plot at the moment and am going to talk to the neighbours about what their expectations might be if I was to take on their garden plot this summer. Both of these mean more work in the short-term that I’m going to have to fit into my schedule, but I’m pretty optimistic about the possibilities. I think if I make up a schedule for each garden (stopping in before or after work every third day) than I should be able to manage it.
My garden goals for this week include planting beets and carrots, drafting up a front-yard garden plan, and getting things sorted with the Pandora Garden folks. Yee haw! Spring!
Breitenbush is beautiful!
Despite the long drive, the rain and snow, and the many washed out footbridges impeding hiking – we just had the most amazing week of holiday at Breitenbush Hot Springs in the Willamette National Forest. Four whole days of hot springs, an incredible sauna, three vegetarian meals a day (that I didn’t have to cook), lots of book-reading, and even a cranio-sacral massage treatment. Heavenly!
Breitenbush retreat is an old hot springs lodge from the 1920s that has been run by an intentional community dedicated to service since the early 1980s. In addition to the historic lodge building, many sleeping cabins, workshop/yoga spaces, an incredible sauna, a gift shop/office and a massage house spread across the forest site along the Breitenbush River. Think sleep-over camp for grownups – with bunk beds in some of the cabins, shared toilet and bathing facilities – but a whole lot quieter than your Camp Thunderbird experiences of the past! There’s a definite sense of being cared for in this environment, as staff are friendly and helpful – while at the same time lots of space to just be on one’s own. While we were there, two structured retreats were also taking place, which meant that during sessions the hot springs were empty except for us and sometimes a few others.
For $70 per day, per person (offseason rate) we got a very cozy cabin (rustic, heated with geothermal radiators), all meals, access to the hot spring/sauna/lodge and other physical spaces, plus yoga and other wellness classes offered on a daily basis. We felt like this was a pretty good deal for the level of service, relaxation, privacy, and beauty we were afforded in this gorgeous spot… and we will definitely be making another stay (or more) here in the future.
The only downside from Vancouver is the long drive (9 and a half hours) which is mostly on the I-5. Having looked into things, I now realize that Amtrak offers a continuous service from Vancouver to Portland (first offered during the Olympics, now on as a trial service) and I’m thinking that next time we’ll just take a train to Portland and then rent a car from there. This is something we’re going to try in June when we meet my parents in Lincoln City for a family holiday – since the driving issue there is the same (about 9 hours from Vancouver). As much as I used to not mind driving that much, I’m finding the I-5 a real drag these days, not to mention the fact that going as far as we can by train is the far more ecological option.
I’m back at work now which is a real shame if you ask me, but at least it’s a short week!
Red Cedar 